by Noella Noelophile®
December first always feels magical anyway.
And this Friday, December 1, the Victorian village of Ferndale would like to invite you to experience that magic with them.
Starting at 5:00, this Friday evening, Ferndale hosts their “Hospitality Night Open House”!
This is a combination of a block party and a festive street fair, as Main Street merchants stay open till 9 pm to welcome guests.
Free refreshments, unique shopping and a festive start to December will all be part of the evening. And it’s going to be like going back in time to an old-fashioned Christmas–Ferndale’s Historic District is a State Historic Landmark.
Ferndale’s “Hospitality Night Open House” runs from 5 to 9 pm, Friday, December 1 on Main Street in Ferndale.
Continuing the festivities
However, you may want to plan now, to stay in the area for the weekend.
Ferndale, besides being a neighborly dairy community with a small-town feel, is home to America’s tallest living Christmas tree.
This Sunday, December 3, the tree lighting happens at 5:30 pm.
(Photograph courtesy of Carol Larsen, and used with permission.)
A Ferndale Christmas tradition since 1934, the tree lighting ceremony is an event which the whole town attends, according to Ferndale’s website. Free hot chocolate is available at stations throughout the lighting area, and attendees receive packages of wrapped homemade cookies.
Expect to hear plenty of “oohs” and “aahs” as the giant spruce, decorated with colored lights by Ferndale’s volunteer firefighters, blazes to life.
You may also want to arrive long before 5:30.
Besides the shopping on Main Street, there’s also a special traditional Portuguese dinner which happens annually on tree-lighting night. Hosted at Ferndale’s Portuguese Hall, the “Portuguese Linguica & Beans Dinner” runs from 4 to 7 pm, and is a great way to enjoy excellent food and a friendly atmosphere on tree-lighting night.
Ferndale’s “Lighting of America’s Tallest Christmas Tree” happens at 5:30 pm, Sunday, December 3 on Main Street.
Ferndale’s Portuguese Hall hosts their annual “Portuguese Linguica & Beans Dinner” from 4 to 7 pm, Sunday, December 3 at Portuguese Hall, 355 Ocean Avenue, near Main Street. Proceeds benefit repairs to Portuguese Hall.
So, a very Merry December! Can’t believe it arrived so quickly, but may it be a fun and festive one for you and yours–in Ferndale or wherever else you may travel.