Barkerville Historic Town & Park will be bustling with special events and activities for yuletide revelers looking to experience the wintertime magic of western North America’s largest heritage attraction, nestled under a blanket of snow Dec. 12-14 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Admission is by donation, either a monetary gift or a non-perishable food item for the Wells Legion holiday hamper program.
An overnight stay at one of Barkerville’s exceptional Bed & Breakfasts is only one of many old-fashioned Christmas activities available for weekend visitors.
Daytime guests can sip apple cider while shopping for one-of-a-kind gifts and carefully crafted Christmas decorations at the Mason and Daly General Merchants, C. Strouss & Co. Dry Goods, and McPherson’s Watchmakers and Jewelry Store.
The Cameron and Ames Blacksmith Shop will be offering up hand-forged treasures and lumps of coal for those with unusual “naughty and nice” lists.
McMahon’s Confectionary is sure to satisfy the sweet tooth of the most carefully hung stocking, the Goldfield Bakery will have soup and sandwiches available for lunch, as well as traditional 1930s Christmas goodies to take home, and stop by the Wendle House to whet the appetite with an atmosphere of traditional Victorian cookery and fireside conversation.
Visitors are encouraged to wander among a variety of Barkerville’s beautiful museum displays, take in an educational and entertaining guided tour of the snow-laden main street, attend Sunday services at St. Saviour’s Anglican Church, and have a photo taken with a Victorian Father Christmas in the “Enchanted Forest,” which this year can be found at the brand new Barkerville School building.
Barkerville’s own “John Bowron” (James Douglas) will perform a 45-minute dramatic reading of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol at 1 p.m. each day at the Methodist Church (tickets are a suggested donation of $5 per person, all ages).
