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Photo by John Eaton
Phil Waber (shown) is the town crier for Wellsboro’s Dickens of A Christmas. He will be ringing his bell and shouting out the public announcements of the day this Saturday, Dec. 3.

Catch the holiday spirit at the 38th Annual Dickens of a Christmas celebration this Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 2, 3 and 4 in downtown Wellsboro.

“Having a good time is what our festival is all about,” said Julie Henry, Wellsboro Area Chamber of Commerce executive director. “It’s wonderful to see people of all ages enjoying themselves as they are greeted and entertained by Dickens’ characters, singers and musicians.”

The fun will begin this Friday with the Dickens of a Book Sale at the Green Free Library; the opening of a new exhibit, “A Gathering of Glass” showcasing 100 years of glassmaking in Wellsboro at the Gmeiner Art and Cultural Center; an indoor craft show at the United Methodist Church; an indoor craft show and foods and baked goods at the Wellsboro Active Living Center; Dickens of a Dinner at the Trinity Lutheran Church Family Life Center; Steps of Expressions’ “The Nutcracker – all jazzed up” at the Wellsboro High School Auditorium and Hamilton-Gibson’s Dickens of a Concert at St. Peter’s Catholic Church.

On Saturday only, Wellsboro’s downtown streets will be closed to motorized vehicles and transformed into an early Victorian marketplace with lots of outdoor vendors offering delectable fare to eat and delightful wares to keep or for holiday gift giving.

At 9 a.m., the town crier will greet everyone with the ringing of his bell and announcements of the day. The Dickens Fezziwig Street Performers will take center stage at the Main and Crafton Street intersection to welcome the crowd and perform skits, sing and dance. Visitors are always invited to join in.

Lining the streets will be artists and craftsmen with everything from fresh greenery arrangements to carved Christmas trees, unique ornaments, wrought iron and hand-turned wooden pieces, homemade jams and cheeses, pottery, furniture, jewelry, soaps, specialty candles, pet treats, dolls, snowmen and so much more.

Outdoor food vendors will tickle the taste buds and warm tummies with hot chocolate, mac and cheese, sticky buns, homemade soups, burgers, roast beef, sausage, meatball and crab cake sandwiches, lobster rolls, soft pretzels, kettle corn, bread pudding, apple dumplings, fresh roasted peanuts, peanut brittle, candy apples, ribbon candy, caramel popcorn and other treats.

Registration for the Dickens Best Dressed Showcase will be from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday in the Deane Center at 104 Main Street with judging at 1 p.m. on the Deane Center’s outdoor stage.

In the Deane Center lobby on Saturday only will be famed New York City hat designer Christine A. Moore with her “Dickens of A Christmas” hat collection; Innerstoic Wine & Cider Company with wines and ciders; and the Wellsboro Rotary Club with gun raffle tickets. The Deane Center will have hot chocolate, fresh popcorn and bottled water for purchase.

Everyone is welcome to participate in the 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Victorian Strolls on Saturday. The strolls start at the Deane Center’s outdoor stage and continue on Main Street.

Hamilton-Gibson Productions will present six performances of “A Christmas Carol” at the Deane Center’s two theaters on Saturday and one performance on Sunday.

On Saturday and Sunday, the Arcadia Theatre at 50 Main Street in Wellsboro is showing the film “The Man Who Invented Christmas” about Charles Dickens and his creation of Ebenezer Scrooge, Tiny Tim and other classic characters

At 5 p.m. Saturday, the Candlelight Walk for Peace will begin at Packer Park on Queen Street and end on The Green where the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony with Santa and a carol sing will start at 5:30 p.m.

Visitors can pick up a copy of the Dickens of a Christmas brochure on the chamber’s front porch at 114 Main Street. The free brochure includes a list of the outdoor artists, craftsmen and food vendors and the street block where each can be found, the schedule of events and a map showing the locations.

To download the 2022 Dickens schedule of events visit www.wellsboropa.com.

For more information, contact the Wellsboro Area Chamber of Commerce by calling (570) 724-1926, emailing info@wellsboropa.com, visiting www.wellsboropa.com or stopping in at 114 Main Street in Wellsboro.

Diane Eaton
dianetn@ptd.net
(570) 724-3800