The first annual Dickens Days Village Stroll in Downtown Westfield will be held on Saturday, December 5th from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.    Highlights of the days activities include:

Aunt Peggoty’s Olde English Breakfast                                                              
7:00 am – 11:30 am. Leo’s Gallery deli, 3 Main Street

Martha Cratchit’s Boutique
10:00 am – 2:00 pm, 1st Congregational Church library, 18 Broad St

The Parson’s Used Book Sale,
10:00 – 5:00 pm United Methodist Church Parsonage

Fezziwig’s Holiday Faire,
10:00 am – 3:30 pm, Westfield Athenaeum.

The Santa House with Santa and Mrs. Claus
10:00 am – 6:00 pm, Westfield Green. FREE!
(Photos available for $5.00 to benefit WOW.)

Carriage Rides through Merry Olde Westfield
11:00 am – 2:00 pm, in front of Athenaeum,

Ebenezer’s Attic Sale
10:00 am – 3:30 pm, Central Baptist Church, 115 Elm Street.

The Performance Music Student Orchestra in concert
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm, Central Baptist Church, 115 Elm Street. FREE!

Queen Victoria’s Royal Honors Celebration
2:00 pm – 3:30 pm, Central Baptist Church, 115 Elm Street. FREE!

Pop-up Shops, Characters, Caroling, Sales and Surprises
9:00 am – 5:00 pm, The District in Downtown Westfield

Young Singers of Greater Westfield Concert and Carol Sing
4:00 pm First Congregational Church, 18 Broad Street, FREE!

Below are some of the special discounts and promotions being offered by downtown merchants  on December 5th during the Dickens Days Stroll:

Gallery 24 at Creative Corners

Small Art Auction to benefit Westfield Art on the Green, a 501(c) non-profit.

The Small Art Auction is a silent auction of works of art under 6×6 inches in size in which 50% of the proceeds will be donated by the artists to  Westfield Arts on the Green.

A Victorian Hat making and Hair accessories class will be offered.   Come see a demonstration of the making of a Victorian Hat at 11:00 a.m.  Make and take projects of various levels will be available from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m., children’s  “jeweled” hair clips – $1.00, ladies’ flowers, feathers, and beaded hair clips – $3.00, and jeweled hair sticks – $5.00.   Victorian Mini Hats (requires advance registration to assure material availability)-$8.00.  The demonstration will cover the basics of making a felted hat and touch briefly on other methods of construction. 

The Tobacco Barn

Wine Tasting from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. 

Westfield Yarn & Thread Studio

Kathy Furst Coach will be giving free lessons on weaving and/or spinning yarn.

Optimum Health Therapuetic Massage, LLC

10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. – Receive a complimentary 15 min. Reiki session with the newest member of our team, Theresa Hickson RN, Reiki master and certified yoga instructor.

These are just some of the fabulous  promotions being offered by some of our merchants, come down and see what else our downtown has to offer!

The Westfield Athenaeum swings into the holiday season on Saturday, December 5th when it hosts “Fezziwig’s Holiday Faire,” a dazzling marketplace filled with craft creations and exciting specialty items.  Crafters will be open for business from 10AM to 4PM in the Athenaeum’s beautifully restored Florence Rand Lang Auditorium as well as in the adjacent Children’s Library Activity Room.

The Faire will feature approximately two dozen crafters from across the region offering their homemade wares just in time for holiday gift giving. There will be original jewelry designs, unique stationery creations, gourmet specialties and many other one-of-a-kind surprises available for purchase.

  Santa will be arriving by helicopter to welcome the 2009 Holiday season to Westfield, 10:00 a.m. at Amelia Park, 21 South Broad Street.

  The event is free and kids of all ages are welcome to come and greet Santa.

WSC Speakers Series – Bowzer’s Rock n’Roll Party

Come one, come all to Bowser’s One and Only Rock n Roll Party. The famed singer from Sha Na Na and solo fame will be coming to Westfield State College’s Woodward Center on Saturday, Nov 21 at 8:00PM. The show is FREE and the Bowsah wants everyone to be there or be square. Come enjoy the great music and stories and free refreshments.

The stunning disparity between mild-mannered Jon Bauman and his creation and alter ego, the inimitable “Bowzer”, has raised a lot of eyebrows in the entertainment industry. That’s because Jon’s portrayal of “Bowzer”, leader of “Sha Na Na” for fourteen years, was so convincing that the casual observer was certain this hilarious, gangly greaser actually stalked the streets of Brooklyn when he wasn’t appearing with the group. Later, when Jon Bauman washed the grease right out of “Bowzer”’s hair, he surfaced as one of the most multi-dimensional performers in show business today, with careers as host, producer, writer, performer, actor, musician and social activist! Jon also served as executive producer, writer and host of “Bowzer’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Party” (Jon Bauman Productions in association with Tribune Entertainment). This 2-hour New Year’s Eve special aired on l20 stations. It is his pleasure to share it with a local audience now through the auspices of Westfield State College and their Foundation’s Speaker Series.

November 21st, 2009
Starts at 08:00 PM

Please join us on the Westfield City Green on Monday, Nov 30 for the annual Lanternlight Parade and the Mayor’s Lighting of the City Green. The fun starts at 6:00PM with caroling. Parade will kick off at 6:15PM and Lantern Lighting Ceremony will be held at 6:30PM. Caroling and festivities will continue until 9:00PM. The Santa House will return for this year’s holiday season so come on down and partake of the festivities. Photos with Santa available for $5 to benefit future WoW activities.

After a successful August performance at the Elks, the ”star studded” Murder Mystery Dinner Event will be back for an encore performance on Friday, November 20, 2009, 6:00 p.m. at Shaker Farms Country Club.  Tickets for “Reunion at Hippie High”  are $35 per person and will benefit the Cancer House of Hope.

The First Congregational Church will hold its annual “Candy Cane Fair” on Friday, November 13th from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, November 14th from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.   The church is located at 18 Broad Street across from the green.  Admission is free.

Noble Hospital presents its 45th Annual Noble Hospital Ball, “Emergency Dance Off” on Saturday, November 7th at 6:00 p.m.  This year’s ball will be held at the Log Cabin in Holyoke.   The Log Cabin has put together a mouthwatering menu for the event.  A cocktail hour will precede the sit-down dinner and feature fresh specialty cocktails prepared by expert bar chefs and pre-dinner sampling stations.   In addition to the silent and live auctions, the ball will feature a dance competition pitting members of Noble’s medical staff against some well known personalities from the community.   After dinner and the dance off, there will be a dancing portion of the evening which will feature music provided by DJ Mark Ashe from Marx Entertainment.   For details please visit their website, www.noblehospital.org.

Performance by Archguitartist Peter Blanchette.  Suggested donation – $10 to benefit the Downtown Art Gallery, 105 Elm Street.