Friends of Harmony Hall gathered at the Jacob Sloats House this past weekend to lend a hand, deck the halls and dress up the spacious rooms in anticipation of the hall’s annual Victorian Holiday, Sunday, December 2.
Harmony Hall Curator Geoff Welch said the celebration welcomes in the holiday season by opening the house to the community.
“There’ll be decorations, refreshments and handmade crafts and gifts for sale from the Friends of Harmony Hall,” Welch said, adding that the event has been growing in popularity throughout the Sloatsburg community.
Holiday lights are beginning to blink nightly all over the village as well, as residents decorate yards with strings of bright lights and other features. Last year saw a few elaborate installations throughout the village, especially in the Flats neighborhood above the community pool, where neighbors were obviously in competition to get Santa’s special attention.
This coming Sunday also features Sloatsburg’s very own tradition of tree lighting and caroling through the central village, led by Mr. and Mrs. Claus and the Suffern Select High School Choir. The tradition of caroling goes back many years, with Mayor Carl Wright saying the tradition has been a part of the village’s holiday activities for nearly 40 years. The Annual Tree Lighting & Christmas Caroling Program takes place Sunday, December 2, when participants will join other community carolers at St. Joan of Arc Church at 4 p.m. The group will make its way through central Sloatsburg, ending at the Municipal Building where hot chocolate, cookies and other refreshments will be waiting.
The festivities kick-off with the annual Breakfast With Santa Claus, Sunday, December 2 at the Sloatsburg Elementary School Cafeteria. The breakfast will have two seatings (first seating is from 9am to 10am and the second from 11am to 12noon) where Santa will talk with the children and have a photograph taken with them. Light refreshments will be available for parents.
Holiday shoppers can also get into the action and go local Saturday, December 1 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. when the Sloatsburg Public Library holds its annual Holiday Fair. Vendors will set up shop at the library, with handmade crafts, foods and other interesting items.
The Victorian Holiday celebration at Harmony Hall is sponsored by the Friends of Harmony Hall, a non-profit local group that is slowly restoring the mansion to its former glory as the home of Sloatsburg namesake Jacob Sloat. Funds raised through the various hall events go toward this effort.
* Victorian Holiday at Harmony Hall
Photographs courtesy of Geoff Welch.
