Friday, November 24, 2006

Here's Where I'll Be Every Weekend 'Til Christmas

THE GREAT DICKENS CHRISTMAS FAIR!
FIVE WEEKENDS
including the FRIDAY after Thanksgiving,
and the SATURDAY before Christmas!
Fri. Nov. 24 through
Sat. Dec. 23, 2006
In San Francisco's Cow Palace Exhibition Halls
Celebrate the Holiday Season in Victorian London!

The bustling streets of London, immortalized for all time by the mighty pen of Charles Dickens, form the living backdrop of your excursion into Christmas Past. You are a living part of a Victorian Christmas card come to life!

A Bay Area tradition for 27 holiday seasons, the Great Dickens Christmas Fair returns to the San Francisco Cow Palace Exhibition Halls for five weekends , including the Friday after Thanksgiving and the Saturday before Christmas in 2006, from Friday, November 24 through Saturday, December 23, from 11am 'til 7pm.

Created in 1970 by Ron & Phyllis Patterson, the fair is now produced by Kevin & Leslie Patterson and Red Barn Productions, who continue the family tradition of theatrical excellence through authenticity, participation, and playfulness.

Come wander the lanes of Victorian London, as the glow of twilight settles upon the city. With the scent of pine boughs and freshly baked scones floating in the air and the sound of carolers and holiday merrymakers accompanying your stroll...
  • Visit shops bedecked withChristmastime finery and filled with unique treasures.
  • Stop in for a hot toddy or a pint of Boddington's at Mad Sal's Dockside Ale House, where the low-life hang out and the high-born drop in.
  • Raise a champagne toast to the holidays at Fezziwig's Warehouse, the most cheerful spot in London.
  • Enjoy rollicking entertainments on four stages and in the streets.
  • Feast on fine foods from the British Empire and beyond.
  • Rest a spell in Cuthbert's Tea House, for a sip of hot tea and cucumber sandwiches or scones.
A holiday adventure into Victorian London, celebrating with hundreds of costumed players in 90,000+ square feet of theatrically-lit music halls, pubs, dance parties and Christmas shops on winding lanes. It'’s a twilight evening in Charles Dickens'’ London Town: a city filled with lively and colorful characters from both literature and history. Enticing aromas of roasted chestnuts and hearty foods fill the air. Cries of street vendors hawking their wares ring out above the bustling crowd. Dozens of lamplit shops are filled to overflowing with Christmas presents.

Experience the joys of Christmas past at the Great Dickens Christmas Fair!

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

That looks very interesting and fun! I wish I lived closer, I would come visit. What are you actually doing at this fair? I am guess some kind of acting, but what part?

Anonymous said...

Hi Artemis,

Nothing to do with today's posting, but in a lame delayed dealing-with-the-sorrow googlethon came across this (excellent) blog. You may remember me? Robin Wadsworth's girlfriend from 1983-1986? I remember you in any case. I am a mother of 2 now (Annika is 5, and Kai just turned 20 months... I too am overly familiar with all forms of bodily fluids) and a professor of oncology at an academic hospital in the Netherlands. Robby visited me here in Amsterdam a few years ago. My boyfriend of 16 years knew Robin too, independently, through the music program at Berkeley. Patty (Robby's mom) has also been in touch with me lately... I can't imagine how it must be to have 3 of your five children die too early. It is good to see how Robin's goodness, his passionate purity, has been recognized, although in my opinion somewhat underutilized in the previous 42 years. Anyway, I wanted to thank you for posting the photographs of him to remember him by. All of mine are in a basement in Woodacre, Marin.
best wishes,
Rachel Giles, Amsterdam

Artemis Rich said...

Rachel, of course I remember you!

Please feel free to email directly at artemisrich(at)gmail(dot)com. There is a photo memorial of Robin on Flickr that you may be interested in. There are older photos from past Faire days, when we were all much younger.

Robin's memorial was an amazing thing with people coming together through Robin's myriad lives and across the years. Your name was mentioned often and fondly by many.

I've exchanged emails with Patty as well. She's contacted many of us during these past few months and I, too, can't imagine what she must be going through.

Please feel free to email me dirctly if you'd like. I'd love to hear from you.

Jill said...

That sounds like fun. Almost like a Renaissance Festival . . . except, well. . . during the Victorian Period. You'll have to let us know your role in it.

Elaine said...

OH! Go find Sidney Rice and say hi for me. She makes and sells soap. I think her fair stuff is under the name THE ALCHEMIST TREE SOAPSMITHS. Her site is http://www.nomenclaturebath.com/

I so want to be there. Sigh.

Elaine said...

Hey, just checked the site you linked to, her booth is Mistletoe Hill Holiday Apothecary.

Artemis Rich said...

Hi, Elaine. I'll make a point to go over and say "hi" this weekend!