Welly-ville

(L-R): Sisters Meredith and Elspeth Soucie, and Delilah DenOuden listen to music at the Wellington gazebo.

Lights and songs mark start of holiday season

A quarter moon shone fitfully over the snow-covered park as folks gathered around the gazebo for the start of Wellington Sparkles on Friday evening. Some were dressed as characters from Dr. Seuss’s Whoville, others wore strings of colourful LED lights. Two choirs arranged their ranks around the Christmas tree and waited expectantly. At the stroke of six o’clock, the bells in the United Church began to peal, and the lights in the park and on trees and buildings in the village core came on, accompanied by a rousing cheer. And with that, the choirs began to sing, starting with the Whoville Christmas song and going through some of the season’s classics, including Frosty the Snowman and more. Everyone was encouraged to join in, especially the kids in attendance.

Tina Konecny, one of the organizers of Wellington Sparkles, was pleased with the community’s participation. “I think it’s really gone well, considering the weather is a bit chilly,” she said. “We had a really great turnout and we got to sing the Who song around the tree, which was really great.” The event was sponsored by the Wellington and District Business Association, and several of the members went to great lengths to ensure that the lights were installed and ready to go. A number of venues kept their doors open for the event. The General offered photos with Santa, and visitors to the museum could warm up with a cup of hot chocolate. About two dozen people also visited the Festival Players theatre in the village.

It was also the kick-off for Wassail in the County, and six participating wineries offered tastings in the Town Hall, with the proceeds going to the Storehouse foodbank. Wassail in the County has grown in both extent and popularity in recent years.

This year, 25 wineries are participating. Starting on November 17 and running for three successive weekends, the wineries are offering special wine tasting events as well as having food on site. Buses will be available each Saturday to take participants to the wineries. Bus tickets are $30, and more information can be found at wassailinthecounty.ca. “We’re expecting four to five hundred people just on the buses on the Saturdays,” said Duarte Da Silva, executive director of the Prince Edward County Winegrowers Association. “That’s a substantial number of people for the County in late-November and December. We are seeing increased volume every year, more people are coming to the County and participating in Wassail.” As a measure of the popularity, bus tickets for this past Saturday were completely sold out well in advance.

Wellington also has a Wassail in the Village event. Participants can pick up a “passport” and have it stamped at different businesses in the village core—they are expected to play a game, sing a song or solve a puzzle to earn a stamp. “Once you get your passport filled in, you drop it off at The General and you’re entered for a prize basket worth over $300,” explained Konecny. Passports are available at several locations in the village, including the library, and the draw takes place on December 3.