Pensacola,
FL � October 2005 � As summer�s dog days come to an end, the holiday season�s
refreshing, cooler temperatures, bright, sunny days and Harvest Moon�lit
nights brings the Pensacola Bay
Area to special life. The festive season brings everything from seashells
to holiday bells. A seashell jubilee, courtesy of a beach restoration project,
is drawing snowbirds, vacationers and locals to area beaches to comb the
sand for giant lightning whelks, sand dollars, olive shells, fighting conchs
and other seaborne prizes. The shells are sure to grace the holiday season
as tree ornaments, sentimental keepsakes, and even gifts made with �special
finds� arranged on snow-white sand placed in glass bowls. However, shelling
by day gives way to holiday entertainment by night and the Pensacola Bay
Area (www.VisitPensacola.com)
has a full slate of holiday happenings to choose from including shopping
extravaganzas, concerts, theater productions, and scores of twinkling lights.
Following are a few of our favorites:
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13th
Annual Old Farmhouse Christmas Arts, Crafts and Antiques Show! Nov. 4�6.
Enjoy live music and holiday shopping with more than 100 vendors featuring
everything from pottery to water fountains to antiques and baked goods.
Families love the cow tour on hay rides available each day. Pony rides
available Sat.� Sun. Parking and admission are free. 9615 N. Loop Road,
Pensacola (off Blue Angel Pkwy). (850) 492-7502.
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Marketbasket.
Nov. 16�18. It�s a holiday shopping extravaganza at the Pensacola Civic
Center. The annual Junior League of Pensacola�s Marketbasket fundraiser
has selected 45 merchants from throughout the Southeast to provide holiday
shopping for specialty items. Adults $5, Children 7-12 years $3, 6 years
and under are admitted free.
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�Light
up the night� Gallery Night. Nov. 18, 5-9 p.m. Jump start the holiday season
with an evening of arts and culture. Enjoy refreshments and live entertainment
while touring downtown art galleries. Sponsored by the Arts Council of
Northwest Florida, trolley stops along the way provide free transportation
and there is no admission fee. Call (850) 432-9906.
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Winterfest
Trolley Tours. Nov. 25-26, Dec. 2-3, 9-11, 16-17. Trolleys act as theaters
taking passengers to a series of interactive holiday performances along
a two-mile route in Historic Downtown Pensacola. Dozens of local businesses
and residents bring to life favorite songs and characters of the season.
www.pensacolawinterfest.org.
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Seasoned
Greetings. Dec. 1. WUWF presents a RadioLive concert gulf coast�style.
Spencer Bohren & Friends is sure to get you in the holiday spirit from
6�8 p.m. at the Pensacola Museum of Commerce. Admission is free with a
donation of non-perishable food for Manna Food Pantries. www.RadioLive.org.
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Sanders
Family Christmas. Dec. 2�4, and 9�11. A Pensacola Little Theatre production
featuring the Sanders family�s return to Mount Pleasant, N.C., on Christmas
Eve, 1941. Enjoy more than two-dozen Christmas carols and hilarious yuletide
stories from the Sanders family. (850) 432-2042. www.PensacolaLittleTheatre.com.
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ZOOLights.
Nov.25�27 and Dec. 2�4, 9�11 and 16�31 (closed 24-25.). Enjoy more than
a million spectacular lights in animated displays, view animals in their
nighttime setting, and have fun with special activities for the entire
family at The ZOO in Gulf Breeze. Open 6�9 p.m. (850) 932-2229 or www.the-zoo.com.
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Holiday
Evening in Olde Seville Square concert. Dec. 1. An all-holiday music concert
featuring the Pensacola Civic Band, McGuire�s Bagpipe Band, Clark &
Company, caroling by candlelight, and a special reading of ��Twas the Night
Before Christmas.� Hot chocolate and chili available. (850) 438-6505. Presented
by the Pensacola Heritage Foundation and the City of Pensacola.
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Pensacola
Symphony and Orchestra�s Handel�s Messiah. Dec. 3, 7:30 p.m. A beloved
masterpiece and a holiday tradition, the Messiah stands today as one of
the supreme expressions of our sacred heritage. In the glorious setting
of Hillcrest Baptist Church (800 E. Nine Mile Rd.), the Hallelujah Chorus
will ring the rafters with joyous holiday spirit. For more information
visit www.pensacolasymphony.com
or call (850) 435-2533.
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Tidings
of Comfort and Joy. Dec. 23. Get into the holiday spirit with WUWF�s traditional
acoustic concert of seasonal music at Old Christ Church in Historic Pensacola
Village. Tickets $10, on sale through www.wuwf.org
beginning December 1.
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Celebrate
the New Year with the Pensacola Symphony and Orchestra. Dec. 31, 7 p.m.
It�s a Pensacola tradition not to be missed. Trumpeter Ryan Anthony (formerly
of the Canadian Brass) joins the Symphony for dazzling renditions of favorite
classics as well as some hard-hitting jazz. For more information visit
www.pensacolasymphony.com
or call (850) 435-2533.
Getting
here is now easier than ever. Pensacola Regional Airport (www.flypensacola.com)
offers more than 100 flights a day to major cities in the U.S. and recent
nonstop flights have been added from Pensacola to Dallas and Minneapolis.
Pensacola is easily accessible from 1-10, 1-65, Highway 98 and I-110.
To
request a free Visitors Guide, view a complete calendar of events as well
as travel packages and hot deals currently offered in the area, log on
to www.VisitPensacola.com
or for more information on the Pensacola Bay Area, call the Pensacola Bay
Area Convention and Visitors Bureau at (800) 874-1234 or (850) 434-1234.
|
Contacts:
Stacy
Garrett Hopper
Pensacola
Bay Area Convention & Visitors Bureau
(800)
874-1234 / (850) 434-1234
or
Ashley
Chisholm
EW
Bullock Associates
(850)
438-4015 |
