Christmas at the J.E. Reeves mansion offers Trees and Trains, Living History and seasonal programs
By Kyle Valentini
November 15, 2013
858
The J.E. Reeves Victorian Home and Carriage House Museum attracts visitors each holiday season with new décor that inspires and delights. Trees and Trains is the theme this year with every room of the Victorian home tastefully and creatively festooned for Christmas.
We have more than a dozen Christmas trees from different eras on display in the museum this year, said Matt Lautzenheiser, museum director. From the silver trees some will remember from the 1950s to a Moravian tree and others. We will have seven running model trains as well. We tried a similar approach several years ago, and it was a great way to get whole families to come to the museum. Men by nature enjoy the trains, and the women, well, many of them are coming to get decorating ideas for their own homes.
Tours for the Christmas season began Nov. 11. Tours are volunteer-led until Nov. 21. The tours offer an opportunity for the visitors to view the Christmas decorations. Guided tours of the home begin Nov. 18 and go through Dec. 22. Tours hosted by a knowledgeable guide include an introduction to the home, the history of the home, and information and anecdotes about the Reeves family.
New to the Reeves Museum this year is the Living History Program. The program will be presented Nov. 15 and Nov. 22 as well as Dec. 6, Dec. 13 and Dec. 20. Visitors will enjoy this program that lets them be a part of the action. Mrs. Evans, the Reeves maid, gives visitors a glimpse into 1912 Dover at the mansion as Mr. and Mrs. Reeves host their daughter Lillian and her new husband. We have a lot of hands-on activities to engage visitors this season.
A Christmas Open House will feature the Childrens Choir from Dovers First Moravian Church Nov. 30 from 6-8 p.m. Santa will receive guests at the Carriage House and there will be cookies and cocoa to help usher in the season.
The Dover Historical Society will host a Gingerbread House Contest and Display to benefit the Dover Vocal Music Boosters. Houses will be on display in the Carriage House Saturday, Dec. 7 until Saturday, Dec. 14. It will be free to enter the Carriage House, but there will be a donation box for the benefit of the Dover Vocal Music Program to show appreciation for the display.
The houses on display will be entered in a contest with seven categories. The categories are: professional decorators; historical (anything from Schoenbrunn to the White House); houses made from kits; school age decorators in grades K-5; teens and tweens grades 6-12; houses created by a family or group; and houses created by adults. There is a maximum of 10 houses entered per category. The setup of the houses will be Friday, Dec. 6 from 3-7 p.m.
The choir will present a concert in the Carriage House Dec. 7. Throughout the evening different ensemble groups of the Dover Choirs will perform. Light refreshments will be available during the evening. This event will be from 6-8 p.m.
For more information or to enter the contest, call Pam at 330-343-9267 or Kimberly at 330-447-3028.
There is so much happening at the J.E. Reeves Victorian Home and Carriage House Museum this Christmas season. Call 330-343-7040 for more information. The museum is located at 325 East Iron Avenue, Dover.
