| |
THE DICKENS VICTORIAN VILLAGE EXPERIENCE
Celebrating our 5th Anniversary Season!
Take a trip back in time and experience old
world England as historic downtown Cambridge, Ohio - selected 2010 Best Hometown by Ohio Magazine - is charmingly transformed into a Dickens Victorian Village each holiday
season.
The Dickens Victorian Village is the most unique holiday tour
destination in the Midwest!
Come, create memories to last a lifetime!
Visitors enjoy a close look at carolers during a preview tour of the Dickens Victorian Village display in historic downtown Cambridge.
Each mannequin has been handmade by local community volunteers,
featuring faces sculpted by the Eastern Ohio Art Guild.
The Dickens Victorian Village display, which
opened its inaugural season in November 2006, began with 40 scenes
of 106 lifelike figures representing classing scenes
from Victorian society.
The 2007 season featured an additional 37 figures comprising 19 new
scenes downtown. Additional scenes created for the 2008 season
brought the total to 63 scenes throughout downtown
Cambridge!
An exciting new development created in the 2008 season is the Guernsey
County Courthouse Holiday Light Show, a spectacular active
display of lights on the downtown landmark that is synchronized to
holiday music.
The Courthouse Holiday Light Show is a
centerpiece
attraction in downtown Cambridge during the Dickens
Victorian Village holiday season.
Today, the Dickens Victorian Village project totals 74 scenes in
all at additional sites like the Byesville Scenic Railway and the
Courthouse lawn. And each season, fun, engaging and thematic special
events -- like the Sherlock Holmes Weekend, Great Expectations
Chocolate Walk, and Tavern Tasting -- are added to the
celebration.
Stop in at Ye Ole Curiosity Shoppe and Dickens Welcome Center at
643 Wheeling Avenue to purchase Dickens and
holiday souvenirs, pick up a walking tour brochure, get Dickens
event information, and go behind the scenes to learn how it took a
village (over 1,000 volunteer hours were logged this season!) to create this magnificent six-week
event. Light
refreshments will be available at the Shoppe.
The Dickens scenes are stationed
along Wheeling Avenue at each antique lamppost and bench between 6th and 11th
Streets. Scenes in windows on
street level and in second-story windows along Wheeling Avenue
were added in the 2007 season, depicting indoor
activities of the Victorian age such as wrapping gifts or
decorating a Christmas tree.
Visitors are invited to stroll amidst the scenes which feature
plaques with interesting and educational
facts about Victorian society, and are welcome to visit the
exhibition any time of the day. You can use our downtown
map as a guide.
This innovative public art exhibition is enjoyed by families, couples, and groups alike -- an experience that will engage the senses as you explore the charming streetscape, striking historic architecture, and eclectic shops and eateries of Cambridge.
The Dickens Victorian Village scenes are comprised of life-sized and hand-made mannequins wearing real vintage clothing. The faces for each character
have been individually sculpted and painted by local artists.
The displays include engaging depictions of classic Dickens-era scenes and figures such as Bob
Cratchit and Tiny Tim, the town crier, groups of
carolers (that actually "sing" classic carols!), a bucket brigade, lamplighters, school children, street peddlers, and Father Christmas, all posed in active scenes that appear frozen in time.
Developed during the 2007 season, Rotary Square is a replication of
a Victorian-era village and
features heritage artisans and vendors demonstrating their craft
and selling items during Peddler Weekends.
Rotary Square is located near the Dickens Welcome Center.
Wheeling Avenue is also the historic National Road/Route 40, and features an outstanding streetscape of original buildings from the
1800s, including the signature courthouse.
A self-guided walking tour brochure
is available at downtown
shops and area hotels for your convenience. In addition, a
mannequin caroler will greet visitors in six Cambridge hotel
lobbies.
A public celebration features
a candle lighting ceremony, lighting of the historic Guernsey
County Courthouse, and the evening's highlight -- the annual holiday parade on Wheeling
Avenue featuring both Father Christmas and Santa Claus.
Other components of this seasonal experience include
a variety of entertainment and special events at local attractions.
New in 2009 was the Sherlock
Holmes Weekend, a three-day mystery event set throughout
historic Cambridge. Participants set out to find clues to solve Sherlock
Holmes and the Case of the Taylor Tontine, written by a local
playwright and featuring the Dickens Victorian Village display.
To enhance your Victorian experience, select downtown merchants
will offer commemorative
merchandise.
Cambridge is located at the intersection of Interstates 70 and 77 in east/central Ohio, with easy access from urban areas such as Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati, Ohio; Pittsburgh, Pa.; Parkersburg,
W. Va.; and beyond.
The Dickens Victorian Village is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
A tour group enjoys the experience of the “Spirit Of Christmas” train ride
on the Byesville Scenic Railway, which includes a dramatic presentation, sing-along, and Santa.
Group
tour packages are available, featuring both overnight and day
tour itineraries that allow flexibility with choices while still
highlighting our area's best seasonal offerings. They feature
experiences such as holiday events, shopping, old-time meals,
train rides, performances, museum tours, and much, much more, including
a complementary step-on guide.
Information on visitor packages is available by contacting
the Dickens
Group Tour Sales Department at 866-334-6446.
Members of the Eastern Ohio Art Guild have created the heads and faces of all the Dickens Victorian Village mannequins, giving each a unique character. They have done much of their work at public venues for educational and promotional outreach.
The mission of the Dickens Victorian Village is to create a destination with an old world atmosphere that preserves
history through education, creates memories, and develops family traditions.
We hope you can visit. You will receive a warm welcome to downtown Cambridge, in beautiful Guernsey County, Ohio!
THE PROJECT'S HISTORY
This project was the brainchild of local businessman
and artist Bob
Ley (pictured below), who envisioned the concept, created sketches of each scene, and organized the
beginnings of the Dickens Victorian Village committee.
Dickens Victorian Village founder Bob Ley
checks out Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim.
In 2006, the project began. Local volunteers built and clothed the mannequins, each dressed in period clothing. Each head and face has been uniquely and artfully sculpted and painted by members of the Eastern Ohio Art Guild.
This project is also supported by many local organizations, including Cambridge Main Street,
the Cambridge/Guernsey County Visitors & Convention Bureau, Guernsey County Historical Society, Mid-East Ohio
Career and Technology Center, the Eastern Ohio Art Guild, and many individuals donating time and materials.
Our community is proud of the fact that the
Dickens Victorian Village project received the prestigious
President's Award (one of only two awarded in 17 years) from the
Eastern Ohio Development Alliance, a consortium of 16 counties,
for its first year efforts.
A variety of project sponsorship opportunities
with excellent promotional values are available to businesses,
individuals, families and organizations.
Thank you for your interest in the Dickens Victorian Village! For more information, please contact us .
A MESSAGE FROM THE FOUNDER
The idea for Dickens Victorian Village was inspired by my wife, Sue, during a discussion about what we could do to bring visitors to our downtown. She noted our Victorian architecture, street lamps, benches and our English heritage.
As we talked, the idea of scenes from life in Dickens era (London, circa 1850) sounded more and more like an interesting project.
I designed a mannequin that could be "posed" and after leafing through my wife's extensive collection of Dickens books, I drew pictures of potential scenes.
Of course, the idea would take money and mannequins. I presented the idea to the Cambridge Main Street group, and they adopted it with an enthusiasm I have never seen in a business meeting!
Volunteers came from everywhere. The project took on a life of its own! The Mayor of Cambridge, Sam Salupo, who was present at the meeting, offered us a space at the Armory in which to start building mannequins, and a grant for $2,000 from UDAG (Urban Development Action Grant) funds for seed money!
Committees were formed and as the idea spread, money started coming in.
Martha Jamail and the Eastern Ohio Art Guild took on the making of the heads and faces for our models. The expressions are priceless!
Bob Bruner and his classes at Mid-East Career and Technology Center Buffalo Campus assembled the mannequins, over 100 of them... as a donation!
A huge cadre, too numerous to name, show up on Tuesday nights to help "dress" the characters. Sheila Taylor has been creative as costume chair. Melissa Essex helps ensure our authenticity. Pam McCauley is treasurer and has secured several grants.
Jonett Haberfield and Debbie Robinson have taken tourism and marketing of this project to a professional level.
We feel the project will be an attraction for all ages. It will provide an interesting and educational look into another era, and it will be easy to visit.
Cambridge is blessed with an abundance of parking. The scenes will be lighted and raised off the sidewalks so they can be viewed easily from the comfort of your car, or even better, "up close and personal" as a pedestrian tour.
2006 will be our first year. Future plans include the lighting of many of our second story windows to show scenes of home life from 1850s London... families decorating the tree, opening gifts, Christmas dinner, visits from Father Christmas -- and maybe a few ghosts from Christmas Past!
-- Bob Ley |
Eastern Ohio Art Guild member Martha Jamail, left, and volunteer and scene sponsor Cindy Arent, right, make adjustments on the fine details of the Dickens Victorian Village mannequins in preparation for display.
WHAT OUR VISITORS HAVE SHARED
WITH US
"We recently visited
Cambridge to look at the Dickens Victorian Village
in downtown Cambridge. We absolutely enjoyed
our evening there and are looking forward to
coming back. We had a peaceful walk around the entire downtown
area looking at each statue. What an awesome experience. Thank
you all that helped make this possible. You should
be proud of what your community
has done. We would recommend this experience to everyone! Merry Christmas...and God bless each and
every one of you."
-- Troy Slabaugh and family, Canton, OH
My family, my
husband and myself were in Cambridge...to see the Dickens
Victorian Christmas displays on the main street. We enjoyed
walking along and reading all of the stories about each character.
Walking along made you feel you were back in a time long ago...Mr. Ley and all of his volunteers have very much to be proud of in
Cambridge, Ohio. A job well done. We hope to make a Christmas
tradition of visiting again next year."
-- Mr. and Mrs. Gary Courtwright, Dover, OH
Share
your comments with us!
|
