Jacksonville Christmas Village set for Nov. 18

Nov. 10—Early-bird Christmas shoppers have taken their mark and are getting ready, and next weekend they can go to the Jacksonville Christmas Village for plenty of great gifts.

Saturday, Nov. 18, from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m., the Jacksonville Arts Council will host the 2023 Christmas Village at the community center in Jacksonville. The event will feature a variety of vendors selling handmade crafts, gifts, and food options.

"We have 56 vendors this year and a waiting list of people," said Nancy Gillespie, longtime director of the Jacksonville Arts Council, noting that means there'll be myriad items available for shoppers' pickings.

"There's jewelry. There's wreaths. There's T-shirts. There's hand painted glassware, books. There are just so many many different vendors doing different things," Gillespie said.

There will also be live performances from the Kitty Stone Singers, and the JSU Choir, which has performed at Carnegie Hall. Gillespie herself was quite excited about the performances.

Gillespie said the choir performance was so amazing that it "makes you want to stop everything and just listen."

The Kitty Stone Singers begin at 9:30 a.m., while the JSU Choir will begin at 10:30 a.m.

In addition to the main vendors, there will also be a children's Christmas shop, where kids can find items priced for kids to shop for their parents.

And of course, the event wouldn't be complete without a visit from Santa himself.

The concession stand at the community center will be open selling a few food options, and The Redbird Coffee will be set up in the front lobby offering hot chocolate that Gillespie says is "the best hot chocolate you've ever put in your mouth."

The Jacksonville Arts Council uses the proceeds of this event and one other — the summer event known as "Fair on the Square" — and allocates it among several different organizations. Some of the proceeds go to the JSU Choir, some to the Kitty Stone Singers, and some goes to different schools, Gillespie said.

"We also will take a portion of those funds and we work with children of the Boys and Girls Club and also the after school program at our community center," Gillespie said.

At these programs, volunteers of the arts council teach the kids art education through craft projects. For example, the kids will do a craft project that teaches them things such as the color wheel, different textures and how those two things might go together.

"Events like these give everyone in Jacksonville an opportunity to celebrate the holidays together in person, which is such a big deal as more of our lives and our communication moves online," said city spokesperson Ben Nunnally.

"We're grateful to the Jacksonville Arts Council for volunteering their time and putting in hard work to give us all more chances to be a community and build memories together," Nunnally said.

Because of these programs, Gillespie said they are always looking for new volunteers that can help.

"I have a group of ladies that are fabulous that go to different areas and work with the children. And they love it," Gillespie said.

The Christmas Village and Fair on the Square also funds art programs such as this year's Black History art program in Jacksonville, where the winners are given a monetary prize.

Staff Writer Ashley Morrison: 256-236-1551. On Twitter: @AshMorrison1105.