beachbites
old traditions
It’s
baaaaack!
The beloved Festival of Trees
makes its way back thanks
to the Wilmington Ballet
12
WBM december 2011
Company
After a three-year hiatus,
a beloved 25-year
tradition returns to
Wilmington.
When Elizabeth
Hester, executive director of the
Wilmington Ballet Company, was brainstorming
events to coincide with the
annual Nutcracker Ballet, the idea of
reimagining the Festival of Trees seemed
the perfect fit.
The festival will retain all of the brilliance
it garnered a reputation for
in its illustrious past with 35-40
decorated trees. For ballet ticket
holders, the festival offers a holiday
cheer-inducing warm-up before the
curtain rises.
In addition to the beautifully
adorned Christmas trees, there will
be live entertainment from choirs,
singing groups, ballet dancers
and theater performances for kids.
Plus, model trains will be displayed
beneath some of the larger trees, courtesy
of the Cape Fear Model Railroad Society.
The Land of Treats, an on-site café, will
feature main courses, beverages and desserts
provided by Gibbs/Efting Catering,
the Wilmington Tea Room and Happy
Days Diner.
Other temptations include a boutique
showcasing local artisans, and pop-up
stores from local retailers such as Brilliant
Sky Toys and Books, Sweet and Sassy, and
a variety of vendors from the Blue Moon
Gift Shops.
The gala ballet festival weekend begins
Saturday, December 3 through Sunday,
December 4, at the Minnie Evans Art
Center on the Ashley High School campus.
Tickets for the public showing on Saturday
from 10 a.m. to noon are $10. Purchase of
a ticket to one of the performances of The
Nutcracker for $25 includes admittance to
the Festival of Trees, which will be open
for two hours before each performance.
Festival hours are 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. on
Saturday, December 3 before ballet
performances at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.
The Festival of Trees will open at
1 p.m. prior to the ballet curtain at
3 p.m. on Sunday, December 4.
The Wilmington Ballet Company
is organizing both events, but a
large portion of the proceeds will
be donated to the Lower Cape Fear
Hospice. For more information visit
www.capefearfestivaloftrees.org.
— Cole Dittmer
WBM File Photo