An Ole Fashioned Mississippi Christmas --- A MUST See

Don't miss Christmas Fest at Ag Museum
By Raymond Reeves

rareeves@jackson.gannett.com

CHRISTMAS FEST

Christmas Fest will be held Dec. 11-13 from 5-8 p.m. each day at the Ag Museum.
Admission is free.

Details: (601) 713-3365 or www.msagmuseum.org
In the holiday cartoon special A Charlie Brown Christmas, the lead character laments the commercialization of the season.
Charlie Brown would enjoy the Christmas Fest at the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum.
"There seems to be a shortage of what I call non-commercial Christmas events," said Gretchen Cook, organizer of Christmas Fest. "Think about when you go to a Christmas event; there's going to be Scooby Doo or SpongeBob or Dora the Explorer. Typically when organizers do events for kids, they try to appeal to kids with a commercial character. Frankly, I think that's not the healthiest way to have a kids event.
"We're calling this non-commercial. It's free admission, and it's for the younger set; say, toddlers to 11 years old."
The event has taken on a new name as well this year.
"It's called the Christmas Fest, and this is the third year we've done it. The two previous years, we called it the Old Fashioned Christmas and Lights, and frankly that name was too long, so we shortened it to Christmas Fest," said Cook.
No matter what it's called, the event has received attention, as media outlets as far away as Baton Rouge have promoted the Fest as a "go-to" event, according to Gina Aswell of the Jackson Convention and Visitors Bureau.
"All of our Christmas events, if they run longer in length (of time) we try to promote regionally, because so many people are trying to find fun things to do that are not too far away that will be a little special and have that Christmas spirit," Aswell said. "The Ag Museum, because it's such a unique attraction and it is Mississippi - it represents what we are and who we are - a lot of people from the outlying areas love to come in and view it. A lot of people can create their own Christmas traditions in ways that don't depend on the economy."
Lights and displays greet visitors as they come through the gates.
"You walk in and there's a miniature lighted village that's been there for decades," Cook said. "There's a living nativity that's interactive, so the kids can toddle in and talk to the wise men. There's about 15 church choirs and school bands performing, rotating in and out each night. The schoolhouse has been converted to the Polar Post Office, so kids can come in and write a letter to Santa and mail it. Then Santa himself is there and he will pose for pictures. And all of this is free."
Going on at the same time is a layout done by the Jackson Society of Model Engineers. The display is based around the rail industry of the 1960s and 1970s in the area, and the village is designed to reflect the Mississippi of that era.
"We have the Lester Alvis Christmas Village on display, the model train exhibit and also a Christmas play," said Elizabeth Johnson with the museum. "The Christmas diner will be open serving spaghetti dinners and will have other items. It will be located in the old Chimneyville crafts center."
Developing that old-fashioned holiday connection is the key.
"Our sponsors have gotten together and realized that we need events that help families build memories and traditions that are not based around spending money," Cook said.