Cool things happening on the Eastern Shore this weekend and beyond

It is the official beginning of the Christmas season and holiday activities are ramping up on the Shore starting this weekend.   The Artisan’s Guild Holiday Tour will be held from 10 am and 5 pm today.

This is the 19th year of the Thanksgiving weekend tradition, and it highlights 45 Guild artisans at 18 unique stops from Cape Charles to Onancock. This free, self-driving tour encompasses home studios, historic Shore buildings, and a local winery.

Opportunities abound to see demonstrations by member artisans and to learn about their craft, to enjoy wine tastings, and to buy truly one of a kind holiday gifts. Featured craftspeople offering works for sale include flat artists, potters, woodworkers, sculptors, photographers, jewelry makers, fiber artists, glassblowers, and decoy carvers. Attendees who visit multiple Tour Stops have the chance to win up to $300 in shopping credit with their favorite Tour artisan.

For more information, download the 2021 brochure, which includes the Tour map, at www.esvaartisansguild.org or email [email protected]. Masks may be required at some stops and free masks are available thanks to the United Way of Virginia’s Eastern Shore.

The selfie Scavenger Hunt Fundraiser to benefit the clients of the Eastern Shore Coalition of Domestic Violence will be hosted by the Onancock Elks Lodge  Sunday November 28.  Registration is at 11:30 a.m. and participants will depart at noon and return no later than 4 p.m.  There will be a small auction to follow.

Over the next couple of weeks  the following events are scheduled:

Monday November 29 at 7 pm, the Pocomoke City Christmas will be held in downtown Pocomoke city. This marks the return of the event since it was cancelled last year due to COVID.

On Saturday December 4, Cape Charles sill have the Grand Illumination  fro 5:30 until 6:30 pm at the Cape Charles Central Part.  There will be Live Music by the Tidewater Band, refreshments, and a special visit by Santa himself.

On Saturday December 4 Chincoteague will host its 41st annual Chincoteague Old-Fashioned Christmas Parade beginning at 6 pm. The parade will begin at the intersection of Main St,. and Maddox Boulevard ending at the old fire house.

On Saturday December 4 there will be a Lighted Golf Cart Parade starting at the Love sign in Cape Charles and ending at the Cape Charles Central Park. The lighted Golf Cart Parade will be followed by a Lighted Boat Parade from 6:30 pm until 11 p.ml at the Oyster Farm Events Center.  Boats from the Oyster Far will go to the Harbor, turn around in front of the Shanty and head back.

The Orchestra of the Eastern Shore will be participating in the December 11  Cokesbury Music Festival at Historic Cokesbury Church in Onancock.

To herald in the festivities the orchestra wind players will provide a brief outdoors concert from 1:30 – 1:45 at the Onancock Town Park adjacent to the church. Selections include Christmas fare for saxophone quartet and & “Christmas Bells”  (Ding Dong Merrily on High, Silver Bells, and I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day) for flutes, clarinet, and horn.
Inside at 2:00 we start the festival program with all string presentations of:

 The Twelve Tunes of Christmas (arr. Stefanie Fife)
 Spiegel im Spiegel (Arvo Pärt) – with Paul Kim on violin and
Carlo Balmoria on piano
 Nutcracker Suite Selections (Tchaikovsky, arr. Bud Caputo)

The 29th Annual Onancock Christmas is coming Sunday, December 15th starting at 5:00 p.m.

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