2nd ANNUAL CHRISTMAS IN THE COUNTRY
WHEN: Sunday, December 4, 1:00 – 4:00 PM
WHERE: Warren County’s scenic countryside
ADMISSION: Free, open to the public
Families with children are welcome
The second annual CHRISTMAS IN THE COUNTRY tour of historic buildings— all beautifully decorated for the season—including some of the most remarkable churches of Northwestern New Jersey as well as the Ramsaysburg Homestead (1795), will take place on the afternoon of Sunday, December 4.
Sponsored by the Knowlton Township Historic Commission, the afternoon’s activities will lead visitors through Warren County’s scenic countryside on a self-guided tour that will include caroling, refreshments, a tree lighting and conclude with Handel’s great Messiah. The event coincides with the Moravian village of Hope’s annual Christmas crafts fair.
From 1 – 3 PM, churches welcoming tour visitors will include Delaware Presbyterian Church in historic Delaware Village, the Knowlton Methodist and Hainesburg Baptist churches and the First Presbyterian Church of Oxford at Hazen (right; founded 1722). Saint Luke’s Episcopal, and St. John’ s United Methodist churches in Hope will also participate. The village of Hope, also a National Historic Site, was settled in 1769, and a number of buildings remain from Moravian times. - At 3 PM, a tree lighting ceremony with festive caroling will take place at the Ramsaysburg Homestead (above left), a national historic site located along the Delaware River. Visitors will be treated to Dennis Melillo leading a musical rendition of The Twelve Days of Christmas and rewarded with a wassail bowl, cookies and seasonal refreshments at the homestead.
Later in the afternoon at 4 PM, tour participants will be welcomed at the beautiful historic Knowlton Presbyterian Church for the 4th annual Messiah Sing-Along, followed by a covered-dish supper afterward. Visitors are invited to bring a favorite dish to share.
Participants on the self-guided tour may collect tour guides at any of the churches starting at 1 PM or at the Ramsaysburg Homestead Historic Site, located at the junction of State Highway Route 46 and Hope-Ramsaysburg Road, just south of the historic village of Delaware, NJ. In Hope Village, special parking will be available near the churches next to the old (18th century) Moravian cemetery.
For further information, contact Guy Walton at gw1@nyu.edu
