On Tuesday, downtown Northport will be transformed into a snow-covered town straight out of a Dickens novel.
The city has holds the Dickens Downtown holiday celebration, now in its 21st year, annually on the first Tuesday of December. The event, which will take place Dec. 7 from 5 to 8 p.m., includes open houses for Northport businesses, children’s activities, musical acts and holiday decorations.
All of Northport’s merchants collaborate to plan the event, each of them paying dues to fund the music and the snow machine.
“This is our way to give back to the community,” said Brandon Cooper, who has been heavily involved in planning this year’s event. “We love Northport, we love Tuscaloosa and we want them to be a part of something fun that’s free.”
The intersection of 5th Street and Main Avenue and approaching cross streets are closed at 4:45 p.m. in anticipation of the event.
It has grown from about 100 attendees in its first year to about 10,000 the past few years, said Carl Adams, owner of Adam’s Antiques on Main Avenue.
“The first year, we learned a lot, and I think from that it grew because we learned,” he said. “It just turned into a real special thing.”
Cooper said he has been part of Dickens Downtown since he was about 12 years old, first as an attendee and now as a member of the planning committee. He sees many of the same faces annually, including people who travel from other cities and even surrounding states.
“Instead of people flying in, grabbing a bunch of free stuff and getting out, it’s become a tradition,” he said. “It kicks off the Christmas season.”
At 5:30 p.m., a parade makes its way down Main Avenue, including a horse-drawn carriage carrying Northport Mayor Bobby Herndon and Queen Victoria, the guest of honor.
Participating shops and galleries will have refreshments and live music during their open houses, which begin at 6 p.m. The music ranges from school choirs to Christmas blues music to traditional hymns.
Staff members at the Kentuck Art Center proposed the idea of the first event 21 years ago and have remained major contributors in Dickens Downtown planning ever since.
“It’s definitely a collaborative effort between Kentuck and the rest of the downtown Northport merchants,” said Valerie Piette, program manager at Kentuck. “We each have a hand in making it happen.”
Kentuck is hosting two new events, the Benefit Gingerbread House Competition and a Holiday Market featuring original local art for sale.
“This is the first time we’ve ever had the [gingerbread house] contest, and we’re hoping to make it an annual thing in conjunction with Dickens Downtown,” Piette said. “We’re trying to add to our community events.”
In the Kentuck Courtyard, traditional craftspeople will demonstrate skills such as metal toy making, blacksmithing and pottery firing.
Musical and craft events are free, while holiday photos with Father Christmas and tours of Shirley Place by the Friends of Historic Northport are available for a small fee. Hot dogs and drinks sold downtown will benefit Sprayberry Elementary and Friends of Historic Downtown Northport.
“Dickens Downtown is one of the things people have been putting on their calendar and that they look forward to every year,” Adams said.
The restaurant Fifth & Main will be open for dinner, and Opus will be serving a four-course meal, by reservation only.
Many Northport residents and attendees dress up each year, and winners of this year’s costume contest can receive prizes of gift certificates to local businesses.
The Downtown Northport Merchants Association, the City of Northport, the Tuscaloosa Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Kentuck Museum Association provide support for Dickens Downtown.
For the first time, Dickens Downtown has its own website, created by Chuck Gerdau, president of the Friends of Historic Northport. For more information, visit the site at dickens-downtown.com.
