Christmas in the Country

 

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Christmas in the Country 2007
~
November 30, December 1 & 2
Friday & Saturday 10am~5pm
Sunday 11am~5pm
True Love's First Gift, acrylic painting by Beverly Hooks
      

      Embark upon a creative journey! Board a Washington State ferry from the Coleman Dock in downtown Seattle cruising westward on the waters of Puget Sound. Backdropped by the Olympic Mountains, Bainbridge Island is a thirty-two square mile sylvan tapestry of pastoral fields and
wooded hills lapped by the waters of Puget Sound. Bainbridge has a rich historical and arts culture, notable gardens and farms, and a small, historic business district in downtown Winslow supported
by outlying neighborhood service centers and industrial parks. Predominantly a bedroom community,
Bainbridge has a high preponderance of cottage industries tucked within the rural setting of the
island. The island is connected on the north end to the Kitsap Penninsula via the Agate Pass Bridge.
     
    
     Christmas in the Country, held annually the first Friday, Saturday & Sunday of December,
 invites the public to visit some of these quaint cottage industries, art studios, farms, and historic
 homes on the island. There are venues located at water's edge, some tucked deep within tall
stands of Douglas fir and cedar trees, some in downtown Winslow, and others in various
neighborhood hills and dales. Many of the homes and buildings were built between the 1870s and
1930s in conjunction with two large sawmills that operated on both ends of the Island. Undertake
the adventure of exploring backwoods Bainbridge and enter cozy, private homes and buildings to discover the creations of local and regional artists, authors, and musicians, as well as, unique gift
items and epicurean delights. 
   
     The free, driving tour is suitable for all ages. Besides holiday shopping that is unique and
personal, there are activities for children including free pony rides and Santa visits. 
 New this
year is the personification of Christmas fairy tales and fantasties and Christmas traditions f
rom Norway and England as various of the venues become magical places transformed into an
 icy palace of the Snow Queen, or a Christmas wonderland, or nostalgic remembrance of
 Christmas in the old country.   

 

     Please consider carpooling as parking is limited. For safety and to avoid traffic congestion
when parking on our narrow country roads, please pull completely off the road onto the shoulder.
Note: Bathroom facilities and charge card services are limited.
Visit The Tour page for Venues and Artist/Activities list.
Visit The Map page for help in locating each stop.
   

     Festive, Fun, Fairy tales & Fantasies describe the 14th annual Bainbridge Island Christmas
in the Country tour. Eleven fascinating venues welcome you to stop in and experience history,
meet fascinating artists and their handmade arts & crafts, savor epicurean delights, and enjoy
festive music, activities and décor.  Enchanting decorative themes at some of the venues will
 captivate your imagination. In addition to the usual fascinating charm and hominess within
the classy and historic homes, rustic coziness of a family built barn, and a bucolic equestrian
stable you will experience a family’s traditional Norwegian Christmas celebration, Santa and
his elves, the Snow Queen and her court, a Victorian Christmas, and an elaborate Christmas
decorating extravaganza.

     Due to tight quarters and varying levels,  most of the home venues are not wheelchair
accessible inside.  Some have outdoor artists and food vendors, however. The following venues
 can accommodate wheelchairs: Countryman Stables, Ye Ol' Christmas Shoppe, Hazel Creek Farm,
and the Creativity Center. 


        To download a map and list of venues and artists, see immediately below.
         Our Venues:               
 See the Fascinating Facts page for expanded stories.
 
Stephens House (circa 1910)
     
 Stephens House is located in downtown Winslow and is home to the nonprofit Bainbridge Island Special Needs Foundation. Under the loving care and guidance of Shelley Long and staff, young adults with developmental disabilities learn vocational skills. Through the genre of arts & crafts, the clients produce incredible art and personal care products which they offer for sale.
 
Countryman Stables
       
Rick & Kathy Countryman generously offer free pony rides for children 12 & under in a covered arena, Saturday and Sunday, 12-2pm. The Countryman’s Bainbridge Island roots run deep into the rich soil of Island ancestry.

Beverly Hooks Studio/Gallery in Historic Lynwood Center (1930s)
       
The brick tudor shopping village of Lynwood Center is the perfect site for Beverly Hooks to work and display her fine art acrylic paintings featuring romantic impressions and landscapes. As you step into the gallery, experience ye old England as Beverly presents A Victorian Christmas. Beverly is the Christmas in the Country 2007 poster artist.

Ye Ol' Christmas Shoppe in Historic Lynwood Center (1930s)
     A few doors down from the Hooks Gallery is a space once occupied for many years by Walt's Grocery Store, a neighborhood drop-in for needed groceries and assundries as well as gathering place for conversation and coffee. During Christmas in the Country, the space transitions into an arts & crafts gallery full of marvelous handmade gifts. 

Blackberry Hill Farm
   
     Blackberry Hill Farm and Bicycle Inn B&B, home of Bart & Dana Berg, sits in the middle of twelve sun-filled, quiet acres of field and forest with a spring fed pond and 200 foot fir trees. Experience A Norwegian Christmas as the Berg’s honor Bart’s Norwegian heritage and share customary traditions of cardamom coffee, krumkakke, Nordic fiddlers, and bunads.  If you don’t know what those are, come and find out or see the Fascinating Facts page. 

Bainbridge Island Creativity Center
     The Creativity Center, home to the nonprofit Return to Creativity established by Pam Christiansen and associates, provides a space for community sharing. It assists individuals of all levels to open, expand, and be more confident in their creative expression. Experience the crystalline icy cold of Hans Christian Anderson’s tale of The Snow Queen as the Creativity Center transforms into the Snow Queen’s palace during Christmas in the Country. 
Click here to download and read Hans Christian Anderson's story of The Snow Queen
Sweetlife Farm
            Nestled deep in the woods, bees hum busily visiting herbal flowers and pollinating berry blossoms that become the ingredients used in the natural farm raised products created by Bob & Nancy Fortner at Sweetlife Farm.  A visit to their lodge-style home is a visual gratification and their cottage industry a testimony to expressed creativity and dedication to hard work .          
  
The Little Yellow Farmhouse (1916)
            Just above Manitou Beach sits The Little Yellow Farmhouse, yellow for sure and cute as can be replete with aged apple trees, white picket fence and 1948 Farmall tractor. Warm, welcoming hospitality exudes from owner Lucia Olson and daughter Carly so come, be a guest!
 
Hazel Creek Farm (1921)
            This rustic and bucolic five acre family compound was hand-built by owners Ollie and Janice Pedersen and is also home to the Hazel Creek Montessori School.  During Christmas in the Country, the barn is bursting with activity, music and the happy sounds of Christmas wishes shared with Santa and his elves in Santaland.
 
Port Madison Design (1910)
            Overlooking Port Madison is the historic home of Bob & Catherine Morrow which in its early days served as a summer place for Seattle vacationers. 
Honoring the home's significance to Island history, Catherine has taken up the heritage craft of smocking and opened her petite design studio last year.
 
Teri’s Christmas Extravaganza (1910)      
           A stone’s-throw neighbor to the Morrows is the abode of Teri Cole. The former summer home is a near replica of the Morrow's house before alterations.   Teri is "Cuckoo for Christmas"! A visit to Teri’s Christmas extravaganza promises to be an eye-popping, jaw-dropping, surreal experience in Christmas decor all to benefit the nonprofit organization, Ferry Dog Mothers.
Click here to download map and page 1 of venue/artists listClick here to download page 2 of venue/artists list
Visitor Information ~ Lodging & Resources
     Details of the free, self-guided driving tour are found on The Tour page or at the Bainbridge Island Chamber of Commerce in November (206.842-3700) on the corner of Highway 305 and Winslow Way, 590 Winslow Way E, www.bainbridgechamber.com, or as a download above. (coming soon!) Ferry schedule information, 206-464-6400, 888-808-7977 or www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/  For lodging on Bainbridge Island and nearby: www.bestwestern.com/bainbridgeislandsuites, www.bainbridgelodging.com . For help in finding business or other services while visiting Bainbridge Island go to www.visitkitsap.com or look for us on www.FinditKitsap.com, a fast, easy way to find anyone from Gig Harbor to Port Ludlow...and every place in between,   
Index to Activities


Quick index to activities found on The Tour page
  
    
Pony Rides - Countryman Stables, Sat & Sun, 12-2pm
Santa Photos - Hazel Creek Farm, Sat 10am-noon, 1-5pm & Sun 11am-4pm
Musical Entertainment - Hazel Creek Farm, Lynwood Center, Blackberry Hill Farm
                                                    Creativity Center
 
                                                   *(see Tour page for times)
Lunch - Free latte with lunch at theTreehouse Cafe
Mini Donuts & Kettle corn - Stephens House 
Hot food & drinks - Hazel Creek Farm, Port Madison Design, The Little Yellow Farmhouse
Tiny Tim collection - All venues

     Christmas in the Country cares about individuals crippled by financial or other circumstances. We collect funds at each venue in our Tiny Tim Adopt-a-Family Fund to distribute to local families. Thank you for your generous donations.

Our nonprofit affiliates:
Bainbridge Island Creativity Center
 
Bainbridge Island Special Needs Foundation
Ferry Dog Mothers  
Squeaky Wheels 
St. Barnabas Episcopal Church Mongolian Outreach


 

Our Support Team

    
      This event is a cooperative effort by valued individuals and groups. Some contribute financially to the success of Christmas in the Country but all invest their time, talents, and energy to make your visit to Bainbridge Island and each venue a special and memorable time.


Hosts:
     First and foremost the venue owners deserve kudos for opening their hearts and homes and studios to the community and guest artists, authors and musicians:  Shelley Long, Rick & Kathy Countryman, Beverly Hooks, Stephen Romein & Ty Cramer, Bart & Dana Berg, Pam Christiansen, Bob & Nancy Fortner, Lucia Olson, Ollie & Janice Pedersen, Bob & Catherine Morrow, and Teri Cole.


Entertainment:
Music - Norm Johnson, Music Community Resources, www.musiccommunityresources.com

Production:

Graphic design - Rachel Bauch and Jeanette Alexander (map)
Printing, posters- Steve Soames, Olympic Reprographics 
www.olyrepro.com
Poster art - Beverly Hooks
Website - Sharon Soames

Marketing & Promotion:
Bainbridge Downtown Association, Hollydays  www.bainbridgedowntown.com
The Bainbridge Review -
www.bainbridgereview.com
The Bainbridge Islander -
www.bainbridgeislander.com
The Kitsap Sun -
www.kitsapsun.com
WestSound Home & Garden Magazine -
www.WSHomeandGarden.com 
BIAHC, Arts News -
www.artshum.org
The Bainbridge Island Chamber of Commerce -
www.bainbridgechamber.com
VisitKitsap.Com
FinditKitsap.com
The Kitsap Kids Directory -
www.kitsapkidsdirectory.com

Signs & Banners:
Sound Reprographics
Courtier Signs

Parking assistance at Lynwood Center:
Sarah Blossom, Lynwood Commons,  lynwood_commons@hotmail.com

Our Valued Sponsors
Title Sponsors:  Stephen Romein and Ty Cramer, Lynwood Center owners

Promoting Sponsors:  Buckley & Buckley Real Estate - www.BuckleyRealEstate.com
                                           
Supporting Sponsors:
Bainbridge Island Chamber of Commerce
- www.bainbridgechamber.com
Beverly Hooks Studio/Gallery - www.beverlyhooks.com
Coldwell Banker McKenzie Associates/Georg Syvertson - www.cbmckenzie.com

Smith Barney/Greg Rule - www.fa.smithbarney.com/greggrule
Sound Reprographics - www.soundrepro.com
Oil & Water Art Supply Inc.
- www.oilandwaterarts.com
A winter day at historic Lynwood Center, photo courtsey of Bainbridge Historical Society
 
Greetings from the Director
Sharon Soames, Director

      We at Christmas in the Country encourage you to take this creative journey and enjoy a very fun-filled and unique weekend on Bainbridge Island full of merry memories.

May you have a very Merry Christmas in the Country!

Sharon Soames, Founder and Director
Christmas in the Country LLC
(206) 842-6883
chrisincountry@aol.com

 

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