Olde Fashioned Christmas 2009

Friday, Saturday, & Sunday December 11-13

&Chocolate Walk followed by Palisade's traditional Christmas Tree Lighting at 5:30 pm.

On Saturday, December 12 get away from it all and enjoy the nostalgia of Palisade’s Olde Fashioned Christmas. Visitors will enjoy a full day of festive, holiday events, shopping, and colorful characters.

Activities begin at 11:00 AM in downtown Palisade with kid’s train rides and a kid’s craft tent. Shop the Olde Towne Marketplace, filled with vendor booths, and the town’s shops. Take a self-guided walking tour of historic downtown Palisade. Enjoy live holiday entertainment. Outdoor fire pits will be placed around town to provide warmth for the day’s events.

animated Christmas bells

What would Olde Fashioned Christmas be without a Gingerbread House Contest & Showcase? Located at the downtown Methodist Church, “builders” (contestants) can enter their “homes” from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM. The showcase opens to the public at 11:00 AM.

Tours of seven of Palisade’s holiday homes begin at noon. Tickets are $10.00 per person and can be purchased in advance at The Arts & Antiques of Palisade and the Palisade Chamber of Commerce. Starting at noon, take a nostalgic wagon ride of Palisade’s downtown district, compliments of Clark Family Orchards. Join in on our Silent Auction from 12:00 to 5:00 PM at the Palisade Chamber’s office in the downtown Palisades National Bank Building. The Show & Shine Car Show, hosted by the Just 4 Fun Car Club, consists of classic and custom cars, and will be on display from 12:00 until 2:00 PM.

The Soup Challenge begins at 1:00 PM at The Blue Pig Gallery. Savor the taste of incredible soups from chefs of the Grand Valley’s finest restaurants. For $3.00, individuals can taste these fine soups and participate in judging the contest.

Santa arrives at 2:00 PM at Tucan Coffee House. Take pictures of your children with Santa. At 3:00 PM, enjoy a complimentary tasting of Palisade wines at the Fruit & Wine Real Estate Office (Palisades Nat'l Bank Bldg. Downtown).

The Palisade Fire Department’s Chili Cook-off starts at 2:30 PM at the Palisade Fire Department. At 5:30 pm stay and enjoy the Christmas parade. For those wishing to cap-off the evening, festivities kick into full gear at Palisade’s local taverns - the Palisade Brewery, Peach Street Distillers, and Palisade Livery.

Throughout the day, be on the lookout for Palisade’s cast of holiday characters, including the Town Grinch (a.k.a the Town Grouch), Ebenezer Scrooge, and the Town Crier. Visitors are encouraged to dress in the style of the time. Olde Fashioned Christmas has grown into one of Palisade’s premier events. Join us for the festivities for what promises to a great, festive and fun-filled event.

On Sunday, December 13, guests can take pleasure in Christmas Tea at 12:00 Noon at Palisade’s Wine Country Inn. Tickets are $10.00 per person or $15.00 for adult & child, and can be purchased in advance at the Wine Country Inn, Palisade Tribune, and the Palisade Chamber of Commerce.

Schedule of Events

Click here to view or print the tentative schedule for Olde Fashioned Christmas 2009

The Creative Snowman Contest

A new attraction is coming to Palisade’s Olde Fashioned Christmas – the Creative Snowman Contest. “Since we don’t receive much snow, we thought a ‘creative snowman contest’ was in order,” said Chamber Executive Director, Leif Johnson. “Everyone is encouraged to enter this great new addition to Palisade’s holiday season.” Snowmen must be 4-feet to 6-feet high and can be made out of anything – thus the name, “Creative Snowman Contest.” There is no cost to enter. Snowmen must be delivered for display on Friday, December 11th by 5:00 PM to the office of the Palisade Chamber of Commerce. All entries must be collected by Monday, January 4th. Snowmen will be on display on the sidewalks or in the Town Center Plaza in downtown Palisade and will be judged by committee. Winners will be announced on Saturday, December 12th at Palisade’s Olde Fashioned Christmas. Prizes will be ribbons and a press release will be sent out early the following week announcing winners.

Click here for more information and a contest entry form.

Art & Chocolate Walk

If you love art, chocolate, and fun then this is the event for you! Friday, December 11th from 5 -8 pm come enjoy some local culture and the sweet taste of chocolate at the Art & Chocolate Walk. the Twisted Brick Studio, Blue Pig Gallery, and Tim Wedel tudio will open their doors for visitors to revel in fine art and scrumptious chocolate. This is a great opportunity to purchase holiday gifts with numerous unique items priced from $10. In addition, Absolute Prestige Limousine Service will be offering covered surrey rides lead by stunning draft horses to and from the galleries and studios. The Christmas tree lighting will take place at 5:30pm in the Town Center Plaza. Several of Palisade's wonderful restaurants will be serving special chocolate dishes so be sure to come out for dinner and stay for all the fun!

Holiday Tour of Victorian Homes

Victorian house Not to be missed at Palisade’s Olde Fashioned Christmas is the Holiday Tour of Homes. The tour is available anytime from 12:00 Noon to 4:00 PM on Saturday, December 12th. The tour consists of 4 of Palisade’s most beautiful homes decorated in holiday splendor, 2 historic churches, and 1 eclectic workshop.

Tickets are $10.00 per person and can be purchased in advance or on the day of, at The Arts & Antiques of Palisade and the Palisade Chamber of Commerce. Maps outlining this self-guided tour will be available at the point of origin – The Arts & Antiques of Palisade, at 3rd and Main Streets in downtown. Houses will be numbered and will correspond to the tour map. Enjoy a tour of some of the Palisade’s historic buildings and beautiful homes.

Check back soon for 2009 map of the tour.

Christmas Tea in Palisade

Wine Country Inn will host the Olde Fashioned Christmas Afternoon Tea, which is sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, on Sunday, December 13th from 12 noon until 2 pm in the Inn’s Vineyard Ballroom.

“This is a change from what we did last year on Saturday,” explains Leif Johnson, chamber director.   “There are so many activities on Saturday, we decided a Sunday tea would be a nice way to wind up the weekend of festivities.”

The traditional afternoon tea will feature three courses: scones complimented by Devonshire cream and jam; savory selections such as miniature quiches, and finally, sweet breads, cookies and fresh strawberries dipped in chocolate. Some of the sweets will be donated by local residents.   Also traditional, the tea will be a typical English tea such as Earl Grey served with lemon or milk and sugar.

Tickets are available for $10 each or $15 for an adult and child at the Wine Country Inn, the Chamber of Commerce on Main Street or the Palisade Tribune on Fifth. Reservations are required.   The Inn is located at 777 Grande River Drive, next door to Grande River Vineyards.

“We are so happy to host this event again,” says Juliann Adams, Food and Beverage Director. “Besides being fun, an afternoon tea is a wonderful way to teach our daughters and granddaughters about manners and why they matter.”
For reservations, please call Wine Country Inn at 464-5777 or the Chamber of Commerce at 464-7458.

Business Lighting/Decorating Contest

It’s time to get in the holiday swing of things! This year, in preparation for Olde Fashioned Christmas and the holiday shopping season, the Palisade Chamber of Commerce will again sponsor a special business decorating contest. All Palisade businesses are encouraged to join in on the celebration of the season.

Check back soon for more information and a 2009 contest entry form.

Palisade Fire Department Chili Cook-off

The Palisade Fire Department will again host their Annual Chili Cook-Off as part of Palisade’s Olde Fashioned Christmas. The event will be held on Saturday, December 12th at the Fire Station at 175 E. 3rd Street. Entries from the public are encouraged and there are no entry fees. First, second and third-place prizes include gift certificates to Sportsmen’s Warehouse.

Chili with a full buffet of condiments will be available to the public from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. along with hot chocolate, coffee and cider. There is a fee of $3.00 per person. Proceeds from the event will be placed in a special fund designed to provide furnishings for the new fire station that’s in the final planning stages.

“The Fire Department welcomes everyone to enjoy the festivities,” said EMS Chief, Bill Binnian. “Inside the station is the perfect place to enjoy and celebrate the warmth of chili and the spirit of Palisade’s Olde Fashioned Christmas. We hope you can plan to attend!”

Click here for more information and a contest entry form.

The Soup Challenge: Savor the Taste of Great Soups!

By Sandie Cooper

Aaahhh! The wonderful smells of soups filled my senses as I walked into The Blue Pig Gallery in downtown Palisade. Like others before me, I started in a line that snaked out the door to the courtyard, and was given my first tasting of hot, steaming soup. “Wow! Did that taste good,” I shouted for anyone to hear. I finished the serving and moved onto the next station. The chef smiled and said, “Here, try this one.” One taste and I exclaimed, “Boy that is incredible!” I have had some good soups in my time, but never two back-to-back. On to the other stations where I readied myself for more soup-slurping pleasures. By the last station, I realized that I had reached the nirvana of soup tasting. Deciding on my favorite was not going to be an easy decision.

Well over 200 people came to downtown Palisade last December to taste and judge soups from some of the Grand Valley’s top restaurants at the town’s annual Olde Fashioned Christmas event. For the second year in a row, Inari’s soup was voted the number one favorite by the event “soup tasters.” The Red Rose Café took second place with the Raintree Restaurant receiving the third most votes.

This year the Soup Challenge again takes place in the courtyard of The Blue Pig Gallery in downtown Palisade on Saturday, December 13th from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. (or sooner if the soups run out). Attendance is expected to surpass last year’s due to the popularity of this event. So, dress warmly and come ready to taste another incredible assortment of soups while enjoying live music by James Baird. The price to taste and judge the soups is $2 per person. Winners again will be chosen by popular vote and announced in the Olde Town Marketplace at 3:30 p.m. where they will be awarded inscribed pottery bowls created by Palisade artisan Tim Wedel of Wedel Pottery.

So what did I learn from last year? This is a great contest that brings the community together! It promotes the restaurants and chefs who provide delicious soups for public indulgence during our Olde Fashioned Christmas celebration. The holiday season in Palisade always brings a renewed perspective. Get ready to savor the next round of the “Nirvana of Soups!”

This year challengers include Berna B's, Good Pastures, Kannah Creek Brewery, The Packing Shed/Century House, Palisade Café and Grill, the Red Rose Café, and the Raintree Restaurant who will defend their titles and once again try for the top honors. As for the soups being entered…you will have to attend the event to see what our soup-making challengers have in store for “voters” this year.

Click here for more information and a contest entry form.

A Gingerbread House Contest To Remember!

By Dixie Burmeister

Last year was the first year of our increased efforts Olde Fashioned Christmas Gingerbread House Contest and Showcase and did you all come through for us! The entries from all our “builders” in all categories were charming, beautiful, fun, whimsical, clever and unique. We had boys, girls, men and women “builders” all join in the fun of creating some Holiday Magic. We had big houses, little houses, barns, farms and animals! All who came by to see the entries were totally in awe and delight as they carefully looked over each detail. The details including building instructions are in the form below. We hope you enter and for those of you who can’t; once you see the entries you’ll definitely experience holiday magic.

We are having the contest in the Historic Palisade First United Methodist Church at 365 Main Street just down from where the Children’s Free Craft Tent will be. We have check in from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and then open to the public for the showcase at 11:00 a.m. December 13th at the Olde Fashioned Christmas.

We then move the winners to the Wine Country Inn to be on display thru December 21st for your enjoyment while you shop their holiday gift shop.

Thanks to the Wine Country Inn for their support of the contest and for prizes along with prizes from Toys 4 The Fun of It, Enstrom Candies, Dalby Wendland and Vista Engineering and to Scott Beilfuss from Jostens for the wonderful ribbons. You have all joined to make this a fun event for all.

Remember that the youth and child categories allow Gingerbread House kits; kids, I have even seen a Gingerbread Train kits!

Click here for more information and a contest entry form.

Olde Fashioned Christmas Parade

Bundle up, bring the coco, and come join us Saturday, December 12th from 5:30 - 7:30 pm where we'll be lining the street for the Olde Fashioned Christmas Parade in Downtown Palisade.

Interested in being a part of the parade? Print out and send in (or drop off) you parade application then gather up your Christmas finery, your lights, and your imagination and be a part of the celebration of an Olde Fashioned Christmas sponsored by the Palisade Chamber of Commerce.

Click here for more information.

Click here for an application to participate in the parade.

2009 Parade Route

Become a Vendor at Olde Fashioned Christmas

Would you like for your business to have a booth prominently displayed downtown during Palisade's Olde Fashioned Christmas?

Click here for more information.

Click here for an application for space for a booth.

Silent Auction

The Silent Auction is a fund raising event for the Palisade Chamber of Commerce. We encourage you to participate in our Silent Auction by contributing items suitable for resale. We would welcome your donation.

Click here for a donation form.