There’s still time to celebrate Christmas Victorian style, as the historic settlement of Rugby, Tennessee, hosts its second “Christmas At Rugby” event on Saturday.
The living Victorian-era village will bustle with activity from 4 until 8pm Eastern, welcoming the holidays much as the original settlers did in the 1880s.
Highlights of the Victorian Christmas celebration include holiday music, hot wassail and cookies in the decorated historic buildings, a visit from Father Christmas and the sounds of carolers performing throughout the village.
In addition, Christ Church Episcopal will present a choir concert of seasonal music at 4:30 p.m. EST (3:30 Central) in the 1887 church.
“It’s a chance to relax and really get into the spirit of the season,” noted Teresa Bowman, executive director. “This is one of the most popular events of our year, as villagers and visitors all join together enjoy each other’s company and recall how Christmas has been celebrated for more than a century.”
Festivities run from 4 until 8 pm Eastern. Admission is $10 adults ($9 advance), $6 for Historic Rugby members, and $4 children K-12.
In addition, the Harrow Road Café will host its traditional Christmas Dinner, with two seatings available, one at 5:30 and the second 8:00 pm (all times Eastern). Guest Chef Dustin Kennedy will serve classics such as roast beef and roast turkey, along with assorted British tarts, “London Particular” (a holiday soup), and bread pudding. Reservations are recommended as the dinner usually sells out. Cost is $30 per person. To make reservations, call 423-628-2441.
Rugby was founded in 1880 with the goal of building a strong agricultural community through cooperative enterprise, while maintaining a cultured, Christian lifestyle, free of the rigid class distinctions that prevailed in Britain at the time. The village has continued for 135 years, with numerous original buildings either restored or recreated. Learn more about the history of Rugby and its unique attractions at www.historicrugby.org.
Rugby is located just off State Scenic Hwy. 52, 16 miles southeast of Jamestown and 35 miles from either Interstate 40 or I-75 in East Tennessee on the southern edge of the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area.