Press Release - Tuesday, November 22, 2005
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BRYANT COTTAGE HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE DECEMBER 11
BEMENT, IL - Period holiday decorations and music will highlight a Holiday Open House to be celebrated Sunday, December 11 at Bryant Cottage State Historic Site in Bement.
Bryant Cottage's outdoor lanterns will be lit at 4:45 p.m. during "In Memory Of," a special ceremony honoring Bement's founders and early pioneers as part of the community's Sesquicentennial Celebration. Guests may view the decorated cottage by candle and lamplight from 5 to 7 p.m., and will be greeted by Mrs. Sarah Bryant, portrayed by Peggy Wells, and the Bryants' daughter Mary Eliza.
The cottage will be decorated for Christmas in the simple but beautiful style of the mid 1800s using greenery, fruit, ribbons and paper. Handmade Christmas ornaments will be given to the first 50 families to visit that day (one per family). Period holiday music will be provided. Visitors are encouraged to view a Christmas tree decorated with ornaments made by local first graders. The Holiday Open House is free and open to the public.
The Bement Community Council will sponsor a luminarias event throughout the Bement City Park to coincide with the Holiday Open House. Free horse-drawn carriage rides, originating at Bryant Cottage and offering a unique view of the luminaria, will be available from 5 to 7 p.m.
On Saturday, December 10 visitors are invited to watch the parade with Santa at 1 p.m. and visit with Santa at Bement Township Library until 3 p.m. Friends of the Library will provide refreshments.
Bryant Cottage State Historic Site, administered by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, is the 1856 vintage home of early Bement businessman Francis E. Bryant. It is open Thursday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for free public tours. The site will close as usual at 4 p.m. December 11, reopening at 5 for the Open House. Bryant Cottage will be closed December 25 and January 1 for the holidays.
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