Christmas Of Old At Campbell House
Take a break from holiday preparations and step back in time with a visit to the historic Campbell House.
Trained guides in period costume, portraying maids, coachmen and the cook will greet visitors, stopping for a moment to discuss their chores or the activities of their employers, members of the Amasa Campbell family.
With the 10-year project to restore Campbell House now completed, the Cheney Cowles Museum is turning its efforts to recreating “living history,” showcasing life at the Campbell household during the Age of Elegance at the turn of the century, as seen through the eyes of the Campbell staff.
The museum invites visitors to “come home for the holidays” to the historic Campbell House, Nov. 24 to Dec. 30.
Tours begin with an orientation video and one of Mrs. Campbell’s calling cards as the entrance ticket to the house.
Holiday decorations and music will fill the library with events ranging from Uptown Opera performances on Thursdays from 2 to 4 p.m., student piano recitals organized by the Music Teachers Association, and Victorian music box tunes.
The Campbell’s cook will be busy cooking and baking in the kitchen which will exude the smells of spices and holiday foods. Upstairs, maids will be laying out dinner dresses for Mrs. Campbell and her daughter, Helen, and preparing rooms for guests while training new maids for the extra holiday workload.
Downstairs in the den, the coachman or a maid will offer comments on Mr. Campbell’s silver mining ventures and the discussions that are sure to come during the next poker game with his friends Patsy Clark and John Finch. At unexpected times, members of Viona’s Elegant Vintage Clothing may appear as guests, dressed in clothing of the 1910 era. These programs will occur throughout regular museum hours: 10-5 Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 10-9 Wednesdays; and 1-5 Sundays. Additional programs will be presented during the month.
The annual wassail party for museum members and their guests will be Dec. 3, from 5 to 7 p.m., in the Campbell House.
The streets of Brownes Addition will come alive with music as families and friends join together to bring holiday music to the owners and occupants of the majestic old homes in this historic neighborhood.
Refreshments and special tours of Campbell House are included. Regular museum admission fees apply: $7.50 family, $3 adults, $2 seniors, students with ID and children 6 to 16 years old. Children under 6 are free. Reservations are recommended.
Uptown Opera members in performance costumes will sing excerpts from the opera “The Ballad of Baby Doe,” a true tale of wealth and failure in the silver mines of Leadville, Colo., and the mansions of Denver, coinciding with the silver rush in Wallace and Kellogg through which Amasa Campbell made his fortune.
The performance is part of the museum’s Wednesday Night Program Series; it’s open to the public and free, but donations are welcome.
For more information on any of these programs, call 456-3932.
Hand-painted decorations
Members of the Spokane Porcelain Artists are busy hand-painting ornaments to be hung on a tree to be donated to the Valley Hospital Festival of Trees, opening Nov. 26.
Additional porcelain gifts and a hand-crafted doll will be tucked under the tree decorated by the artists.
The artists are members of the World Organization of China Painters, organized to advance knowledge and skills in china painting.
Christmas Festival concerts
The Whitworth College Choir will present its annual Christmas Festival concerts Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m.; Dec 8 at 8 p.m.; and Dec. 9 at 3 p.m.
The concerts, “Let Heaven and Earth Rejoice,” will be staged at First Presbyterian Church, 318 S. Cedar.
Accompanying the choir will be an organ, brass, handbells and harp, under the direction of Randi Von Ellefson. The prelude will begin 20 minutes before the concert.
The $8 tickets are available through G&B Select-a-Seat. No tickets will be available at the door. For more information, call 466-3799.
Clarification
Margaret Ross Thrailkill, who was recently honored as a YWCA Woman of Achievement, is a retired teacher from Spokane Falls Community College. The school was not identified in last week’s column.
Au revoir
New responsibilities and challenges in my life have led me to the decision to discontinue co-editing the society column after today.
It has been my pleasure to be associated with the people and events which have contributed to this column for the past several years. Thank you.
And, best wishes to everyone in the approaching holiday season.