The holiday season arrives with arts, crafts and old-fashioned fun, beginning Thanksgiving weekend, in the Northern Sierra foothill villages of Grass Valley and Nevada City.

Three days of Nevada County festivities (Nov. 28-30) open the Friday after Thanksgiving, with a pair of regional arts and crafts festivals, a holiday open house at Empire Mine State Historic Park and other community events.

Historic downtown Nevada City hosts the annual Artisans Festival at Miners Foundry (325 Spring Street). Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Admission is $3, with children under 12 free.

In Grass Valley, the Nevada County Fairgrounds (11228 McCourtney Road) presents its 24th Annual Country Christmas Faire, one of Northern California's top-rated handicraft shows, with more than 130 artisians scheduled to participate. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10-3 Sunday. Admission is $4; ages 12 and under are admitted free.

Other Thanksgiving weekend activities include the annual Holiday Open House at Empire Mine State Historic Park (10791 East Empire Street), Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the opening night (Nov. 28) of downtown Grass Valley's Cornish Christmas, the old-fashioned outdoor street fair (Mill and Main streets) that is held 6-9 p.m. each Friday through Dec. 19.

Also scheduled Thanksgiving weekend is the Christmas Craft Faire & Sandwich Shoppe at the Nevada City United Methodist Church (433 Broad Street) 10-4 Friday and Saturday and noon-4 Sunday.

Continuing Holiday Events

Grass Valley's Cornish Christmas, a 41-year local tradition, is held on five Friday evenings, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Nov. 28-Dec. 19. Mill and Main streets in the colorful Turn of the Century gold mining town are closed to cars and filled with fun, music, food and holiday shopping.

Nevada City's Victorian Christmas will be held on three Wednesdays, Dec. 3, 10 and 17, from 6-9 p.m., and on two Sundays, Dec. 14 & 21, from 1:30-6 p.m. Streets in the downtown historic district are closed to vehicle traffic and filled with the sights and sounds of an old-fashioned Christmas. A special Children's Shopping at Victorian Christmas will be held Dec. 14, from 1-4 p.m., at Miners Foundry Cultural Center (325 Spring Street).

The annual holiday season Candlelight Tour of Historic Bed & Breakfast Inns of Grass Valley and Nevada City will be held Thursdays, Dec. 11 and 18, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 (free to inn guests). For reservations, call (530) 477-6634 or (800) 250-5808.

The Foothill Theatre Company's 2008 holiday presentation, "Little Women," is featured Thursday through Saturday evenings and Saturday and Sunday afternoons, Nov. 20-Dec. 28, at the Nevada Theatre (401 Broad St.) in Nevada City.

Nevada City and Grass Valley are located above the 2,500-foot elevation in the wooded foothills of Northern Sierra. From Sacramento, take eastbound I-80 and northbound State Route 49. From Marysville-Yuba City, take eastbound SR 20. From Reno and Truckee-Tahoe, take westbound I-80 and westbound SR 20.

Contacts

For information, contact the Nevada City Chamber of Commerce at (530) 265-2692 or (800) 655-NJOY, the Grass Valley/Nevada County Chamber of Commerce at (530) 273-4667 or (800) 655-4667 (www.grassvalleychamber.com) or the Grass Valley Downtown Association at (530) 272-8315 (www.historicgrassvalley.com).