Holiday Events in the Sierra Foothills, 2006.
The hoilday season arrives with arts, crafts and old-fashioned fun, beginning Thanksgiving weekend, in the Northern Sierra foothill towns of Grass Valley and Nevada City.
Three days of festivities (Nov. 24-26) open the Friday after Thanksgiving, with two large 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 22nd Annual Country Christmas Faire, which draws thousands of visitors each year to the pine-covered fairgrounds. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Admission is $4; children 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. 24) 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. 22.
Also scheduled Thanksgiving weekend are the Christmas Craft Faire & Sandwich Shoppe at the Nevada City United Methodist Church (433 Broad Street) Friday and Saturday 10-4 and Sunday noon-4; and the Christmas Craft Fair at the Nevada City Elks Lodge (510 St. Hwy. 49 North), 9-5 Friday and Saturday only.
Grass Valley's Cornish Christmas, a 39-year local tradition, is held on five Friday evenings, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Nov. 24-Dec. 22. Mill and Main streets 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. 6, 13 and 20, from 6-9 p.m., and on Sunday, Dec. 17, 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. Added holiday activities, including visits with Father Christmas, are planned Dec. 17, from 1-6 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. 7 and 14, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 (free to inn guests).
The Foothill Theatre Company holiday presentation, “The Gift of the Magi,” is featured Thursday through Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons, Nov. 16-Dec. 30, 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 Northern Sierra foothills. 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.
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.downtowngrassvalley.com).
