Yes, it’s July, but plans are already being made for Christmas.
Residents and visitors are invited the first weekend of December to kick off the holiday season at Coachlight Square when it is transformed into a traditional European-style holiday market.
The deadline for artisans to have a booth there is quickly approaching.
The first annual Christkindl Market will be open from noon to 8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 3 and Saturday, Dec. 4. The market will include artisan booths decorated for the season, live music, a tree lighting, and Santa and Mrs. Claus. A Christkindl Market Angel will also be on display.
Brown County resident Lisa Hall has been working to bring the market to Nashville with a team that includes Nashville Spice owners Greg Fox and Mark Schmidt and Brown County Playhouse Executive Director Hannah Estabrook.
“We’re working very, very hard at bringing a first annual Christkindl Market to Brown County, given that we look like the set of a Hallmark movie,” Hall said.
“I really wanted to see Christmas elevated and some event that would also highlight all the other amazing traditions that go on in this community.”
The weekend of the market already includes many other holiday events.
Friday, Dec. 3 will be the annual Children’s Christmas Benefit Auction at Out of the Ordinary restaurant. “Believe: The Magic of Christmas” takes center stage at the Brown County Playhouse that night. The Santa Train will make a stop at the Jackson Township Volunteer Fire Department in Helmsburg.
The next day will be the Stuff a Stocking event in Nashville and the Reindeer Romp 5K and 8K at the Brown County State Park. When the sun goes down Saturday, the Holiday Light Parade and Toy Drive will take off in Nashville with “Believe” having another performance at the Playhouse, too.
“We just have so many fun things going on, so after each of those events, what do you do? We’re hoping people will then enjoy a really neat market,” Hall said.
The market will serve German gluhwein provided by Country Heritage, which is a mulled spiced wine. German foods also will be served. Other distilleries and a brewery will be represented at the market.
A Santa Shop will be set up in the Brown County Visitors Center for kids to buy presents for their families.
On Friday, Indy Polkamotion will perform polka music to kick off the weekend and a tree lighting will happen later that evening.
On Saturday, more music will fill the air as area bands perform, including Brown County’s own the Hammer and the Hatchet.
“We started small this year so we can do it well — kind of put our toe in the water to see if the community responds,” Hall said.
Any artisans wanting to set up a booth at the market have until Aug. 1 to apply. The booth fee is $150. Recently, the Nashville Arts and Entertainment Commission gave the market $2,500 to help underwrite the first 16 artisans who are accepted into the market’s juried exhibition, Hall said.
“That is really cool because someone could join in year one, we don’t have a track record, so someone could join in year one with nothing to lose. They have no investment other than their time and see how it goes,” Hall said.
Artisans are the reason Hall wanted this market to happen — “to give artists a chance to earn back some income that’s been lost over the last 18 months through a cancellation of festivals and their livelihood,” Hall said.
“That was kind of the emphasis.”
The market is also looking for sponsorships. So far, $24,500 has been raised of the $30,000 goal, with grants being the main source of money along with a personal contribution and a $5,000 anonymous contribution.
“We’ve just been met with some real great generosity,” Hall said.
“I am asking every entity in this community to give just a little something so that it will be a great event for the whole.”
Hall said a $250 donation would go a long way toward meeting the $5,500 goal.
“We never needed a community more than we need it now. I wanted to do it for the county first, and then tourists obviously have a reason to come back,” Hall said — especially when those tourists are visiting during the slower winter months.
“It’s important to fight for those reasons to have people want to return,” Hall said.
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The Brown County Christkindl Market will occur Dec. 3 and 4 this year at Coachlight Square, 211 S. Van Buren St, from noon to 8 p.m. each day.
To learn more about the market, how to donate or how to set up a booth, visit browncountychristkindlmarket.com.
The deadline to sign up for an artisan booth is Aug. 1.
A list of other holiday events happening in the county that weekend is also available at browncounty.com.
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