Your 2021 Guide to Sanford/Springvale Holiday Events

There are all kinds of great holiday events planned for the month of December in Sanford and Springvale. The holiday season officially kicks off this weekend with the Holly Daze parade and tree lighting on Friday, December 3. See our previous story for details.

The Sanford Alumni Association’s Spree of Trees also debuts on Friday, December 3 from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m., and will continue on Saturday, December 4 from 10:00 to 5:00, and on Sunday the 5^th from 9:00 a.m. to noon. The location has been moved to the former Bergeron’s Shoes store at 911 Main St. You can enjoy hot coffee, hot chocolate and cookies while you admire all the beautiful trees loaded with gifts sponsored by local businesses, organizations and individuals. Buy raffle tickets and you might win the tree of your choice!

On Saturday, December 4, the Pleasant St. Baptist Church will host it’s Kandy Kane Fair from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at 10 Pleasant St. in Springvale. Breakfast and dessert will be served, and crafts and Christmas goods will be for sale.

December 4 at 7:00 p.m., the Sanford Performing Arts Center will present Holiday Pops by the Strafford Wind Symphony. It’s a sparkling parade of favorite holiday songs the whole family will love, including Charlie Brown Christmas, Nutcracker Suite, Grown-up Christmas, A Hanukkah Festival, and more! You’ll feel the wonder of the season with a dramatic reading of Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus. No holiday pops show would be complete without the traditional sing-along, so be ready when it’s your turn! The 55-member Strafford Wind Symphony has earned a reputation of excellence in Southern Maine and Seacoast New Hampshire. The ensemble delivers sensational music with a professional flair, supporting the history and heritage of the American community band. Tickets are $9-$14 and may be purchased here.

Sanford Maine Stage will present Scrooge With a Twist over the next two weekends at the Nasson Little Theatre, 457 Main St. in Springvale. Come and meet a different Scrooge! He dances, he sings, he makes us cry, he makes us laugh, all the while giving us his “Bah! Humbug!” In the end, the story tells us that souls can be redeemed, that good prevails…..with the iconic Christmas message “God Bless Us, Everyone.” Starring Fred Boyle, Barrett Ryan, Sue LaChance, Michael Mazur, Michael Thomas and Megan Thomas, with Beverly Perry, Doris Martineau, MaryNel (Peggy) Driscoll and Priscilla Velandrey.  Show times are December 4 and 11 at 7:00 p.m., and December 5 and 12 at 2:30 p.m. General admission $10. Tickets may be purchased in advance at nassonevents.ticketleap.com.

The Edmund E. Goodwin House, property of the Sanford-Springvale Historical Society, will be open Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. until Christmas. The entire ground floor has been restored to its original appearance and is decorated for the holidays. Many of the furnishings are original and the wall paper in the parlor and front hall date from 1899, the year the house was completed. There is a room full of century-old games and toys, the gift of 19th Century Willowbrook Village which also donated the buggy and sleigh in the stable. The barn boasts a late 19th century surrey with the fringe on top. The house is on the National Register of Historic Places, and is located at 503 Main Street in Springvale, next door to the Sanford-Springvale Historical Museum. There is no charge for tours although donations are gratefully received. The Museum next door will also be open. Ray-Welch’s folk art paintings are on exhibit through December 31. There are some delightful winter scenes among the works on display.

Sanford High School’s Winter Concert will be performed at SPAC, 100 Alumni Blvd. on Wednesday, December 8 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Friday, December 10 and Saturday, December 11, the Sanford Elks Lodge will open to the public with their annual Giving Trees event. Bring the kids for cocoa and cookies, and to make a Christmas card for a veteran at the Maine Veterans’ Home in Scarborough. Tour the uniquely decorated Christmas trees and take a chance on winning your favorite! Admission is free, raffle tickets are $5 for 25 plus 1 door prize ticket. All proceeds go to the Elks National Foundation which supports many community programs such as college scholarships, veterans, hoop shoot, soccer shoot and drug awareness.

Looking for a unique holiday event for the entire family? Stranger Than Fiction is bringing their Improvised Wizarding Satire, Christmas at Hogwarts, to the Nasson Little Theatre! Follow a group of Hogwarts students as they tackle the challenges of the magical world during the holiday season. Who knows what these young witches and wizards will face during their time at Hogwarts. With the Yule Ball on the line, will they be able to save the holidays from monsters, dark wizards, and more? Find out Friday, December 10 at 7:30 p.m. General admission tickets are $12 and are available here. The Nasson Little Theatre is located at 457 Main St. in Springvale.

Join Scouts USA Troop 327 of Sanford as they host their First Annual Holiday Shopping Bazaar on December 11 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at St. Ignatius Hall, 25 Riverside Ave. The Troop will host about 45 vendors including woodworkers, quilters/sewers, knitters and crocheters, and other holiday crafters showcasing their goods for all. The Troop will also be selling meat sticks and candy bars, and will have a bake sale table as well.

On Saturday, December 11, the Portland Ballet brings A Victorian Nutcracker to the SPAC for two shows, at 2:00 and 7:00 p.m. This magical, glittering performance features newly-designed backdrops and set pieces inspired by Portland’s Victoria Mansion. A Victorian Nutcracker is a retelling of the classic story of a young girl who, after receiving the curious gift of a nutcracker on Christmas Eve, experiences a vivid dream in which she travels to the Sugar Plum Fairy’s Land of the Sweets. The Portland Ballet production pulls characters directly from Portland’s past — sure to please audience members of all ages! Read this story about Camille Alipalo, a Sanford High School student who will be performing. Tickets range from $36-$47 and are available here.

Christmas with Renaissance Voices returns to the Sanford-Springvale Historical Museum, 505 Main St., for a show on Saturday, December 11 at 7:30 p.m. This fantastic a cappella group will perform music for the season from the 9^th to the 21^st centuries. Included in the program are works from the Middle Ages and early Renaissance by Heinrich Isaac, Tomas Luis de Victoria, William Ballet and Jacob Regnart.  Rounding out the program will be readings from the writings of May Sarton and Ludwig Bemelmans.  The same program will be performed the following weekend at St. Luke’s Cathedral in Portland. The wonderful acoustics of the Museum make it a truly special experience. Tickets are $15 for adults and seniors, 18 and under free. Call 324-2797 to reserve your tickets. Proof of Covid-19 vaccination, or evidence of a negative test within the previous 72 hours is required to attend. Face masks must be worn. The Museum is handicapped accessible. Doors open at 6:45.

Springvale Library’s Annual Christmas Tea will be held Thursday, December 16th from 11:00 to 4:00. Due to the ongoing pandemic, this will be an outside affair on the patio, complete with heaters. Look forward to tea, mulled cider, hot cocoa, cookies, and lots of Christmas Cheer!

Would you like to do something special to honor our veterans this Christmas season? On December 18 at noon, Wreaths Across America will be at Southern Maine Veterans Cemetery, 83 Stanley Rd., to remember and honor our country’s fallen heroes by placing wreaths on each grave and saying the name of each and every veteran aloud. If you would like to volunteer to participate, visit this page and click on the “Volunteer” link.

If you prefer to avoid the crowds this holiday season, you can still participate in a fun holiday activity! Springvale Library’s Adult Craft of the month is an adorable wood Christmas ornament made using vintage holiday scenes. Kits are available at the Library now, and Lesley will be on FaceBook Live on December 9th to show you how it’s made. If you missed last year’s Winterberry Christmas ornament, the video of how to make it is still available here.

Bring your kids age 5 and up to Goodall Library on Saturday, December 18 for A Child’s Christmas at Goodall. Drop in between 1:00 and 3:00 p.m. to paint an ornament at the library, and enjoy festive snacks and music. A holiday story will be read at 1:30. Holiday books and movies will be on display to check out as well. The Library’s Winter Reading Program also starts that day, and runs through February 26th. There is one challenge for ages 0 – 12 and another for ages 13 – adult. Track books you read on the free Beanstack app or track on paper, and earn prizes based on how much you read. Complete fun winter activities for additional prizes. Visit lbgoodall.beanstack.org to sign up.

Classical Uprising’s Sing We Noël comes to SPAC for a Sunday afternoon show at 3:00 p.m. on December 19. Watch conductor Emily Isaacson craft a musical masterpiece with the combined forces of the Oratorio Chorale, Portland Brass Quintet, Classical Uprising Youth Chorus, plus a stocking full of other notable Maine musicians. Experience stunning vocal performances of classics such as O Holy Night, and Carol of the Bells, while the brass quintet delivers a thrilling, fanfare-driven O Come All Ye Faithful and a soaring medley of favorites. The intimate, candlelit rendition of Silent Night will warm your soul and push back the darkness of winter solstice. Tickets are $10 to $20 and are available here.

Say goodbye to 2021 and ring in the New Year on December 31 at 7:00 p.m. with an unforgettable orchestral rock concert at the SPAC! Featuring a four-piece rock band, a 20-piece orchestra, and a pair of powerhouse lead singers, Classic Rock takes you back to the concert arena by plucking some of the greatest songs from your album collection and presenting them in all their anthemic glory. Party with us all night long … or really until around 9pm, when we wrap it up (because we’re not kids anymore!). Classic Rock is packed full of the best 70’s and 80’s rock songs that you sing in your car at the top of your lungs when you think no one is watching! The set list includes unforgettable hits by Journey, Pat Benatar, Boston, Heart, Kansas, Stevie Nicks, The Electric Light Orchestra, and many more. Don’t miss this spectacular orchestral rock experience conceived and produced by the creative team of orchestrator Chris Eastburn and singer/multi-instrumentalist Joe Boucher who brought Piano Men – The Music of Elton and Billy to our stage in 2020, and Imagine – The Beatles Solo Years in 2019. Tickets are $30-$42 and can be purchased here.

Photo by Jill Wellington from Pixabay.