This Friday it pays to visit Newton Highlands, whether you want to sample wine & beer at Walnut Market, get at tomato soup & grilled cheese sandwich dinner at Bread & Chocolate if you bring 5 cans of food for the Newton Food Pantry, free hot cocoa for kids at Lincoln Street Coffee, and mulled cider at 51 Lincoln.
There will be crafts, gift certificates of all sorts, Santa (Green Planet Kids 6-8 pm) and of course the sing-a-long at 7 pm on the brick plaza at the corner of Lincoln and Highland, with a professional choir director conducting (although to sing, you needn’t be).
The shopping, food and fun starts at 5 and continues until 9, or until supplies run out.
The Chamber is even pitching in with a “cash mob” at 6:15 p.m.
The event is the first-ever, and is organized by the merchants, who, at the prodding of Annabelle Ship of Green Planet Kids, have formed the city’s only current village merchants’ association. (The Chamber’s “commerce” encompasses a much larger set)
Then at 7:30 there’s a Messiah sing at St. Paul’s, 1135 Walnut St. Come and sing or just to listen.
Thanks Andrea and thanks Ken. Here’s a longer list of some of the things merchants are providing..
In addition the Chamber is inviting folks to gather in the plaza at 6:15 in front of Bread & Chocolate for a “cash mob.” Similar to “flash mobs,” a “cash mob” is an event where a group of people gather together but instead of singing a song or doing a dance, they agree to spend some money.
In this case, we’re asking attendees to spend $10 (or more) at any store, restaurant or service business along Lincoln or Walnut Streets. After exploring and shopping for 45 minutes, we’re inviting participants to regroup for the sing-along.
Love it, hopefully this will make us all feel more neighborly, if even for a night. Its only the first one, but it shouldn’t be too hard to make this a neighborhood tradition.
The program and activities look very inviting. I’m looking forward to the entire event. Thanks to Greg, Annabelle and all the merchants for making this a reality. This is a nice seasonal combination with Village Day right at the earliest sunrise at the Summer Solstice and this get together at the earliest sunset of the Winter Solstice. Reads like something the Druids would have thought up.
Just got home. Great time. The crowd was much larger than I had anticipated and everyone was having a fun time. I hope they repeat this next December. The only recommendation I have pertains to the sing-a-long. A microphone for the director and a small portable piano would have added a lot to that event.
Great addition to the village. My only suggestion, given the high proportion of Newton residents who are Jewish, is that next year it should be held early enough to also attract Chanukah shoppers to the stores and hold it on a night other than Friday so observant Jews can also participate.