
Following last year’s successful event, Central Stories Museum and Art Gallery will again host an Artisan Food and Wine Christmas Market on Saturday, December 9.
Museum operations manager Paula Stephenson said community Christmas carols would take place in the museum after the market.
Alexandra jazz pianist Les Richardson and the RSA Gentlemen Singers would perform and the Central Otago Children’s Theatre group would put on a 15-minute performance, Ms Stephenson said.
She was delighted with the response from people offering to help stage the event.
‘‘It’s very humbling, absolutely amazing that so many people have donated their time for this.’’
Combined with the Summer Outside Market, the day would offer entertainment and the chance to get all the Christmas shopping done right at the beginning of the month, Ms Stephenson said.
Central Otago wine, gin, fruit liqueurs and cider would be on offer along with food ranging from honey to peanut brittle to meat rubs, nuts to saffron to cheese imported from France and Italy by an Alexandra wine maker.
Leaning Rock cafe would have pies and Christmas cakes and baking for sale and the museum would have a fundraising sausage sizzle.
In addition, there would be workshops during the day. In the morning there would be a demonstration of making floral Christmas creations with flowers from Scrubby Gully followed by Up a Tree Distillery, Central Nuts and Dunford Grove Olives representatives talking about growing and producing food and drink in Central Otago.
The afternoon workshops would begin with Shona Bain showing how to build a Christmas platter and then Antony Worch would talk about making wine in Central Otago.
The programme would have something for all the family, Ms Stephenson said.
The whole museum would be turned into Santa’s grotto, complete with the man himself and the chance to have traditional photograph taken. Children’s craft and treasure hunt would keep young ones busy, she said.