1886 Crescent Hotel and Spa:
Center of Christmas Celebration
(EUREKA SPRINGS, AR) – The center of the local Christmas celebration seems to once again be atop Crescent Mountain this year. The 1886 Crescent Hotel and Spa, located here at 75 Prospect Avenue on the historic loop, is festooned with holiday decorations and on Sunday kicks off its annual “Christmas at The Crescent” celebration.”
“This year’s celebration, our ninth, will be our biggest and best yet,” said event coordinator Amanda Haley, hotel administrative assistant. “It starts out with Santa’s Brunch this Sunday and will feature live holiday concerts each weekday at lunch in our Crystal Dining Room Restaurant plus cooking schools, evening dinners, holiday movies and of course the lighting of our magnificent Christmas Forest in our Fountain Gardens.”
Santa’s Brunch, serving the hotel’s sumptuous holiday-flavored brunch from 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. this Sunday, December 7, will feature Ol’ St. Nick himself from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Parents and grandparents are encouraged to bring their “little ones” to sit on Santa’s lap for a chance to whisper secret longings in his ear as well as providing adults with a great photo opportunity.
The festivities move outside the next day as 15 holiday pine trees, decorated by hotel staff and dedicated to local charities, become illuminated during 6:00 p.m. ceremonies. Visitors will also be able to “vote” for their favorite tree with a $1.00 donation per vote. Winning trees will have their “votes” donated to the charity each represents. Monday night ceremonies will also feature music, holiday sing-along and free refreshments.
“Each year this community is so good to our two hotels, the Crescent and Basin Park, each, the Christmas Forest is our staff’s small way of saying ‘Thank you’ to local and area charities plus it helps to brighten up our city with a forest of sparkling holiday trees at the top of the mountain,” added Haley.
Following the ceremonial illumination, guests of the hotel and local residents will share in the holiday spirit as the hotel’s Crystal Dining Room Restaurant offers a Local Appreciation Night where the price of all entrees are reduced by ten percent.
The culinary “gifts” continue the next day when Executive Chef Tracey Saunders will again be sharing his cooking secrets with those who attend his “Christmas Delights Holiday Cooking School. On Tuesday and Wednesday, December 9 and 10, from 11:00 a.m. to noon, in the hotel’s Crystal Dining Room Restaurant attendees will learn how to create holiday sweet treats for their family and friends.
The next evening the Crystal Dining Room Restaurant will also be the site for the “Chef Showcase Holiday Dinner” at 6:00 p.m. featuring the Ozark Chorale in perfect holiday voice.
“Even ol’ Doc Baker is getting into the holiday swing of things,” Haley noted. “Those adults -and kids- who want to enjoy a festive-flavored flick will be treated to a different traditional cinema of the season each night, Sunday through Friday, in Dr. Baker’s Lounge, the hotel’s fourth-floor eatery.”
One of the “Christmas at The Crescent” events that brings in a throng of visitors and locals alike is the “History Hike Through Eureka.” This unique tour of the holiday-decorated town is led by the hotels’ Vice President of Operations and Development Jack Moyer. His colorful walking narrative begins at 10:00 a.m. Thursday from the lobby of the Crescent, a proud member of Historic Hotels of America. Participants in the free event are encouraged to wear comfortable walking shoes.
“All in all this year’s ‘Christmas at The Crescent’ has a little something for everyone,” concluded Haley, “a little something that will surely create huge lifetime memories.”
For more information, one may contact Haley at 479-253-9766, extension 535 or via email at amanda.haley1@gmail.com/. For Santa’s Brunch or evening dinner reservations, one should call 479-253-9652.
