With Thanksgiving over and the Tryptophan feeling from eating turkey waning, these are the days to turn towards one of the next holiday opportunities—Christmas. Each year I look for somewhere new to head. With my son still thoroughly engaged and enthralled by any tinsel and glitter, festivals and events that offer something the rest of my family would enjoy capture my attention most.
Here’s one.
The It’s a Wonderful Life Festival (Dec. 12-14) in Seneca Falls, New York offers a true nostalgia boost. Seneca Falls is the town that Bedford Falls– the name of the town in the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life,” was patterned after.
Not to let an opportunity for some holiday cash pass them by, the people of Seneca Falls began the festival 62 years ago to pay tribute to their ties to the movie and warm fuzzy, hopeful feelings.
If you go, you can attend a screening of the film narrated by Karolyn Grimes. She’s the actress who played ZuZu in the movie. There are the other trimmings and trappings of a Santa-train, horse drawn wagon rides, and I imagine plenty of opportunities to buy “It’s a Wonderful Life” themed gifts. If you buy a snow globe, remember that you can’t take it on a plane in your carry-on. Check it in your luggage.
This year with the economic forecast not looking particularly sunny, a festival called It’s a Wonderful Life that turns on a movie about a guy who almost lost everything during the Depression somehow seems apropos.
Here is the event’s website that examines the similarities between Bedford Falls and Seneca Falls along with providing festival details. Also, here’s an article by Joan McDonald that was published in The Buffalo News . McDonald has been to Seneca Falls and experienced the It’s a Wonderful Life experience.