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MONDAY February 23, 2004 - Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels December 24, 2003 Winchester Inn's 'Dickins' Christmas' is a holiday hit In 1983, Mike and Laurie Gibbs had just opened the Winchester Inn on Second Street, right up the hill from Main Street. Denise Baratta | Ashland Daily Tidings Singers perform for diners during Monday night's Dickens Feast. The Winchester Singers coordinate the timing with the Inn's chef, Mark Warriner, to make the six-course meal and entertainment run smoothly. "My wife went to a Chamber of Commerce meeting about tourism promotion," said Mike Gibbs. "The discussion was about how at that time Ashland didn't have any Christmas events that drew tourists. Somebody, I forget who, said, 'It would be great if we had a Dickens Christmas, but it's too bad no one around here can do that.' My wife said, 'Wait a minute. Who says there's no one that can do that? We can do it.'" And so began an Ashland tradition, the Winchester's Dickens Christmas. The event consists of a six-course dinner, with the courses separated by a short performance by the Winchester Singers, an a-cappella quartet that sings Christmas carols. Singers and servers alike are dressed in period costume, and the inn is festooned in 19th-century fashion. "This is a wonderful gig," says singer Nick Tennant. "It's really fun." Tennant sings baritone and bass and directs the quartet. He is joined by soprano Priscillia Quinby, alto Suzanne Seiber and tenor Craig Williams. "We sing Christmas carols," he explains, "but not strictly from Dickens' time. There aren't many Christmas carols from that period because Christmas was suppressed in the decades before that. We do try to sing carols that aren't the typical things you hear. Some of the carols are published, and some I arrange myself." With the guests split between two dining rooms, Tennant and the singers actually perform each set of songs twice each night. One dining room eats while the singers perform in the other, and then the meals and singers switch places. "It's an interesting piece of choreography from the kitchen," says Tennant. "The chef, Mark Warriner, wants to know exactly how long each piece of music takes, so he can get each course out with perfect timing. None of this shows from the outside, but it's an interesting ballet." The detailed choreography is a key to the dinner's appeal, according to Gibbs. "Over the years we've given a lot of thought about why this is successful," he says. "I think it works because people have time to socialize between the sets of songs. There is only 8-10 minutes of singing, not an hour straight that you might have at a formal concert. It allows people to enjoy the music without being overwhelmed by it." "We're not elevator music or background music," agrees Tennant. "People actually pay attention. There's not the clanging of silverware and dining room chatter you have at a lot of places." The evening's schedule With 20 years of practice, Gibbs and his staff have turned the Dickens Christmas into a finely tuned production. The guests begin to arrive at 6:30, and as they are seated they are served a relish plate with a glass of champagne or cider. After everyone is settled, Gibbs comes out in the entire Dickens regalia, including a top hat, to welcome the guests and introduce the quartet, which then sings a set of songs. Next comes the savory wild mushroom bread pudding with a merlot glaze. The third course is a stilton cheese and onion soup. The fourth is the salad d'mansion, which this year includes raspberry vinaigrette and sweet potatoes. The entr�e is a prime rib of beef with Yorkshire pudding and vegetables. The set of songs after this course is decidedly light, says Gibbs, and includes such carols as "The Twelve Days After Christmas" and "Oh 50-Watt Christmas Tree." The levity sets the mood for a dessert of English trifle. "Then Santa comes out," continues Gibbs. "He's memorized everyone's name and tells little stories about them. He's what you might call a rogue Santa. And that ends the three-hour feast." Winter Tourism Dickens Christmas has certainly met the tourism goals of that 1983 conversation at the chamber of commerce. That first year, the Winchester hosted a successful two-night event, but two decades later the dinner has grown into some 20 meals served over the Christmas season, with 70 or 80 guests per night. And while the majority of the attendees are locals, the Winchester's Dickens Christmas has become a national tourist destination. "We have people coming from California, from Seattle and from the East Coast, too," says Gibbs. "New York, Kentucky, you name it. It has really helped us fill in that downtime that comes after Shakespeare closes up in November." The event is so successful that it has been booked solid for several months. Gibbs says he'll start taking reservations for next year's dinner in the summer. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Site Search: A new improved archive search is coming! Look for it in mid-February! .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - ODOT Road Cams