Rockford event sets out to ‘put the spooky back in Christmas’
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — A new event happening Saturday in Rockford pays tribute to spooky Christmas traditions with work from local authors and a variety of local makers.
Put the Spooky Back Into Christmas is slated for 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Veterans Memorial Hall, 211 N. Main St. Admission is free.
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The combination of spooky and Christmas may seem unusual, but author Gary Hill said it’s rooted in tradition. Take for example the Charles Dickens classic “A Christmas Carol,” which is actually a ghost story.
“The whole tradition of spooky stories at Christmas – actually that was bigger than Halloween because a lot of places didn’t celebrate Halloween,” Hill said on 104.9 The X, a radio partner of the Rock River Current. “In Europe spooky Christmas was a big thing, and it was here for a long time until maybe 100 years ago.”
Hill will be one of several authors featured at the event, including Frank Coffman, Kathi Kresol and Stephen Osborne. Each will have their books available and have a spooky holiday reading as part of a video playing during the event.
Hill, who has authored several books, also runs a local science fiction and horror imprint Tales of Wonder and Dread, which includes “Horrifying Holidays: Holiday Spookfest,” “Put the Spooky Back Into Christmas: Classic Holiday Horror Tales” and “Horrifying Holidays Two: More Holiday Spookfest” in its catalog.
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A number of vendors will be at the event, including artist Chris Geebus, Next Life Creations and Bast & Baetyl Alchemyns.
You’ll find a variety of one-of-kind art items, jewelry and merchandise themed around holiday mythology.
This event was made possible, in part, by a 2023 Action Micro-Grant from the Rockford Area Arts Council.
Know before you go | Put the Spooky Back Into Christmas
When: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2
Where: Veterans Memorial Hall, 211 N. Main St.
Admission: Free
More info: Facebook event page HERE
Contact: KeepItSpooky@SpookyVentures.com
