Merriment Galore on the Strand December 6, 2009
Posted by Tracy in : Galveston, Historical preservation, Texas , 2commentsJust a year ago the annual Dickens on the Strand was carried out amid a ruined and gutted downtown Galveston, a defiant statement of the city’s commitment to a comeback. Yesterday that comeback was clear, and with all the fine lords and ladies shoulder to shoulder with rakish pirates and coal dust-smeared ragamuffins, the floodwaters were but a poignant memory.
Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.
Top hats and bustles were de rigeur throughout the historic district. From a British jokester and juggler on Old Galveston Square to a costume contest judged by Galveston’s own “Queen Victoria,” bagpipes on the Tall Ship Elissa and camel and elephant and pony rides over on 21st Street, the festivities had a decidedly 18th century British feel.
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Galveston calling December 4, 2009
Posted by Tracy in : Galveston, Texas , 2commentsTomorrow’s the 36th annual Dickens on the Strand, and Galveston is going into its finest Victorian mode – with candy apples, bagpipes, games and crafts, and a whole cast of Dickens characters roaming the streets.
The festival began in the dark days of the Strand, when the Galveston Historical Foundation was casting about for ways to rebuild a decaying treasure. The first few years, lifelong Galvestonian Christine Hopkins told me, the festival was held only at night, when the festive lighting cast the shabby Victorian buildings at their romantic best.
Eventually, a multimillion-dollar restoration brought the charming historic downtown to life, but the city took another big hit last year when Ike deposited eight feet of floodwaters in the streets of downtown.
Nonetheless, Galvestonians being the hardy lot they are, the town has rallied impressively. A visit a few weeks ago with my daughter showed just how far the city’s come.
Here’s a little glimpse of a sunny day a couple of weeks ago.
Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.
