Alexandria, Va – The Winter in Alexandria Portal is live today! While our lives today may look different than generations past, winter still brings a common feeling of change. Even with coronavirus shifting our plans with family and friends, this season is still marked by colder days, longer nights, and holiday celebrations.
In lieu of in-person programming, Historic Alexandria brings the Winter in Alexandria Portal, offering online and to-go options to mark the coming of winter and the holiday season. These videos, activities, and collection highlights tell the stories of the season – celebrating family and community, marking milestones, making and preserving food, and keeping warm.
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Visit the new online portal found at AlexandriaVA.gov/Historic. Here you’ll find videos and activities exploring how Alexandria has celebrated and endured this cold season through the years. Test historic recipes or try your hand at a history-inspired craft. Explore what life was like for Union soldiers wintering at Fort Ward. Learn about the Kwanzaa table and how your household can create one. Pause and reflect on the year and share your thoughts with Alexandria’s collecting initiative. All ages will find things of interest to try!
On Saturday, December 5, join us over Zoom for a free Kwanzaa How-to Workshop! Enjoy hearing how to celebrate Kwanzaa in your home and all the family fun it brings. Learn about the principles, symbols, recipes, and crafts. Register online to receive the link to join the hour-long program from 11 a.m. to noon.
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Looking for activities to do with children over the holidays? Purchase a Winter in Alexandria kit and it will be shipped on December 11 in time for Winter Break. This kit provides everything you need, from materials to step-by-step instructions, to explore Alexandria’s history through hands-on activities and stories. With ten different activities, there will be plenty to do over Winter Break! Purchase a kit online at AlexandriaVa.gov/Shop.
Image courtesy of The Alexandria Shop
As we reflect on common themes ”family, food, and warmth” we also remember that many families in our community are struggling to provide food and warmth for their household. The online portal includes how to support our community in tangible ways during this winter season. If you can, please support one of the many organizations helping to ensure all of Alexandria is provided for throughout the winter.
About the Office of Historic Alexandria (OHA): The Office of Historic Alexandria preserves and shares the past to enrich the present and inspire the future. OHA shares these stories through museums and landscapes as well as tours, exhibitions, and a variety of public programs. Museums include the Alexandria Archaeology Museum, Alexandria Black History Museum, Alexandria’s History Museum at the Lyceum, Fort Ward Museum & Historic Site, Freedom House Museum, Friendship Firehouse Museum, Gadsby’s Tavern Museum, and the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum. Additional spaces including the African American Heritage Park, Archives and Records Center, Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery, Murray-Dick-Fawcett House, Lloyd House, and Union Station collectively tell the story of the City. Urban archaeology also plays an active role in uncovering and interpreting Alexandria’s history, recovering artifacts before they are lost to construction. OHA enhances the quality of life for City residents and visitors and is a partner in the City’s equity and inclusion initiatives. For more information about the Office of Historic Alexandria, visit alexandriava.gov/Historic.
Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay
