by Nancy J. Figiel, Director of Public Affairs
Candlelight is one of the many traditions of New Bern’s holiday season. Each year, Tryon Palace’s two evenings of Candlelight bring a new and engaging theme to the decorated Palace with vignettes and ballroom dancing presented by interpreters dressed in stunning 18th century attire. This year’s Candlelight story is particularly special.
Guests on the Candlelight tour will step back 250 years to 1775. Earlier that year, on April 19, 1775, “the shot heard round the world” occurred in Concord, Massachusetts, beginning the Revolution. By May, the news reaches New Bern, and angry crowds soon cause Royal Governor Martin to be anxious for his and his family’s safety. After sending off his pregnant wife and children, he flees the Governor’s Mansion under the cover of darkness. He is the first royal governor in the colonies to leave his post! North Carolina and the southern colonies are now entrenched in battles and are seeing much of the early successes of the war.
By December, the people of New Bern are preparing for something unprecedented – a holiday season without a royal governor. Mrs. Goode has been appointed by the new patriot government as caretaker of the deserted building, and she has set about keeping up with the building’s maintenance by renting out rooms to help cover the cost of running the Palace. An auctioneer is cataloguing and pricing Governor Martin’s abandoned goods to sell them off and help pay the new government’s bills.
On your tour day, the larger-than-life Colonel Robert Howe is visiting the building where he matches wits – and charms – with Englishwoman Janet Schaw. The Council Chamber is the only room currently rented out, and it is being used for dancing lessons. The dancers have just mastered a new dance and are eager to show off their skills to curious guests dropping in. In other rooms of the Palace, some of Governor Martin abandoned domestic laborers gather. Their conversations reveal that they are grappling with the reality of the situation they have been left in.
The two evenings of Candlelight begin at 4:30 p.m. with the Fife and Drum Corps promenading through the front gates to the Palace. Guests should plan for time before or after their Palace tour to explore decorated historic homes, enjoy juggling and 18th century magic tricks under the Performance Tent, listen to Christmas carolers, a bell choir, and the rich tones of jazzy holiday songs by the Joe Brown Band. The Fife and Drum will continue to perform at scheduled times throughout the evening. Bring the kids and young at heart to see Santa and a fun puppet performance at the Commission House. Nearby at the Cider Shop, you can sip on a cup of hot cider and munch on gingersnaps. Throughout the event, delicious fare can be purchased from food trucks located outside the Palace gates or indulge in a selection of sweets pair with hot cocoa at Mistletoe Corner and then shop for holiday items at the gift store. For a relaxing wine or beer, head over to the King’s Arms Tavern behind the Palace Kitchen Office. Each night, the festivities conclude with a spectacular black powder firework display above the candlelit Palace.
Tryon Palace’s Candlelight holiday celebrations take place on two consecutive Saturdays in December, the 13th and 20th, beginning at 4:30 p.m. and ending at about 9:45 p.m. with the fireworks display. Tickets are $30 for adults, $25 for teens, and $20 for youth 6 to 14 years old. Buy them today before they sell out!