THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, December 9, 1994 TAG: 9412070340
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Cover Story
SOURCE: BY IDA KAY JORDAN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 49 lines
So, what else is happening?
Santa Claus is coming to Downtown on Saturday to help celebrate the opening of the Children's Museum of Virginia.
He'll be at the Commodore Theater on High Street to visit with children and their parents from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.
Santa's visit is part of the Olde Towne Portsmouth Association's events to mark the debut of the new museum. Retailers and others will hold a holiday open house from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
A highlight of the day will be a Virginia Symphony concert of holiday music at Trinity Church from 1:30 to 3 p.m. The concert, free and open to the public, is sponsored by WAVY-TV.
Jugglers will perform from 3 to 5 p.m. at Prison Square, where a 12-foot tall wooden toy soldier towers over the courtyard. A group of costumed carolers, known as Opus II, will stroll the streets singing throughout the day.
Alf and Ramona Mapp will sign copies of their book, ``Portsmouth: A Pictorial History,'' at Pfeifer's Book Store from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Ralph Preston of the Norfolk Zoo will bring a group of animals, including a chinchilla, a screech owl, a tenrec and a snake for display at Middle Street Mall near the museum.
``This really is a good joint effort to show solid support for the museum,'' said Louise ``Sis'' Walden, a merchant who chairs the celebration committee. ``We want to promote the image of Downtown as a place to come.''
In addition, Walden said, the activities will give visitors to the museum something else to do while they are Downtown.
``These events are sponsored by the community, not just the merchants,'' she said. ``We all want people to come see what Portsmouth is all about. We think Olde Town is becoming more of a cultural entity with the museums and the TCC art school. The image is going in that direction.''
The Olde Towne business district has been decorated for the season and merchants have sent out special invitations to regular customers to participate in the celebration. Some businesses will serve light refreshments. MEMO: Related stories on pages 10 and 11. by CNB