DECEMBER 3, 2009 ISSUE
The Halls Are Decked at the Jones House
Public Invited to Enjoy Abundance of Holiday Décor
Five Christmas trees grace the rooms of the Jones House Community Center in Boone. From left to right are the trees that can be found in front of large windows located in the parlor, Senior Gallery, Open Door Gallery, Executive Director Cherry Johnson’s office and Mazie Jones Gallery. Photos by Corinne Saunders
The Christmas trees, lights and decorations are all in place, and the Watauga County Arts Council invites the public to visit the Jones House, located at 604 West King Street in Boone, during the holiday season.
The Jones House is open Tuesday to Friday, from noon to 5:00 p.m., through Tuesday, December 22. The building is also open to the public on Thursday nights during the jams, during Art Crawl on Friday, December 4, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., and during the Boone Christmas Parade on Saturday, December 12, from 9:00 a.m. to noon.
Hot apple cider and cookies will be available at no cost to the public any time the Jones House is open during the holiday season.
The Watauga County Arts Council staff had been decorating since November 11 in order for the decorations to be ready by Friday, November 27, said Executive Director Cherry Johnson.
Decorations include five Christmas trees—all purchased from local tree growers—28 wreaths and 24 lightbulb candles.
“Every window in the building has a tree or wreath, except the bathroom windows,” Johnson said.
As a troop fundraiser, Boone-based Boy Scout Troop 109 is selling wreaths, and “we got 13 wreaths at a special price,” Johnson said, adding that those live wreaths can be found downstairs at the Jones House; wreaths upstairs are artificial.
A group of eight to 10 volunteers associated with the Watauga Historical Society decorated the five trees, Johnson said, and the trees can be found throughout the building—in the parlor, Mazie Jones Gallery, Open Door Gallery, Senior Gallery and Johnson’s office.
Teena Cone, the office manager, pulled more than 18 boxes of decorations from the attic, and the volunteers decorated the trees in two hours, Johnson said.
“We take what they did on the trees as the kickoff for décor in that room,” Johnson explained. “It truly is a labor of love. It took [us] about two weeks.”
In 1992, when Johnson first started working at the arts council, Christmas decorations included “one small, artificial tree with Victorian decorations” plus whatever the Town of Boone—which owns the Jones House property—put in the yard, Johnson said.
“I thought, ‘this is crazy,’” Johnson said. “It floored me that we had such glorious windows [and they were not decorated],” Johnson continued. “As the community center in Boone, we need to be a center of Christmas decorations, too.”
Each year since 1992, the Jones House has been thoroughly decorated, and when you come in the door, it looks, feels, sounds, smells and tastes like Christmas, Johnson said.
“I feel like so many people enjoy it,” Johnson said of the decorations. “Hopefully we’re brightening up everyone’s holidays. I think a lot of people make it a family tradition to come [to the Jones House]. Certainly, we see some of the same people repeatedly.”
About seven years ago, the Downtown Boone Development Association asked the Watauga County Arts Council to decorate by Black Friday instead of beginning on Black Friday, as the staff had previously done.
“It changed our whole timetable,” Johnson said.
Prior to the shift, different community groups would each decorate a tree, but since it was difficult for the groups to make time to decorate in November, some people now associated with the Watauga Historical Society—who were previously involved with the cultural museum, which shut down around the same time as the decorating timetable changed—began pitching in with tree-decorating.
Decorating volunteers also include work-study students, drop-in volunteers and Johnson’s children, she added.
“Everything is taken apart every year,” Johnson said, adding that the wreaths, trees and rooms are decorated uniquely each year, so people who visit can always count on seeing something different.
The parlor room has seen varying color schemes, ranging from silver and white to all gold to a Mexican theme, she added.
“One of my former employees summed it up [by saying], ‘If you stand still for long enough, they’ll put a bow on you,” Johnson said of the extravagant decorating.
Various ASU departments and community groups hold annual celebrations at the Jones House during the holidays, and the local preschool groups that always tour the building, also enjoy the festive atmosphere, Johnson said.
Johnson suggested that people who need to get warmed up during the Christmas parade can stop by and grab a cup of hot cider, see the décor and the new art exhibit, and that those who want to take a break from holiday shopping downtown can do the same.
This Friday night, during Art Crawl, violin students and an adult recorder group will play Christmas music and along with holiday decorations, attendees can enjoy a new art exhibit titled “Celestial Seasonings” in the Mazie Jones Gallery.
The official light-up ceremony for the outdoor Christmas tree, conducted by the Mountain Keepers and the ASU Solar Club, will take place Wednesday, December 16, Johnson said.
For more information or to schedule a tour for preschool groups, call 828-264-1789.
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