The 28th annual Magical Night event will take place Thursday, Nov. 29, from 5 to 8 p.m. at several locations throughout Uptown Mount Vernon, Iowa.
Magical Night in Mount Vernon, Iowa is a celebration of holiday magic that begins on the lawn of the First Street Community Center, at 5 pm, Santa himself will be throwing the switch unveiling Mount Vernon’s holiday lights on the Fist Street Community Center’s historic one-of-a-kind building.
For the first time in the history of Magical Night, volunteers and City representatives have decided to close 1st Street to traffic to create a Holiday-inspired Ped Mall for the entire festival from 5 to 8 p.m
There are dozens of special events throughout the area during this evening, you can check out the full list of activities here.
Activities We Are Hosting
@ 5pm – Help Santa light up the First Street Community Center
@ 6:30 & 7:15 pm at the First Street Community Center (221 1st St. NE): “Holiday Tidings” from Dance Arts Iowa @ Uptown Theatre
From 5pm – 8pm
Business Open House, visit local businesses, enjoy live music, snacks and begin your holiday shopping.
Get your magic reindeer food and visit with live reindeer on the lawn of the First Street Community Center sponsored by Hills Bank.
Cookie Decorating, sponsored by Mount Vernon Parks and Recreation, inside the Library at the First Street Community Center.
Arts Fest, “Dance on a Starry Night” presented by Mount Vernon elementary and high school art students inside the First Street Community Center gym.
Jackee Austerman Photography – Stop over for some fun Christmas photos!Images are free and will be available on their Facebook page after the event! She is also offering $5 light-up necklaces for you to wear as you stroll through town on Magical Night! You are sure to be feeling FESTIVE!! 🙂
Click on Jackee Austerman’s cool video short below: (shared with Jackee’s permission)
Support your favorite small businesses this Saturday and come out to the First Street Community Center to browse in our warm, one-of-a-kind unique building.
This quote from the VisitMVL.com (Visit Mount Vernon – Lisbon) website says it all:
“Small businesses, like small Iowa towns, are the back-bone of our nation and our economy,” said Catherine Kennedy, Chair of the Mount Vernon-Lisbon project.
“Support for small businesses and small towns is support for the growth of our families, our friends, and our country. Please plan on joining us on Saturday, Nov. 24, to Shop Small!”
Room 222 – Antiques, Collectibles & “Wants”
Room 222 has a mix of antique, vintage, retro and more — covering just about anything someone may choose to collect. Walking around Room 222 will take every visitor back to remembering Grandma’s house and Grandpa’s barn viewing many things that they grew up bringing back wonderful memories of their childhood.
Room 222 is owned by Kevin Smith who has lived in Mount Vernon all of his life. Way back in the ’70’s he studied at Kirkwood Community College. Kevin also worked 27 years in a factory in Cedar Rapids. He’s retired now and doing what he loves, buying and selling antiques and collectibles.
The Twig & Fairy Room and a Few Antiques
Artwork Inspired by Nature & Fairies for the Whimsical of All Ages. The Twig and Fairy Room is a combination of 3 businesses; Ruth Ipsan-Brown dba Ruth’s Twig Art, Kim Wolfe dba Fairy Under A Full Moon and Glenn Wolfe dba Wolfe’s Antiques.
Ruth Ipsan-Brown, the goddess of all things twig, has been inspired by nature since childhood and uses natural materials to create nature art pieces including figures, chairs and altars.
Kim Wolfe, the Fairy Grandmother, makes flower fairies, fairy related items as well as hand painted stones.
Glenn Wolfe has been restoring and selling antiques since 1989 and enjoys having his foot back in the antique biz again after recently retiring. Restored electric lighting and quality antique furniture are his specialties.
School House Antiques
History you will be proud to put on display. Schoolhouse Antiques specializes in American Indian artifacts and framed pictures, primitives, Asian artwork, statues, and dishes, linens, silver trays, serving pieces and silverware and numerous collectibles. She also deals in small furniture.
Schoolhouse Antiques owner Carolyn Wellso has been in the antique business for over 28 years in Mount Vernon.
Helios Stitches n Stuff
A fabric studio and shop like no other. Yes Virginia, there IS a fabric shop in Mount Vernon!
Serving Quilters, Crafters, Seamstresses and offering handmade gifts. They have a beautiful selection of high quality fabrics created by Iowa designers and use locally-sourced materials for many of our products. Helios is dedicated to finding bright, sunny fabrics that you will not find in other quilt shops. They also stock a wide selection of quilt backs.
The Green Door
A Unique & Affordable Thrift Boutique. The Green Door is first and foremost a place for folks to come looking for deals on good used clothing. It’s also a place to find STUFF you won’t find anywhere else. They carry like new women’s and men’s clothing, jewelry, shoes, antiques, Asianware, vintage, functional hand-thrown pottery, contemporary housewares, and one of a kind items.
From the store owners:
We are offering 75% off everything in Green Door Too. Most of our display fixtures will also be on sale Price as Marked.
Many have been asking if we are closing both stores and the answer is NO. We are just doing a bit of down-sizing. Stop by to get the best deals.
Final days of Green Door Too will be just before the Christmas Holidays.
East End Art & Tea
A notable & diverse selection of Iowa art & craft & Organic tea, too!
My Studio
(Made by You Studio) is a cozy little space stocked with an extensive variety of art supplies and materials just for you!
MY Studio has hosts birthday parties, ladies nights, creative friend gatherings, couple’s art dates, and has partnered with Cornell College as part of their new student orientation activities. MY Studio has walk in open studio hours on Tuesdays Wednesdays and Saturdays, and can be reserved any other time for private events.
This is a cozy little place where the possibilities are endless! Come in with an idea–they provide the space, materials and tools.
Blooming Acres Florist and Gifts
Blooming Acres Florist and Gifts is a full service flower shop specializing in custom floral arrangements for birthdays, anniversaries, funerals, and everyday.
They provide balloon bouquets, candy bouquets, gift baskets, green and blooming plants. They also carry a wide variety of local and Iowa made gifts.
New this year, we are proud to be hosting The Crafters Market together with the Annual Home Business Expo on Small Business Saturday, November 24th, from 9am – 4pm inside the First Street Community Center’s Gymnasium.
The Crafters Market specializes in well created, handmade items for the discerning customer.
The Annual Home Business Expo will feature numerous home based businesses in the local area including:
Mettes Doll Fashions
Becky Danielson
Grannie’s Ruffles
Amy Bishop Fine Art
Dog Bandanas Creations
Kelli Wolfe Quilting
Lindenbolt Serigraphy
Mary Beth’s Articulture
The Crafty Needle
Stine Designs
Poets Garden
Lisa Kenyon
Rodan+Fields
LuLaRoe
Scentsy
ItWorks
doTERRA Essential Oils
Displays from other local shops may also be on hand, including: Fairy Under a Full Moon and Twig Creations by Ruth.
There is FREE ADMISSION and as always the First Street Community Center has FREE Parking.
* Don’t forget while you are here to check on the other wonderful shops that call this building home throughout the year!
An intimate concert in a relaxed setting on Saturday, November 17th at 7:30 pm (doors open at 7:15 pm) in the Uptown Theatre.
Songwriter and instrumentalist Dave Moore (guitar, accordion, harmonica) and finger-style guitarist extraordinaire Phil Heywood. Recently Dave Moore and Phil Heywood have been sharing stages, trading songs and embroidering rich instrumental accompaniment on each other’s songs and melodies.
Eastern Iowa’s Dave Moore writes and plays guitar, button accordion and harmonica in a country blues/folk and conjunto style. He is a veteran of A Prairie Home Companion, winner of Iowa Arts Council grants and recipient of the 2017 Folk Tradition Midwest Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the Folk Alliance Region Midwest (FARM).
One of the finest songwriters to come out of Iowa, Moore has recorded three albums with Red House Records and has written songs recorded by Lowen & Navarro, Greg Brown and Larry Penn. His instrumental prowess on harmonica and accordion makes him an in-demand session player as well; he has appeared on recordings with Greg Brown, Garrison Keillor, David Zollo, Brother Trucker and many more. Moore has opened for such greats as Townes Van Zandt, John Hammond Jr. and Los Lobos, and shared the stage with Chet Atkins, Nick Lowe and Beausoleil, among others.
Phil Heywood plays fingerstyle guitar with a bluesy swing and a bucketful of whatever it takes to turn an instrumental piece into an arresting lyrical narrative. His lucid playing encompasses the down-home rhythmic groove of a Mississippi John Hurt or Leadbelly, and the sheer fluidity and melodic flair of such contemporaries as Leo Kottke. The internationally renowned Kottke once handpicked Mr. Heywood to tour and perform duets with him. A soul-satisfying instrumentalist, Heywood draws listeners in with his voice as well, singing in a warm, plainspoken baritone that blends smoothly with his rock-solid guitar work.
While born and bred in Mount Vernon, Iowa, Heywood has been based in Minneapolis-St. Paul since the mid-1980s, performing locally and regionally while also establishing himself in the greater guitar and acoustic music world. In 1986 he won the National Fingerpicking Championship, and followed up a year later by winning the American Fingerstyle Guitar Festival Competition. He has played on NPR’s A Prairie Home Companion with guitar legend Chet Atkins, performed with fellow acoustic guitar luminaries Tim Sparks, Pat Donohue and Peter Lang, and opened shows for such artists as Norman Blake, Greg Brown, John Renbourn, Chris Smither, and John Hammond.
Phil Heywood has recorded six solo CDs, some of which will be available at the concert.
Heywood and Moore will be available for phone interviews and other press inquiries in advance of the show by calling or texting Nancy Emrich Freeman at 847-256-0000.
NOTE: If you reserve an early dinner before the concert at the Palisades Café, mention LilFest, and receive the evening’s LilFest special.
