For Immediate Release
Monday, November 19, 2007

Magic Christmas in Lights:  The Tradition Continues at Bellingrath Gardens and Home

Theodore, AL – The holiday season is upon us and at Bellingrath Gardens and Home that means Magic Christmas in Lights (MCIL).  Designed and constructed specifically for Bellingrath, there is always something spectacular to see.  Even those guests that visit the Gardens year after year will see something new and different.  This year Bellingrath has added a new car to the BG&H Train, an entirely new scene called Twas the Night Before Christmas and a row of fifty candles to enhance the Emerald Forest scene on the Great Lawn.  Bellingrath will also unveil its 75th Anniversary commemorative holiday ornament. 

As if 3 million twinkling lights across 65 acres were not enough, Bellingrath will present some special events during the holiday season.  On Friday, November 23 at 5:00 PM, Bellingrath will have a grand opening ceremony.  Santa Ernest of Santa America will be the very special guest who will officially kick off the season by lighting the new display and then inviting children to join him as he reads Twas the Night Before Christmas. 

Bellingrath has invited choral groups from around the region to perform during MCIL.  All performances will be held on the Bellingrath Home’s South Terrace.  One of the featured groups this year is the Stillman College Concert Choir from Tuscaloosa, Alabama.  Stillman College will perform on Friday, November 30th at 7:00 PM.   A full schedule of performances is available on the Bellingrath website at www.bellingrath.org.

To celebrate its 100th year in business, Blue Bell Creamery is bringing its traveling anniversary exhibit to Bellingrath Gardens and Home on December 7th and 8th.  The special exhibit is open from 1:00 to 8:00 PM and will feature an imaginative multi-media presentation of the history of Blue Bell, and a display of the current lineup of Blue Bell products and how ice cream is made. 

The Bellingrath staff works on MCIL throughout the year.  California designer and former Disneyland Imagineer, Clare Graham, designs scenes and set pieces for the show.   Once in “Santa’s Workshop” the Bellingrath staff fabricates the steel frames, attaches mini-lights to the frame and then installs them throughout the Gardens. This season the show features 3 million lights, 605 set pieces in 12 scenes throughout Gardens.  Each light bulb is replaced every year and approximately 1/3 of the show is repainted, restored and re-lamped each year as well. 

Like the rest of the Gardens, the Bellingrath Museum Home is decorated in its holiday finery.  During MCIL guests may tour the home during the day and throughout the evening until 8:00 PM.

MCIL opens the Friday after Thanksgiving and runs through New Year’s Eve.  The Gardens are closed on Christmas Day.  Normal operating hours of 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM are extended until 9:00 PM.  Admission is $10 for adults, $5.50 for children 5 – 12 and children under 5 are free. 

Bellingrath’s Magnolia Café is open each day from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM for lunch and from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM for dinner.  The dinner menus feature local seafood favorites such as fried shrimp and seafood gumbo.  Bellingrath’s Gift Shop is filled with holiday gift items and decorations for types of collectors.  The gift shop is open daily form 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM. 

For more information Magic Christmas in Lights or Bellingrath Gardens and Home visit www.bellingrath.org or call 251.973.2217.

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Leslie C. Schraeder
Director of Marketing & Public Relations
Bellingrath Gardens and Home
P: 251.973.2217 X 137
C: 251.689.5444
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1240 Bellingrath Gardens Road ◦ Theodore, Alabama 36582
(251) 973-2217 ◦ Fax (251 973-0540 ◦ www.bellingrath.org
Owned and operated by The Bellingrath-Morse Foundation, a charitable, not-for-profit organization