It's Ornamental! Celebrate the Holiday Parade at the KVM

Kick off the holidays with “It's Ornamental,” November 9, from noon to 4 p.m. at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum. Follow the Holiday Parade, which starts at 11 a,m,, to the Kalamazoo Valley Museum for a variety of free arts and crafts and hot chocolate. Dunkin' Donuts is serving free hot chocolate to the first 500 visitors that come for the afternoon program. From ornaments to gifts to decorate, there will be something for everyone. Scratch a design in a wreath ornament, weave an Ojo de Dios, paint on a felt leaf, and decorate a wooden picture frame with gems. Create a stained glass window, decorate a picture frame, color and assemble a 3-dimensional butterfly, and make designs on a miniature flashlight. The creative juices will flow as participants draw designs on a calendar, emboss a card, create gift tags, fold origami structures, and build paper chains.

Guests will also enjoy the sounds of the season performed by the Kalamazoo Children's Chorus. Throughout the afternoon, the angelic voices of the Prep, Treble, and Concert Choirs will perform a selection of songs from their upcoming Holiday Concert, Angel Voices. KCC provides an opportunity for children to learn and perform in an atmosphere of artistic excellence, enhancing the arts in Kalamazoo by, “Building our community, one voice at a time.”

“The Holiday Parade, followed by 'It's Ornamental' at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum on November 9, is the kind of tradition that becomes tomorrow's golden holiday memory for 2013,” said KCC Artistic Director, Fred Sang. “When you think back on your childhood holiday memories - it's not just the snow, the decorations, the holly, and the candy canes. It's the sound of sleigh bells and Christmas carols. And that's what we're bringing to the Museum. For 32 years, the Kalamazoo Children's Chorus has been synonymous with the holidays.”

Make it a full day by checking out the fall exhibit, Wild Music, on the third floor before the parade at 11 a.m., and then come back to the Museum for music and art.

Admission to the Museum is free. For more information about the Museum and its offerings, go to www.kalamazoomuseum.org.

The Kalamazoo Valley Museum is operated by Kalamazoo Valley Community College and is governed by its Board of Trustees.