Many Courthouse visitors came to see members of the Bear Creek Ukulele Society perform a special holiday show.
Daughters of the American Revolution, right to left: Shelly Rye, Carol Rasmussen, Barbara Lindenberg, Charlotte Warness, and Karen Theofanides.
Museum volunteers serve the traditional Courthouse eggnog for guests.
Musician Sandra Stocking plays the flute during the celebration.
The OLM Christmas Choir warmed hearts during the Courthouse Museum holiday open house.
By GABRIELLE ANDRADE
The Merced County Courthouse Museum hosted its 41st Annual Christmas Open House on the first Sunday of December — with community Christmas trees, live music, cookies, and the famous Courthouse eggnog.
About 800 people came together inside the 150-year-old building to celebrate the Christmas spirit. The event highlighted local community organizations and Merced’s talented musicians.
Performers included Sandra Stocking’s Flute Group, Our Lady of Mercy Christmas Choir, Cuivre and Merced College Band Students, Merced Baroque Sinfonia, St. Paul School Choir, and the Bear Creek Ukulele Society.
Sandra Stocking’s Flute group transported the audience to countries around the world such as Poland, Germany, and France.
Both school choirs showcased the incredible talents of young singers. The OLM Choir performed several Christmas tunes, including “White Christmas,” which had a solo performance by Gianna Silva. St. Paul School Choir delighted the audience with joyous Christmas carols, featuring solo performances by Adah Velasquez, Elizah Broadhurst, Avery Bogle, and Ariana Stockton.
With MC Band Students, Cuivre, Merced Baroque Sinfonia, and the Bear Creek Ukulele Society, the audience was able to hear classic Christmas tunes in different musical mediums.
Sandra Stocking was part of three performing groups this year: her flute group, MC Band Students, and Merced Baroque Sinfonia. She shared about her experience collaborating with the Courthouse Museum during the Christmas Open House and her pride in working with them every year since it started.
“I’m always amazed at the outreach that [museum director] Sarah Lim has, that she puts on this event for the whole community,” said Stocking, “And it’s a whole afternoon worth of not just Christmas trees, but music from all around. And we are blessed in this little town of Merced to be able to have all this talent and to share our talents with others.”
Alongside the musical performances that filled the walls of the Museum with Christmas cheer and the glorious Christmas trees that populated every single one of the Museum’s rooms, one of the most popular spots was in the Recorder’s Office. Here, cookies and refreshments were served by the Courthouse Museum volunteers and students from local high schools. Members of the Daughters of the American Revolution were present, greeting and chatting with guests.
Museum Director Sarah Lim praised the volunteers for their work: “The success of this event was because of the hard work of our dedicated museum volunteers from eggnog masters Judi Arthur and Jane Lawrence, to sound engineer Nick Cuccia, to greeters Art Barajas and Mayor Matt Serratto, to Gift Shop manager Avis Gaffery and her team. We also want to thank the Kiwins and Leos from local high schools for assisting us with our event.”
Come to see the Christmas Tree exhibit throughout this holiday season at the Merced County Courthouse Museum. The Museum is open Wednesday through Sunday, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The museum is located at N and 21st streets in downtown Merced.