Christmas Village!

It was 43 years ago this very day (November 11, 1966) that the NASHVILLE BANNER carrried the photo above (featuring Sing-Out South Cast Director Ted Overman) with a cutline promoting the upcoming performance of Sing-Out South at the Christmas Village charity event.

Now a Nashville tradition in its 49th year, Christmas Village was just getting started back then as an holiday fund-raiser for the Nashville Alumnae Club of Pi Beta Phi Fraternity raising money for its charities.

With more than 200 merchants from all around the country coming to town for the latest edition of Christmas Village this coming weekend (November 13-15),even more money will be added to the $6.6 million that has been raised in the past 48 years for charities such as the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center, which serves persons challenged by communication-related disorders.

Back in 1966, Christmas Village was held at Nashville's Hippodrome
on West End Avenue. According to an article by George Zepp in THE TENNESSEAN on November 8, 2006, the Hippodrome was the city's arena of its day (1906-1968) operating for some 62 years.

It was Nashville's favorite place to roller skate, attend big band and other musical shows along with dances, even Vanderbilt home basketball games were held there (in the days before Vandy built its Memorial Gym).

I can remember attending many pro wrestling contests there as well as seeing the Harlem Globetrotters perform in the mid-60s. I also got my hair cut in a little barber shop (called Joe's Barber Shop) which was right between the Hippodrome and the Western Auto Store (you can look for it in the photo above).

Trade shows and fund raising fairs such as Christmas Village were also held here. And while the Hippodrome reportedly boasted 40,000 square feet, the one thing I remember most about Sing-Out South performing at Christmas Village was how crowded we were being confined into our booth space. We were bunched in so close together, it was kind of difficult to do all the choreography without bumping into the person next to you.

After the Hippodrome closed and was demolished in 1968 (for the present-day Holiday Day Inn-Vanderbilt where my wife and I had our wedding reception in 1974) Christmas Village has been held for many years in the Women's Buildings at the State Fairgrounds. But now that the Fairgrounds is closing next June, the site for Christmas Village for its 50 anniversary edition is in some doubt.

Let's hope something can be worked out to keep this wonderful annual event a part of Nashville's holiday tradition!