Taste and judge the best at Wassail Festival on Dec. 6

MADISON – One component – and this one is tasty – of Christmas revelry in downtown Madison will be the fourth annual Wassail Festival.

Retail stores and businesses on Main Street will open their doors to serve samples of wassail. Madison Hospital is presenter of the event. Co-hosts of the Wassail Festival are the Shoppes of Historic Downtown Madison and Madison Chamber of Commerce.

The tasting will start at 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 6, immediately following the lighting of decorations in the Madison Station Polar Express Christmas on Main. Other activities will start holiday fun on Main, Martin and Church Streets.

The Wassail Festival will feature local merchants’ recipes. Individuals can enjoy FREE samples of the warm, spiced holiday drink.

Visitors can vote for the wassail that they consider has the best taste as merchants vie for bragging rights for the most delicious recipe in town. In addition to the wassail tasting, guests can shop for unique holiday gifts at local downtown stores.

The preparation of wassail starts with a base of apple cider. Then, the preparer can add citrus juices, especially orange and pineapple, to add zest to the drink. Those flavors can be combined with various spices, like nutmeg, In conjunction with the Wassail Festival, several other holiday activities will be occurring on Dec. 6 for everyone to enjoy. Madison Visionary Partners have transformed a walkway into a Winter Wonderland and a photo opportunity.

Santa Claus will greet people in the larger-than-life Christmas ornament on Main Street’s eastern end.

Choral students in Madison City Schools will stroll along Main Street and sing Christmas standards. Madison City Community Orchestra will perform Christmas carols to invoke the holiday spirit.

Rotary Club of Madison will serve hot chocolate and cookies free to everyone. Children can gather on the eastern end of Main Street around 5:45 p.m. to join Madison Chamber of Commerce in the Children’s Glow Stick Parade. A chamber employee will lead Letters to Santa for the youngsters to share their wish lists. A children’s librarian from Madison Public Library will read “The Polar Express.”

Festival organizers encourage residents to “come for the wassail, and stay for the holiday cheer. Let’s make this year’s Wassail Festival the best one yet!”