Hammond Castle Museum this week announced the return of its Deck The Halls program celebrating the holiday season. This year, however, the museum has added some new twists that make the event both safe and very interesting. (Hint: it involves a green screen.)
During this program, the museum partners with local small businesses to decorate the castle. This year is no different. This season’s holiday room concepts are sponsored by: All Purpose Flowers of Magnolia, Garden Designs by Kristen, Audrey’s Flower Shop, Harborside Interiors and Sage Floral Studio.
The Museum is open to the public on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in November and December for guided tours, including Thanksgiving weekend. Museum hours are 10 am to 4 pm.
On Thursday, December 10 and Friday, December 11, Santa Returns to the Castle for two very special visits. From 12 pm to 4pm, each child will be presented with a new, wrapped gift, a signed photo of Santa and will have the opportunity to have their photo with Santa. Child tickets are $25 each and adults are five dollars. The Museum asks that only one parent or guardian per family enter to accompany the child(ren) in order to accommodate as many children as possible.
Groups will be limited to eight visitors at a time and Santa will be socially distanced. How, you ask? Well, this year the museum has arranged that children’s photos with Santa will be digitally created with green screen technology.
Social distancing and face mask are required for all who visit the Museum. Advance registration is required for both the Deck The Halls program and Santa Claus Returns To The Castle, and tickets are only available online at hammodcastle.org.
Hammond Castle is a museum housed in what was the home property of one of America’s most prolific technology geniuses and renaissance men of the 20th century. John Hays Hammond Jr., known as “The Father of Radio Control,” was one of America’s most prolific inventors and a protégé of Guglielmo Marconi, Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, and Alexander Graham Bell. Built from 1926 through 1929, and incorporated as a museum in 1930, the castle’s architectural style is a mix of a medieval castle, French chateau, and a Gothic cathedral. It was custom built to encompass Hammond’s private residence, laboratory, and museum quality collection of architectural elements such as the facades of medieval shops and doorways from chateaus. Also on display is Hammond’s extensive list of patents, his work with radio control, and his work on guided torpedoes for the military.
