Nov. 25 – Jan. 2 — ENFIELD, New Hampshire — The Christmas Spirit will once again come alive through the Festival of Light display beginning at 5 p.m. Thanksgiving Day at the La Salette Shrine on Rte 4A in Enfield, New Hampshire. The lights will be on and open to the public from 5-9 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday until Jan. 2, 2022. There are no lights on Monday and Tuesday evenings. This year’s theme “Mary … Uniting All Cultures!” celebrates the 175th anniversary of the Sept. 19, 1846 apparition that was witnessed by two small shepherd children tending cows high in the French Alps. It is also the 70th anniversary of the shrine which had its formal dedication on May 30, 1951.
Weekly concerts are scheduled with various performers. The Plainfield Chimers (bell ringers) begin the series with a bell ringing concert on Saturday, Nov. 27 at 4:15 pm. For more information regarding scheduled concerts and events log on to the website at lasaletteofenfield.org for dates and details. Also, on the hillside in the A-frame chapel is an international display of nativity sets that are worth taking the time to see. Due to staffing and Covid-19 a limited menu of cookies, hot chocolate, tea and coffee will be available for purchase in the cafeteria. Masses will be held Monday and Tuesday at 11:30 a.m., Wednesday through Saturday at 6 p.m., and on Sunday at 11 a.m. The religious articles store will also be open during all hours of the light display. Covid-19 protocols will be strictly followed in all buildings.
The Connecticut Valley Model Railroad Club will again have a train display on the upper level of the cafeteria (with the best indoor viewing of the lights from this location). A display featuring the Mt. Washington cog railway will be set up with a piece of the original cog that visitors can actually touch, but not long enough to ride the famed “Devil’s shingle” back down to the lower level. Visitors to the display can win tickets on the cog railway for a trip to the summit of Mt. Washington in 2022.
A free Christmas ornament will be given out to visitors. Printed on heavy paper and adorned with colorful yarn to facilitate tree hanging, the ornaments feature the shrine theme.
