Christmas Tree Lighting at Belair Mansion

Below are pictures from the City of Bowie Christmas tree lighting ceremony at the Belair Mansion on Sunday, December 4, 2011.



Click on one of the pictures to see a slide show.

Belair Mansion was lit up for the ceremony. Prior to the tree lighting, the museum hosted the 16th Annual Candlelight Open House.

The city described the evening's events as follows

Holiday History at Twilight

Belair Mansion's Sixteenth Annual Candlelight Open House will be held on Sunday, December 4, 2011 from 4:00-7:00 p.m.

Enjoy rooms from different eras - all bedecked with holiday cheer. The music of "Bedlam" will fill the air and cider and cookies will be enjoyed in the 1930's kitchen. Admission is free; donations to the Bowie Food Pantry are requested. No reservations are required.

This year, in celebration of Belair At Bowie's 50th Anniversary, the City Christmas Tree returns to Belair Mansion. Long a feature at the Mansion, before the City Hall move to Kenhill Drive, the tree has come back! Santa will visit, lights will be lit, old holiday memories will return --- and new ones will be made! Festivities begin at 7:00 p.m.

The sun room in the west wing of the mansion was set-up for the kids to meet with Santa.

The west wing of the mansion.

Nichelle Fullen and the Bowie City Council led the crowd in singing Christmas Carols.  Nichelle has been doing a terrific job leading the carols for the last several years.  Click here to see Nichelle's art work, and click here to see Nichelle perform America the Beautiful at a Bowie church.

The lighting of the Christmas tree

Nichelle Fullen and the City Council sing a modified version of "Here Comes Santa Claus." "Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus, Right down Tulip Grove Drive..."

Click on one of the pictures to view a slide show.

Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive on Tower 39

Santa and Mrs. Claus are lowered to the ground on Tower 39

Mrs. Claus

Santa Claus

Santa and Mrs. Claus enter Belair Mansion

Bedlam performed in the mansion

The volunteer firefighters were posing for a picture in front of the Christmas tree. The camera's flash made the reflective strips on their uniforms stand out.

Belair Mansion from Tulip Grove Drive. People are lined up at the door to see Santa.

Starliners record show at WETA-TV Studios - 1973/74

The Bowie High School Starliners recorded a 30 minute program called "Jazz?" on WETA-TV during the 1973/74 school year. The pictures below were taken by Arnie Miles during that recording session.

The Starliners was an extracurricular jazz band sponsored by Bowie High School from 1967 through 1977. Five year Starliners member Bob O'Hara describes the band on his Web site as follows:

From 1967 through 1977, Bowie (Md.) Senior High School sponsored an extracurricular jazz band called The Starliners. The Starliners was a relatively standard big band, with 5 reeds, 4 trombones, 4 trumpets, piano, bass, guitar, and drums. Often the band was augmented with additional percussion, vibes, French horns, and vocalists. At times, there were as many as 23 of us on stage. The band leader during its entire existence was Lt. Col. Joseph G. Carley (USAF, retired). He was paid a salary of $1 per year by the county Board of Education.

During its life, The Starliners produced four albums, Space Chasin’, In Stereo, 12 by 3, and Bowie Straight Ahead. Sales of these albums, along with gigs 3-4 times per month, paid for the purchase of new charts, as well as for travel to jazz festivals and competitions.

A more complete set of photos from this recording session can be found on a Bowie Living Facebook photo album.



Click on one of the pictures to view a zoomed-in slide show.

Band leader Lt. Col. Joseph G. Carley

Bowie Mayor Jim Conway and Band leader Lt. Col. Joseph G. Carley

These pictures were posted as part of the Bowie Blade Pic Project, I've been posting pictures taken by Arnie Miles for the Bowie Blade between 1973 and 1975.

Photos of Bowie Maryland 1973 through 1975 by Arnie Miles is licensed under a Creative
Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States
License

Other Bowie Blade Pic Project Posts

• Previous:  Citrus Sale in Bowie, 1973 or 1974 
• Next:  Winter Fun in Bowie, December, 1973 
• Complete Listing

Citrus Sale in Bowie, 1973 or 1974

These are pictures from a citrus sale in Bowie, Maryland in late 1973 or early 1974. I assume that the boys in the pictures are members of the Boy Scouts.

Two boys try their sales pitch in the what looks like a Levitt colonial.

Two boys pose with a case of oranges.

Citrus Sale

Citrus Sale, Direct from Florida

These pictures were posted as part of the Bowie Blade Pic Project, I've been posting pictures taken by Arnie Miles for the Bowie Blade between 1973 and 1975.

Photos of Bowie Maryland 1973 through 1975 by Arnie Miles is licensed under a Creative
Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States
License

Other Bowie Blade Pic Project Posts

• Previous:  House Explosion in Pointer Ridge, January, 1974 
• Next:  Starliners record show at WETA-TV Studios - 1973/74 
• Complete Listing