Christmas on Vinegar Hill comes this weekend

[November 18, 2013]  MOUNT PULASKI — The 25th annual Christmas on Vinegar Hill will be on Saturday, Nov. 23, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 24, from noon to 4 p.m. The event will include locations in private homes, churches and businesses in the Mount Pulaski area offering crafts, antiques, baked goods and more. A number of locations will serve homemade food.

Green wooden Christmas trees with numbers and letters will mark the shopping sites. Maps will be available at all locations and at the courthouse. Over 125 crafters and antique collectors will be on hand for this event.

The Mount Pulaski Courthouse, where Abraham Lincoln argued cases when he rode the old 8th Judicial Circuit, will be open on Saturday to allow visitors to enjoy period decorations in the town offices and courtroom.

There will be 30 locations open on Saturday and 14 locations open on Sunday. For further information, visit www.mtpulaskiil.com and click on "Christmas on Vinegar Hill."

Christmas on Vinegar Hill takes its name from a colorful period in the town's past. Prior to the repeal of the 18th Amendment in 1933, ending Prohibition, Mount Pulaski stayed "wet" longer than the surrounding "dry" towns. Since Mount Pulaski had 13 prosperous saloons and a few bootleggers, the railroads brought many customers into town from several directions. Upon nearing the town, the conductor would call out "Vinegar Hill — next stop." Passengers would ride in with empty flasks and ride out with full ones. Thus, the town earned the nickname "Vinegar Hill."