With her weekly pick of fun things to do on the weekend, here is the rundown from Global News Morning’s Kahla Shea.
The last weekend of November is feeling very festive! It’s safe to say the holiday season is here.
1. Festive fairy tales
They are window into the days of old, and for some, an opportunity to immerse themselves in memories. Beloved scenes created for Eaton’s Department Store decades ago, the Fairytale Vignettes now call the Manitoba Children’s Museum home.
There are 15 different displays that were originally made by Eaton’s employees — storybook characters from Cinderella to Goldilocks — and were used in both holiday window displays and parade floats.
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The vignettes were moved directly to the museum when Eaton’s closed in 1999. After some restoration and loving care, they continue to be enjoyed each holiday season.
Erin McIntyre, Director of Education and Exhibits at the Children’s Museum, said the displays have delighted Winnipeggers throughout the years.
“We see grandparents coming down who maybe worked at Eaton’s or had a special connection to Eaton’s families, and now we have an entire generation of Winnipeg kiddos that know it from us.”
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Some Winnipeggers may recognize some of the pieces from their younger days, as they visited Santa’s Village on the ninth floor at Eaton’s Downtown to have their picture taken with the jolly one.
The vignettes are on display at the Museum until Jan. 6. Guided tours run Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
2. Start of the holiday shopping season
Maybe it’s the mild weather we’re enjoying right now, or maybe it’s the great deals, but this might be one of the biggest Black Friday‘s yet in Winnipeg.
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We started the morning off at Best Buy where shoppers started lining up at 3:30 a.m. to be among the first in store when the doors opened at 6 a.m. (we estimated around 130 people came through in the first two minutes).
Most people we talked to there were on the hunt for a new TV, with several shoppers picking up the 75″ models.
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After that, we braved the crowds at Polo Park, which continued to grow as the morning went on.
The busiest stores included Sephora, Hudson’s Bay, Lego and Lululemon.
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According to General Manager Peter Havens, approximately 100,000 shoppers came through the doors of Polo Park last Black Friday, and they’re expecting even more today.
WATCH: Polo Park could get over 100,000 Black Friday shoppers
But if you can’t — or simply don’t want to brave the crowds on Black Friday — the good news is many stores, including Best Buy, told us that they have sales going on right until Cyber Monday.
3. Even more shopping
I recently moved back home to Winnipeg after being gone for about 12 years so I’ve missed a ton, including the mega shopping events that are the Third + Bird markets.
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Well this weekend is my chance to get acquainted with the 10th annual Third + Bird Christmas Market.
The Hudson Bay Downtown will be packed on Sat., Nov. 24 and Sun., Nov. 25 with more than 145 crafters, artists and local business owners from all over Manitoba.
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I’ve been told it’s one of the best ways to get your holiday shopping taken care of — plus you’re supporting local folks which is always awesome!
If you want to bring the kiddos with you, do it! Admission is free for kids 12 and under and they’ll love the free photo booth and the selfie wall.
Plus there’s live musical performances, food vendors and drinks available.
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Log on to their website to learn more or to get your hands on tickets.
Have a great weekend and happy shopping everyone!