12/26/2025
We JUST found this out in the world! Last year's article 2024
Very đ
Town of Bath Christmas Market launches in downtown Berkeley Springs.
By Tom Markland [email protected] Dec 13, 2024 Updated Dec 13, 2024
Market photo
About a dozen market stalls are set up in a gravel parking lot between the Morgan County Courthouse and St. Vincent De Paul Catholic Church.
Journal photo by Tom Markland
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BERKELEY SPRINGS â For the weekend, the Town of Bath is bringing a Christmas market to its downtown, hosting over a dozen local vendors and nonprofit organizations in a gravel parking lot adjacent to the county courthouse.
This is the first time the town has held an event like this, which was organized by Claire and Greg Schene. The market has been in the works for nine months now and officially opened on Friday at noon.
One major draw for the market is an ice rink, where children and families can come skate.
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âMy wife, Claire, she was thinking that an ice rink would be a really nice project for the Town of Bath,â Greg said. âSo, we started to research the concept of a synthetic community ice rink.â
Greg said the portable rink took several hours to set up, using synthetic ice and providing skate assists for kids who may be learning for the first time.
âItâs a great outdoor activity for kids,â Greg said. âWe donât have a lot of outdoor activities, and now, it can bring some Christmas joy and give the kids a really nice evening.â
Throughout the weekend, the market will be home to activities like the ice rink, along with sleigh rides and scavenger hunts. Various musical groups will be performing throughout the marketâs weekend run, with groups like the Berkeley Springs High School marching band on the roster for Saturday and Sunday.
Greg, who also serves as a member of the town council, said the market is a great way to give back to the community, while giving local businesses a hand during the holiday season.
âWe want people to embrace the idea of the holiday season,â Greg said. âWe want to bring more folks to the historic town of Bath in Berkeley Springs. We want to help our local businesses. Not only do we have folks that come out to the market, (but) the visitors are coming, and theyâre walking into the shops, theyâre at the restaurants, theyâre staying at the country inn.â
âTheyâre enjoying every aspect of a small-town Christmas, Hallmark-type event,â he said.
Many of the nonprofits involved, including the local Girl Scouts and 4-H clubs, were given their booth spaces for free.
âAll of the money is going back into the community,â he said. âAll the profits will be going to expanding the market every year.â
The market will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday.
Organizers are hoping to bring the market back next year. Anyone who wants to volunteer can email [email protected] to learn more. More information is available on the marketâs page, Bath Christmas Market WV.
âWeâd love to have your help, and weâre hoping to double the size of the market next year,â Greg said.
