Ever seen the small, ceramic villages displayed in homes around the holidays? Well, starting in Nov. 2014, parts of those villages can be seen around the streets of Antioch. This new tradition will feature the Dickens Village characters and stories, entirely built by residents of Antioch.

There are six committees in charge of pulling off this display. Each is responsible for a different aspect and they do everything from planning the corresponding events to building the mannequins used in the display. The different committees include apparel, story, construction, artistic, maintenance, and program.

The apparel, construction, and artistic committees are in charge of the actual creation of the mannequins and characters. The construction workers will be building the mannequins and maintaining them from year to year. Sculpting the face of each character is the artists’ job. The apparel committee is responsible for styling and dressing each character on display.

 The story committee creates the plot and characters of the entire display. This is one of the most important aspects of the event, as the story dictates what the other workers will be doing. Each character will also have a plaque that tells viewers how that character fits into the overall story.

As the entire exhibit will be outside during the cold winter months, it will need to be taken care of during that time. The maintenance committee is in charge of making sure each character looks its best and isn’t covered in snow or ice. This group is also responsible for the setting up and taking down of the display.

Another important panel is the program committee. This group of people is in charge of planning events that complement the display. These events will be held in November and December while the Village is still set up.

The committees will meet starting in February to begin planning, and volunteers are still needed. Anyone interested should contact the Chamber of Commerce at their office in town or by calling 847-395-2233.