Free Coloring Contest Runs Through December 29

Winchester, VA., 11/12/13…The Museum of the Shenandoah Valley (MSV) and First Night Winchester invite artists of all ages to participate in the 2014 First Night Winchester Coloring Contest. Sponsored by the MSV, the free contest runs through December 29 and features a coloring sheet that includes the Patsy Cline Historic House and illustrates the entertainment that will take place at the Museum and in Old Town Winchester this New Year’s Eve.

Every contest participant will receive one complimentary admission ticket to visit the Museum and one lucky participant from each age group—child (7 and under), youth (8–12), teen (13–17), and adult (18+)—will win a one-year family Membership to the MSV ($75 value), a family four-pack of buttons to First Night Winchester ($40 value), a package of McDonald’s ® gift cards ($25 value), and two tickets for a free movie at the Alamo. Contest winners will be announced on December 30. The four winning entries will be on display in First Night Headquarters on December 31.

According to MSV Executive Director Dana Hand Evans, this is the third year that the Museum has sponsored the coloring contest and served as a daytime entertainment venue for First Night Winchester. Featuring a drawing by Shenandoah Valley artist John Burns, this year’s coloring sheet was inspired by the entertainment the MSV will offer to families this New Year’s Eve and the Becoming Patsy Cline exhibition on view in the MSV.

On New Year’s Eve, the MSV will be open from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. offering family-oriented entertainment and free admission to ages 12 & under, anyone wearing a First Night Winchester button, and MSV Members. For all others, regular MSV admission rates apply ($10; $8 youth/senior). One-man-band and children’s musician Peter McCory will perform at 1 and 3 p.m., free face painting by Glitterbugz and free balloon creations will be offered from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m., and Ronald McDonald will appear from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Those interested in participating in the coloring contest may pick up free coloring sheets at the Museum’s Visitor Information Desk, the Winchester-Frederick County Visitor Center on Pleasant Valley Road, participating merchants in Old Town Winchester, and at Winchester-area McDonald’s ®. Coloring sheets may also be downloaded from the MSV website calendar of events and the First Night website or the Museum’s facebook page. To be eligible to win a prize in the contest, participants must bring (or mail) completed coloring sheets to the Visitor Information Desk in the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley by 4 p.m. on Sunday, December 29, 2013.

The Museum of the Shenandoah Valley is located at 901 Amherst Street in Winchester, Virginia. The MSV is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Museum admission is not required to obtain the coloring sheet or visit the Museum Store, where First Night buttons will be available for purchase from December 6 through 31. The MSV will be closed on Thanksgiving, December 24 and 25, and January 1. Additional information and details about holiday activities and special events at the MSV are available at www.theMSV.org or by calling 540-662-1473, ext. 235.

About Becoming Patsy Cline:

Organized by the MSV in partnership with the Winchester-based organization Celebrating Patsy Cline, Inc. (CPC), Becoming Patsy Cline uses objects, rare photographs, video and audio recordings, and clothing—much of which is on first-time public display—to illustrate Patsy Cline’s Shenandoah Valley story. The exhibition describes the singer’s family history, examines her early influences, and introduces the people whose support and guidance helped Patsy realize her dream of becoming a professional singer. On view in the MSV through July 6, 2014, Becoming Patsy Cline received critical underwriting support from Grove’s Winchester Harley–Davidson, Shenandoah Country Q102, Winchester Printers, Inc., Mr. and Mrs. Irving L. Hottle, Mr. and Mrs. Ronald E. Hottle, The Estate of John Brown, and McDonald’s® of Winchester.

About First Night Winchester:

Founded in 1986, First Night Winchester is an alcohol-free New Year’s celebration of the arts in Old Town Winchester that features dozens of entertainers. The entertainment schedule for First Night Winchester 2013 will be announced at a press conference at the MSV on December 6, 2013. More information about First Night Winchester is available online at www.firstnightwinchester.com.

About the Patsy Cline Historic House:

Located minutes from the MSV, at 608 South Kent Street in historic Old Town Winchester, the Patsy Cline Historic House interprets the time 1948 to 1953 when Patsy and her family lived in the house. The site is open April through October from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday. In November and December, the house is open on Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and on Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. Admission is $8 or $6 for seniors and youth ages 11 to 18. Admission is free to active military and children ages 10 and under. More information about CPC and the house is available online at www.celebratingpatsycline.org.