Today: Reading aloud before proceeding to the Jingle Walk.

The day-long marathon of Christmas story readings at Destinations Booksellers is under way as I type. The correct time for my oratory is 10:00 a.m., so if you're out and about, stop in.

Of course, today is New Albany's Holiday Fest, and all week long the congenitally disaffected have valiantly sought to locate conspiracies in the use of fire trucks to string lights. Bah, Erika, even though we managed to agree on the idiocy of Black Friday. Stopped clocks, and all that.

NABC's gig on this beautiful 60-degree day is the wine and beer "Jingle Walk," in which downtown retailers will be hosting wine samplings. We're the sole brewery, and can be found in Kaiser Tobacco's shop from 2:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. There may be a cigar in it for me.

Here's more information, as sent by Jala Miller yesterday.

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Subject: Jingle Walk Ticket Pick-up Locations

Thanks again for supporting this holiday event in downtown New Albany! Please take the time to observe all of the new businesses (including stores and restaurants) that have moved to the area sometime during your visit. We are excited about the new developments and we are confident you will be impressed as well.

Below are the ticket pick-up locations. If you pre-ordered your tickets online, just bring your confirmation number or printed confirmation email with you to one of the locations. If you purchased a ticket at Strandz and Threadz, please bring that ticket with you as proof of purchase.

Extra tickets will be available for purchase at each location, but scarves are in limited supply so make sure to arrive early if you have not pre-ordered.

The Gallery on Pearl
222 Pearl Street
New Albany, IN 47150

The YMCA
33 State Street
New Albany, IN 47150

Destinations Booksellers
604 E Spring Street
New Albany, IN 47150

We look forward you seeing you all there -- and thanks again for supporting downtown New Albany!

The week to come: Clay pot catfish, GOP knee jerks, Chinese trade balance, Holiday Fest, Jingle Walk and a reading relay.

Thanksgiving Day is Thursday, and the Vietnam Kitchen awaits the Confidentials. There may be a George Clooney movie, too. I also have a column slot on Thanksgiving Day, and it's been filed, sealed and delivered to Coach K. Dave Matthews will appeciate my compassion in defining the words he can't understand. He isn't going to like it much, anyway.

Friday is Black, and best ignored by sane people.

New Albany's Holiday Fest is on Saturday, and this year it is accompanied by a nifty wine and beer "Jingle Walk," in which retailers host wine samplings (just one brewery).

Also on Saturday, there's a marathon X-mas story reading at Destinations Booksellers. As enticement for those readers who enjoy counter-intuitive playing against type, well, I believe my slot starts at 11:00 a.m. Here's the pitch:

Destinations Booksellers, 604 East Spring Street, will host a marathon reading relay of Christmas stories as part of the downtown New Albany "Holiday Fest" on Saturday, Nov. 28, beginning at 7 a.m. and running throughout the day until midnight.

Volunteer readers from throughout the community are being recruited to sign up and read from selected novels for 30 minutes and to solicit pledge donations to benefit the Community Alliance to Promote Education (CAPE).

A Christmas Story, by Indiana's Jean Shepherd, will kick off the reading relay. Everyone knows this story from repeated airings of the 1983 film starring Peter Billingsley, Darren McGavin, and Melinda Dillon.

When readers conclude that one, the reading team will begin reading from Truman Capote's A Christmas Memory, followed by Wally Lamb's new Wishin' and Hopin': A Christmas Story. Finally, after dark, readers will pick up with Charles Dickens' immortal A Christmas Carol, reading on until midnight.

CAPE is an Indiana program whose administrative operations are funded by The Lilly Foundation and operated by the New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated Schools Corporation, but additional funds help the initiative to purchase books for pre-schoolers. All pledged donations will be used to further the distribution of books into the homes of targeted families in order to foster literacy.

Eager volunteers are encouraged to contact Randy Smith at Destinations Booksellers, in person, by e-mail, or by phone, as listed below.

Destinations Booksellers
604 E. Spring St.
New Albany, IN 47150
(812) 944-5116