The OBU Quintet, an expanded version, performs In Washington Presbyterian Church at Friday night's Christmas and Candlelight event.

At the first of two evenings of the 36th Annual Christmas and Candlelight event at Historic Washington State Park, Friday night, if you followed the little glowing sacks, you always ended up some place good.

Whether it was a 19th-century home showing period Christmas decorations in its windows and rooms, Williams Tavern Restaurant serving “Holiday Country Buffets,” as the brochure calls them or any one of several churches, the WPA Gym and the Royston House where musicians from the area played mostly holiday songs.

The event continues tonight from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

I began my own adventure at the Williams Tavern Restaurant, standing just off the porch to listen to Jerome Underwood and Friends, a Hope group playing versions of Christmas tunes in the style of old-fashioned country.

Then I made my way to the WPA Gym where I caught the end of the Nashville Primary Choir’s exuberant performance of Christmas classics. I stayed through several songs by Roy Hale, a songwriter who has had an amazing life-journey and spoke of it between precise, heartfelt tunes.

My next stop was just across the street at the Washington Methodist Church, where I saw all the live nativity scene in the front yard which was enacted in a barn built for the occasion. As the Christmas story from the Bible was read, the actors playing Joseph and Mary laid the baby Jesus in a manger and received a visit from wise men. To the left of the barn an ensemble played folky gospel music laden with messianic harmonies.

I finished my time in Old Washington at Washington Presbyterian Church, whose brilliant acoustics gave favor to the Faith Chorus of Texarkana, Texas, whose leader indeed praised the acoustics. She also helped explain her group’s astonishing harmonies, saying its members were all her family and friends.

When the Faith Chorus finished, on came the Ouachita Baptist University Flute Quintet, which actually boasted eight players, including a bass flute that was about seven feet tall. They turned in over half an hour of holiday songs that ranged from the Auntie Mame belter “We Need a Little Christmas” to a medley that alternated Mozart and Tchaikovsky with many seasonal songs. The quintet’s musical director/conductor Carlos Feller also played solo with his wife Mary Chung at piano for two selections. Toward the end, Feller and the expanded quintet played a series of carols and allowed for the now sizable audience in the Presbyterian church to join in with the words they knew.

The second night of the event continues starting at 5:00 p.m. today and runs until about 8:00 p.m with 16 performances scheduled at various locations in the town.