Photo courtesy Mount Airy Museum of Regional History

Grammy-nominated Celtic artist Alicia Merritt is set to perform Saturday during the 15th Annual Holiday Open House at the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History.

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If you’ve ever wanted to see a live performance by a Grammy-nominated vocalist, the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History is the place to be today.

The museum is hosting its 15th Annual Holiday Open House, an event Director Matt Edwards said is one of his favorites.

“This is the museum’s annual gift to the community,” he said. “This free annual event is a great opportunity to come and see the museum decorated and spruced up for the holiday season.”

The open house is scheduled from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. and is a chance for the public to come out and enjoy the museum.

During the event, visitors can tour four floors of museum exhibits, browse themed Christmas trees, shop for holiday gifts and enjoy light refreshments and live holiday music.

But for the first time this year, the annual holiday event will also feature a performance by Grammy - nominated Celtic performer Alicia Merritt.

Merritt, a Baltimore native, moved to Mount Airy from the Memphis area in 2009, and is teaching at North Stokes High School.

She, along with her band, the Alicia Merritt Ceilidh Band, was nominated for a Grammy in 1998 for their album, “Celtic Dream.”

Merritt is scheduled to perform at 1 p.m.

In addition to the Grammy-nominated performance, the museum will be hosting a number of additional programs and performances throughout the open house, including performances by student musicians and Old-Time artists including Johnny Gentry and BackStep.

At 1:30 p.m., Briana Duensing, a senior piano major at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, will present a program to honor the sesquicentennial of the Civil War. Duensing, performing as “Bonnie Blue Briana,” will perform selections of patriotic songs, music celebrating victories, slave songs often incorporating code words about escape and freedom, and songs of mourning and longing for home and peace.

“Music played a big part in the lives of Civil War soldiers and the people at home, so Briana’s performance will also include storytelling interspersed with musical selections,” Edwards said.

The museum is also working with the Mount Airy Young Professional to bring Santa to the open house this year.

Santa will be available from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m. in the Children’s Gallery. Guests are encouraged to bring a can of food for charity and their cameras to h-ave a photo made with the Jolly Old Elf.

For more information, contact the museum at 786-4478.

Reach Keith Strange at kstrange@heartlandpublications.com or 719-1929.