"Candlelight Evenings" have become the hallmark of the holiday season at Old Bethpage Restoration, allowing visitors to this historic living history village a unique opportunity to enjoy a 19th century Long Island Christmas.

The village will be open from 5 to 9:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday evenings, Dec. 18 and 19 and Sunday through Thursday, Dec. 26 to Dec. 30. The restored mid-19th Century village will be closed during daylight hours on these days.

The ambiance created by the flickering candlelight inside at least seven of the restored buildings will enchant both young and old alike. Popular 19th Century music and entertainment will be highlighted. The famous Old Bethpage Village Singers will perform several times each evening in the Long Island Fair Exhibition Hall. Magic Lantern Shows will be held each night in the Reception Center auditorium. The Magic Lantern was a predecessor of today's slide projector, entertaining Victorian Americans with hand-colored glass slides of famous persons, places and events, which often included humorous "moving" slides.

Other musical entertainment, which will vary by date, will take place at the Noon Inn, the Manetto Hill Church and the Layton House. Performances may include fiddle music, melodeon or pump organ parlor music and solo flute performances. Stories of Christmases on Long Island over 130 years ago will be retold in the District #6 Schoolhouse each night. Visitors may also stop to warm themselves around the bonfire in the village's Crossroads. Hot, mulled cider and ginger cookies will be available at the Noon Inn for a small fee.

Visitors are invited to enjoy an "old-fashioned turkey dinner." The dinner will be served from 5 to 8 p.m. for a cost of $7.95 per person. For reservations call 269-6850. These dinners are only available during the Candlelight Evenings.

Of course, no one's visit would be complete without shopping in one of the museum stores, which are operated by the Friends for Long Island's Heritage, the museum support organization. The Luyster Store in the historic village offers reproductions of items available between 1815 and 1880. The Museum Shop in the Reception Center offers a wide array of items relating to American history and museum programs, including Christmas decorations, toys, preserves, books and tinware.

Old Bethpage Village Restoration, operated by the Museum Services Division of the Nassau County Department of Recreation and Parks, will be closed Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. The village will close for approximately eight weeks following the final Candlelight Evening on Dec. 30, reopening on Wednesday, March 1, 2000.

The village is located on Round Swamp Road, Old Bethpage, onemile south of Long Island Expressway Exit 48. Operating hours other than for the Candlelight Evenings are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Closed Mondays and Tuesdays). Admission is $6 for adults and $4 for children ages five - 12, resident senior citizens, disabled, volunteer ambulance corps and firefighters, auxiliary police and veterans. Parking is free. For further information, call 572-8400.