MANSFIELD, Ohio — Downtown Mansfield came alive with excitement Friday night for the First Friday Shop Hop.
Held monthly, the Shop Hop often involves several downtown businesses, many of which hold unique events, provide live entertainment and/or offer specials to patrons.
This month’s Shop Hop was no exception.
Taking center stage at Little Buckeye Children’s Museum was the grand opening of its new stage, the “Little Ren.” It was built as a replica of the Renaissance Theatre’s stage.
This addition came about thanks to the collaborative efforts of Little Buckeye Children’s Museum and the Renaissance Performing Arts.
Rand Smith, chairman of the board for the Renaissance, said when the Renaissance became aware of the opportunity to get involved in the project, there was no hesitation.
“It’s a great collaboration between the two nonprofits to the benefit of both, and ultimately to the benefit of the children,” said Fred Boll, executive director of Little Buckeye Children’s Museum.
Since starting as executive director of the museum a year ago, Boll has sought to make the museum reflect the community as much as possible, he said.
The stage is an example of moving forward with that mission.
“When the kids come here and see our little Renaissance stage, and they go to the real Renaissance, then they have that connection between the two, and then that’ll foster fond memories of them at the Little Ren, so as they grow up, they’ll learn to appreciate the big Ren,” he said.
Situated in the rear of the museum, the stage has many of the same features of the Renaissance, from its color scheme to its gold pillar, curtain, ticket booth, concession stand, chairs, microphones and more. There is even a TV mounted on the back wall, allowing child performers to see themselves on stage.
Boll thinks this new exhibit will add to the appeal of the museum, generating even more growth. He said the museum is experiencing a 23 percent uptick in attendance this year.
“We’re going to have roughly 36,000 people go through the museum this year…The CVB (Convention and Visitors Bureau) tells me that brings in about $1.5 million in revenue to downtown businesses.”
Many Renaissance board and staff members donated labor, materials and/or money to help make the stage a reality. Contributors include Rand and Mary Smith, Mike Miller, Jason Kaufman, Chad Eaton, Morrison Drapery and Blinds, Sign Graphix, Bill and Dottie Jilek, Charles Miller, Linda Chambers, Schomarray Jones, Colleen Cook, Chelsie Thompson, Jessica Dulle, Dauphne Maloney, Patrick Clinage and Steven Au.
The stage was put to good use Friday evening with performances by the Mansfield Symphony Youth Orchestra String Quartet and Mansfield Youth Theatre’s cast members of “Singin’ in the Rain.”
Louie Kurtzman, Jessica Miller and Tucker Boggs, from left, acted out a scene from “Singin’ in the Rain.”
Mike Miller, president and CEO of the Renaissance, said the Renaissance may hold some performances at the Little Ren in the future.
Live entertainment could also be found at Element of Art, where students with Pioneer Performing Arts Academy played music as people browsed the various pieces of artwork at the gallery.
Anne Kurtzman, lead teacher for the Performing Arts program, said her students have often played at Element of Art, noting the crowd is “very welcoming,” allowing the students to feel more at ease to “try new stuff.”
Ontario High School seniors Trayce Wilcox and Ethan “Kool” Kershner performed a song together for audience members. They were joined by Lexington juniors Chase Logue and Mya Salas, as well as Colonel Crawford senior Faith Mullins.
Kathy Goodwin, art coordinator at Element of Art, said the Shop Hop is a great way to see a sample of what’s going on in the downtown.
Christmas cards created by some of the gallery’s artists were on display. There was also food provided by City Garden Cafe.
Main Street Books was another popular destination for downtown patrons.
The bookstore welcomed comic strip writer/artist Tom Batiuk for a book signing. Batiuk is the creator of both “Crankshaft” and “Funky Winkerbean.”
And across the street from the bookstore, families flocked to the Richland Carrousel Park for Family Night.
Children were able to ride five rides for $2.
