SHELBY – A beloved holiday tradition in Shelby is back to spread Christmas cheer this Sunday.
The fifth-annual “Moments of Christmas Magic” celebration officially returns to Shelby on Nov. 19, hosted once again by the Shelby Area Business Group. With it returns the popular Ashland Railway Polar Xpress event, which delivers Santa Claus and his holiday crew right to the heart of downtown Shelby.
Jennifer Arms, president of the Shelby Area Business Group, said the group is expecting thousands of visitors from across the state of Ohio on Sunday. Last year, attendance reached approximately 3,600 people.
This year’s celebration brings back old traditions and introduces new events. The full schedule can be found here:
12 p.m. – Downtown businesses open for activities
More than a dozen businesses in downtown Shelby will be open throughout the “Moments of Christmas Magic” event, offering various activities and snacks. The Shelby Thrift Store will host a coloring contest, Connie’s Place will have Disney princesses available for pictures, Gypsy Rose Tattoo will have ornament decorating, and hot cocoa will be served at the Duke & Duchess, the Parrot Head, and the Shelby Fire Department.
12 p.m. – 2 p.m. – Frost Lion Live Ice Sculpting
A brand-new attraction at this year’s celebration is live ice sculpting done by Frost Lion out of Columbus. The ice sculpting will take place in downtown Shelby at the gazebo.
1 p.m. – Polar Xpress Parade
A short but sweet parade will march its way down Main Street on Sunday, featuring a cast of Christmas characters including Rudolph the Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, and the Grinch. The parade’s guests of honor, Mr. and Mrs. Claus, will ride in a horse-drawn carriage.
2 p.m. – Free Pioneer Activities
Students from Pioneer Career and Technology Center will once again host free kids’ activities in Central Gymnasium from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Students from the horticulture program will be there, and students can write letters to Santa. A new activity this year is the addition of the Christmas Wonder Shoppe.
4 p.m. – Arrival of the Polar Xpress
The main event of the day begins at 4 p.m. with the arrival of the Ashland Railway Polar Xpress. In recent years onlookers met the train in the field across from Central Gymnasium, but the construction of a brand-new fire station in Shelby has forced the train to return to its original arrival point at the top of Main Street.
According to Arms, the reason for moving the train arrival location to the green space was for safety precautions. For this reason, security will be ramped up this year on Main Street, with volunteers from Richland Correctional, the Pioneer Criminal Justice program and the Shelby Police Department patrolling the barricades. Guests are asked to please respect all barricades present.
4:25 p.m. – Conductor Reading of Polar Xpress
After the arrival of the Polar Xpress train, the book “The Polar Express” will be read on a small stage set up near the railroad tracks. The train’s Christmas characters, including Santa Claus, will then be available for pictures in front of the train before its departure.
More information on “Moments of Christmas Magic” can be found at http://thesabg.org/
