MANSFIELD, Ohio — Holiday festivities light up the local calendar through December with theater events, dance performances, Christmas houses, and tree lightings.
Below is a list of events to visit and enjoy.
Christmas at Kingwood presents Holiday Magic continues through Dec. 27, every Thursday through Sunday from 3 to 8 p.m. Kingwood Center will feature a towering 20-foot Christmas tree decorated in red and chartreuse. Rooms will be adorned with holiday ornamentation and design centered around youthful inspirations.
New this year is the Christmas Tree Walk, focusing on the display of 25 trees decorated by local organizations and businesses. There is also a Gingerbread Village, featuring life-sized gingerbread men, giant candy, giant gingerbread houses, etc. Admission is $5 per person, and children 6-and-under are free. Parking is free in the main Trimble Road entrance parking lot.
Christmas at Kingwood is closed to the public on Dec. 5 for a members-only event, as well as on Dec. 24 and 25.
Perhaps the most historic home in Mansfield opens its doors for the season, too. Oak Hill Cottage offers a Christmas Tour each Sunday from 2 to 5 p.m. running through Dec. 27. This classic home on the city’s near-north side sits majestically atop a gentle bluff and contains a classic feel inside and out, punctuated with older decorations that evoke a days-of-yore aura. For more information call 419-524-1765..
In Bellville, the holidays are highlighted beginning Dec. 3 with the traditional Yule Log Lighting at the bandstand. Music, wassail, hot chocolate and cookies will be available. Then on Dec. 4 the Candlelight Christmas Concert features the Jimmy Warner Band. And 450 luminary bags, colored by Bellville Elementary students, will be lit. On Dec. 5, the traditional Christmas Parade begins at 11 a.m. with sleigh and carriage rides available from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Whether in Bellville for the events this week or shopping or passing through, visitors will see the many business windows that are painted for the annual window contest.
Mansfield will celebrate its 11th annual Christmas Time in the City in the historic Carrousel District on Friday, Dec. 4 beginning at 5 p.m. The event is presented by Downtown Mansfield, Inc.
Festivities begin at 5 p.m. with a reindeer petting zoo, photos with Santa, carriages rides, and Christmas caroling. Mayor Tim Theaker will join the crowd at 6 p.m. and light the 50-foot tree at Richland Carrousel Park. After the tree lighting, guests can visit the Tiny Tim Shoppe or go on a historic church tour.
Downtown businesses will be open late for the December Shop Hop and will have special events, including entertainment and holiday deals.
St. Peter’s school will host their Christmas Classic on Saturday, Dec. 5 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. The popular event includes a bake sale with holiday treats like poticas, butter rings, kieffel, Christmas cookies and more. There will be a raffle, poinsettias, and Santa’s Workshop where children can shop for their family for only $1 per item.
And of course, St. Peter’s Craft Show includes locally and nationally known quality gift items. The craft show will be held in the church basement. Choral and band performances by St. Peter’s students throughout the day in the gymnasium.
Lunch is served in the church basement from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Visitors can take a selfie with Santa for $2 or have a traditional picture printed for $5. St. Peter’s is located at 104 W. First St., Mansfield.
That night a local production of the holiday classic Miracle on 34th Street will be featured at the Mansfield Playhouse. The performance runs Dec. 4 and 5, 11, 12 and 13. To purchase tickets or for more information log on to the website or call 419-522-2883. Tickets range from $7 to $12. The playhouse is located at 95 E. Third St., Mansfield.
Richland Academy dancers will perform three shows of The Nutcracker at Shelby High School: Friday, Dec. 4, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 5, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets went on sale starting Nov. 2 at 8 a.m. and can still be purchased online.
One of the area’s longest-running standards is Christmas at Malabar Farm, scheduled Dec. 4 through 6 and Dec. 11 through 13. Louis Bromfield’s showpiece, the site of Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart’s wedding, is transformed into a destination station with old-fashioned decorations and carolers.
Malabar’s Candlelight Holiday Tours takes guests throughout the home and end in the kitchen, with wassel and cookies. Tour tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for children. For more information and specific hours call 419-892-2784, or check out the website.
Come Home to Galion will be held Saturday, Dec. 5 from 1-5:30 p.m. This year “Frozen at the Gill House” is an added feature and children are invited to dress as their favorite Disney “Frozen” character. The event is for children ages 3-10. See the events Facebook page for more information.
The Galion Historical Society will present a Charles Dickens Christmas at Brownella Cottage with a Holiday Open House during the Come Home event. The open house is from 1-4 p.m.
The event also includes a live nativity on the North School Lawn (former middle school). Cookies and hot cider will be available in the Study, and there’s also a gift bag raffle.
Come Home to Galion’s parade lines up at Heise Park at 4 p.m. and begins at 4:30 p.m. More details about Come Home to Galion are developing.
John’s Hobby Shop, 15 N. Main St., Mansfield will celebrate National Lionel Train Day on Saturday, Dec. 5 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Lionel model trains have provided joy to generations of families over the years and is celebrating its 115th anniversary. To help commemorate this milestone, children will be given a free Lionel conductor hat, temporary tattoo, or bracelet.
Also, the iconic model train company is releasing the first ever National Train Day Boxcar. This special boxcar will be available for pre-order only Saturday, Dec. 5. The boxcar is a wonderful collectible that is a great addition to any track layout.
John’s Hobby Shop is an authorized Lionel Dealer and a factory trained Lionel Service Station.
For more information on National Lionel Train Day at John’s Hobby Shop, please call 419-526-4426
In Lucas, the holidays kick off with the Village Christmas Tree Lighting on Monday, Dec. 7. There will be hot chocolate and cookies for those participating. On Dec. 12, the fifth annual Lucas Lions and Leo Christmas Craft and Vendor Bazaar takes place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the high school. Santa will be there from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for pictures with the kids. All proceeds will benefit the local food pantry.
Ontario’s holiday celebration takes place on Tuesday, Dec. 8 with the lighting of the city’s Christmas Tree. Santa will also be at the Community Room in the Municipal building and light refreshments are available.
This year the Herlihy Christmas House will again be on display. Every other year Terry Herlihy and the family open their home to the public for one of the most popular holiday tours in the region.
The event takes place Dec. 10 through 13 from 6 to 9 p.m. More than 30 trees and over 1,000 ornaments were featured at the last showing, in 2013. The extensive display includes decorated trains, villages, and a number of trees — topped by a pine tree that eclipses 20 feet in the center of the home. For more information visit their website.
On Dec. 11-13, Clear Fork Alliance Church will turn back the calendar over 2,000 years to the time of the birth of Jesus Christ. Guests become a part of the live Christmas story while travelling to the town of Bethlehem.
“Experience Bethlehem” is a free family event that is all inside and is handicap accessible. Tours will be from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights and from 2-4 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.
The event will be held at Clear Fork Alliance Church which is across from Clear Fork High School, 1008 state Route 97 E. Bellville, OH. More information is available at www.clearforkalliance.org or by calling 419-886-4333.
The Mansfield Symphony Orchestra presents the Holiday Pops Concert on Saturday, Dec. 19 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 20 at 2:30 p.m. at the Renaissance Theatre.
