Holiday Happenings

Updated: November 29, 2018

Christmas Tree Sale Offered At Waterville Church
Waterville Presbyterian Church is hosting a Christmas tree sale. Tree prices start at $40.00. Sale times are Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5:00 p.m. while supplies last. The church is located at 611 Farnsworth Rd., Waterville. Call (419) 878-2806 for more information.

Sylvania Celebrates Miracle On Main Street
TheSylvania Area Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Sylvania Association, Sylvania Community Arts Commission and the Sylvania Historical Village are partnering together to bring the Sylvania community a weekend full of events to celebrate the holidays.
Miracle on Main Street will kick off on Friday, December 7 at 5:00 p.m. with the First Friday Red Bird Art Walk and continue throughout the weekend concluding on Saturday, December 8 at 5:30 p.m. with the lighted nighttime Holiday parade.
For a full listing of events and times, visit http://www.downtownsylvania.org.

Elf Jr. The Musical Performances Announced
Toledo School for the Arts, under the direction of Melissa Toth, will open a four-performance run of Elf Jr. the Musical at The Toledo Repertoire’s 10th Street Theater on Thursday, December 6 at 7:00 p.m.
Additional performances begin at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, December 7 and Saturday, December 8 as well as at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, December 9 at the Toledo Repertoire’s 10th Street Theater, 16 10th St., Toledo. Tickets are $16.00 for adults, and $10.00 for students and seniors. To order tickets, contact the TSA box office at (419) 246-8732, ext. 226, or visit ts4arts.org.

Appold Planetarium To Host Holiday Favorite
“The Mystery of the Christmas Star,” a holiday favorite, is returning to the Appold Planetarium to delight audiences this December.
Attendees will learn what the wise men saw in the sky that was so remarkable that they undertook a journey across the desert from Babylon to Bethlehem. What sign did they actually see that made them expect the birth of a king?
Journey back 2000 years to Bethlehem and discover a scientific explanation for the star the wise men followed to find the baby Jesus. The Appold Planetarium’s holiday show, “The Mystery of the Christmas Star,” investigates possible dates for the birth of Christ and looks at recorded sightings of significant astronomical events during the timeframe. This modern telling of the Christmas story is sure to charm and captivate audiences of all ages.
Admission prices for “The Mystery of the Christmas Star” are $5.00 for adults and $4.00 for children 12 and under. The family-friendly shows are offered at 7:30 p.m. on Saturdays, December 8 and 22 and Fridays, December 7 and 21. Reservations are strongly recommended. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Dr. Laura Megeath, Appold Planetarium coordinator, at planetarium@lourdes.edu, or call (419) 517-8897.
Individuals are encouraged to come early and enjoy the Toledo Symphony Orchestra performing holiday favorites prior to the show, from 7:00 to 7:30 p.m.

French Noel Planned At River Raisin Battlefield
River Raisin National Battlefield Park will host a special holiday event, French Noel, on Saturday, December 8 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This event will showcase how the early French settlers along the River Raisin would have celebrated Christmas from the late 1700s until the time of the War of 1812.
The event will be held at River Raisin National Battlefield Park at 1403 E. Elm Ave, Monroe, Mich. The event is free and open to the public and will include examples of typical French cuisine and activities such as table games, crafts and the yule log tradition. Outside games will be weather-dependent. For more information, call (734) 243-7136.

Hope UMC Presents Annual Christmas Concert
Hope United Methodist Church welcomes the community to celebrate the season with its annual Christmas concert on Sunday, December 9 at 6:30 p.m. The bands Led By Faith and Unchained will perform a variety of Christmas songs.
A cookie and punch reception will be held during the intermission between the two bands’ performances.
The concert is free, but a canned good donation for the food pantry is welcome. The church is located at 10610 Waterville St. in Whitehouse. For information, call (419) 877-5232.

GRRR Announces Santa Paw Picture Locations
Golden Retriever Rescue Resource will offer Santa Paw pictures, featuring Santa’s very own sleigh, outside in a natural setting or in another holiday scene. All dogs are welcome.
Locations include: Rover Come Over Doggie Day Care, 3945 Albon Rd., Monclova, on Sunday, December 9 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Santa Paw pictures will be rain or shine. Calendars and holiday nuts will be offered for sale, too, as well as a Pooch and People Gift Basket Raffle at all events. For more information, visit www.gr-rescue.org.

Winter Festival Of Crafts Set At Franciscan Center
The Toledo Craftsman’s Guild (TCG) holiday craft show, “Winter Festival of Crafts,” will be held at the Franciscan Center at Lourdes University on Convent Boulevard in Sylvania on Sunday, December 9 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Handcrafted items, unique holiday wreaths and seasonal decorations, jewelry, pottery, woodworking, fragrances and lotions, fabric, soft sculpture, decorative painting, photography and more will all be available for purchase.
For attendees who can’t find what they want, many members of the Toledo Craftsman’s Guild will fill special orders.
There is no admission charge and plenty of free parking.
For more information, visit www.toledocraftsmansguild.org.

Owens Announces Christmas Band Concert
Owens Community College will host a free Christmas band concert on Sunday, December 9 at 2:30 p.m. in the Center for Fine and Performing Arts Theater on the Owens campus.
The program will feature selections of popular Christmas music, a medley of Hoagy Carmichael songs, marches, an oboe solo and a vocal solo. Refreshments will be served after the concert in the lobby. For more information, call (567) 661-7081.

Photos With Santa Set At Gladieux Lumber
Andy’s Army Canine Cancer Project will offer photos with Santa Claus at Gladieux Home Center, 5120 Navarre Ave., Oregon, on Sunday, December 9 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Adults, children and pets (dogs, cats) are welcome to take part in the annual event. No appointment is necessary.
After the photo session, select your favorite shot or shots and Andy’s Army representatives will be on hand to print and frame the photos. Framed 4-by-6-inch photos cost $10.00 each. All proceeds will benefit canine cancer research.

Bittersweet Offers Holiday Cookie Sales
Embrace the joy of giving this holiday season by shop-ping local. Bittersweet Farms offers homemade baked goods for sale that are local, under $10.00 and made by individuals with autism.
Bittersweet’s culinary program sells a variety of homemade cookies and a sea salt caramel brownie. Cookies can be purchased by the dozen or in packs of three. Flavors include: sugar with frosting (variety of holiday festive shapes available), chewy brownie, snickerdoodle, oatmeal raisin, chocolate chip, oatmeal butterscotch, peanut butter, monster and white chocolate deluxe. Bittersweet cookies are perfect for holiday parties, family gatherings, birthdays, weddings, showers and other special events.
The culinary team is running a 25 Days of Christmas promotion – the first day was Saturday, November 17. All Christmas cookie orders placed before Tuesday, December 11 will receive a 25-percent discount. Any Christmas orders placed after December 11 will be considered rush orders and will incur an additional $5.00 charge.
Cookie orders may be placed online at www.bittersweetfarms.org/bittersweet-gardens. Please include in the “Notes” section that you saw the promotion for holiday cookies.

Monclova To Host Christmas Celebration
The Monclova Historical Foundation and Community Center will host a Christmas Celebration on Wednesday, December 12 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.
Highlights of the evening include: lighting the Monclova Christmas tree, enjoying treats, singing Christmas carols, family pictures or selfies with Santa Claus, crafts for kids and more.
The tree to be lit was donated last year by Brookwood Nursery and newly planted by Garrett Bookenberger and Troop 104. It’s still small, but full of joy.
The Monclova Community Center is located at 8115 Monclova Rd., Monclova.
The event is free with a canned food donation.

FIC Dealership To Host Holiday Event/Santa Visit
Bring the kids and enjoy a day filled with holiday fun. Santa is coming to the John Deere Store, 1220 Ford St., Maumee.
FIC Dealerships have made room for Santa on Saturday, December 15 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. Kids can enter a coloring contest and there will be cookies too. Toys will also be collected for Toys for Tots.

Holidays In The Manor House Opens On Saturday
Holidays in the Manor House, a Toledo tradition for more than 40 years, will be open daily through Sunday, December 16 at Wildwood Preserve Metropark. Admission is free.
Several new features have been added this year, including free ice skating and two free holiday movies.
Each year, up to 30,000 people come to see how volunteers have re-imagined the holiday decorations, with more than 30 displays throughout the three-story, 34,000-square-foot mansion.
The house will be open for self-guided tours daily, 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. The only exception is Wednesday, December 5, when it will close at 3:00 p.m.
Highlights of this year’s displays are the meticulously crafted models of all five tree houses that will make up the Cannaley Treehouse Village, now under construction at Oak Openings Preserve. The models were built with wooden paint stir-sticks by Metroparks volunteers Al and Jan Grant, who spent more than 1,000 hours on the project.
A popular, longstanding feature of the event, the model train exhibit by the Swanton Area Railroad and Model Club, will fill Metroparks Hall, a short walk from the Manor House.
A synthetic ice skating rink near the Manor House will be open for free skating each day. Skates will be available to borrow at no charge on the three Saturdays and Sundays of the event, but skaters can bring their own skates on weekdays.
Two free holiday movies will be shown on two weekends in the Ward Pavilion at the east entrance to Wildwood. Santa and Mrs. Claus will be at both, along with free popcorn and hot chocolate. The family films are: Elf on Sunday, December 9 at 2:00 p.m. and The Polar Expresson Saturday, December 15 at 2:00 p.m.

Siberian Solstice Performs To Benefit DYS
Siberian Solstice will present a free Trans-Siberian Orchestra tribute at the Stranahan Theater on Sunday, December 23 at 7:00 p.m. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. Presented courtesy of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite Valley of Toledo, a freewill offering will be collected for Diabetes Youth Services.

Lights Before Christmas Light Up Toledo Zoo
The Toledo Zoo’s Lights Before Christmas display features over 1 million lights, the award-winning Big Tree and more than 200 illuminated animal images spread out across the zoo.
Fan-favorite traditions continuing at Lights this year include: the Winter Village, complete with Ice Slide, visits with Santa in the Arctic Encounter, the Dancing Northern Lights and Scenes of Wonder, a 3-D light installation that uses the Carnivore Café as a canvas to tell a unique holiday story.
New this year, Santa will be ziplining in toward his Arctic Encounter workshop at 4:30 p.m. daily through Sunday, December 23.
Lights Before Christmas will be open through Monday, December 31. The display will be closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Admission gates for Lights Before Christmas are open 3:00 to 8:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 3:00 to 9:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The zoo will close one hour after last admission. Visitors can save $1.00 per ticket by ordering online at toledozoo.org/lights.