Spring Mist Farms presents ‘Candy Cane Christmas’
Every Friday and Saturday from December 1st to December 23rd from 6pm until 9pm, Spring Mist Farms will present Candy Cane Christmas.  Enjoy a live animal nativity scene, animals for viewing, reindeer, donkey, camel and many more.  For an additional $4.00 you can make a toy with Santa and take it home!  There will be 10 to 15 theme trees, model trains and miniature towns for viewing.  Activities for children will be available plus other surprises! No cameras, please. Spring Mist Farms staff will be available for photography.

Admission is $4.00 per child (ages 1 to 10 years old); $3.00 per child (ages 11 to 99 years old).  Activities range from 50 cents to $1.00.  Spring Mist Farms is located at 691 Pearl Road in Brunswick Hills.  Visit their web site www.springmistfarms.com or call 330.225.3565 for more information.

Medina Model Train & Toy Show

Trains and planes and things that GO will be on display December 4th at the Community Center at the Fairgrounds, 735 Lafayette Road in Medina from 10am until 4pm.  There is an admission charge.  Call 330.948.4400 or visit www.conraddowdell.com for more information.

If you are looking for trains, we have a variety of train sets and components from HO to G Scale.  Also Lionel, American Flyer and other makes and models for purchase or for entertainment.  New and used trains, tracks, scenery, etc. are available for the energetic and enterprising hobbyists.

The Medina Model Train and Toy Show, established in 1992, has enthralled children and grownups, short and tall, young and old for close to 20 years.  Just 45 minutes from Akron or Cleveland, thousands of enthusiasts have traveled to Medina for nostalgic, profitable and entertainment purposes.
Article/photos courtesy of www.conraddowdell.com

Old Fashioned Christmas Trees

Celebrate a traditional, old fashioned Christmas this year … here’s how …

1  Start your day out with a rich steaming cup of hot cocoa or a flavored latte!

2  Then on to some excellent shopping at a variety of excellent shopping locations throughout Medina County.

3  Stop and savor a well-deserved and delicious lunch at one of our many fine restaurants.

4  Continue your holiday shopping.  You know, Medina County boasts a variety of unique shops for that one-of-a-kind gift or rare antique find.

5  End your special day by selecting your very own Christmas tree.  Pre-cut or start a family tradition and cut your own.  Suggested locations to purchase trees are:

Boyert’s Greenhouse & Farm, 7171 Wooster Pike, Medina, 330.725.3509
Gale’s Brunswick Garden Center, 2803 Center Road, Brunswick, 330.273.6255
Kall Christmas Tree Farm, 3605 Foskett Road, Medina, 330.725.8870
Medina Christmas Tree Farm #1, 3301 Hamilton Road, Medina, 330.723.2106
Medina Christmas Tree Farm #2, 3283 Foskett Road, Medina, 330.723.2106
The GreenSmith Country Garden Center, 1340 Ridge Road, Hinckley, 330.278.7112
Timber Valley Tree Farm, 4250 Bagdad Road, Medina, 330.722.3832/216.650.1566

Make it a fun family day.  Bring the kids or grandkids and explore the possibilities in Medina County … discover a variety of shops catering to your special holiday needs, savor a delicious meal, and cut your own or select from a variety of freshly pre-cut Christmas trees.  Make a day of it and experience all Medina County offers!

“Sing Joy”, Trinity Concert Series

Tenor Daniel Doty will present an afternoon of holiday music at the third and final installment of the Trinity Concert Series for 2011.  This concert, entitled “Sing Joy”, will take place on Sunday, December 18th at 4:00pm in the sanctuary of Trinity United Church of Christ, 215 High Street in Wadsworth.  Daniel will sing holiday music both old and new.  Accompanist, Brenda Adley is a music teacher in the Wadsworth City School system.  As with all concerts in the series, this concert is free and open to the public.  A free-will offering is always taken to help perpetuate the concert in subsequent years.

Daniel Doty is a classically trained tenor who is equally at home on the opera, theatre or concert stage.  He has appeared with the symphonies in Akron (OH), Mansfield (OH), Muncie (IN), Urbana (IL), Marion, Ohio and community bands in Medina and Wadsworth.  Performances have found him in a variety of settings from church sanctuaries to concert halls.

Trinity’s Annual Creche Walk will precede the concert.  Plan on coming early and view the church’s nativity sets on display.  The Music and Fine Arts Board of Trinity Church invites you to enjoy a cookie and punch reception following the concert where you will have the opportunity to meet the artist.  the Trinity Youth Group will be putting on a Spaghetti dinner following the concert.  Reservations are required and more information can be obtained from the main office by calling 330.334.2536 or visit www.ucctrinity.com.
Article/photo courtesy of Trinity United Church of Christ

Medina Community Band Presents a “Holiday Concert”

The Medina Community Band, under the baton of Marcus Neiman and Curtis Amrein, will present their annual Holiday Concert on Sunday, December 11th at 2pm at Medina High School, 777 East Union Street in Medina.  The concert is free and open to the public.  For a complete listing of all selections, please visit the community band’s website at www.medinacommunityband.org.

Featured soloists for the Medina Community Band will be:  Amy Thach-McArtor (flute); Holly Troche (xylophone); and Curtis Amrein, Marcia Nelson-Kline and Paul Rocco (trumpet trio).  Special guest conductor will be Nathan Muehl.

Featured selections for the concert will include Hector Berlioz’s Overture to Beatrice and Benedict, Pavel Tschesnokoff’s Salvation is Created; Francis Poulenc Sonata for Flute; works by Leroy Anderson, A Christmas Festival, Bugler’s Holiday, and Sleigh Ride; Jan Van der Roost’s Puszta; Alfred Reed’s transcription of Greensleeves, Dmitri Kabalevsky’s Comedians Galop and Samuel Morris’ The Kilties march.
Article/photos courtesy of Medina Community Band

Christmas in the Valley

Christmas in the Valley 2011 begins on Saturday, December 10th at 6pm with our annual Sing-A-Long at host First Baptist Church, 6936 Center Road in Valley City.  All local church choirs gather for a delightful concert of songs of the season, culminating with the Hallelujah Chorus where everyone joins in and follows with the singing of popular Christmas carols.  The music is followed by a social and a magnificent display of home baked goodies to enjoy.

On Sunday, December 11th from 1pm to 5pm, crowds gather throughout downtown Valley City as Santa makes his way down “main street” (Center Road) upon his horse drawn wagon, visiting all our retail establishments and Holiday Showcase buildings ending at The Depot Museum where he will be available for pictures with your little ones and to dole out treats of the sugarplum fairy from 2pm until 5pm.

Our Holiday Showcase presents unique and local artisans from 1pm until 5pm in four different locations for your shopping pleasure;  the EUC Church Hall, Fire Station, Town Hall, Samosky’s Pizzeria – all on Center Road.  Cookie decorating will be from 1pm to 4pm at Samosky’s; Bake Sale at Eileen’s Café 1 to 5pm; Wagon Rides will be given by donation behind the Town Hall along with Winter Scene pictures by Debi Allen at the Fire Station for $5 each with donations/proceeds going to the Medina County SPCA; and a special concert by the Litchfield Town Band at the Town Hall from 2pm to 3pm.

In addition, many storefronts will be open with complimentary treats, open house specials including Delta Automotive, the Fire Station, Valley City Veterinary, Samosky’s, Valley Tack, Riverstone Taverne, Forestwood Realty, Eileen’s Café, Valley City Market, and more.  Peruse the Christmas trees decorated by local organizations on the grassy knoll next to Eileen’s Café and see them come to light at dusk.

Sponsored by the Valley City Chamber of Commerce and the Liverpool Historical Society.  Call 330.483.1111 or visit www.valleycity.org for information.
Article courtesy of Valley City Chamber

Trees for Troops
The Trees for Troops program is a program that honors military men and women and their families by providing them with a Real Christmas Tree.  Christmas tree growers around the country donate the trees while FedEx provides shipping and logistics coordination.  The Christmas SPIRIT Foundation and FedEx began discussions about the program and in 2005; the first program was arranged and implemented in just 45 days!

Trees for Troops Weekend will take place Saturday, December 3rd and Sunday, December 4th at Medina Christmas Tree Farm #3 located at Blakesley Road, 3235 Hamilton Road in Medina.  Trees are available beginning the day after Thanksgiving.  The trailer will be on location Friday through Sunday, December 2 to the 4th from 9am until 6pm.

Visitors to the farms will be asked if they would like to purchase an extra tree for the troops when they buy their own Christmas tree.  Medina Christmas Tree Farms will handle all the shipping in coordination with FedEx at no cost and donate $5 for every tree contributed to the program.

Take the loneliness out of Christmas for an American soldier and/or his family somewhere in the world.  Donate at ‘Tree for the Troops’.  Thank you for your kindness and support – that is what Christmas is really all about.
Article/photos courtesy of Medina Christmas Tree Farms

Medina Flea Market of Collectables
The Medina Flea Market of Collectables is Sunday, December 18th at the Community Center at the Fairgrounds, 735 Lafayette Road in Medina.  Hours are 6am to 3pm; there is an admission charge.  Call 330.948.4400 or visit www.conraddowdell.com for details.

The items at the monthly Market are constantly changing and people arrive early for best selections!  This Collectable Market can be a trip down memory lane.  You may see the lunch box you had as a child or that type of old jewelry that your Great Aunt Bessie wore!

It is always interesting to look at old post cards and you will normally find a good selection at the Medina Flea Market of Collectables.  Many tell a story of a perceived, wondrous or exotic vacation.  Normally a post card has a picture of places or things from our youth, maybe even a “beach beauty”.  Pictures of old gas stations, restaurants and vacation locations help connect us to our past.
Article/photos courtesy of www.conraddowdell.com

Medina Gun Show
The Medina Gun Show will be held December 10th and 11th at the Community Center at the Fairgrounds, 735 Lafayette Road, Medina; Saturday, 9am until 5pm and Sunday, 9am until 3pm.  There is an admission charge.  Visit www.conraddowdell.com or call 330.948.4400 for more information.

The Show was started in 1978.  There are 450 tables of displays with several show exhibitors participating for over twenty five years.  For everyone’s safety, no loaded firearms are allowed in the building.  You will find a variety at the Medina Gun Show.  Antiques as well as Class III firearms can be found at the show.  The selection is different at each show.

As an attendee or an exhibitor, please join us at the Medina Gun Show!

Holiday Lights at the Medina County Fairgrounds
Many families have the holiday tradition of piling into the car to look at all the Christmas lights.  Even if it has not been a part of your tradition in the past, now is a great time to start this future family memory.

Make your holiday tradition one of spending the day together; starting with cutting your own holiday tree, doing a little shopping while looking at holiday retail store windows, then enjoy a family meal together.  As darkness starts to form in the night sky, pile into the car to take a drive around the neighborhoods to see the decorated homes, and end the day at the Medina County Fairgrounds visiting the area’s largest drive-thru light display running through December 25th.

The Holiday Lights will be open weekends, Friday and Saturday from 6pm until 10pm and Sunday from 6pm to 9pm.  The week before Christmas every night from 6pm to 9pm.

To make it a true holiday tradition, call first to see when horse drawn wagon rides thru the display will be offered.  Cars are $7.00, passenger vans (15 people) $12.00.  The entrance is the West Smith Road parking lot of the Fairgrounds.  For more information, visit www.medina-fair.com.