Originally published on Springfield News-Sun – December 8th 2023
A look at events happening in the area this weekend:
Toy Drive
Ohio Virtual Academy (OHVA), a full-time, tuition-free, online public school for grades K-12, has partnered with alumni to host their Ninth Annual Christmas Toy Drive benefiting Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
Through today, the OHVA Agricultural Society will accept new, unwrapped and nonviolent toy donations for children of all ages. All toys collected will be donated on Dec. 9 to children at Nationwide Children’s Hospital who are unable to be home with their families for the holiday. Examples of acceptable toys for babies include rattles, teethers, stacking cups, shapes, plastic links, mirrors and musical or light up toys; for preschoolers include crayons and coloring books, molding clay, puzzles, bubbles, books, board games and dolls; for school ages include books, games, playing cards, craft sets, ink kits and painting supplies; and for teens include drawing and painting supplies, model kits, playing cards, word search and nail polish.
All new, unwrapped and nonviolent toy donations can be dropped off at Springfield Rural King, 1476 Upper Valley Pike in Springfield; or three locations Bellefontaine – Dave Carothers Custom Auto Sales, 1318 OH-540; Family Farm and Home, 1710 S. Main St.; and Walmart, 2281 State Route 68.
Gifts can also be shipped to the OVHA in Maumee. Monetary donations will be accepted via PayPal at bit.ly/3tGgTHr. For more information about the toy drive, email [email protected].
Gloria Theatre Show
Ernie Haase and Signature Sound will perform at 7:30 p.m. tonight and Saturday at the Gloria Theatre, 216 S. Main St. in Urbana.
EHSS has traveled the world, offering excitement & encouragement through its brand of unmistakable four-part harmonies and showmanship. They are helping to restore historic American theatres with their Broadway Project Tour.
Tickets range from $37 to 57. For more information and tickets, visit https://gloriatheatre.regfox.com/stars-on-stage-landing-page.
Witt Series
Wittenberg University will host its annual Candlelight Chapel Service and Lessons and Carols for Advent & Christmas at 7:30 p.m. tonight in Weaver Chapel.
Part of the 2023-2024 Wittenberg Series, the event is free and open to the public with doors opening at 6:45 p.m. Pre-service music provided by Wittenberg’s Chamber Orchestra and Brass Quintet will begin at 7 p.m., followed by the event. As in previous years, the service will conclude with a candlelit singing of Silent Night.
A live online stream of the event will be available at wittenberg.edu/live.
Urbana Library Events
The Champaign County Library, 1060 Scioto St., will host several upcoming activities:
Drop In Holiday Crafts will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. at the main library and 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the North Lewisburg branch on Saturday for kids of all ages.
Fiber Arts Group will be held from 10 a.m. to noon on Monday at the main library. Knitting, crochet, embroidery, cross-stitch and any other fiber arts projects are welcome. All skill levels are invited. Bring your own project to work on or there will be basic supplies to get started.
Kids Holiday Fun will be held at 1 p.m. on Monday at the main library with activities, crafts and treats.
Family Holiday Story Time will be held at 6 p.m. on Monday at the main library for kids of all ages. Registration is required.
Holiday Bazaar
A Holiday Crafts and Vendors Bazaar will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday at Jerusalem Second Baptist Church, 1036 S. High St. in Urbana.
There will be handcrafted, homemade and home baked goods, as well as treasures made by local talents.
Participants can also drop off any winter hats and gloves for the annual Winter Hats and Gloves Drive for the children in the community.
The event is sponsored by Keeping The Faith Ministries.
Animal Welfare League Open Houses
The Animal Welfare League of Clark County is hosting an open house at the farm from 12 to 2 p.m. on Saturday at 6330 Willow Dale Road.
Pet wishes are canned dog food, dog treats, Friskies pate and treats. Farm wishes are laundry detergent and volunteers. Visitors can enjoy hot chocolate and cookies.
The Champaign County Animal Welfare League will host a Holiday Open House from 12 to 3 p.m. on Saturday at 3858 State Route 56 in Mechanicsburg.
The event will include meeting staff, touring the campus, spending time with available residents, and the indoor dog park will be open for four-legged family members. Light refreshments and snacks will also be provided.
Clifton Opera House Shows
The Clifton Opera House, 5 Clay St., will have to performances this weekend:
Lafferty Pike will perform Bluegrass at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Lit Litty’s food truck will be serving before the show. The price is a suggested $10 donation.
Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers will perform Bluegrass at 4 p.m. The price is $20.
Proceeds from both shows help maintain the Opera House and other village properties.
Homes Tour
The WASSO annual Holiday Homes Tour will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
This year’s tour features five historic and beautifully decorated homes. They include: The Kelly residence on West National Road, Houseman’s on Leander Drive, The Fett Residence on South Fountain Avenue, Larsons on Myers Road, and The Espich home on West Harding Road.
All proceeds from the tour will benefit the Springfield Symphony Orchestra. Tickets can be purchased for $15 at http://www.springfieldsym.org, Firefly Boutique, Schneider’s Florist, Katie’s Hallmark, and Springfield Symphony Office. During the tour, tickets can be purchased at the tour homes for $20.
West Liberty Tour of Homes
The West Liberty Business Association Christmas Tour of Homes will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. on Saturday at the West Liberty Opera House.
There are several homes throughout the village and school district, as well as the Opera House, which will be filled with music and the newly remodeled People’s Savings and Loan.
The Town Trolley will be running between locations in town and there will also be late night shopping available.
Tickets are $20. For tickets and more information, visit https://shorturl.at/esJO9.
Music Event
An Evening of Cheer & Music will be held at 6 p.m. on Saturday at Folck Winery, 6843 OH-54 in Mechanicsburg.
The cost is $10 per person and includes charcuterie board. To purchase, visit folckfamilyfarm.net.
Proceeds benefit Demand Impact. for drug addiction recovery
Christmas Pageant, Celebration
The Covenant Presbyterian Church will feature its annual Children’s Christmas Pageant at the 10:30 a.m. service and the Carols and Lights Celebration with Guest Vocalists the Kenton Ridge High School Chamber Singers at 5 p.m. on Sunday at 201 N. Limestone St.
Services are held in person every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. with Pastor Jody Noble and streamed live at YouTube Covenant Presbyterian. A child-friendly area is available in the sanctuary, and childcare is available. For more information, visit springfieldcovenant.org.
Silent Auction
The Champaign Family YMCA’s annual Invest in Youth Silent Auction will run virtually through 6 p.m. on Sunday.
The public can view and bid on all items, including gift baskets, tickets, toys and games, handmade goods and more, in the YMCA lobby or on the Y’s website at champaignfamilyymca.org. It’s free to bid. If you would like to donate an item or gift a youth membership, call the Y 937-653-9622.
Thanks to community support, including the Silent Auction’s sponsor – Urbana Grace Church, the YMCA helped more than 300 families and provided over $100,000 in scholarships in 2022 and again in 2023. Every dollar raised by the auction goes directly toward providing YMCA memberships to deserving families and youth in the community.
To learn more about Ohio Virtual Academy, please visit https://ohva.k12.com/.
