…honor a veteran, bring little ones to shop, or build an evergreen piece for your home
Geauga Park District has jam-packed the first weekend of December with festivities to help your family celebrate the holiday season: two opportunities to honor veterans with evergreens, the kick-off of a two-weekend Mistletoe Market for our littlest shoppers, the annual Holiday Greens Workshop and a two Timbertots-style recurrences of this popular program!
Mark your calendar for December 6th and 7th to catch two new events at The West Woods Nature Center, 9465 Kinsman Road (Route 87) in Russell Township.
From noon to 4:00 p.m., at the Mistletoe Market, shoppers ages 3-8 will be able to find gifts at affordable prices for everyone on their lists with help from Geauga Park District staff and volunteers. Gifts, including many Nature-themed items, range from 50 cents to $7. Purchases may even be wrapped and tagged onsite to children’s wishes!
While the kids shop, parents may enjoy a relaxing cup of coffee surrounded by the beauty of Nature; the Park District’s gift shop will also be open.
Also, from noon to 3:00 p.m., Geauga Park District christens an awesome new partnership with Operation S.T.A.T. (Standing Tall for American Troops), organized in 2011 to ensure our regional veterans are never forgotten.
All are invited to assemble at least 250 patriotic evergreen door swags and sign holiday cards, which Operation S.T.A.T. will then deliver to the doors of the veterans at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center a few days later, on December 9.
Supplies will be provided, and assembly will be easy, said Holly Sauder, coordinator of the event.
“We encourage you to also recruit friends or family to take part in this special activity,” added Sauder, who makes evergreen swags each year in honor of her grandfather, a veteran of World War II, who used to make them himself. “The more we make, the better, to make our veterans feel like family.”
West Geauga High School’s Class Act a cappella choir will also perform during the project December 6 beginning at 1 p.m.
Registration is not required for the Operation S.T.A.T. activity or the Mistletoe Market – drop in!
Meanwhile at Swine Creek Reservation, Geauga Park District’s popular Holiday Greens Workshop will guide those ages 12 and up to arrange fresh evergreens into one of four holiday arrangements. This year’s annual workshop is Saturday, December 7, from 9 a.m. to noon or 1 to 4 p.m. at Swine Creek Reservation’s lodge, 16004 Hayes Road in Middlefield.
Registration is required – and already limited! – Register online or call (440) 286-9516.
While registering, participants will be asked to select one of the following projects: wreath, basket, mantelpiece or brass holder on a tray. Drawings of all four options can be seen on the Bulletin Board.
An $18 fee will be charged upon registration, and $5 will be due to the instructor at the program.
Various evergreens, pine cones and ribbons will be provided, but you may also bring your own accents – after all, this is your project to keep – as well as pruners and a plastic bag to protect your car seat from water.
Younger artists ages 3 to 5, naturalists will also host an educational Timbertots versions of Holiday Greens at Swine Creek Reservation on Sunday, December 7, from 2 to 3 p.m.; or Monday, December 8, from 10 to 11 a.m. or 1 to 2 p.m.
Accompanied by an adult, these kids will discover what’s cool about pine trees and other evergreens, venture outside a little while, then make their own fun centerpiece to take home.
Registration is also required for the Timbertots programs. Again, bows and pine cones will be provided to them, but kids may bring small decorations if they’d like.
All opportunities are fully wheelchair / stroller accessible. Call (440) 286-9516 with questions.
For more information on the Geauga Park District, check them out online on their website, Facebook page, Twitter, and YouTube.
