 By Chelsea Bray- Elle A. Design
This year has been a challenge and this holiday season proves to be as well. We know things aren’t the same as they usually are but that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on what makes this season so special. We came up with a list of things to do this year to help keep the holiday spirit alive and to help you spread some cheer. 1.Send Christmas cards to family you can’t visit this year We may not get to see everyone this year for the holidays, but you can still send some holiday cheer by sending custom cards to them in the mail. Include updates about the year and get the whole family to sign them for an extra personal touch. 2.Decorate cookies with candy from Carmazzi’s Candy and General Store Making cookies is a great activity for all ages! You could make sugar cookies, gingerbread cookies, or even a gingerbread house. All the candy you could need for decorating can be found right in Urbana at Carmazzi’s Candy and General Store. 3.Volunteer at Caring Kitchen Volunteering during the holidays is a great way to spread cheer and to help others have a great holiday too. You can volunteer with the Caring Kitchen in Urbana with meal preparation, serving, and clean up. They also take donations all year long! 4.Donate toys for dogs and cats to Barely Used Pets Rescue Don’t forget about our furry friends this time of year. While they are waiting to find their forever homes the amazing people at Barely Used Pets in Urbana are keeping them warm and happy this time of year. You can donate food or toys to the shelter to give the animals an extra special holiday. 5.Drive around a see the lights caravan style A fun way to get together with family while staying safe this holiday is to see lights around town caravan style. Everyone stays in their own car, but you can all experience the joy and magic of twinkling lights. Be sure to stop by Hemisphere in Mechanicsburg first for a cup of coffee or hot chocolate! 6.Make a homemade gift Making the holiday season extra personal this year will make it feel like you are closer than ever, even if you aren’t together. Try your hand at making a homemade holiday ornament to send to a loved one to let them know how much they mean to you. 7.Leave out treats for the delivery drivers (and Santa) We all know that Santa loves cookies and milk but don’t forget about all the amazing delivery drivers that come to your house almost every day! Prepackaged treats and bottles of water will give them that extra boost and let them know you appreciate all their hard work of delivery all your gifts in time for the holidays. 8.Have an ugly sweater themed dinner night at home You don’t have to have a party to don that ugly sweater hanging in your closet. Select a night of the week to get dressed up with your family, in your most festive gear, and enjoy a family favorite meal together. 9.Put together a holiday jigsaw puzzle The holidays are all about enjoying time together. Find a winter themed puzzle that you like and spend time together completing the puzzle. This is a great way to relax, work together, and make memories that will last a lifetime. 10.Choose old toys to donate a local thrift store This is the time of year for giving. If you have any gently used toys that are still in good condition, there are plenty of places you can donate them where another kid can treasure them for years to come.
 Join Urbana United Methodist Church for an afternoon of Fall Fun!
October 31st from 11AM - 3PM at Melvin Miller Park in Urbana. Bring the whole family to our annual Fall Festival (trunk or treat)! This year, the event will be held at Melvin Miller Park. Instead of "Car Trunks", we will be passing out candy along the walking path at the park. To enjoy "Trails & Treats", we are encouraging you to park by the soccer fields and make your way down the path to the start of the line. After going through the line, enjoy some delicious food from a food truck and stick around for a kids show on the stage by the pond. - Food Trucks - Tons of Candy - Prize Giveaways - Kids Show on the Stage Rain Date: Sunday, November 1st from 1 to 5pm. This is a free community event, open to everyone! We ask that everyone in attendance please wear a mask and follow social distancing guidelines.
Start your morning at Freshwater Farms of Ohio, the largest indoor hatchery in Ohio. Get up close and personal with rare, endangered fish at the Sturgeon Petting Zoo and watch the trout jump for joy and splash in excitement as you hand feed them in the Trout Feeding Frenzy. Admission is free but you don’t want to miss out on the gift shop featuring local items. Travel a few miles down on US 68 to Grimes Field Municipal Airport. Kids love watching small aircraft fly in on a sunny day on the patio at the Airport Cafe, famous for their homemade pies. The airport is also home to three free museums (Champaign Aviation Museum, Grimes Flying Lab Museum and Mid America Flight Museum) bringing aviation history to life! Check individual locations for hours of operation. Run off some energy at Melvin Miller Park with outdoor recreation including but not limited to playgrounds, skate park, RC track, fishing pond, dog park, walking trails and bike path. Try a round of Disc Golf at Urbana Hilltop Disc Golf Course. This top rated course features a variety of open and wooded holes with some elevation changes. Head to Downtown Urbana for a treat! Camazzi’s has been a local favorite for kids of all ages for over 120 years! This is THE place in Champaign County to satisfy your sweet tooth serving just about any kind of candy you can imagine. Don’t forget to join Johnny’s Candy Club! By now, you probably need a place to cool off. Urbana’s Gloria Theatre has a rich history that began more than 113 years ago near the beginning of the twentieth century. Today, GrandWorks is renovating and transforming this community treasure into a modern entertainment venue for movies and live theater. Catch a show or family friendly movie! End your adventure at Cedar Bog Nature Preserve, considered by many to be Ohio’s premiere natural area. It ranks the highest of any site in the state on the Ohio Floristic Diversity Index for its great diversity of plants. The boardwalk is accessible Wednesday-Sunday, 9 AM to 5 PM. Thinking of making this an overnight trip? The Cobblestone Hotel-Urbana is offering special rates for those participating in the Family Fun Trail. Call the hotel directly and ask for the Family Fun Trail Rate. Follow the Champaign County Visitors Bureau on Facebook and Instagram and check us out on the web at visitchampaignohio.com for more information about great attractions and destinations in Champaign County.  West Liberty’s second annual Summer Street Market is happening July 24th and 25th! We will have local vendors and artists set up on Columbus Street. While you are shopping you can grab a bite to eat from one of the food trucks and enjoy some music by Kevin Ashba Friday evening. To make this event safe for everyone all of our vendors booths will be six feet apart, traffic through the street market will flow one direction, and we will provide a sanitation station at the entrance/exit. Many local shops will be open, and some will even be offering special discounts.
On Saturday the annual West Liberty Fire Sales will be happening village-wide so be ready to shop all day! This event is the kickoff to West Liberty’s Fourth Friday Events for the rest of the year. Be sure to check out our site or follow us on Facebook to see what we have planned for next month!
The building capacity will be greatly reduced during this time. Extra staff will be available to help direct visitors. If you see a group in the building, please wait outside until they leave the building. Please help us by following all directions on signs on the doors and around the building. Please follow all social distancing guidelines while in the Nature Center and Preserve. Visitors are encouraged to wear a face covering.
Credit card use is preferred for admission fees at this time. The gift shop will be open to ADULTS ONLY. Please help by keeping children out of the gift shop. Inventory will be somewhat reduced at this time. The boardwalk will remain accessible Wednesday - Sunday from 9:00am - 5:00pm. Please remember, restrooms will not be available except when the Nature Center is open.
“This was a tough decision to make,” said Dr. Dave Smith, president of Freshwater Farms of Ohio, “but with the festival drawing over 5,000 people last year, we could not see a way to safely host the festival this year.” He said that restrictions on large gatherings will likely still be in place in September, and added, “We had to let our wonderful vendors and musicians know well in advance.” Recognized by OhioFestivals.net as one of its favorites, the Ohio Fish & Shrimp Festival, Smith said, “has become well known for the high quality of musical entertainment we schedule year after year, and, of course, the delicious seafood and other menu options our vendors offer, and activities for the whole family.” He said the festival will return bigger and better in 2021. “We’ll be expanding the festival grounds and infrastructure to make room for more kids’ activities and vendors. We’ve been making the push to have more arts and crafts vendors this year, and we’ll continue that push for next year.” In the meantime, he said, business has been strong at the farm’s retail store (fwfarms.com/retail-store/), which is open for curbside pickup 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Customers can call in orders at 937-652-3701 for merchandise from the farm market and for stocking fish and minnows. Smith added that in the near future, the farm will have an expanded online store for ordering their fresh and frozen trout fillets, smoked trout and shrimp products, other “Dr. Dave-approved” seafood selections, and many other local foods and wines. Submitted by Freshwater Farms of Ohio
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