February 22
Artists’ Studio Workshop for K-6th grade
February 22
Introduction to Fundraising Planning
Artists’ Studio Workshop for K-6th grade
February 22
Introduction to Fundraising Planning
See below for a complete list of holiday events in Downtown.
Akron’s two colorful trolleys will transport guests around Downtown to visit the various Holidayfest sites, on weekends, November 25 through First Night.
Hours are:
Fridays 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Saturdays 12:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Sundays 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Dec. 24 12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Dec. 25 CLOSED
Dec. 31 12:00 p.m. – 12 midnight.
For more information, go to www.lock3live.com, call 330.375.2877.
Beginning in the 1950s, Akron area families would flock to the animated holiday window displays in the O’Neil’s and Polsky’s building windows downtown. By the end of the 1980s both O'Neil's and Polsky's stores were gone, leaving a void in local holiday family traditions. Downtown Akron Partnership brought the vintage displays back to the Akron community in 1999. These holiday displays can be found in the University of Akron Polsky's Building from Thanksgiving to New Year's.
November 25, 2011 - January 29, 2012
Hours of Operation
Nov. 25 - Jan. 29:
Thursdays 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
(Closed Thanksgiving)
Fridays 11 a.m.-11 p.m.
Saturdays 11 a.m.-11 p.m.
Sundays 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
Dec. 19-23: 11 a.m.-p.m.
Dec. 26-30: 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
Dec. 24: 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
Dec. 25: Closed
Dec. 31: 11 a.m.-11 p.m.
Jan. 1: Closed
Jan. 16 (MLK Day): 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
Lock 3’s most popular winter feature is their 10,000-square-foot outdoor ice skating rink, the largest seasonal skating venue in Ohio! The Lock 3 ice rink opens on Friday, November 18 for skating through the end of January. Admission to the rink is free; skate rental is $3 and strap-on skates are free fir toddlers based on availability. Skate rental is free on Thursdays and Fridays from 1-5 p.m. with a DoDowntown card. www.lock3live.com
New this year is the 150-foot “Reindeer Run,” a sledding hill constructed inside Lock 3. It’s an all-season slide designed to provide a fun ride for younger children. Adults may accompany children on the slide. Only toboggans and tubes provided by Lock 3 may be used. Sleds are rented for $3 for 33 minutes, and the number of sleds available each half-hour will be limited to ensure maximum fun. The hill will be open weekend evenings until 9 p.m. when the ice rink is attended, and weekend afternoons 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. See accompanying schedule for detailed hours of operation.
Located in the Lock 3 Commons, children of all ages can decorate gingerbread cookies to eat, hang as ornaments or give as gifts. The cookies are made by The Bakery at Hattie's Cafe at 209 S. Main Street. Gingerbread cookies to decorate are $2, 3 cookies for $5. The Kinderzone will also have Santa Clause during select hours. Bring your camera. Visit www.lock3live.com for Kinderzone and Santa Clause hours.
Visitors can celebrate Akron’s industrial history from canal boat building to cereal manufacturing, from rubber and tires to Lighter-than-Air and engage Akron’s whimsical past at the Akron Toy Marble Museum. Lock 3 was where the American Toy Marble & Toy Manufacturing Co made marbles in the 19th century. New this year will be a kinetic sculpture with toy marbles moving through a traditional marble “railway.”
Shop for hand-made craft items at Lock 3's traditional cottages featuring craftsmen from Akron and its sister city of Chemnitz, Germany. Stay tuned for vendor information!
The Holiday Market at Lock 3, sponsored by Downtown Akron Partnership, includes the return of the German craftsman who is making his 8th annual appearance, and bringing goods from the Erzebirge Mountains. Local artisans also offer hand-made items for sale.
Mario Hausdorfer, a glassblower who has become well-known to Lock 3 visitors since the first Chriskindl Market in 2004 also sells hand-made Christmas wood crafts. Akron vendors returning to the market include LitWick Candles, Fig Tree Crafts, Pushing Tin Studio, Highland Baking, Homemade Delites, Tindercraft and MIPE. New this year will be a cottage staffed by DAP featuring the work of Downtown and Northside Artists.
More than 100 carefully decorated trees are on display each year attracting more than 200,000 visitors! Admission to the tree festival is FREE and donations of trees from local sponsors as well as the purchase of the trees on display raised $216,000 in 2010 for Akron Children's Hospital. http://www.childrenshospitaltreefestival.org/index.htm
The largest-scale advent-type calendar in the U.S. is our “Countdown to First Night,” at Lock 3, featuring thirty-six individual panels of original artwork, created by our community to emphasize Akron’s wealth of talent and diversity. Panels are unveiled between November 27 and First Night on December 31.
The Downtown Akron Partnership will light up the Ohio & Erie Canal through Lock 3 with a spectacular fireworks and pyrotechnics show, narrated by WONE’s T.K. O’Grady, and featuring Civic Theatre artists Helen Welch and Ryan Humbert, who will provide seasonal musical entertainment. Akron’s award-winning skater Zachariah Szabo will perform a skating demonstration. Akron’s Thirsty Dog Brewing Company will tap the first keg of its 12 Dogs of Christmas Ale as part of the evening’s festivities.
WONE’s Tim Daugherty and Kristi Nichols host this annual event, featuring over 100 marching units. It’s the 25th anniversary of this popular Downtown event.
For the 5th year, a Winter Farmers Market will be held Saturday and Sunday, December 10-11, opening at 11 a.m. each day, with local hand-crafted food items and baskets for sale. The indoor market in the basement of the O'Neil's Building is set for Saturday, December 10 (11 a.m. - 5 p.m.) and Sunday, December 11 (11 a.m. - 4 p.m.).
1. Join Cartoon Favorite “Scooby Doo,” from Time-Warner Cable, Saturday and Sunday.
2. Shannon Miller brings her Sled Dogs from the Diamond Dogs Racing Kennel and the Lazy Husky Ranch to thrill children with demonstrations of sled dogs and the history behind the world-famed Iditarod. Saturday and Sunday, 1pm-3pm. Get up-close to the huskies.
3. Akron’s Police Department K-9 unit will also be on hand to introduce children to their 4-legged crime-fighting partners, with a demonstration of what these canine officers can do. Join Scooby on the weekend for a Pancake ‘Barkfest’, Saturday and Sunday, 8:30am-10:30am. $5. Scooby will be donating proceeds to benefit the APD K-9 unit.
Make plans for New Year’s Eve and join the fun in Downtown Akron! Now in its 16th year, First Night Akron is a New Year’s Eve celebration unlike any other. This family-friendly, alcohol-free celebration of the arts brings the community together to experience a brief moment in time while creating lasting memories. Come in out of the cold and celebrate the New Year! On Saturday, December 31, 6 p.m.-midnight, enjoy indoor entertainment and fun for all ages throughout Downtown Akron featuring the region's best in music, dance, theater, visual and interactive arts! Entertainment and fun will delight the whole family! www.firstnightakron.org
November 18 - January 29
Ice Skating at Lock 3