Many weeks’ worth of community and staff efforts will bring the Christmas spirit to life this weekend and next weekend through festive displays, holiday music, delicious refreshments and lots of cheer as the Logan County History Center hosts its annual Christmas open house, continuing a beloved tradition spanning more than two decades.
Christmas at the History Center, located at 521 Columbus Ave., Bellefontaine, is slated for 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, and Sunday, Dec. 8, and 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14, and Sunday, Dec. 15. In addition to the afternoon events, evening hours have been added from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 13, offering a slightly different feel, as the lights and trees take on a “special glow” after dark, Museum Director/Curator Todd McCormick noted.
All of the fun offered during the two weekends are free of charge.
“The Christmas at the History Center is an outreach for us, and it really brings the whole community together through a lot of teamwork behind the scenes. There are so many wonderful volunteers who give so generously of their time and their talents each year to help this all come together,” McCormick said.
“We start pulling out the Christmas trees and decorations right after our Halloween KidFest is over in late October, and now this week, our staff and volunteers are putting all of the finishing touches on everything.”
The Transportation Museum wing is celebrating its 10th year this year after its opening in 2014, and musicians will be performing here for the open house, along with performances taking place simultaneously in the Orr Mansion.
Santa Claus flies into the open house on the Clarence Wissler airplane that is suspended from the ceiling in the Transportation Museum, with a 12-foot Christmas tree beautifully decorated below the plane.
The museum hallways and the first floor of the Orr Mansion feature 23 uniquely decorated trees by school children, including Benjamin Logan Elementary students, LoCo Art participants and the LCHC home school class; along with various groups and organizations; and rooms decorated by different community groups.
Members of Logan County DAR decorated the kitchen, while the Logan Piecemakers quilting guild put their Christmas touches on the dining room.
The Logan County Libraries staff came together to decorate the east parlor, and the West Liberty Garden Club joined in to decorate the Orr Mansion entryway. The Bellefontaine First United Presbyterian Church members installed the holiday decor in the west parlor, while the Logan County Genealogical Society decorated the music room.
Guests at the open house will receive a ballot, so that they can vote for their favorite Adult Christmas Tree, Kid Tree and First Floor Room. The winning organization will receive a Logan County Chamber of Commerce gift certificate.
The second floor and third floor ballroom of the Orr Mansion are decorated by the History Center Christmas Committee and are not part of the voting competition. However, the creativity continues upstairs, where each room is themed to a mid- to late-20th Century Christmas song.
The northeast bedroom’s theme is “Silver Bells,” decorated by Erin Rudat, Karen Tracey and Beth Marshall; the nursery’s theme is “White Christmas,”decorated by Marilyn Springs, Jackson Springs and Noah Springs; southeast bedroom “Frosty the Snowman” by George and Diana Wackerman and Jeannie Jenkins; Mr. Orr’s Office, “My Grown Up Christmas List,” by Amy McCormick; southwest bedroom, “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town,” by the Dazzlers, Kit Wehe, Tam VanNess, Leslie Warne and Sharon Kinney; the hallway “Mistletoe and Berry” by Angie Messner and Beth Marshall; and the ballroom, “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” by Beth Marshall, Judy Snyder and Don Corwin.
Starting in September, contacts are made to begin organizing groups who would like to decorate trees and rooms, and also scheduling musicians for the event, noted Archivist/Assistant Curator Beth Marshall, who also leads the History Center Christmas Committee.
“Everyone really outdid themselves this year. The displays look absolutely beautiful and show so much creativity,” she said Wednesday while walking through each of the rooms.
McCormick noted that the live music offered in the two different spaces during each of the open house days “really adds to the atmosphere.”
Music the first weekend will include:
Dec. 7
1:15 – Bellefontaine High School Jazz Band & Show Choir, Transportation Museum
2:15 – Carol Burton, Marianne Antram, and the West Central Ohio Community Concert
Band, flute music, Orr Mansion
2:30 – Mary’s Turbo Accordion Express, music by Lynne Fullerton & Mary Drake,
Transportation Museum
3:30 – Dalton Frazier, piano music, Orr Mansion
Dec. 8
2:00 – Mad River Valley Dulcimer Society, Transportation Museum
3:00 – Paula Deardurff piano students, Orr Mansion
Music the second weekend will include:
Dec. 13
5:30 – Alicia Wilkins, piano music, Orr Mansion
6:30 – Carol Burton, piano music, Orr Mansion
Dec. 14
1:00 – Leanna George Piano Students, Orr Mansion
2:00 – Leanna George, piano music, Orr Mansion
3:00 – Popular Demand Quartet, Transportation Museum
3:30 – Cindy Bleininger, piano music, Orr Mansion
Dec. 15
1:00 – Shirley McPherson piano students, Orr Mansion
2:00 – St Patrick Church Choir, Transportation Museum
2:30 – Brenda Stinson Thomas & Kacey Adams, piano music, Orr Mansion
Refreshments will be served in the Presidents’ Room in the lower level of the museum. Youths in attendance should be sure to pick up a craft kit to take home with them, with the chance to choose from a dozen different Christmas crafts.
After the open house dates have concluded, area residents still have the opportunity to check out the history center and all of the Christmas decor through Sunday, Dec. 22, the last opening date for 2024.
“If folks want to come by when it’s a little less busy to enjoy the Christmas decorations and to have more time to look at the historical displays, we invite them to stop in through Dec. 22,” Marshall said.