Navarre’s Christmas in the Village returns
Christmas in the Village is put together every year by the Navarre Village Business Association.
The Christmas shopping season arrives with a big kick-off at Navarre’s Christmas in the Village. The 10th annual event is back after a break last year to offer plenty of fun for everyone in the family on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 13 and 14.
People can even ride from merchant to merchant all day. “The trolley car is always a big hit,” said Michelle Ward of The Retro Ward on Canal Street, one of the event’s planners. “You can park anywhere in the village and ride the trolley all day for a single $1 ticket.”
The trolley will run all day Saturday.
The Christmas parade will begin on Saturday at 10 a.m. on Main Street. “The parade has a little bit of everything this year: classic cars, Scout troops and Santa,” Ward said.
Christmas in the Village is put together every year by the Navarre Village Business Association. “There’s a lot of work that goes into it, but we have it pretty much down to a science,” Ward said. “The merchants and shops have been busy getting everything ready as merchandise is centered around the Christmas shopping season.”
Ward said the merchant group was unsure whether an event would be possible this year, given the ongoing pandemic, but in the end they decided to bring the big Christmas event to the village just as shoppers have come to know it over nine previous seasons.
In addition to discounts, special offers and events at stores around the village, two historic museums will be open that weekend as well. The Mathews House on High Street will be open with members of the Navarre-Bethlehem Township Historical Society on hand and art works and other gifts available for purchase. The Mathews House, built in 1836, is now a museum and art gallery.
The historic J.D. Define building will be open for Christmas in the Village, with the Navarre Garden Club and Altercare, event sponsors, ready to greet visitors. The house, listed with the National Register of Historic Places, is at the corner of Canal and Market streets. The Define building has the distinction of being the site of an early trial in the career of young lawyer William McKinley, later 25th president of the United States.
“Local restaurants will be open, and I know there are food trucks coming also,” Ward said. “There will be plenty to eat.”
There should be plenty to listen to as well, with some merchants planning to offer live music along with hot chocolate, coffee and snacks.
Story time with Mrs. Claus is set for 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the Barry Askren Memorial Branch Library on Market Street.
Local artist, Barb Breckenridge, will draw caricatures outside Retro Ward Nov. 13 from noon to 2 p.m.
“It’s a great weekend for families,” Ward said. “There’s so much to do, especially on Saturday, and just about everything you can check out is free.”
With a parade, visits from Santa and Mrs. Claus, trolley rides, Christmas decorations, music, food and more, Navarre’s Christmas in the Village is the perfect weekend to start the holiday mood.
Sponsors for this year’s event include Anna Louisa’s Quilt Shop, Thru Windows and Doors, T. Rowley Landscaping, Dorward Thinking, the Massillon Public Library, Larry Seward DDS, Canal Street Investments, Spike’s Wood Crafts, Main Street Deli, Hall of Fame Title Agency, Consumers National Bank, Altercare and Canton Sign Co.
More information is at www.visitnavarreohio.com.