Community Calendar

Today • The Santa Shop will return 4-7 p.m. today at the Carlisle Visitor Center, 12882 Diagonal Road, Carlisle Township. It will be held during the Lorain County Metro Parks' Night Lights event. This is an opportunity to encourage children to do their own shopping for family members, friends, teachers or even pets. There will be many gift ideas to choose from, and free gift-wrapping is available. The Santa Shop is sponsored by Friends of Metro Parks in Lorain County. Proceeds benefit the county park system. • "Walkin' in a Winter Oberlin" will be from 6-8 p.m. today in the city's downtown. A holiday lights parade will kick off the event, traveling down West College Street. A holiday tree lighting will immediately follow the parade. There will be free horse-drawn sleigh rides, visits with Santa at the Hotel at Oberlin, s'mores courtesy of Oberlin firefighters, cookies and hot cocoa courtesy of the Oberlin Rotary Club and the Salvation Army, ornament decorating, an art market, ice sculptures, performances, raffles and more. The event is sponsored by the city of Oberlin, Oberlin College and local organizations and businesses. Sunday • The first Henrietta Christmas celebration will be held from 6-8 p.m. Sunday at Henrietta Township Hall, 12050 Vermilion Road. Kids can take homemade ornaments to hang on the township tree, which will be lit at 6:30 p.m. when Santa arrives. There will be crafts for children, hot chocolate and doughnuts. For more information, email fourhands4@zoominternet.net. • Boy Scouts Troop 417 will hold a pancake breakfast with Santa from 9 a.m. to noon Sunday at Amherst VFW Post 1662, 165 Cleveland Ave. The cost is $5 for kids ages 6-11 and $10 for ages 12 and older. Children ages 5 and younger eat free. Cash or cards will be accepted, and carryout will be available. All proceeds benefit the troop. Be sure to park in the far parking lot off North Main Street. Tuesday • The Black River Audubon Society will present Tim Fairweather and his program "Musings of a Naturalist Life" at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Sandy Ridge Reservation, 6195 Otten Road, North Ridgeville. Fairweather had been a naturalist with Lorain County Metro Parks for almost 33 years, retiring at the end of October. Through photos and stories, he will recount some of his favorite memories at Sandy Ridge and his recent trip to Hog Island Audubon Camp in Maine courtesy of the Audubon Society. The program is free and open to the public. • The Wellington Community Chorus will perform a free Christmas concert at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the First Congregational United Church of Christ, 140 S. Main St., Wellington. The concert will feature solos, duet, piano and full chorus numbers with an appearance by the Grinch. There will also be Christmas carols for adults and kids. Tuesday-Wednesday The Lorain Public Library System's North Ridgeville branch will host a gingerbread house workshop 6-7:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday. Families are welcome to create a graham cracker house decorated with icing and candy. We ask each family to bring a box of graham crackers and candy to build their own house and a bag of candy to share with everyone. The library will supply the rest of the materials. Intended for ages 2 and older. Preregistration required. Wednesday • The Avon-Avon Lake Republican Club will meet for breakfast at 8 a.m. Wednesday at Sugar Creek Restaurant, 5196 Detroit Road, Sheffield. Charles Giunto, board member of Ohio Value Voters, will speak. Attendees are responsible for their meals. • The Indigenous Peoples Day Committee will hold a free viewing and discussion of "Reciprocity Project: Season One" at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Oberlin Public Library. Facing a climate crisis, the Reciprocity Project embraces Indigenous value systems. This short film series and multimedia platform invites learning from Indigenous ways of being. Storytellers and community partners created films in response to the question, "What does 'reciprocity' mean to your community?" • The Lorain Public Library System's Main Library in downtown Lorain will host "Empathy Today: Common Myths and Mysteries of Seasonal Depression" from 2-3 p.m. Wednesday. Learn about the myths and mysteries of seasonal depression. Preregistration required. Patrons can register for events at LorainPublicLibrary.org/events. Thursday • The Oberlin Public Library board will meet at 5 p.m. Thursday at the library. A regular meeting will be followed by a 2023 organizational meeting. Both are open to the public. • The Avon-Avon Lake Republican Club Christmas party will be held at 5 p.m. Thursday at Father Ragan Knights of Columbus Hall, 1783 Moore Road, Avon. It will feature visits by Santa; State Rep. Gayle Manning, R-North Ridgeville; State Sen. Nathan Manning, R-North Ridgeville; candidate for Lorain County commissioner Jeff Riddell; and Summit County Magistrate Scot Stevenson. Snacks and refreshments will be available. The cost for guests is $5. • The McCormick Middle School and Wellington High School bands will perform holiday concerts at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Patricia Lindley Center for the Performing Arts. Saturday, Dec. 10 • The annual Empty Mugs event, hosted by Oberlin Community Services and the Oberlin Pottery Co-op, will be held from 1-4 p.m. Saturday at the First Church in Oberlin, 106 N. Main St. It will feature a free concert from 1-2:30 p.m. by the Oberlin Conservatory of Music's Smokin' Brass Band and Oberlin Choristers. An assortment of local, handmade pottery will be sold from 2:30-4 p.m., with all proceeds going to support OCS. There will also be food and hot drinks. • A celebration of all things "Grinch" will be held at 11 a.m. Dec. 10 at the Amherst Public Library. Little Who friends of all ages are invited to enjoy crafts, snacks and themed entertainment. Be on the lookout for the Grinch sneaking around in the library, and be sure to snag a picture with him. Attendees are encouraged to dress up like residents of Whoville in ugly holiday sweaters and comfy pajamas. • The Lorain Public Library's Columbia branch will host a Nutcracker Tea Party at 1-2 p.m. Dec. 10. The Cleveland Ballet will perform vignettes from the holiday classic "The Nutcracker." After the performance, snap a photo with a ballerina and create a variety of festive crafts. Tea and sweet treats will be served. Preregistration required at LorainPublicLibrary.org/event. Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 10-11 The 25th anniversary of the Breath of Heaven live Nativity will be held 4-8 p.m. Dec. 10 and Dec. 11, at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 15617 Mason Road, Vermilion. An Oberlin tradition of many years before moving to Vermilion, the free event tells the Biblical story of Jesus' birth. Dramatic presentations begin every 15 minutes. Sunday, Dec. 11 Windjammer Big Band Holiday Concert will be 2-4 p.m. Dec. 11 at the Lorain Public Library's North Ridgeville branch. The band will be showcasing a variety of holiday and traditional jazz music. Preregistration required at LorainPublicLibrary.org/event.