Christmas…in July?

You may not see pretty little snowflakes or fluffy white snow when you look around, but you will see people celebrating Christmas. If you haven’t caught on yet, Christmas in July has become a fun and very special tradition right here in Cleveland Plus.

And, really, what’s not to love about this newly created holiday? Restaurants, bars and attractions are all getting into the holiday spirit by serving holiday food, creating Christmas-themed promotions, showing holiday cartoons and even offering the opportunity to meet Santa Claus himself!

So, for all you Christmas lovers out there, get your ho-ho-ho on in Cleveland Plus by caroling to some classics, tipping back a frothy mug of Christmas ale and noshing on delectable Christmas cookies that we won’t see again until December.

It’s time to say “Feliz Navidad” this Christmas in July:

A Christmas Story House & Museum

A Christmas Story House
Open year round, check website for hours
3159 W 11th St Cleveland, OH 44109
www.achristmasstoryhouse.com,   216.298.4919
If you’re in the Christmas spirit, get to A Christmas Story House, open year-round, which features movie memorabilia and the opportunity to meet actor Ian Petrella who played Ralphie’s little brother, Randy, in the classic Christmas film.

Buckeye Beer Engine
July 23-25
15315 Madison Ave, Lakewood, OH 44107
www.buckeyebeerengine.com, 216.226.2337
Join Buckeye Beer Engine as they serve a plethora of Christmas ales including Lagunitas Brown Sugga, Sierra Nevada, Troeg’s Mad Elf and Weyerbacher Winter Ale to name just a few.

Christmas in July Classic Car/Motorcycle & Craft Show
July 30, 10am-4pm
425 Crestview Drive Boardman, OH 44512
www.wbbgfm.com/pages/cruisin_news.html
Bethel Lutheran Youth Group is putting on its annual Christmas in July event, The Classic Car/Motorcycle & Craft Show.  Experience great food, raffles, a DJ, auction and other fun activities with your friends and family.

The Holiday Inn: A Christmas Story House and Museum Celebrates the Season All Year Around

Nearly everyone has watched A Christmas Story on a lazy December 25, surrounded by family, food, and a big Douglas fir. It’s a Christmas classic, and it’s also a Cleveland classic. The house where much of the 1983 movie was filmed is right on West 11th Street.

“The house is a family fun place and the ultimate destination for any movie fan,” says Steve Siedlecki, executive director. “We offer guided tours that educate fans on why the film producers chose Cleveland and this particular house and once inside, fans get a chance to act out their favorite scenes by crawling under the kitchen sink like Randy, decoding their own secret message or getting a quick feel of the leg lamp in the front window.”

A Christmas Story house, museum and gift shop are open Thursday through Sunday year round, but its popularity really soars during the holidays, starting November 26-27 when A Christmas Story Convention beckons diehard film fans to town. Around 4,000 conventioneers will celebrate the movie with two days of big group screenings and documentaries, house tours, gift shop sprees, fire truck rides and a cocktail reception with many of the actors–Randy, Flick, Scut Farkus, Gover Dill, Miss Shields and the two Higbee Elves. They also get to meet the house historians, who are pure Christmas enthusiasts.

“Our staff is made up of fans of the movie, who are energetic, knowledgeable, and are here to make your A Christmas Story dreams come true,” says Siedlecki. “There is not a day that goes by that people don’t mention that the movie was like a mirror image of their own childhood. They relate to the time period, getting their tongue stuck to a flag pole or being bundled up in a snowsuit. We feel it is important because we ourselves are able to relate to the movie just like all the other fans.”

For more information on A Christmas Story House, museum tours, and the big convention, visit www.achristmasstoryhouse.com or call 216.298.4919. Take a photo tour here. — Submitted by Keith Gribbins, guest blogger

Sweeties for your Sweetie

b. a. Sweetie Candy Company located near Cleveland, Ohio is the largest candy store in the United States. It is candy heaven. For kids it’s the stuff dreams are made of, for adults it’s a trip back to childhood. With more than 300,000 pounds of candy you’d be hard pressed to dream up a type of candy they don’t carry. With Valentine’s Day coming, I thought it a good idea to share with you the sugary happiness of Sweeties.  

The candy company is housed in a 14,000 square foot location tucked away inconspicuously in a small shopping plaza on Brookpark Road in the city of Brooklyn, about a 15-minute drive from downtown Cleveland. They carry everything from popular national brands to hard-to-find regional and local candies, so you’ll find both newly-released products and the retro candy you ate when you were a kid (think Chick-O-Sticks, candy cigarettes, Black Jack licorice gum, Razzles, Fun Dip and Mallo Bars). Bulk candy, baking chocolate, battery-operated spinning suckers, bags of sugary banana heads . . . the list goes on and on.

Check it out for yourself and don’t forget to pick up something special for that someone special. –Submitted by CA

Sandusky State Theater

Open since 1928, the Sandusky State Theatre is an area landmark and popular entertainment venue in Erie County. Nestled at the edge of Lake Erie in family-friendly Sandusky, or “Vacationland USA,” the theatre shares a city with other popular attractions including Cedar Point Amusement Park, Kalahari Resort, Great Wolf Lodge, Ghostly Manor and Castaway Bay.

The historic establishment wears many hats serving as a vaudeville theatre of sorts, movie palace and a performing arts center. Guests enjoy waterfront views and professional performances as well as gourmet dinner with full-service bar before most shows.

Christmas is an important holiday at the State which is evidenced by Christmas in the City, its year-round Christmas gift shop. Preparation for the State’s annual holiday celebration begins well in advance, taking about a year to coordinate. Upon completion, the theatre houses the world’s largest Santa collection, dozens of decorated trees and wreaths and 12 fully-animated windows depicting Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Popular ways to enjoy the Festival of Trees include dessert at The State and/or high tea and lunch or dinner in The State Room. This year’s holiday shows include “Christmas in Vienna” with the Vienna Boy’s Choir (December 2), “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” (December 5-6), Moscow Ballet’s “The Great Russian Nutcracker” (December 9) and “Holiday Hop” (December 18). 

Coming this spring to The Sandusky State Theatre are “Finnegan’s Farewell”, an interactive musical comedy dinner show, and “The Awesome ’80s Prom.”

The Sandusky State Theatre is located at 107 Columbus Avenue. Call 877.626.1950 or visit www.sanduskystate.com for more information or to purchase tickets. 

Take a photo tour of The Sandusky State Theatre here. –Submitted by CA

EDITOR’S NOTE: For more information on Sandusky, visit Lake Erie Shores & Islands cvb’s website.

Lights. Camera. Christmas!

A Higbee's department store window display restored by Mark Klaus.

Mark Klaus is an ornament designer from Seven Hills who sells his own hand sculpted designs on QVC. He and his wife Dana have collected holiday movie memorabilia including props, costumes, promotional posters and more for years. In 2008, Klaus made his personal collection public by debuting “Holly”wood Christmas Movieland. So popular in its first year, Klaus’s creation has already expanded to become a 6,000 square-foot seasonal exhibition.  In it, Klaus makes a little festive movie magic with indoor snow demonstrations and elaborate displays focused on films like The Grinch (you’ll love the cans of “Who Hash”) and Miracle on 34th Street. New this year, visitors can walk in the footsteps of penny-pinching Scrooge himself. “Mark is creating an entire London street around A Christmas Carol with Patrick Stewart,” explains Dana Klaus. “We have ten or so costumes from the 1999 film.”  

I visited “Hollly”wood Christmas Movieland in 2008 and 2009. It’s grown quite a bit in the year, with costumes on loan from A Christmas Story House (like Randy Parker’s snowsuit or the servers’ uniforms from the Chinese restaurant in the cult classic holiday film) and a window display from Higbees, one of Clevelanders favorite downtown department stores back in the day. And what would Christmas memories be without the presents we all coveted as kids? “Holly”wood Christmas Movieland has an “I Had That!” display of vintage and collectible toys that includes so each generation can remember their “must have” plaything whether that be a Chatty Cathy doll or Rock ‘Em, Sock ‘Em robots.  “The holiday season was huge when we were young,” exclaims an enthusiastic Klaus. “We want to bring back that excitement and those annual traditions and, well, we just want to make people feel good.”

Ring from "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (2000) starring Jim Carrey.

The family operated “Holly”wood Christmas Movieland is at Great Northern Mall in North Olmsted and it follows holiday mall hours, November 1 – January 15. For more information on visiting the cheer-filled attraction, group packages (for 15 or more) and affordable corporate gatherings, visit christmasmovieland.com.  Like hot cocoa and whipped cream, this new attraction is the perfect complement to a trip to A Christmas Story House and Museum.–Submitted by SF

EDITOR’S NOTE: For more photos, click here. To see a video about several holiday attractions including “Holly”wood Christmas Movieland, click here.

A Christmas Story House

The Cleveland holiday season wouldn’t be complete without a visit to A Christmas Story House and Museum.

We’ve all seen the cult classic holiday movie A Christmas Story and most of us can quote at least one line (my favorite being inappropriate for this blog), so what better way to get in the holiday spirit than to visit the home of Ralphie Parker and his family?Located in Cleveland’s Tremont neighborhood (just minutes from downtown), guests get a tour of Ralphie’s home (well, the restored house where the move was filmed) plus a look at original movie props and behind-the-scenes pictures in the accompanying museum.

Some fun facts and important info:

- The museum recently welcomed its 100,000th visitor.

- Museum officials allow you to pose under the kitchen sink (like Randy Parker) for a picture.

- Purchase tickets at the gift shop across the street and pick up your own “major award” while you’re there.

- The leg lamp is always lit in the front window of the house like a “beacon,” so it’s hard to miss!

- And yes, you can touch the leg lamp.

For more information about A Christmas Story House and Museum visit www.achristmasstoryhouse.com.  –Submitted by CA

Candy Warehouse Is Just So Sweet

Sweeties Candy (7480 Brookpark Road, 216.739.2244) has gone through big changes since it started in 1950 as Bag-A-Sweet Candy, a store that delivered candy to local distributors. After branching out into area shopping malls in the ’80s, the company returned to a single storefront by the early ’90s. Now, the place is preparing to expand into the offices next door so that it will occupy a total of 18,000 square feet of retail space. “We need so much space and as much as we get once the expansion is done, it’ll be filled and we’ll probably be saying that we’re out of space again,” says vice president Judi Scheiman.

The family-run business offers a wild assortment of candies, including retro ones from the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. Shoppers can choose from a wall of PEZ dispensers, grab some wax lips, power down some Pixy Stix or savor a few gourmet jelly beans. “We go through different brokers,” Scheiman says. “We buy from 125 manufacturers, but we try to stick to things made in America. We want to support our country, but it’s hard because a lot of things are being made out of the country.” Sweeties’ clients include the hotel industry and food and beverage manufacturers and local restaurants that know the store has items they can’t find elsewhere. Expect to see an assortment of seasonal items for Halloween and Christmas (and, to a lesser extent, Valentine’s Day), making the stock appear even more impressive. “Because we have such a variety and so much of it and it’s stacked on the racks to the ceiling, people are amazed,” Scheiman says. “We just try to get as many fun items as we can.” – Submitted by Jeff Niesel

Trolley Good Fun

Cleveland has many attractions that sparkle during the holidays. Visit the Cleveland Play House Festival of Trees, Winterfest at Public Square or famous venues like Tower City Center and the Arcade to see the lights, décor and majesty of the holiday season. Catch it all by taking a Holiday Lights Ride on a Lolly the Trolley tour.

“Our Holiday Lights Rides have become an annual family tradition for thousands of Clevelanders,” says Sherrill Paul Witt, president of Trolley Tours. “This is our 25th holiday season and people never seem to tire of riding comfortably on a heated and enclosed trolley to see the city lights and to learn about our wonderful city.”

Will Ferrell's costume from "Elf" at Hollywood Christmas Movieland

When it comes to city explorations, the Trolley Tours of Cleveland and its famous cheery red Lolly the Trolley cars specialize in locating great local destinations, especially during the holidays. Take the Tinsel Tales and Trees Tour or the Silver Bells Tour (the two most popular) and enjoy great narrated, one-hour city sightseeing journeys featuring the past, present and future of Cleveland while viewing the area’s brilliant lights displays. Sign up for the Mark Klaus’ Hollywood Christmas Movieland Tour and enjoy the area’s coolest, new film museum of authentic props, costumes and production-still photographs from your favorite Christmas films.

And if you really like movies, consider “A Christmas Story” Tour too, visiting the famous house in Tremont where parts of the movie were filmed. Year-round, Lolly the Trolley navigates the nooks and crannies of Cleveland, touring downtown, North Coast Harbor, the Warehouse District, Ohio City, PlayhouseSquare, University Circle and nearly all of Cleveland’s must-see attractions. Public Holiday Lights Rides run from December 4 to the 27.  Prices vary for each tour, but range from $14-$22 according to the public tour chosen. Private charters are also available. Just call Lolly the Trolley at 216.771.4484 or go online to www.lollytrolley.com. –Submitted by Keith Gribbins

Shop Local, Cleveland-centric Holiday Gifts (12.18.08)

I have seen pleas from shopkeeps at great local stores like City Buddha and Big Fun for shoppers to keep the “little guy” in mind this winter. And, I have been asked by a number of people for Cleveland-centric gift ideas. This, to me, sounds like the perfect marriage.

Brainstorming, here are a 15 ideas:

1. A gift certificate from Cleveland Independents. This is a great idea. Who doesn’t love food? This promotional group of independently-owned area restaurants includes Great Lakes Brewing Company, Lago, Melt Bar & Grilled, Nighttown, Paladar, Sergio’s SARAVA and many others. Now you can purchase a single gift certficate in any denomination, print it at home and use it at the restaurant of your choice.

Ohio City Singers–White Cleveland Christmas (12.03.08)

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From the earnestness of Little Drummer Boy to the hookiness of Feliz Navidad, we all hear the same holiday tunes covered year after year, be it by overly-produced American Idol contestants, pop stars or even The Muppets. By and large the seasonal standards remain popular and very few of the new songs stay in the annual rotation. But here’s something I truly believe is accessible and enjoyable for even the most jaded holiday music listeners this season . . . an upbeat, catchy original album of festive tunes by a multigenerational “supergroup” of Cleveland Plus musicians.

Chris Allen leads the troops on The Ohio City Singers‘ new CD “Love and Hope.” Although a young guy, Allen has been kicking around the music scene for quite some time. He was recently named Best Male Cleveland Songwriter by Cleveland Scene Magazine. He fronted the acclaimed group Rosavelt and has performed with the likes of other rock stars spawned from Northeast Ohio like The Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde, DEVO and The Black Keys. For “Love and Hope,” Allen teamed up with famed songwriter/musician/producer Don Dixon (who lives in these parts) and an array of musicians from area including Doug McKean, Walkin’ Cane, Kelly Wright, Tom Prebish, Chris Hanna, Brent Kirby, Marti Jones, Mark Stepro and Bobby Latina. The project was sponsored with help from Cleveland-based Medical Mutual of Ohio.