Coventry Village plans Dec. 14 holiday festival

Coventry Claus will pose for pictures. Photos courtesy Coventry Village SID.

The Coventry Village neighborhood will host a free, family-friendly holiday festival from 11 a.m. to midnight on Saturday, Dec. 14.  

Events include free movies, music performances, children’s activities, an appearance from Mr. Jingeling and, of course, shopping in one-of-a-kind stores that carry unique gifts and offer an intimate shopping experience.

"We haven't had an official Coventry Village Winter Holiday Festival before," said Steve Presser, owner of Big Fun.

"It's exciting for the Coventry Village merchants to throw a winter holiday festival for our customers and our neighbors," Presser said. "We're excited because of the variety and diversity of the events planned. The festival will entertain people of all ages and walks of life, as Coventry Village has successfully done for all these years." 

Free festival activities include pictures with Coventry Claus and his Merry Elves at The Houde School of Acting; an "Elf" movie marathon with holiday shorts at the Centrum Theater; live music performances from School of Rock and Classical Revolution Cleveland at the Grog Shop; and an Ugly Holiday Sweater Bar Crawl during evening hours.

Mr. Jingeling, an old Cleveland holiday favorite, will make an appearance from 4–7 p.m. at the former Phoenix Coffee location at the southwest end of the district.

Other featured events include craft areas for kids, a winter story time, a teen open-mic, community caroling, and two special performances of the Dylan Thomas classic, A Child’s Christmas in Wales. Story tellers and poets will roam the streets all day long, adding to the holiday atmosphere.

Individual merchants throughout the district are also planning their own activities. Visitors will find special shopping deals and discounts through limited edition Coventry Village Holiday Festival discount cards that will be distributed throughout the day—making it easier than ever to buy the kind of unique gifts that are a hallmark of Coventry Village shopping.

A complete schedule of events and specifics about merchant discounts is available at www.coventryvillage.org.

Angela Hetrick

Angela Hetrick is executive director of the Coventry Village Special Improvement District.

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Volume 6, Issue 12, Posted 10:49 AM, 12.02.2013