Thousands journey to Christmas Past at Mill Creek Park’s Lanterman’s Mill

By jeanne starmack

starmack@vindy.com

youngstown

Mill Creek MetroParks’ Olde Fashioned Christmas at the Mill had something for everyone.

“They have music,” said Jarret Shurilla, 9, of Poland. “They have food! I got a hot dog and a candy apple.”

“There was a guy who juggles,” Jarret’s friend P.J. Kostalas, also 9 and also of Poland, reminded him.

The two friends, sporting balloon animals on their heads, were at Lanterman’s Mill on Sunday afternoon during the annual weekend-long celebration of the start of the Christmas season. Their two moms, Debbie Shurilla and Jackie Kostalas, were tagging along.

“It’s something to look forward to on Thanksgiving weekend,” Debbie said.

“To get in the Christmas spirit,” Jackie added.

It was, actually, the anti-Black Friday weekend. There was a large crowd, but it wasn’t in any hurry. There were no stampedes or shoving matches. People stood or sat outside the mill, a historic landmark that was built in 1845 to grind grain, and talked, ate or watched Charles Hughes of Hubbard form nails out of low-carbon steel.

Hughes looked like an unassuming blacksmith, but inside the mill was the real story of his work.

Hughes is an artist — scultping tools, turtles, gardenscapes and fountains from metal. His sculptures are in two parks in Hubbard and have been in Fellows Riverside Gardens. He was featured on the cover of Southern Ohio Forge and Anvil, an important industry magazine, said his wife, Connie.

He was among several vendors who’d set up inside the mill with original designs and hand-crafted items that would never be available at Wal-Mart. Take that, Black Friday.

Read the full story Monday in The Vindicator and on Vindy.com.