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Neighbors | Zack Shively.The Winter Celebration nights events on Saturday nights in December at the Davis Center included a light display throughout Fellows Riverside Gardens.
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Neighbors | Zack Shively.Mill Creek Metroparks set up a number of games in the basement of the Davis Center for the Saturday night winter celebrations. The games included a spelling game, bingo and giant Jenga.
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Neighbors | Zack Shively.Mill Creek Metroparks organized a winter celebration based around the theme of a toyland. During all open hours in December, families could visit the center and play games. They also had a special night event every Saturday night to celebrate the holidays.
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Neighbors | Zack Shively.The Davis Center had an area set up for children to play with building blocks as a part of their toyland theme. Pictured, Dan Johnson watches his son Flynn play with the blocks.
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Neighbors | Zack Shively.Visitors enjoyed walking the holiday tree walk in the Davis Center throughout December. Community organizations decorated trees to be placed along the walk. Pictured are trees from the YMCA and Mahoning Valley Therapy Pets.
By ZACK SHIVELY
Mill Creek Metroparks had a special “Toyland“ holiday celebration at the D.D. and Velma Davis Education & Visitor Center throughout December.
The Davis Center had areas where families could play during the open hours of the building. The Mill Creek workers and volunteers set up giant toy soldiers like those from “The Nutcracker” in their toyland, which they filled with building blocks, board games and a train set.
The park also organized a holiday tree walk and scavenger hunt. Organizations throughout the community decorated different plastic Christmas trees for the holiday tree walk. Families walked through the different areas of the Davis Center to see all of the holiday trees. They designed the scavenger hunt for children to find different areas of the Davis Center.
The Davis Center opened for special hours each Saturday night throughout December for their “Winter Celebration Nights.“ These special hours operated in the same way as their toyland celebration, but they had more games, a light display and hot chocolate from Kravitz Garden Caf at a discount price.
Lynn Zocolo said they wanted the winter celebrations to offer “a free, family fun event.“
Mill Creek volunteers set up more games in the basement of the Davis Center. These “reindeer games,” as the park referred to them, included a giant Jenga set, ring tosses and a Christmas bingo game. They also had a craft that the children could complete for a dollar donation.
The park also decorated Fellows Riverside Gardens with Christmas lights. The light display extended from the Davis Center to the water fountain in the garden and extended down the walkways connecting the fountain, gazebo and pavilion. The pavilion and gazebo and a couple trees along the walkway had lights displayed on them as well.