Dennison Christkindlmarket returns Nov. 22 with holiday shopping, music and family fun

Get in the Christmas spirit, shop, and enjoy holiday activities at the annual Christkindlmarket Nov. 22 from noon to 6 p.m. The event will be held on North Fourth Street in Dennison and is presented by the Twin Cities Farmers Market.

The festive, free, family-friendly event offers something for everyone to enjoy as the holiday season begins. Visitors can get a head start on their Christmas shopping with a wide variety of local vendors offering everything from artisan made gifts to locally raised meats and specialty products. Many favorite vendors will return this year along with some new vendors. Another fun activity will be the Dennison ice-skating rink.

Area businesses will promote their own specials and activities for the event. From 9-11 a.m. Breakfast with the Grinch will be held at the Over the Rail diner, noon to 4 p.m. Santa’s reindeer will be at Pangrazios Pizza, the Dennison Depot Railroad Musuem will be open from noon to 6 p.m., paint your own ornament with Olde Warehouse Ceramics at Claymont Public Library Dennison branch from noon to 4 p.m., cookie decorating at Timi’s Café from noon to 6 p.m., and the MHS Hardware Coloring Contest will be from noon to 3 p.m.

Organizers encourage everyone to enjoy food from local food trucks, or warm up with a drink featuring hot cocoa, coffees, beer, bourbon and traditional glühwein (mulled wine) made by the local Baltic Mill Winery.

“There are so many fun things,” Shana Angel of the Twin City Farmers Market committee said. “We have lots of artists and vendors with everything from local meat all the way to baked goods. And we've got craft makers. We've got somebody doing live greens arrangements for Christmas, which is so cool.”

There will also be small pies, cookies and bread and many other different artisans.

“Everything you need for Christmas gifts will be available there,” Angel said. “It's just going to be a great day to come out and spend time with your community and really get in the holiday spirit, because Dennison is such a Christmassy town. It's such a wonderful place to have to do Christmas things. It has a great Christmas aura. And I'm so excited to have this day to just kick off the holiday season and be ready to go, and you can get all of your Christmas shopping done early, which I enjoy.”

There are activities and live performances of music and dance all day.

“We’ll have a number of little campfires, like those smokeless fire stoves, and we're going to have s'mores so you can warm up by the fire. There will be two trackless train rides and photo opportunities to get some cute holiday pictures,” Angel said.

Performances at the Gazebo will feature Teddy Snyder at noon, Kelsey Moore at 2:30 p.m., and Zac Rusk at 4 p.m. The main stage will include the Ave Maria Choir from Immaculate Conception School at 1 p.m., Tuscarawas Philharmonic Children’s Chorus at 1:30 p.m., Indian Valley High School at 2 p.m., Studio S at 2:30 p.m., Melody and Motion School of Performing Arts at 3 p.m., Tuscarawas Central Catholic percussion at 4:30 p.m., Lacey Performing Arts Center at 5 p.m., and the Waterford Players and Claymont Drama Club at 5:30 p.m.

Angel is also a vendor at the event. Her family’s Angel Family Farm sells forest raised pork and pasture raised, grass fed and grass finished beef. She was pleased with the outcome of last year’s Christkindlmarket event.

“It was by far our most fun event of the year,” Angel said. She added that their booth was busy the entire time and they gained new customers.

Events like the Christkindlmarket are good for the entire area.

“Any time that community members can come together, celebrate together and support other local businesses, the community becomes stronger,” Angel said.

The committee hopes that everyone comes out and has a great time.

“We put a lot of heart into this event. We want people to love it as much as we do,” Angel said.

For more information, visit Twin Cities Farmers Market on Facebook or at their website, tcfarmersmarket.com.