Experience the Magic of Christmas at These Two Premiere Events
November in Belmont County wraps up with two signature holiday events that will put you in the Christmas spirit and leave you feeling as jolly as an elf!
1. Martins Ferry Winterfest: What began three years ago as part of an effort to help revitalize business in downtown Martins Ferry, Ohio has continued to grow into a holiday event with something for the entire family.
The Third Annual Martins Ferry Winterfest will be held Friday, Nov. 29th from 2-10 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 30th from 10-2 p.m. at the corner of 5th and Hanover streets. It will feature craft and food vendors, a beer garden, tree lighting, annual Christmas parade, jingle bell run, tournaments, live music featuring the Move Makers and others, children’s activities including Santa Claus at the North Pole, and more. For more information, call 740-633-2565 or visit www.ferryforward.org/winterfest
Santa Claus will be at the Martins Ferry Winterfest with (jingle) bells on!
Winterfest, as well as the Strawberry Festival in June, is sponsored by Project Forward, a non-profit 501-c3 corporation that is tasked to work on the economic redevelopment in downtown Martins Ferry.They work together for the revitalization of Martins Ferry and achieve it by hosting festivals and farmer’s markets to bring people into their town to see what they have to offer. By redevelopment of property, designing focus papers on various positions and marketing the area to potential businesses, Project Forward is helping to make the community thrive. Visit https://www.ferryforward.org for more information about this vibrant and vital organization.
2. The Magic of Christmas Tours (each weekend from Nov. 22- Dec. 22) – The Belmont County Victorian Mansion Museum, 532 N. Chestnut Street in Barnesville, hosts the annual tours in this elegant, 26-room mansion spectacularly decorated for the holidays.
Pictures and words really can’t describe the splendor of the mansion at Christmas. Every year volunteer decorators manage to outdo themselves. Personally, this will be my fifth year as part of a decorating team. So far I have decorated the ballroom, nursery, music room, front parlor, and the entry way and Inglenook. The two pictures below are from the entry way and Inglenook decorated by the Belmont County Tourism Council staff last year and the front parlor that we decorated the previous year. The tour really is worth taking more than once as it is difficult to see all the intricate and beautiful details in one visit. The museum volunteers also do a great job explaining the mansion’s history.
The museum will be open for tours each weekend through Dec. 22 beginning on Friday, Nov. 22 from 5-8 p.m., Saturday and Sunday from 1-4 p.m. and by appointment only after Dec. 23 through Jan. 6. Please call (740) 425-1457, 425-2228 or 695-0766 to schedule an appointment. Take a virtual tour with this video. https://vimeo.com/233839405/69300c060f?fbclid=IwAR0kYwluoWQrr5IzRrhYs1aHGLlrDPk2bMu9Oya3VQm-8Z8HFQlN5ohxwxo Visit https://belmontcountymuseum.com/christmasisamazing or https://www.visitbelmontcounty.com/events for more information.
