Ohio City Holiday Festival and Light Up Lakewood

Many cities have already celebrated the start of the Christmas season with tree lighting ceremonies and holiday-themed events. But a few cities are waiting until the start of December to kick off the holiday season. Ohio City and Lakewood are two of these cities, and both towns will be welcoming hundreds of visitors this weekend as they ring in the holiday season.

Saturday's events start out with the Ohio City Holiday Festival in Market Square. Market Avenue will be closed to traffic and instead of being filled with cars, the street will be filled with vendors selling holiday goods, chocolates and ornaments. Horse and carriage rides will be available to patrons, and a select assortment of Christmas trees will be available for purchase. When you're done shopping, head over to Great Lakes Brewing Co. for a pint of Christmas ale.

Ohio City Holiday Festival hours:
Saturday, Dec. 1 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.


The festivities continue into the evening with the annual Light Up Lakewood event. Light Up Lakewood is the city's annual Christmas lighting ceremony and holiday kickoff. The event starts at 5 p.m. with a parade on Detroit Avenue. The attention then shifts to Lakewood Hospital for the lighting of the hospital grounds and a fireworks show. The evening concludes with musical performances, screening of holiday movies on a big screen at the Lakewood library, and the selling of goods by a number of street vendors.

Light Up Lakewood hours:
Saturday, Dec. 1 from 5-8 p.m.

Both events are free and open to the public.

For more information, visit Ohio City and Arts In Ohio.

Little Italy Holiday Art Walk

The holiday season is officially here! Over the next month, shoppers will be racing to malls and department stores to try to find the perfect gifts for their friends and families. If you're looking to avoid some of the madness and chaos that ensues at these malls, take some time to shop at Little Italy this weekend during their Holiday Art Walk.

Little Italy, located right outside Case Western Reserve University, is known for its traditional Italian food and fine selection of art sold within more than 20 boutiques that line the street. Art Walks are hosted throughout the year and showcase the unique items available for purchase in Little Italy.

The Holiday Art Walk is special in that many of the stores and boutiques bring in holiday and seasonal items that are not available the rest of the year. Many of these boutiques will also be offering discounts and special sales on items. Plus, the stores are known to be stocked with seasonal cookies, wine and hot chocolate for patrons to snack and sip on while they browse around.

Many of the restaurants in Little Italy will also take part in the Art Walk, offering deals such as happy hour specials or free appetizers.

Little Italy Holiday Art Walk hours:
Friday, Nov. 30 from noon-9 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 1 from noon-9 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 2 from noon-6 p.m.

For more information about what Little Italy has to offer, visit Little Italy Cleveland.

Cleveland Turkey Trot

Thanksgiving is a day to spend with family and friends, expressing gratitude for everything we have in our lives. But for those of you who are looking to spend Thanksgiving morning doing something different, or for those who want to burn off some extra calories before the big meal, sign up for the Cleveland Turkey Trot.

The Turkey Trot is an annual race on Thanksgiving Day in downtown Cleveland. The race begins and ends at the Galleria, and includes a 5-mile and 1-mile course. All participants will receive a free t-shirt, and the top three overall male and female finishers will receive special awards. Random awards will also be distributed throughout the race to various runners.

A new addition to the race this year is a costume contest. Participants are encouraged to dress up in wacky and silly costumes to wear while running the race. Judges placed secretly throughout the course will snap photos of their favorite costumed runners and the best costume winner will be announced on Facebook.

Online registration is available until Monday, Nov. 19 at 7 a.m. Registration costs $25 per person. Runners may also sign up on race day for $30.

Registration opens at 7:30 a.m. on race day (Thursday, Nov. 22). The 1-mile race kicks off at 8:45 a.m. with the 5-mile run following at 9:30 a.m.

To learn more about the race, or to view registration packet pick-up locations, visit Turkey Trot Road Race.

Compassion From Fashion

What do you get when you mix fashion with charity? One of Beachwood Place's biggest events of the year.

Compassion From Fashion is an annual event that brings together food, fashion and fundraising. The event, which is held this Saturday at Beachwood Place, raises money for The Gathering Place, a community-based cancer support center, and UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital.

Each ticket purchase will gain you a night of free food catered by Maggiano's Little Italy, exclusive shopping discounts, a cash bar and a $10 Beachwood Place Mall Shop Etc. mall gift card. The night will also include a live runway fashion show featuring cancer survivors, UH Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital families and celebrity models.

Various stores throughout the mall will provide select discounts and special offers during the evening for ticket holders.

Tickets to the event are $25 presale and $30 at the door. One hundred percent of the ticket proceeds will go toward the above charities. Presale tickets can be purchased online.

Compassion From Fashion hours:
Saturday, Nov. 17 from 5-9 p.m.

For more information about this event, visit Compassion From Fashion.

Northeast Ohio Trick-or-Treat Times

Due to the harsh weather and devastating effects of Hurricane Sandy, cities across Northeast Ohio decided to postpone trick-or-treating this past Wednesday.

But never fear candy seekers! Numerous cities have rescheduled their trick-or-treat times for this weekend.

The weather is also looking to cooperate this weekend, which is perfect for trick-or-treaters as they wander from house to house in search of treats.

To view the trick-or-treat times for your city, browse the list courtesy of Fox 8 Cleveland.