Nutcrackers come alive TOURISM and LIFESTYLES
FRIDAY, FEB. 16, 2018
PROGRESS III - SECTION A
Staff photo
T h e S t e u b e n v i l l e N u t c r a c k e r V i l l a g e a n d A d v e n t M a r k e t w a s a n e x t r e m e l y p o p u l a r t o u r i s t a tt r a c t i o n d u r i n g t h e 2 0 1 7 h o l i d a y s e a so n . J u s t d u r i n g d o w n t o w n S t e u b e n v i l l e ’ s l i g h t - u p n i g h t e v e n t s , t h o u s a n d s o f v i s i to r s w e r e o n h a n d t o v i e w t h e 1 5 0 6 - f o o t n u t c r a c k e rs an d n u m er o us c h al e t s , e n j o y l iv e e n t er t a in m e nt a nd a f i r e w o r k s di s p la y an d t h e c e r em o n ia l l i g h t in g of t h e 3 0 - f o o t C h r is t m a s t r e e b y f o r m e r M a y o r D o m e n i c k M u c c i . T h e H i s t o r i c F o r t S t e u b e n s i te w a s p a c k e d m o s t d a ys d u r i n g t h e n u t c r a c k e r s e a so n , a c c o r d i n g t o o f f i c i a l s .
Events draw thousands to downtown Steubenville By PAUL GIANNAMORE Staff writer STEUBENVILLE — What started as an idea for something different and new has turned into a tourism draw that is bringing thousands of people into the city for the holiday season. The Advent Market and Nutcracker Village at Historic Fort Steuben started out three years ago as a collaboration between the fort and Nelson Fine Art and Gifts of Steubenville to bring excitement to the holidays downtown. It brought 35,000 visitors in its third season. “We kept it low key that first year and didn’t advertise,” said Judy Bratten, executive director of His-
toric Fort Steuben. “We really didn’t know what we were doing,” quipped Jerry Barilla, fort board president and now mayor of Steubenville. “We really started with 18 nutcrackers, and then Mark Nelson had the open house and it ballooned to 35, but we had no idea what this was going to become.” What it has become is a holiday phenomenon, with more than 150 nutcrackers resembling people from Clark Kent and Lois Lane to a Le Mans race car driver and various celebrities, individuals and local football teams. There’s even a singing Dean Martin. Bratten recalled that the first year there were “wires running all over the place,” and the lighting had
overrun the fort site’s electrical capacity. “But we were stunned at the response. After the Christmas parade that year, it was a beautiful afternoon and we had 3,000 people on the streets. And, everyone headed here,” she recalled. There was a crowd walking on the streets during the holidays downtown, something that hadn’t been true in many years, and people commented to Bratten about it, some in tears as they remembered the good old days. “People remembered Saturday afternoons back in the heyday. The streets would be packed like that,” Barilla said. So, a far more organized and professional display has emerged, creating a
holiday wonderland destination for visitors. With help from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, M&M Hardware, the Jefferson County JVS, Cardello Electric, DiGregory’s Greenhouse and others, hoops for lights were made, wiring was improved and a donated 30-foot tree was rewired and LED lights were installed for the trees and displays. Community sponsors signed on. “The chalets from the Nelsons added a big dimension,” Barilla said of the Advent Marketplace. “People are able to buy locally made wares and foods.” A second 30-foot tree was added for the third year and the displays expanded into the adjacent
First Federal Land Office park. A map by the fort park’s fountain has push pins placed by visitors and reveals people came from Florida, California and Canada among other farflung destinations this past season. Barilla said the event has grown from one viewed when people come home to visit relatives at the holidays to a true tourist destination. Tour buses made stops during the past Christmas season, and the Nutcracker Village became the six-ranked holiday tourism attraction in Ohio, according to the state. “That’s really saying something, to have that happen in three years,” Barilla said. See NUTCRACKER Page 3A Á