North Side Christmas Activities

[Towntalk]

A local artist, who just returned from a six-month Air Force Reserve tour in Afghanistan, will have his work displayed at the Butler Institute of American Art in downtown Youngstown this weekend. December 1 - 2.

Bob Barko Jr. will feature his new collection of drawings as part of the Butler's 42nd annual holiday show, which runs Saturday and Sunday. It includes local and regional landmarks, including the Mahoning County Courthouse, McKinley Memorial and Mill Creek Park's gazebo.

[Towntalk]

Butler Institute of American Art

Arts & Crafts Show/Sale: American Holiday
The Butler Institute of American Art hosts its annual holiday craft show the first weekend in December. A members preview will be held November 30, and public days for the sale are December 1 & 2, 2012. Show opens at 10 am both days and runs through 5 pm Saturday, and 4 pm Sunday. Admission is $5 per person, children under 12 free. Proceeds from the event support Butler education programs and the Butler free admission policy. Call 330.743.1107, ext. 112 for information. To accommodate this special event, all permanent and special exhibits will close November 27 and reopen December 11.

[Towntalk]

Mahoning Valley Historical Society – Arms Museum

It's beginning to look a lot like a historical Christmas at the Arms Family Museum in downtown Youngstown.

The museum, located at 648 Wick Ave., just opened its "Memories of Christmas Past" exhibit. It's the fifth year for the display and it features seven different period rooms filled with vintage decorations like tree ornaments, lighting, toys and trains.

Museum organizers said it takes about a year to plan the show and a full month to put it together.

"These are items you won't see anywhere else. They're very rare or one-of-a-kind things. And to have them displayed in the museum setting, in a home, you would see them as they would have typically been displayed," said Leann Rich, education manager for the Arms Museum.

The display opens Saturday and runs through Jan. 6. It will be open from Tuesday through Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m.

Admission for the exhibit is $6 for adults, $5 for senior citizens and $4 for children ages 3 to 18, with children under 3 admitted free. Proceeds from the event help fund the educational and exhibit programs sponsored by the Mahoning Valley Historical Society.

Guests can get in for half price this weekend if they bring a canned good.