TOLEDO — A Western-themed holiday show is riding into downtown Toledo next month. Christmas on Tour, featuring trick riders, aerial performers, comedy acts and Santa Claus, is scheduled to stop at Toledo’s Huntington Center on Nov. 13-14, according to a community announcement reported by The Monroe News.
The family-focused production will bring championship horse trick riders, aerial performers and a live nativity presentation to the arena at 500 Jefferson Ave., The Monroe News reported. Organizers said the show combines Western entertainment with Christmas-themed performances designed for audiences of all ages.
Organizers said championship horse riders who have competed at national world finals in Las Vegas will perform high-speed stunts in the arena, according to The Monroe News. The show also includes aerial performers described in the announcement as having toured with Cirque du Soleil, appearing above a live nativity scene.
For younger audience members, the production features a dancing snowman that interacts with children, the character Grumbleweed and Pooper Scooper the cowboy clown, The Monroe News reported. Santa Claus, a singing Santa, Mrs. Claus and dancing elves are also part of the show, and each child attending can receive a free Christmas on Tour coloring book.
Before each show, organizers plan to open a Cowboy Christmas marketplace. According to the announcement reported by The Monroe News, the shopping area will feature Ohio arts and crafts vendors alongside Western and holiday-themed businesses from Texas, Montana and other states, with Western gear, handmade gifts, wooden toys and holiday merchandise. One featured vendor is expected to offer more than 500 varieties of gourmet caramel apples.
Organizers said they plan to return to Toledo and expand the event in future years, with additional vendors, shopping opportunities and family activities, The Monroe News reported. Ohio artists, crafts makers and businesses interested in operating a booth at this year’s marketplace are still invited to apply.
The two Toledo dates, Nov. 13 and Nov. 14, put the show at the Huntington Center just as the downtown holiday season gets under way, and the marketplace gives Ohio makers a place in it alongside the out-of-state Western vendors, according to the announcement. For families, the format pairs an arena show — horses, aerial acts and the nativity — with shopping in the same trip, rather than asking parents to choose between the two.
Tickets are available through HuntingtonCenterToledo.com, ChristmasOnTour.com and Ticketmaster.com, according to The Monroe News. Doors open early on Nov. 13 and Nov. 14 for Cowboy Christmas shopping before the arena performances at the Huntington Center, 500 Jefferson Ave., Toledo.
Photo: Tony Webster, CC BY