STATEHOUSE NEWS

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Visitors are invited to tour, shop and sing their way through Capitol Square this December at the Ohio Statehouse. The December celebration will include special holiday tours, concerts and the annual Tree Lighting and Holiday Festival.

Tree Lighting and Holiday Festival
The Ohio Statehouse will hold its Tree Lighting and Holiday Festival on Monday, December 3. The free and public event will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Guests will welcome Santa when he arrives at the Ohio Statehouse at 5:30 p.m. on the West Plaza lawn (High Street side). For children and adults of all ages, the family-friendly festival will also include holiday music sung by a variety of choirs, a Santa and Mrs. Claus photo station, activities, games, displays, special performances, refreshments and much more!

Refreshments are courtesy of Tim Horton’s, the Heartland Council of the Girl Scouts, the Ohio Statehouse exclusive caterers and Cabot Creamery.


Unique Holiday Gifts and Candy Cane Sale
The Statehouse Museum Shop, located on the ground floor of the Ohio Statehouse, specializes in unique holiday gifts with an Ohio or political theme. Most gifts are made by Ohio artists or businesses, and many items are exclusive to the Museum Shop. Gifts range from wine and pottery to lapel pins and clothing. The Museum Shop is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Gifts can also be purchased online at www.statehouseshop.com.

Ohio Statehouse visitors are invited to stop by the Statehouse Museum Shop during the annual “Candy Cane Sale,” December 3 to 8. Visitors will have an opportunity to draw a candy cane and receive a discount from 10 to 40 percent off their entire purchase of unique, Ohio merchandise made by Ohio artists and businesses.

The following exclusions do apply: Wine, Consignment Items, Rookwood Pottery tiles, Ohio Statehouse: A Building for the Ages, indoor flag sets and all Statehouse Holiday Ornaments. Not to be combined with any other discounts. Sale limited to quantities on hand.


Holiday Tours Featuring Victorian Decorations
The holidays are a perfect time for visiting friends and family to take a trip to the People’s House for a holiday tour on Capitol Square. Guests are invited to “step back in time” during a free guided tour of the 1861 Statehouse and see holiday decorations the way they were in Victorian times. Walk-in tours of the Statehouse meet in the Map Room, easily accessible from the Third Street entrance, on the hour on weekdays at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., and weekends at noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. There will be no noon tour during weekdays due to the free noon holiday performances. The Statehouse will be closed on December 25 in observance of Christmas and January 1 in observance of New Year’s Day.

Free Noon Holiday Performances
Visitors are invited to enjoy the holiday season with free lunch-time concerts. Weekdays from December 4 to December 18, Ohio musical groups are scheduled to perform songs of the season at noon in the Museum Gallery on the ground floor of the Ohio Statehouse. The concerts are free and open to the public.

Scheduled musical performances include:

Dec. 4 Westland High School Galloway, Ohio
Dec. 5 Hamilton Twp. High School Columbus, Ohio
Dec. 6 Eastmoor Academy Columbus, Ohio
Dec. 7 Grove City Christian School Grove City, Ohio
Dec. 10 Johnstown-Monroe High School Johnstown, Ohio
Dec. 11 Jackson Center High School Jackson Center, Ohio
Dec. 12 FCI Kindergarten Village Columbus, Ohio
Dec. 13 Kenton Ridge High School Springfield, Ohio
Dec. 14 Lancaster High School Lancaster, Ohio
Dec. 17 Centennial High School Columbus, Ohio
Dec. 18 Northside Christian School Westerville, Ohio

High resolution Ohio Statehouse holiday images are available at: http://www.ohiostatehouse.org/Multimedia/MediaLibrary/Collection.aspx?start=1&collectionId=107879.

To view this press release and others, visit www.ohiostatehouse.org.

The Ohio Statehouse is more than a monument to our past; it's where history happens! The Ohio Statehouse is open weekdays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.; weekends from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed holidays. The Ohio Statehouse Museum is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; weekends from noon to 4 p.m.; closed holidays. Admission is free. Free guided tours are offered weekdays on the hour from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and weekends from noon to 3 p.m. Tours depart from the Map Room easily accessible from the Third Street entrance. Groups of 10 or more are requested to call in advance to ensure a guide is available. Contact 888/OHIO-123 for more information or to schedule a group tour. For more information about the Ohio Statehouse visit www.ohiostatehouse.org.

The Ohio Statehouse is handicapped accessible and senior friendly. The Capitol Square complex was restored to allow for greater access by individuals living with disabilities. Ohio Statehouse public programs and events are held in accessible and barrier free areas of the building so that everyone can participate. Ohio Statehouse visitors needing disability-related accommodations in order to fully participate in an event may contact the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board at statehouse@csrab.state.oh.us or 614/752-9777 to communicate special needs. Please allow three weeks for arrangements to be completed.

The Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board (CSRAB) is responsible for maintaining the historic character of the Statehouse and Capitol Square while providing for the health, safety and convenience of those who work in or visit the complex. The Ohio Statehouse Museum Education Center coordinates tours of Capitol Square and provides information about the buildings, their history and Ohio's government.

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