Ushering in the Christmas season the safe way
So, are you opting for naughty or nice this Christmas?
This holiday season, the drinks will be flowing in Millersburg, but don’t expect any alcohol to be present at this party.
Now in its 10th year, the alcohol-free Holiday Happy Hour will take place on Thursday, Dec. 8, from 5:30-8 p.m., at the Millersburg Christian Church Life Center located on N. Washington Street in Millersburg. The public is invited to join in a festive event that will kick off the holiday season without alcohol, which makes it a perfect place to take the whole family. And perhaps best of all, this party is absolutely free of charge.
The theme for this year’s event is Naughty or Nice, and makes reference to the choices people can make when it comes to imbibing in alcohol and then choosing to get behind the wheel.
While mixed drinks will be on tap as the night’s feature event, these divine drinks will have all been created with the absence of alcohol, as area groups and businesses compete to create the tastiest mocktail.
Holiday Happy Hour is the combined effort of Holmes County Safe Communities, Your Human Resource Center and the Holmes County Prevention Coalition, and the night has been created to be a gala party atmosphere combined with a message.
“What we really want to promote is that people do have the option to do something different, and that parties don’t necessarily have to have alcohol to be fun,” said Suzanne Snyder of Your Human Resource Center. “There are plenty of options that are non–alcoholic, and one of the goals of this evening is to show people that you can have a great time without having alcohol present.”
Teams are already lining up for this unique event, and with former drinks featuring hot cider, as well as concoctions featuring peppermint, strawberry, chocolate mint and many more, the 10th edition of the Holiday Happy Hour is sure to be a sweet and savory pleaser.
The event is open to the public, and Snyder said that the more people they can get involved, the more it will be a joyous event.
“The more, the merrier,” said Snyder. “This is all about promoting being responsible, and it’s wonderful for our youth to see everyone having a great time without alcohol. It sets a good example. But we do have an awful lot of fun when we are here, and that is important too.”
In addition to the non-alcoholic drinks on display, where patrons can pick and choose from their favorites, there will also be a pair of drawings this year that will include some neat prizes. There will be a 50/50 drawing — what a perfect opportunity to get some extra spending cash for Christmas — as well as a raffle drawing featuring some great prizes like overnight stays at Carlisle Inn and The Hotel Millersburg, tickets to Snow Trails and more. In addition, there will be donated prizes from area businesses that will be raffled off every 15 minutes, with every patron receiving a ticket for those prizes.
Much of the money raised from the raffles will go to benefit a local family. While one has not been chosen yet, Snyder hopes to find a family that has been directly affected by a drunk driver.
“One of the things we wanted to do through this is support a family in the community,” said Snyder. “This event is equal parts fun, education and getting involved with the community.”
For the evening, there will be three awards given to the team participants. The Judge’s Choice award will be given via several area celebrities, the People’s Choice award will be given to the team who garners the most votes, and there will be an award for best table presentation.
As an added bonus, Santa Claus will make an appearance at 7 p.m., much to the delight of all of the children in attendance.
There will also be plenty of finger food on hand, making the free evening all the more enticing.
“We’ve got some big things planned for the evening,” said Snyder. “We’re always very excited to get youth involved with the process, too. It is such a great message for them to hear, and it’s even better when we can get them involved.”
The evening will include hors d’oeuvres, including meat and cheese trays, vegetables and salties.
“This event really has built up a nice partnership between our organizations, and within the community,” said Snyder. “We see a lot of the same faces year after year. Hopefully we will get a chance to see some new ones this year.”
If you or your business or organization would like to join in the festivities, you may get involved by calling Snyder at 330-264-9597, whether it is to present a drink or to provide items for the raffle.
This holiday season, the drinks will be flowing in Millersburg, but don’t expect any alcohol to be present at this party.
Now in its 10th year, the alcohol-free Holiday Happy Hour will take place on Thursday, Dec. 8, from 5:30-8 p.m., at the Millersburg Christian Church Life Center located on N. Washington Street in Millersburg. The public is invited to join in a festive event that will kick off the holiday season without alcohol, which makes it a perfect place to take the whole family. And perhaps best of all, this party is absolutely free of charge.
The theme for this year’s event is Naughty or Nice, and makes reference to the choices people can make when it comes to imbibing in alcohol and then choosing to get behind the wheel.
While mixed drinks will be on tap as the night’s feature event, these divine drinks will have all been created with the absence of alcohol, as area groups and businesses compete to create the tastiest mocktail.
Holiday Happy Hour is the combined effort of Holmes County Safe Communities, Your Human Resource Center and the Holmes County Prevention Coalition, and the night has been created to be a gala party atmosphere combined with a message.
“What we really want to promote is that people do have the option to do something different, and that parties don’t necessarily have to have alcohol to be fun,” said Suzanne Snyder of Your Human Resource Center. “There are plenty of options that are non–alcoholic, and one of the goals of this evening is to show people that you can have a great time without having alcohol present.”
Teams are already lining up for this unique event, and with former drinks featuring hot cider, as well as concoctions featuring peppermint, strawberry, chocolate mint and many more, the 10th edition of the Holiday Happy Hour is sure to be a sweet and savory pleaser.
The event is open to the public, and Snyder said that the more people they can get involved, the more it will be a joyous event.
“The more, the merrier,” said Snyder. “This is all about promoting being responsible, and it’s wonderful for our youth to see everyone having a great time without alcohol. It sets a good example. But we do have an awful lot of fun when we are here, and that is important too.”
In addition to the non-alcoholic drinks on display, where patrons can pick and choose from their favorites, there will also be a pair of drawings this year that will include some neat prizes. There will be a 50/50 drawing — what a perfect opportunity to get some extra spending cash for Christmas — as well as a raffle drawing featuring some great prizes like overnight stays at Carlisle Inn and The Hotel Millersburg, tickets to Snow Trails and more. In addition, there will be donated prizes from area businesses that will be raffled off every 15 minutes, with every patron receiving a ticket for those prizes.
Much of the money raised from the raffles will go to benefit a local family. While one has not been chosen yet, Snyder hopes to find a family that has been directly affected by a drunk driver.
“One of the things we wanted to do through this is support a family in the community,” said Snyder. “This event is equal parts fun, education and getting involved with the community.”
For the evening, there will be three awards given to the team participants. The Judge’s Choice award will be given via several area celebrities, the People’s Choice award will be given to the team who garners the most votes, and there will be an award for best table presentation.
As an added bonus, Santa Claus will make an appearance at 7 p.m., much to the delight of all of the children in attendance.
There will also be plenty of finger food on hand, making the free evening all the more enticing.
“We’ve got some big things planned for the evening,” said Snyder. “We’re always very excited to get youth involved with the process, too. It is such a great message for them to hear, and it’s even better when we can get them involved.”
The evening will include hors d’oeuvres, including meat and cheese trays, vegetables and salties.
“This event really has built up a nice partnership between our organizations, and within the community,” said Snyder. “We see a lot of the same faces year after year. Hopefully we will get a chance to see some new ones this year.”
If you or your business or organization would like to join in the festivities, you may get involved by calling Snyder at 330-264-9597, whether it is to present a drink or to provide items for the raffle.
Published: November 17, 2011
