A new Brown County Tradition
ChristKindl
Market
December 3 & 4
The inaugural Brown County Christkindl Market will kick off Friday, December 3 with festive booths on Coachlight Square, live music, a tree lighting ceremony, tasty treats, and hot drinks.
Lisa Hall, a member of the event’ s steering committee, hopes the inaugural event will extend the tourist season and lift the community’ s spirits.
The event will center on Coachlight Square, but organizers expect vendors throughout the community to offer specials from hot chocolate, roasted nuts, and freeze-dried candy to jewelry, ornaments, candles, pottery, quilts, sculptures, paintings, and pumpkin spice soap.
Musical acts, decorations, the schedule, and recipes have been finalized.
Festivities will conclude on Saturday with the Light Parade starting at 6 p. m. and Brown County’ s Kara Barnard leading people in caroling at 7:15 p. m.
Hall conceived of the event and garnered the support of Gregory Fox and Mark Schmidt, who own the Nashville Spice Company. Schmidt has completed work on 16 7-foot-tall nutcrackers that will be displayed around town.
An angel will walk through Coachlight Square, and Santa and Mrs. Claus will welcome guests outside the Brown County Visitors Center.
Organizers have said the event will complement other Brown County holiday activities and will provide additional opportunities for local businesses. Schmidt and Fox, for example, will sell a special blend of spices to be mixed into a locally produced wine to be heated as a traditional German Glühwein, or mulled wine.
The C4 Columbus Area Career Connection Culinary Arts Program will provide holiday treats including cakes ranging from carrot and cheese to peppermint and Black Forest. Upland Brewing will sell its ales and lagers, but proceeds will benefit the Christkindl Market.
More information, including details on participating vendors and an entertainment schedule are available at www. browncounty. com. •
Brown County Children’ s Fund Benefit Auction
December 3 NEW LOCATION
Brown County Children’ s Fund LIVE Auction is Friday, December 3, 6:00 p. m. at The Brown County Inn.
44 years ago a group of Brown County locals gathered on the liar’ s bench in downtown Nashville and discussed ways to ensure that all kids in Brown County have warm clothes for winter. They came up with the idea to gather goods from local merchants to be auctioned off for the kids. This group called themselves the“ No-Name Committee” and each year since that time the auction has been held on the first Friday in December.
The annual auctions have provided more than $ 640,000 in clothing and helped many Brown County children.
This year’ s auction will be held live on Friday, December 3, starting at 6:00 p. m. at the Brown County Inn in downtown Nashville. The location was changed to provide more space for social distancing. Masks are required.
The auction features donated art, crafts, antiques, items from local merchants, gift certificates for local restaurants, hotels, and many outside organizations including Holiday World and the Cincinnati Reds. Locals donate home-baked cookies and prize-winning brownies. There is something for everyone to bid on and always some surprises.
Donations are being collected in Nashville and can be dropped off at Out of The Ordinary on South Van Buren Street. Cash donations can be made at PNC Bank on West Main Street. If you would like to have items picked up, or if you have questions, please call 812- 320-2601.
This is a very special event and you can complete your Christmas shopping in just one evening. Come to the Brown County Inn and help ensure that all children in Brown County have a very Merry Christmas. All proceeds are used to purchase clothing for local children in need. •
42 Our Brown County • Nov./ Dec. 2021