New talent to head First Friday planningMarci Lynn Saling, previously the downtown events manager for the Canton Regional Chamber, hastaken her incredible event planning talents to ArtsinStark, where she will now helm planning for themonthly First Friday festival in downtown Canton. As the new Community Arts Manager for ArtsinStark,Saling will be your first contact for all things First Friday. She can be reached at marci@artsinstark.com.

“First Friday continues to be a very strong, creative partnership between the Downtown Canton SpecialImprovement District and ArtsinStark, The County Arts Council. We are very excited to concentrate theplanning efforts and to have Marci on board for event management – she will bring a great deal ofexpertise and excitement to our event.” said Kelly Bah, project manager for the SID.

anta’s very first Children’s Elf is popping back into downtown Canton for a

magical, musical, holiday jamboree and ELFstravaganza on Dec. 2! And

there is certainly something to celebrate this year as Light Up Downtown celebrates 20

years in the extravaganza business and Christopher himself celebrates 25 years of

entertaining children around the globe!

Your kids will be delighted as they journey withChristopher Pop-In-Kins through the winter-wonderful

North Pole – brought to life on the main stage atCentral Plaza – to report to Santa about hisadventures while popping in on childrenaround the world!

You’ll help Christopher search for the man inred all around town, and meet-up withmerry musical helpers along the way. With

Christopher poppin’ up at Light Up Downtown there’s sure to be fun croppin’ up around every corner.

20 Wonderful Years of Holiday Hoopla!The 20th anniversary of the Canton Regional Chamber’s down-town family-favorite is sponsored by KeyBank. Light Up is your tick-

et to 16 city blocks alive with attractions, entertainment, refreshmentsand fun around every corner for the kids from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

This year’s Light Up will feature Christopher Pop-In-Kins, every child’s favorite elf,in a very special musical main stage show that will light up the skies and light upyour spirits with community musical acts, fantastic fireworks and a ho, ho, ho-lidayvisit from Santa. You’re in for a night of surprises and fun for all ages! Best of all?

This festive festival is FREE!

Christopher Pop-In-Kins pops-in again fora very special anniversary extravaganza!

S

First Friday ‘Tidbits’

(continued on page 2)

First Friday of every month

Thursday, December 2

Saturday, December 11

M a rk your calendar and plan to atte n d !

2 010 D ow n town E vent Sch e d u l e

D ow n town Canton’s st re etscape comes alive with fun fe st i va l s !

(continued on page 7)PA RTNERSHIP REPORT

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT

SPECIAL FEAT U R E S• Light Up Dow n tow n• Fi rst Fri d ay Ti d b i t s• Dow n town Church To u r• SID Annual Meet i n g• The Sky is the Limit Mura l• The Polar Expre s s• Neighborhood Plan

WH ATWH E R EWH E N

Downtown Developments is published bi-monthly by Canton DevelopmentPartnership, a department of CantonRegional Chamber of Commerce in

cooperation with Downtown CantonSpecial Improvement District

222 Market Ave. N.Canton, OH 44702

(330) 456-0468fax (330) 452-7786

cdp@cantonchamber.orgwww.DowntownCanton.com

Dennis P. SaunierPresident & CEO

Michael P. GillDirector

Kelly Blandford BahProject Manager

Annette Rosenberger Administrative Assistant

Denise BurtonMembership Director

Jessica BennettMarketing Director & Editor

Sarah BhatiaGraphic Designer

The Canton Development Pa rt n e rship is a coalitionof area development organizations and cityg ove rn m e n t that share an interest in downtownC a n ton’s continual imp rovement, rev i ta l i z a t i o n ,image, and quality of life for its citizens.

Its mission is to support and coord i n a te the activitiesand programs of its partner organizations in orderto encourage and sustain community and eco-nomic development in downtown Canton.

The part n e ring organizations include: Canton Re g i o n a lChamber of Commerce, Dow n town Canton SpecialI mp rovement Dist rict, Dow n town Canton Land Bank,C a n ton To m o rrow, Inc., and City of Canto n .

Information regarding downtown events and newscan be submitted for reprint at the discretion ofthe Partnership director and publication editor.The Canton Development Partnership reserves theright to edit all copy. Deadlines are the 15th of themonth, two months prior to publication (i.e., May15 for the July/August issue).

Statements of fact and opinion within DowntownDevelopments are the responsibility of the authorsalone and do not imply the opinion of the mem-bers of Canton Development Partnership or itspartnering organizations.

Advertising rates and specifications are availableby contacting the Chamber sales department at(330) 458-2067.

The arts continue to flourish in our center city, asRobb Hankins and ArtsinStark search for new waysto incorporate the arts downtown. Canton GlassWo rks (master glass art i st John Boyett) andElemental Arts (the furniture of artist John Strauss)have opened for business and have brought twopreviously vacant buildings back to life.

Another important achievement for our city in 2010has been the development of a Neighborhood Planby the City of Canton and its consultant, DavidBoehlke. This plan will provide action steps to stabi-lize and enhance our neighborhoods. A strong andsustainable downtown benefits from stable areasaround its core. You can read more about this planon page six of this issue of D ow n tow nDevelopments.

Finally, the five major Chamber events, Zing in theCity, Taste of Canton, Canton Blues Festival, VintageCanton and Light Up Downtown continue to offer

Partnership ReportAs we close in on year end 2010, it is appropriate to mention that it has been another good year

for our downtown, despite a challenging economy. Capital investments continued in 2010, with

the most notable being the new Ralph Regula Federal Building. This building is destined to create

a positive halo effect in the neighborhood. The Brownstone Steakhouse and Thatsa Wrapp restau-

rants opened their doors for business this year.

high quality entertainment and bring more peo-ple downtown than ever before. Responsibilityfor the management and operation of theseevents in the future will be shifted to the CantonD evelopment Pa rt n e rship. The Dow n tow nPartnership looks forward to accepting theseresponsibilities and we want to assure every-one that we will continue to strive to produceincredible events that truly make our downtownvenues come to life.

Thanks to all of the boards and committees thatworked so hard this year to make things hap-pen downtown. We look forward to planningfor 2011 so that we can continue the revital-ization and exc i tement happening inDowntown Canton.

by Michael P. Gill,director, CantonDevelopment Partnership

One leaf, two leaf, old leaf, new leaf! At the Fall forthe Arts First Friday on November 5, you’ll fallhead over heels for all things art as downtown getsset for autumn with eclectic music, exquisite art, finedining and more. Visit the galleries and studiosdowntown and you’ll be falling for First Friday andstanding up for the arts.

You may be ready for fall now, but how about aNorth Pole Stroll for the December 3 First FridaySnow or not, there will be a blizzard sounds, sightsand shopping. Carolers delight, art astounds andyou might even be in for a surprise visit from the bigman in red! Wrap up all of your holiday shopping

with gifts from the Canton Arts District at the NorthPole Stroll.

First Friday is celebrated every first Friday of themonth from 6 to 10 p.m. in downtown Canton. FirstFriday is presented by ArtsinStark, the County ArtsCouncil, and the Dow n town Canton SpecialImprovement District.

For the most up-to-date First Friday information, visitwww.DowntownCanton.com and click on the FirstFriday logo.

Tidbits ...

Subway217 Market Ave. N. • Canton, Ohio 44702Hours and Information: www.Subway.com

New Subway® coming to Downtown Canton

Need a quick bite or something delicious to takeback to the office? SUBWAY® is coming to down-town Canton in December 2010. The new restau-rant, located at 217 Market Ave. N (the space pre-viously occupied by Quiznos) will feature Tuscanydécor and the famous submarine sandwich e sloved the world over!

The SUBWAY chain is famous for its made-to-orderfo otlong and 6-inch submarine sandwich e s .Sandwiches are served on Italian, wheat and avariety of seasoned breads that are baked freshdaily in each restaurant. Hot toasted and cold subsa re available, with an assortment of meats,cheeses, vegetables and condiments, all made-to-order per customer request. The SUBWAY chain’s“Under 6” menu features sub sandwiches with 6grams of fat or less, while exclusively preparedgourmet-inspired sauces can be used to comple-ment any sandwich on the menu.

“I am excited to be able to bring Subway’s deli-cious, fresh products to the people of Canton,” saidJoe Maiorana, regional director for J&K SubwayInc. and owner of the new sandwich shop. “I lookforward to meeting the residents and invite every-one to stop by and try our world-famous submarinesandwiches.”

J&K Subway Inc. has been operating Subwayrestaurants for 24 years and Maiorana has beenwith the company for 23 of those 24 years.

The SUBWAY chain was founded in 1965 inB ri d ge p o rt, Conn., by then 17 - year-old Fre dDeLuca, with a $1,000 loan from family friend, Dr.Peter Buck. Today, the SUBWAY chain is theworld’s largest submarine sandwich franchise, withmore than 33,586* locations in 92* countries.Re c e n t ly, the SUBWAY chain surp a s s e dMcDonald’s in the number of restaurants open inthe United States, Canada, Australia and NewZealand. The SUBWAY chain was named the num-ber one franchise opportunity in all categories byEntrepreneur magazine in its Annual Franchise500 ranking for 2010 — for the 17th time in 23years!

For more info rmation about SUBWAY v i s i twww.subway.com.

SUBWAY® is a registered trademark of Doctor’sAssociates Inc. (DAI).

The Canton Polar ExpressTM, operated bythe Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad(CVSR), kicks off Friday, Nov. 19, and runsuntil Saturday, Dec. 18. The holiday favoriteis chugging into town on weekends inNovember (excluding Sundays) andThursdays, Fridays and Saturdays inDecember. Boarding begins at 6 p.m. andall trains leave promptly at 7 p.m. for a two-hour roundtrip ride.

The CVSR is seeking volunteers tospread holiday cheer aboard theCanton Polar Express. Volunteers areneeded for departure from the CantonLincoln Highway Station. Volunteers willhelp with reading the story, assist in creat-ing a festive atmosphere for all to enjoy,serving hot cocoa and cookies and assist-ing Santa at the North Pole.

Volunteers for the Canton Polar Expressshould plan to attend the registration andtraining session at John Knox PresbyterianChurch, located at 5155 Eastlake StreetNW in North Canton, on Saturday, Nov. 6,at 11 a.m. Interested individuals should con-tact Whitney J. Prather at (800) 468-4070ext. 235 or wprather@cvsr.com.

This holiday program is based on Chris VanAlsburg’s enchanting book, The PolarExpress, where a young boy’s trip to theNorth Pole revives his belief in theChristmas spirit. Children (and adults!) areencouraged to come ready to ride in theirpajamas.

Tickets to this enchanting family trip areavailable online at www.CVSR.com.

About Cuyahoga Valley Scenic RailroadCVSR is a non-profit, 501(c)3 working inpartnership with Cuyahoga Valley NationalPark, and is dedicated to the preservationof passenger rail transportation inCuyahoga Valley and the historic Ohio &Erie Canalway.

3All Ab o a rd! ThePolar Expre s sch u g ga - ch u g si n to Canto n

The Downtown Canton Special Improvement District (SID) annual meetingwill take place on Thursday, Nov. 18, at 4 p.m. at the Canton RegionalChamber of Commerce. This meeting will include a review of 2010, the election of board members and the presentation of SID annual awards,which recognize projects and investments in downtown Canton.

All property owners in the SID, as well as members of the public, are welcome toattend the meeting to learn about downtown projects and to network with fellowproperty owners, downtown supporters and business owners. Please RSVP bycalling Annette Rosenberger at (330) 458-2092.

The SID is a non-profit corporation that provides programming to preserve the eco-nomic well-being of downtown Canton. It is dedicated to preserving the aesthetic,architectural and historic character of the downtown area and is funded by specialassessments on downtown property owners. Boundaries of the district generally areNinth Street on the south, 12th Street on the north, Savannah Avenue on the eastand High Avenue on the west.

WELCOME THE LIGHT! A Downtown Church Tourn Saturday, Dec. 11 from 5 to 8 p.m., downtown Cantonchurches will again open their doors for the third annu-al “Welcome the Light” celebration.

Downtown Canton churches will welcome everyone to celebrate thehistory, architecture, tradition and holiday spirit of these sacredspaces. This unique celebration will include a variety of activitiesincluding luminaries, choir perfo rmances, Chri stmas decora t i o n s ,architecture and history tours, stained glass window illumination, cul-tural activities, children’s crafts, modern and traditional music andrefreshments.

You’ll learn a little bit about our history while touring beautiful hous-es of worship. Let the magic of the season enchant you with twinklinglights and crisp night air, and the scenes and sounds of the holiday.Special activities will engage folks of all ages, as they celebrate theholidays and become part of a newer Canton tradition.

This celebration is open for everyone! Maps with driving and walkingtour information, and parking details will be available at variousd ow n town businesses and at the Canton Regional Chamber ofCommerce, and online at www.DowntownCanton.com.

Special ImprovementDistrict Annual Meeting

O

5He’s at it again! Local artist Joseph Close hascreated a new mural to go on the TimkenCampus skywalk at the corner of McKinleyand Tu s c a rawas St. NW. S p o n s o red byAultman Health Foundation, the mural, TheSky is the Limit, captures all the wonderful edu-cational experiences students achieve whileattending Timken High School.

The mural spans an impressive 40 feet, with anemblazoned Trojan mascot at its cente r.Various aspects of student culture are depicted– from theatre and dance, the arts and musi-cal explorations, to sports programs, as wellas educational opportunities unique to TimkenHigh, like the engineering program, roboticsand culinary arts – in Close’s distinctive style.

Close is well known for his Gaia’s Hope muralthat hangs along Court Avenue in downtownCanton along with many other projects.

“This piece was logistically challenging. It’s upin the air – way up!” said Close of the project.An avid contributor to student-artist collabora-tions, Close is no stranger to working with stu-dents from Timken High School, having partic-ipated in “Administrator for a Day” programsat the school and working with the studentsthrough Illuminarts.

The mural is constructed from corrugated steelbuilding materials and a steel frame. AndClose had the opportunity to experiment witha new artistic medium - spray paint! Througha complex series of layered stencils and spraypaint, the project took a took more than 6weeks to create.

“Timken wanted a work of art that woulddemonstrate all of the wonderful things theschool has to offer its students. I wanted thispiece to have a serious tone, and I think

there’s a certain intensity to each of the char-acters. It shows each student at the peak oftheir performance, the top of their game. It’s apowerful message,” said the artist.

A dedication ceremony for the impressivework will be hosted at the November FirstFri d ay fe st i val in dow n town Canton onNovember 5. For more info rmation, visitwww.ArtsinStark.com.

Photo Caption: Artist Joseph Close withone panel of his The Sky is the Limit mural,debuting this fall.

New mural shows students at Timken that the SKY IS THE LIMIT!

ational Neighborhood Strategist

D avid Boehlke ret u rned to

Canton on Sept. 28 to present his “Canton

Neighborhood Project,” a series of 15 neigh-

borhood renewal work plans developed for

the Community Building Partnership of Stark

County on behalf of the City of Canton.

The Community Building Partnership (CBP) is StarkCounty’s community development inte rm e d i a ry,dedicated to the renewal of the City’s neighbor-hoods. As part of its role as community advisor, theCBP along with the Stark Community Foundationand the Canton Development Partnership, spon-sored a 2-year community discussion on how best torenew Canton’s neighborhoods and the downtownarea.

Beginning in Sept. 2008 and culminating with aweeklong visit to Sta rk County in April 2009,

Boehlke provided advice and encouragement to theCanton community on how best to stabilize the area.That work led to the City of Canton requesting theCBP and Boehlke to collaborate on a series ofaction-oriented neighborhood plans to help guideour community’s efforts.

Over 75 community and neighborhood leadersh e a rd Boehlke describe how his “HealthyNeighborhood” approach could be implemented inspecific ways in our specific neighborhoods. TheHealthy Neighborhood approach prioritizes work-ing from existing assets and strategically looks forways to improve neighborhood image, real estatevalues and physical conditions by increasing resident participation. As part of Boehlke’s work,he auth o red “The Canton Ne i g h b o rh o o dWorkbook,” a manual of his approach tailored forall of Canton’s neighborhoods.

Boehlke suggested to community funders and cityofficials that there is a direct parallel betweentoday’s opportunities to commit to neighborhoodrenewal through these Neighborhood Work plansand the way that past community leaders committedto the City’s downtown Master Plan.

Boehlke stated that the commitment and collabora-tion that is bearing fruits in Canton’s center city isneeded at the neighborhood planning level, too. Hepointed to the targeted renewal efforts in the lowertier of Summit Neighborhood, where the nonprofitcommunity development corporation ABCD, Inc.built Wilson Pointe with the assistance of the City,C a n ton Land Bank and Canton Deve l o p m e n tPartnership, as a prime example of how the neigh-borhood and downtown communities need to worktogether. The lower tier of Summit continues to showmarket recovery with several new businesses, includ-ing a sit down restaurant (Thatsa Wrapp), a barbershop and photo studio recently opening.

The overall health of our neighborhoods is an impor-tant element in the continued revitalization of ourdowntown. The “Healthy Neighborhood” approachwill engage residents and create a long lasting, pos-itive improvement for our neighborhoods and ourcenter city.

The entire 150 page+ report and workbook is avail-able for download on the Community BuildingPa rt n e rship of Sta rk County web site :CommunityBuildingPartnership.org.

N

Canton’s Neighborhood Workbook published by nationally-recognized neighborhood strategist

7More than 100 local performers will take to the stage, performing holi-day favorites such as Frosty the Snowman, Little Drummer Boy, WinterSong, I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas, and many more. The eventpre-show, sponsored by Mix 94.1, will run from 5:30 to 6 p.m., followedby the main stage show.

You can look forward to singing and local dance troupe performances,children’s crafts and activities and more. The downtown center city istransformed into a winter wonderland for the occasion, and our localbusinesses will provide activities and refreshments as you take in all theholiday delights our community has to offer.

Donate Hats & Mittens! During the event, the Canton City FireDepartment will distribute hats and mittens to children in need. If youwould like to donate new children’s hats and mittens, please bring themto one of our donation boxes, located at the Canton Regional Chamberof Commerce, and other downtown Canton locations, between now andthe Light Up event. Visit LightUpDowntown.com for a list of all donationlocations.

Light Up Downtown will run until 8:30 p.m. and will be held snow, rainor shine. There will be plenty of free parking, both on-street and in theTimken High School and Stark County District Library parking lots, aswell as parking in various decks and lots throughout downtown for anominal fee.

This year’s Light Up event is chaired for the third year by Kayleigh Kriss,on-air personality for Mix 94.1, with co-chair Char Lautzenheiser, muse-um director of the Canton Classic Car Museum and a wonderful com-mittee of dedicated volunteers.

Our event sponsors to date include: Key Bank and AEP Ohio, along with Aultman Health Foundation, Dow n town SpecialImprovement District, Motorola, Shearer's Foods, Mix 94.1 andWHBC AM, The Repository, The City of Canton and PPI Graphics.

Visit LightUpDowntown.com for a full schedule of events, freecoloring pages for the kids and the more about Christopher Pop-In-Kins.

For those looking to double the dose of downtown holiday hoopla, theDec. 3 First Friday North Pole Stroll will continue the holiday festivi-ties downtown. Visit CantonFirstFriday.com for First Friday details.

About Christopher Pop-In-KinsTM and Imaginatives® Christopher Pop-In-Kins, written and published in 1985 by Flora Johnson of Atwater,Ohio, is the award winning story of Santa’s “very first Children’s Elf.”I m a g i n a t i ves is the cre a t i ve team behind Chri stopher Po p - I n - K i n s .L o c a ted in Alliance, Ohio, Imaginatives specializes in the development, marketing and distribution of children’s books and toys.For more info rmation, visit Chri stopher Pop-In-Kins online atwww.ChristopherPopInKins.com.

LIGHT UP SPONSORS TO DATE:

Light Up Downtown...

19 Mike Albert and the Big E Band Canton Palace Theatrewww.cantonpalacetheatre.org

19-28 Stark Arthology Book LaunchParty & ExhibitCanton Museum of Artwww.cantonart.org

24 LIGHTS: Journey a Concert ReenactmentCanton Palace Theatrewww.cantonpalacetheatre.org

24 Free Documentary FilmJoseph Saxton Gallery of Photographywww.josephsaxton.com

26 (thru March 6)Dean Mitchell exhibitCanton Museum of Artwww.cantonart.org

DECEMBER2 Light Up Downtown

Downtown Cantonwww.cantonchamber.org

3 First Friday – North Poll StrollCanton Arts Districtwww.cantonfirstfriday.com

3 Holiday Open HouseExhibit Opening—White House GardensMcKinley Presidential Library and Museumwww.mckinleymuseum.org

3-19 A Christmas Carol the new musicalPlayers Guild Theatrewww.playersguildtheatre.com

3 (thru Jan 1) IN THEIR SHOESAnderson Creative in Partnership with Stark County MRDDwww.andersoncreativestudio.com

4 Dean Mitchell Opening Jazz EventCanton Museum of Artwww.cantonart.org

5 Music of the AngelsKeyBank MasterWorks SeriesCanton Symphony Orchestrawww.cantonsymphony.org

Want to advertise here? ContactDenise Burton, 330.458.2067.

Cost is $75 per issue.

For more downtown event information log on to www.DowntownCanton.com

NOVEMBER2 4th Annual Arts Awards

Cultural Center for the Artswww.artsinstark.com

4 Red Rock Rondo2nd April Galeriewww.secondapril.org

5 First Friday – Fall for the ArtsCanton Arts Districtwww.cantonfirstfriday.com

5 Book signing for A Secret Giftby Ted Gup Canton Palace Theatrewww.cantonpalacetheatre.org

6 Scared Scriptless Improv Comedy2nd April Galeriewww.secondapril.org

5-21 Oliver!Players Guild Theatrewww.playersguildtheatre.com

5-27 HABITAT: From the Files of Sir Steph(ven) Aronhalt Mulliganwww.andersoncreativestudio.com

6 3 Stooges Film FestivalCanton Palace Theatrewww.cantonpalacetheatre.org

10 Fine Wednesday WineJoseph Saxton Gallery of Photographywww.josephsaxton.com

12 Red Cross BASH 2010Alex Krassas Event Centerwww.stark.redcross.org

12-14 Christkindl MarktCanton Museum of Artwww.cantonart.org

13 Old Fashioned Canton Christmas Canton Palace Theatrewww.cantonpalacetheatre.org

14 Watts and RachmaninoffKeyBank MasterWorks SeriesCanton Symphony Orchestrawww.cantonsymphony.org

18 Soup at Six—Letters Home: Stories from the FrontMcKinley Presidential Library and Museumwww.mckinleymuseum.org

6 Tea with the Curator—Christmas Floral ArrangingMcKinley Presidential Library and Museumwww.mckinleymuseum.org

8 Fine Wednesday WineJoseph Saxton Gallery of Photographywww.josephsaxton.com

10 Holiday Open Hearth DinnerMcKinley Presidential Library and Museumwww.mckinleymuseum.org

10-12 The Nutcracker Canton Palace Theatrewww.cantonballet.org

11 Welcome the LightA Tour of Downtown ChurchesDowntown Cantonwww.downtowncanton.com

12 Holiday Pops ConcertCanton Symphony Orchestrawww.cantonsymphony.org

19 Gloria in Excelsis DeoAbout Showcase SeriesCanton Symphony Orchestrawww.cantonsymphony.org

29 Free Documentary FilmJoseph Saxton Gallery of Photographywww.josephsaxton.com

31 New Years Eve Low Brow BashCanton Museum of Artwww.cantonart.org