Serving Up Good Will in Fairport Harbor ---The 'Grinch' visits December 6th

Dr. Suess’s holiday classic first appeared in 1957 in an issue of Redbook and shortly thereafter in book form.  In the story a bitter and hateful Grinch is irritated at the thought of the nearby village having a happy time celebrating Christmas.  As the story unfolds Dr. Suess poses two essential questions.  “What if Christmas doesn’t come from a store?”  “What if Christmas, perhaps means a little bit more?”  Winter is in the air.  Holiday programs have started.  Lists are being made.  The countdown to December 25^th is officially underway.  In the Village of Fairport Harbor on December 6^th, one may experience the answers to Dr. Suess’s classic questions.

Serving up good will is what ‘Harbor Holidays’ are all about.  It is a Rockwellian slice of Americana worthy of partaking in.  Harbor Holidays began in 1994.  In 2000 the Grinch made his first visit to Lake County’s best kept secret.  The efforts of the Fairport Harbor Merchants Association married the Grinch visit to Harbor Holidays and a Lighthouse Tower Reading of the classic tale.  Attendance averaged 75 annually.  In 2009 the current Grinch partnered up with the Fairport Harbor Historical Society  and the evening event with the Grinch, Santa Claus, and a local church social has resulted in 550 and 285 visitors attending the evening program in 2012 and 2013 respectively.  Free and family friendly have always been the operant words.  2014 will see the event grow some more as the Fairport Harbor Heritage Foundation has stepped up to enhance visitor experiences the entire day.  Lolley the Trolley, music performances at the gazebo and DFH window lighting decoration contests will supplement the Toys for Tots collection and other community holiday programming.

Harbor Holidays -  Local businesses, churches and the school will be open from 10am-4pm for visitor shopping experiences.  Food, ethnic specialties, stocking stuffers and more will be available.  You may even catch a glimpse of the Grinch stealing toys throughout the day.

Fairport Harbor Library -  The Grinch will be on hand with Max the dog from noon -1:30pm.  He will autograph copies of the classic book, mug for pictures and perhaps even share an irritable word or two with the locals.

Grinch / Lighthouse Program -  The Grinch and his cohorts will be at the Fairport Harbor Village Lighthouse at 6pm for a classic retelling of his story from atop the tower.  Bring your lawn chairs or blankets and sit below to listen to the story. At approximately 6:30pm the Grinch will lead all true believers to the park down the street to meet Santa Claus as well as pose for candid pictures.  The Congregational Church across the street from the park will offer hot chocolate and cookies to conclude the evening.  The event ends around 8pm.

Toys for Tots -  The FH Police Department and local VFW Post will once again accept donations for those less fortunate in 2014.  Bring a new wrapped or unwrapped toy to the event and make a holiday memory.

The Grinch Gang promises to be in rare form as they venture once again from Mount Krumpit.  Come and enjoy a day / evening put on by dozens of volunteers.  As stated earlier, serving up good will has been a Fairport Harbor staple since 1994.