A wintry event for the whole family is returning to the Eastwood Event Centre at Eastwood Mall. The 2nd Annual Eastwood Ice Fest will take place on Sunday, Feb. 5th from 11am to 3 p.m. The event is FREE to attend.
Students in the Hospitality and Event Management program at Kent State University will demonstrate their ice-carving skills, as part of a class project. They are partnering with the Eastwood Event Centre to plan family friendly activities that include ice carving demos, story time from Books-a-Million, costume character meet-and greets, a performance by Youngstown State University’s Dana Chorale, and more. The Eastwood Event Centre will also provide a complimentary hot cocoa bar and area chefs will compete in a Soup-er Bowl Cookoff. Guests will be able to sample the different soups. Donations to the Soup-er Bowl will benefit the Animal Welfare League of Trumbull Country.
The ice carving will take place just outside the entrance to the Eastwood Event Centre. The other activities will take place inside the centre itself.
The Eastwood Event Centre is part of the Eastwood Mall Complex, located at 5555 Youngstown-Warren Road, in Niles, Ohio. It is one of America’s largest shopping complexes, with more than 200 department stores, specialty shops, restaurants, hotels and entertainment options. The Eastwood Mall Complex is owned and managed in association with Cafaro-affiliated companies, based in Niles, Ohio. For more information, visit online at: www.eastwoodmall.com and www.cafarocompany.com.
National Plan for Vacation Day, on the last Tuesday in January, reminds us to plan our vacation at the start of the year for the rest of the year. The early bird gets to pack their bags and fly away to a little fun and relaxation!
#PlanForVacation
With the frigid temperatures and growing snow piles, it’s easy to start daydreaming of sunny skies. Who else is dreaming of sandcastles and the vacation days to come? But, for many Americans, those vacation dreams turn out to be just that: a dream.
Each year, Americans leave more than 600 million vacation days unused. Our work martyr attitudes combined with a culture of silence in the workplace is keeping workers at their desks instead of using their time off.
To change this, National Plan for Vacation Day reminds us to plan our vacation at the start of the year for the rest of the year. When it comes to taking a vacation, it is the planners of the world who get the job done. Planners are more likely to take all their vacation time in a given work year and take more extended vacations than non-planners. They are also happier with their jobs, relationships, and health. So don’t knock the planners who get out the door to vacation! Get planning!!
HOW TO OBSERVE PLAN FOR VACATION DAY
Three Easy Steps to Planning a Vacation
Planning a vacation does not have to be a monumental task. Here are three easy steps to make it happen:
Determine how much time off you earn. Look up the number of vacation days you earn by checking with your finance or HR team. Don’t forget to make a note of any office closures.
Coordinate calendars. Plot out your year—enter the number of days you earn, put your vacation dreams on the calendar, and use your custom link to get your family and friends involved in the planning.
Share your plans. Once you have your days determined, use the calendar to export your plans to Outlook, Gmail, or other electronic calendars to share with your boss, co-workers, and family.
As we close out a month of resolutions, make this the year you focus on your bucket list—not your to-do list.
Get ready to plan your vacation and use #PlanForVacation on social media.
Always observed on January 31st, Inspire Your Heart With Art Day encourages us to ponder how art affects our hearts. Art is valued and appreciated for all sorts of reasons.
#InspireYourHeartWithArtDay
Of the broad spectrum of art created in the world, the pieces that move us to tears or cause us to burst out into joyous laughter remain with us for a lifetime. Whether we are touched by music or see into an artist’s soul through their work, art has the power to change us, to inspire our hearts.
The day encourages us to explore the many genres of art and let it inspire us.
Be sure and check out our featured Artist for Inspire Your Heart With Art Day, Pam Nielsen.
HOW TO OBSERVE INSPIRE YOUR HEART WITH ART DAY
Visit an art gallery.
Attend a live theatre performance.
Read a good book.
Listen to music.
Attend a ballet performance.
Start your masterpiece.
Teach someone how to play an instrument.
Attend an art lecture.
Explore a new technique.
See an inspirational film.
Share your art with others.
Use #InspireYourHeartWithArtDay to post on social media.
INSPIRE YOUR HEART WITH ART DAY HISTORY
National Day Calendar continues researching the origins of this national art celebration.
Each year on January 31st, National Hot Chocolate Day warms up people across the country by celebrating the timeless cold-weather beverage.
#NationalHotChocolateDay
Hot chocolate is a warm beverage made with ground chocolate, heated milk or water, and sugar. In America, we often use the terms hot chocolate and hot cocoa interchangeably. However, the two beverages are different.
Cocoa vs Hot Chocolate
We make hot cocoa with cocoa powder, heated milk or water, and sugar. We’re able to do this thanks to a process developed by father and son chemists. For the thicker, more flavorful beverage, we make hot chocolate from ground chocolate containing cocoa butter. It is also called drinking chocolate. Hot chocolate has also been around longer than hot cocoa. In the early 1800s, Casparus van Houten Sr. developed a process to separate the cocoa solids from the butter. His son, Coenraad Johannes made those fats more soluble in water. Together their processes made cocoa powder possible.
But before then, everyone drank hot chocolate. This thicker, creamier beverage often offered medicinal benefits for stomach ailments during the 19th century. In fact, long before the beverage’s popularity in Victorian times, it served in ceremonial culture.
However, humans have been drinking chocolate for a long time. The Mayans likely created the first chocolate beverage 2000 years ago. The Aztecs also included a cocoa beverage as an essential part of their culture by 1400 AD. When Europeans began exploring Central and South America, explorers brought chocolate and the beverage back with them to Europe from Mexico.
Make it and Benefit
Hot chocolate can be enjoyed in a variety of combinations, topped with whipped cream or marshmallows. Sometimes a sprinkle of cinnamon or a dash of peppermint makes the chocolate extra special. In the United States, many people enjoy an instant form of hot chocolate. It is made with hot water or milk and a packet containing mostly cocoa powder, sugar, and dry milk.
There are health benefits to drinking hot chocolate. Cocoa contains significant amounts of antioxidants that may help prevent cancer. Studies have shown the flavonoids in chocolate may have a positive effect on arterial health and memory.
HOW TO OBSERVE NATIONAL HOT CHOCOLATE DAY
Make some hot chocolate.
Add a variety of toppings.
Invite a friend to join you for hot chocolate.
Sample different flavors of hot chocolate.
Taste the difference between hot chocolate and hot cocoa.
Take a photo and use #NationalHotChocolateDay to post on social media.
For the first time ever, Dino Ranch Live is hitting the road and will Dino-SOAR onto the Robins Theatre stage on May 24, 2023. The fun-filled, family friendly and action-packed live show is based on the hit animated series seen on Disney Junior and follows the adventures of the Cassidy family and junior Ranchers Jon, Min, Miguel, their loveable dinos Blitz, Clover and Tango and the mischievous Tin Horn Trio. Dino Ranch Live tour schedule, tickets and VIP packages can be found at www.dinoranchlive.com.
Presales begin tomorrow January 31 and there are a number of opportunities available: Citi® Cardmembers presale begins January 31; the Dino Ranch Facebook and Instagram follower and Bandsintown presales begin February 1; and, Ticketmaster and local venue presales begin February 2 (all presales begin at 10 a.m. local time). Tickets go on sale to the general public February 3. VIP packages will also be available for pre-show opportunities including premium seating, exclusive merchandise and character experiences.
Tickets will be available for purchase at www.robinstheatre.com and at the Robins Theatre Box Office located at 160 E. Market St., Warren, Ohio. The Box Office is open Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Produced by Fierylight and Terrapin Station Entertainment, Dino Ranch Live combines a unique mix of two favorite preschool passions: dinosaurs and ranchers. In the live show, the Dino Rancheroos introduce the trainee Rancheroos (the audience) to Dino Ranch, the thrill of ranch life and teach them how to ride, lasso and and introduce them to thrilling adventure. After a very rare Dino egg gets stolen by the mischievous Tin Horn Trio, Jon, Min and Miguel must pursue them to save the rare egg. They head into the Badlands where many adventures await including a roar-off with a rogue T-Rex.
“We are turning Dino Ranch into an epic, live adventure that audiences will never forget. I’m so excited to bring the successful TV series and family-favorite elements from the show to life on stage for what will be the first live theatre experience for many young fans,” said Richard Lewis, writer and director of Dino Ranch Live and CEO of Fierylight.
Kate Schlomann, EVP Brand Management and Content Marketing, Boat Rocker said, “Dino Ranch Live is an epic, roarsome adventure. We know that our young fans will be thrilled by the incredible show created by Fierylight and Terrapin Station Entertainment. The dynamic combination of adventurous young ranchers and daring dinos provides a fans with a real life Dino Ranch spectacle that will delight all our Rancheroos.”
Dino Ranch has been a monster hit since launching in January 2021 on Disney Junior, Disney Now and subsequently on Disney+ in the U.S. and the UK. Friday, January 27th was the start of Dino Ranch Marathon Week on Disney Junior and now fans can expect to experience the same thrilling adventures of ranch life on-stage in the fast-paced and exciting live show.
