2nd Annual Beck the Halls: Give the Gift of the Arts This Holiday Season
Get a jump start on your holiday shopping this year! Beck Center for the Arts is hosting its second annual Beck the Halls! event, a unique holiday boutique featuring original artwork by local artists and artisans, on Saturdays November 3 and December 8 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Artists will display and sell their wares, including beautiful handmade jewelry, ornaments, original photography, pottery, and watercolors, in Beck Center’s main lobby. Buy unique, one-of-a-kind gifts for that special someone on your list and support the arts in our community. Shop local this year and avoid the crowded malls and big box stores. Admission is free and convenient and onsite parking is available.
While you shop, your children can explore their creativity at Super Saturdays at Beck Center--a free monthly arts experience for children ages 1 to 8. Super Saturdays take place 9 to 11:30 a.m. and include special art activities in collaboration with Beck Center’s community partners. On November 3, Cleveland Botanical Garden brings the arts from the garden while Beck Center staff share the fun of drumming at Hear & Touch the Music (more details below). Then on December 8, children can create a holiday-themed craft with Usborne Books. Super Saturdays are sponsored through the generous support of the Lakewood Arts Festival Association.
Hear & Touch the Music is a vibrant music-making experience for the youngest musical masters. The program is geared for children ages 3 to 10, but aspiring musicians of all ages are encouraged to take part (adult participation is required). Join early childhood music specialist Brittany Lesch and Beck Center’s outstanding music faculty for Piano & Percussion on Saturday, November 3 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on the Mackey Main Stage. Enjoy musical selections and solos performed by musicians using maracas, hand drums, tambourines, and a drum set followed by a hands-on experience where participants have the chance to play the instruments. There will be plenty of singing, dancing and instrument playing along with an activity sheet for each participant. It's fun for the entire family, and best of all, it’s free!
Not sure what to buy that hard-to-shop-for person who has everything? Purchase Beck Center gift cards! They make great holiday stocking stuffers. Gift cards are available at Customer Services and may be redeemed for classes, programs, and shows including the holiday family favorite Annie on the Mackey Main Stage, December 7 through January 6. This season, give, or better yet get, a gift that doesn’t end up at the bottom of the toy box or at the returns counter. Be sure to tell your friends and relatives that this year you want a gift that keeps on giving: the arts! For more information, visit beckcenter.org or call 216.521.2540, ext. 10.
After you finish shopping at Beck the Halls! be sure to stop by Heirloom Home, just a few blocks west of Beck Center at 18119 Detroit Avenue, and browse the wonderful assortment of interesting antiques, decorative collectibles, vintage jewelry, and personalized watches. Established on Lakewood’s West End in 2010, Heirloom Home is a unique resale shop with a philanthropic purpose. All items are donated, many finding their way from owner Brenda Ellner’s own collection of family memorabilia, and all proceeds benefit the student scholarship fund at Beck Center for the Arts. Over the past two years, store sales have helped many area children who may not otherwise have had the financial means to enroll in arts education classes at Beck Center. Heirloom Home is open 12 to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Donations are graciously accepted and volunteers are needed. For more information, please contact Brenda at heirloomhome@gmail.com or call 216.406.7530.
Located at 17801 Detroit Avenue in Lakewood, Beck Center for the Arts is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization that offers professional theater productions, arts education programming in dance, music, theater, visual arts, early childhood, and creative arts therapies for special needs students, and gallery exhibits featuring local, regional and international artists.