Overview:
-Ribbon-cutting ceremony set for 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 3.
-Candy Cane Trail will be open daily throughout December, closing at 9:30 p.m. each night.
-Entry is complimentary.
ASHLAND — Soon Freer Field will deck the halls, er, the woods with more than a million twinkling lights and decorations.
The City of Ashland has teamed up with the Ashland County Parks District and Grandpa’s Cheesebarn to create what’s been called the Candy Cane Trail.
The trail will open to the public on Dec. 3, when the parks district will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 6:30 p.m.
The event will not only feature the lighted quarter-mile walking trail through the woods — there will be a horse and carriage, and candy canes and other treats, said Ashland Mayor Matt Miller.
Candy Cane Trail will then remain open daily throughout December, at no cost. The trail will close at 9:30 p.m. each night.
The trail begins at the old white barn and historic house off Center Street and end at the Ashland County Parks District building off Park Street.
“The city of Ashland is on a mission to become known as the most Christmasy town in the U.S.,” Miller said. “And this is our latest addition to our Christmas repertoire.”
Miller said the trail was made possible by a six-figure donation from Dick and Ronda Poorbaugh of Grandpa’s Cheesebarn. The Poorbaughs have contributed to Ashland’s holiday aesthetics before.
Bringing happiness
In 2021 the Poorbaughs donated $100,000, which led to the purchase of a 12-foot wreath, a 22-piece Nativity scene and an ornament sculpture. Dick Poorbaugh said the couple decided the best way out of the fear-filled era of COVID-19 was to celebrate the joy of Christmas.
“For me, the spirit of Christmas is the joy knowing and celebrating the fact that Christ came and died for me,” he said. “But it’s also just a time to be together.”
He hopes the Candy Cane Trail spurs families to spend time and experience something special together.
“Hopefully the Candy Cane Trail will get families to do something fun together as a family instead of sitting in front of the TV … we’re just looking to bring happiness to the town,” Poorbaugh said.
Ronda Poorbaugh walks on the Freer Field path. She said she thought people would really enjoy being able to walk through the wooded portion all decked out in Christmas lights and decorations.
“And when we were out there planning it together, we saw a woman who stopped and asked us what we were doing. I told her and she told us she’s being treated for cancer. She said the lights would give her something to look forward to,” Dick Poorbaugh said.
‘A million little lights’
Miller said BCU Electric has worked for several weeks at Freer Field to electrify the trail.
“I mean, there will be more than a million Christmas lights throughout the portion of the trail that meanders through the woods at Freer Field — more than a million little lights,” Miller said.
The electric company, along with the Ashland County Parks District and donations from the city, agreed to split the $56,000 electric bill, Dick Poorbaugh said.
“We thought, ‘Oh wow, that’s amazing.’ The teamwork has been amazing,” Dick Poorbaugh said.
The trail will feature around 300 lighted, two-dimensional Christmas trees, among other decorations. The Poorbaughs hope to expand the two-dimensional Christmas trees into the field next year to break a Guinness world record for Christmas trees in one location.
The Poorbaughs hope the Candy Cane Trail becomes an annual tradition — but their main goal is helping others enjoy the season, he said.
“We want people to experience the lights through the kids’ joy. And really we’re just looking to bring happiness to the town,” Dick Poorbaugh said.