KIRTLAND, Ohio – Lake Metroparks is getting a head start on the holidays with a larger-than-life board game, where you can be the game piece.
Dozens of staff members are putting the finishing touches on the Twelve Days of Winter game at the Penitentiary Glen Reservation.
”Board games really bring people together,” said Dan Burnett, manager of the Lake Metroparks nature center. “They bring families together, and Christmas really is about family and togetherness. So why not play on a life-size board game instead around the table at your kitchen table. Brings families together and everyone has a lot of fun.”
The game is an adaptation of the popular Christmas carol, “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”
But the staff at the Metroparks adapted the lyrics to feature winter animals, like “seven squirrels a-swinging” and “twelve downys drumming.”
The interactive display includes hands-on activities, tunnels and slides.
Lake Metroparks started the display last year, with more than 15,000 visitors.
“The exhibit also features classic board games of the 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s, and this collection is brought through to us by several staff,” Burnett said. “But it really features those classic board games that baby boomers will fondly remember and can share with their kids.”
Classic games include Twister, Cootie, The Game of LIFE, Tip It and many more
Burnett said from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturdays, the exhibit will features specials, including making smores, arts and crafts, face painting and train rides.
The exhibit is free and open to the public. It runs from Saturday, Nov. 17 to Sunday, Jan. 6. It is open daily from noon until 5 p.m. It is open on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve from noon to 3 p.m. It will be closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
The Lake Metropark’s Penitentiary Glen Reservation is located at 8668 Kirtland Chardon Road in Kirtland.