Featured events in the Lima region

Features Lifestyle Top Stories Facebook X Pinterest WhatsApp Your weekly preview of top events happening in the Lima region: Flip the Switch 5-7 p.m. Friday It’s time to flip the switch, both for Christmas music on Mix 103.3 and the lights on downtown Lima’s Christmas decoration, at the annual festival in Lima’s Town Square and Rhodes State College’s Borra Center for Health Sciences. The lights should flip over at approximately 6:50 p.m., signalling the start of the holiday season. This year’s event includes a free Christmas concert featuring the Lima Area Concert Band, sponsored by Nutrien, at 7:30 p.m. at the exhibit hall of Veterans Memorial Civic Center. The free event, sponsored by Spring and Main, also includes Superior Credit Union’s Plinko game, a train ride, music, a farmer’s market, crafts, face-painting, games, food trucks and a visit from Santa Claus himself. Snacks and drinks will be provided at this family-friendly event by Chief. Poor Clare 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 2:30 p..m. Sunday See the imagined story of Clare, a young woman from a wealthy family, meeting Francis of Assisi and learning his radical views on wealth and poverty during this performance by the Bluffton University Theatre in Ramseyer Auditorium, College Hall, on the Bluffton University campus, 1 University Drive, Bluffton. Tickets are available at www.bluffton.edu/tickets. Tickets are $8 for adults and $6 for senior citizens, Bluffton University faculty and staff, and non-Bluffton University students. Admission is free for Bluffton University students. The cast includes Bluffton University students, community members and alumni, including Avery Lawrence of Harrod as Clare, Alexandra Schmidt of Urbana as Beatricte, Claire Lortz of Upper Sandusky as Alma, Madison Palmisano of Cincinnati as Peppa, Keira Rahm of Versailles as a beggar, Adams Shanaman of Buckland as Francis and Lianna Gott of Findlay as Ortolana. Darci Lynne & Friends 6:30 p.m. Sunday A colorful cast of puppets, including Petunia, Oscar, Edna and Andy, will be brought to life by Darci Lynne at Niwsonger Performing Arts Center, 10700 state Route 118, Van Wert. Darci Lynne burst onto the scene in 2017 when she won NBC’s America’s Got Talent as a 12-year-old. Now she’s honed her craft, transforming the face and popularity of ventriloquism with her talent, stagecraft and social media presence. She first appeared on Little Big Shots in 2016 before her Golden Buzzer performance on AGT. She followed that up with a 2018 NBC Christmas special with Toby Keith and Kristin Chenoweth before making a 50-stop U.S. tour grossing $5.2 million. Tickets in Van Wert start at $35.20 via bit.ly/4tWsLiv . Business Bow Wow 5-7 p.m. Thursday Professionals and their pups can mingle at this unique networking event sponsored by the Lima/Allen County Chamber of Commerce at Sidecar Lounge, 230 N. Main St., Lima. Tickets include appetizers, and there will be a cash bar with signature “puptails.” There will also be an option for doggie cocktails and a special pet menu. Additionally, there will be contests, canine activities and giveaways and prizes. Tickets are free for Chamber members and $5 for nonmembers, but all well-socialized dogs are free. Register by the end of the day Wednesday by contacting Liz Davis at the chamber at 419-222-6045 or [email protected] or online via tinyurl.com/38znfude . Other events: • Leave It in the Ring 7, 6 p.m. Saturday, Veterans Memorial Civic Center, 7 Town Square, Lima. $30 for general admission, $60 for ringside and $70 for front row via tinyurl.com/2pc7fje6 • Lima Motorcycle Swap Meet, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday, Allen County Fairgrounds, 2750 Harding Highway, Lima. $8 admission. • Lima Land Poetry Slam, 7 p.m. Friday, Vibe Coffeehouse & Cafe, 311 E. Market St., Lima. $5 admission. • Herron Hollow Hike, 9 a.m. Saturday, 10992 Allentown Road, Spencerville. Free, but register by Nov. 12 via tinyurl.com/47zu3kxt . • Farms, Barns and Rural Heritage, 1-4:30 p.m. Saturday, Schumacher Homestead, 8350 Bixel Road, Pandora. Free. • Trevor Howe, 6-10 p.m. Friday, J’s American Pub, 2307 Spencerville Road, Lima. Featured Local Savings