Steubenville nutcrackers come out of storage for Ohio Tourism Day at Statehouse
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STEUBENVILLE -- Ohio Tourism Day's organizers rolled out the welcome mat Wednesday for three of the city's beloved nutcrackers as well as 89 other tourist attractions from around the state.
"It's a huge honor for those of us involved in the Nutcracker Village project," said Mark Nelson, owner of Nelson Fine Arts and Gifts. "It's an honor for all of us in Steubenville as well."
Nelson said his daughter Therese, the artistic force behind the Nutcracker Village project, accompanied three nutcrackers -- the astronaut, Father Christmas and Dean Martin -- to Columbus, where they set up at the Statehouse.
"A ton of people came by," Nelson said. "State Rep. Jack. Cera, D-Bellaire, came by, the governor stopped and saw them, the mayor of Columbus stopped and talked with her. A lot of people were attracted to them in Columbus."
The idea, Therese Nelson said, was to "showcase what we have to offer to other tourism professionals, city leaders and actual tourists.
"We talked a lot about what we're doing here for revitalization, which is something everyone is interested in hearing," she said.
Ohio Tourism Day is a yearly event, Mark Nelson said.
"It was a huge honor for all of us involved," he said.