With the interest of public health and safety, and uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic for the upcoming fall and winter seasons, the Mahoning Valley Historical Society announced this year's holiday exhibit, "Memories of Christmas Past" at Arms Family Museum, will be canceled.

MVHS hopes to bring back the exhibit in the future when it is safe to do so.

The historical society, with the support of Premier Bank, will celebrate the 2020 MVHS Holiday Season with as much of the festive traditions as is possible, offering programs both virtually and even on-site at the more spacious Tyler History Center.

On-site plans for the 2020 MVHS Holiday Season, presented by Premier Bank, include:

• No holiday exhibit or programs will take place at Arms Family Museum at 648 Wick Ave., Youngstown, OH. It will be closed from November 16 through January 14, 2021.

• Tyler History Center at 325 W. Federal St., downtown Youngstown, OH, will remain open Friday through Sunday, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. for gallery viewing through Sunday, January 3, 2021, at current admissions costs. Tyler History Center will be closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. Both the Arms and Tyler locations will reopen to the public on Friday, January 15, 2021.

• The street-level windows at Tyler History Center will be decorated with images of vintage, Mahoning Valley holiday memories

• The Tyler's Youngstown Foundation Community History Gallery will feature holiday artifacts from the MVHS Collection

• The Tyler Holiday Store, a pop-up yuletide shopping experience, will be open to the general public from Friday – Sunday, November 27 – December 20, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Additionally, the Holiday Store will be open Monday – Wednesday, December 21-23, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. New and vintage merchandise will be available to purchase. The Tyler Holiday Store will be located in the Thomas Ballroom on the second floor of Tyler History Center, and no admissions will be charged just for shopping. The permanent gift shop on the first floor will sell non-holiday merchandise, including new books and apparel that connect with Mahoning Valley history.

• MVHS current health and safety protocols will continue in place, requiring room occupancy limits, 6-foot distancing, and wearing of masks by all staff and visitors.

Virtual or online plans for the 2020 MVHS Holiday Season, presented by Premier Bank, include:

• The MVHS Facebook page series, "Mahoning Valley artiFACTS," will feature holiday collection items, in coordination with the on-site Community History Gallery at Tyler History Center

• The Business & Media Archives' Facebook page will post a selection of holiday film footage it has displayed at Arms Family Museum from previous years

• The monthly "Bites and Bits of History" program, currently presented as videos published on the MVHS YouTube channel, will explore ethnic holiday customs

• The "Time Capsules" blog on MVHS' web site will dive into various holiday traditions and events

• To replace its live, seasonal workshops, MVHS will publish "Holiday Hands-On History" projects that families can download from the historical society's web site

In the coming weeks, MVHS will announce more details, as plans are finalized and as any guidelines or restrictions set by Governor Mike DeWine and Ohio's Department of Health Development Services Agency are implemented.

Look for updates at the MVHS web site at https://mahoninghistory.org/ and its Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/mahoninghistory

If you are interested in additional sponsorship opportunities, please contact Linda Kostka at 330-743-2589, ext. 125 or email at lkostka@mahoninghistory.org.