Castle Noel
Dr. Pfister pays a visit to Castle Noel
I don’t know about you, but I had initially felt in May that this whole pandemic thing would be gone by July or August at the latest…
Not leaving the state since the first week of February, no family vacay, and no animal retreats can really weigh on your mind and soul! This being my 38th article, I know you are tired of me telling you to go outside and cavort with nature to unwind from our Covid stress. You also know I like variety in my life; and with the curfew, quarantine, and wet weather, I thought it was time to find some indoor stress relievers.
You may not know my favorite season is the Christmas Season. My wife, boys, and I have chased and enjoyed holiday lights in many cities and malls… from Disney to Frankenmuth… even holiday dental meetings in Scottsdale, complete with decorated Christmas palms. The last several weekends have found us walking Crocker Park while enjoying the lights; Southpark also does a beautiful job decorating. Walking the Wild Winter Lights at the zoo is always a must-do this month.
Did you know that one of the best indoor stress relievers in this part of the country is within eight miles of most of my readers’ front doors?
I’m talking about a place where, in an hour and a half, you can lose yourself in a room with a ceiling covered with over 100,000 ornaments, walk down a London street, then circle through Cindy Lou Who’s bedroom, and finally climb a mountain and have your picture taken with ol’ Saint Nick himself. And for the Grand Finale, you slide down a two-story replica slide from Cleveland’s movie, A Christmas Story, and find yourself at 260 S. Court Street, Medina, Ohio. Yes, I’m talking about one of Medina’s gems of cultural intrigue. I’m amazed how many of my patients haven’t been there yet... Are you kidding me?! If you enjoy, like, love, or are enthralled with Christmas and Christmas movie memorabilia, then you must visit Mark and Dana Klaus’ Castle Noel.
Some say, as human beings, we are a product of our environment. Others say we are a genetic blend of our parents. Mark Klaus (yes, that’s his actual legal name) is a woven blend of both, having been born with artistic talents (expressed as a sculptor) and raised by a creative Christmas fanatic father who would have put Clark Griswald to shame! Mark remembers growing up watching and helping his father every Christmas Season trying to outdo last year’s tree in size, shape, and number of ornaments. He remembers his father pushing larger and larger trees each year into their living room through the same 3-foot front doorway and unrolling miles of lights and decorations to create the perfect tribute to Christmas in a lighting extravaganza! These are the childhood memories that ignited and continue to fuel the creative fire in Mark’s soul, that along with the energy and shared enthusiasm of his wife Dana, enabled them to create the largest indoor Christmas attraction in the United States!
What would drive a seemingly normal couple and their crew to New York City on January 2, 2017, at 5:30 in the morning, to dismantle Saks Fifth Avenue’s six full-size Christmas window displays (so skillfully designed and crafted that they were valued at over 300,000 dollars per window) and bring them back in the middle of a lake-effect snowstorm on I-90 to reassemble them for the world to enjoy in Medina? When you look into Mark’s eyes and listen to him talk about Castle Noel, Mark is driven by a strong love and dedication to the Spirit of Christmas and an unselfish desire to share a collection of movie memorabilia and childhood Christmas toys.
The Klauses seem to enjoy waking up the child in all of us, as we can relate to certain images or toys that spark a memory that we may not have thought of - for years for some, decades for others!
To get into the right Spirit to create this blog, I went online and got the only ticket left for Monday night and took the tour, limited to ten people (with social distancing and sanitizing at every turn), with a family I didn’t know, and who had two children approximately 3 and 5 years of age. Watching and listening to the excitement and wonderment, as these two children discovered another facet of Christmas, was truly biblical to say the least. There is so much creativity at Castle Noel that I don’t want to spoil your tour by listing everything they present. There is an ohh and ahhh at every turn along your way.
At one point, you sit in a dimly lit room and watch a video of Mark singing “Let it Go” from Frozen as he theatrically goes through various rooms of Castle Noel… and right at the crescendo of the song, actual liquid snowflakes - not confetti - fall from the ceiling! Listening to the little girl in our group squeal with delight, I had little doubt the Klauses are doing Christmas proud!
If you want to wind down even further after your tour, you must try this year’s new addition - the Frozen Bar on the main floor just off the gift shop. Here, you can sit on an iceberg amongst five or six full-size polar bears and sip creative elixirs with intriguing names like Snow Miser, Polar Express, and Cindy Lou Booze. If you want to make an entire morning or afternoon out of your “reality” getaway, then the Alien 3-D golf is not to be missed. Creativity is rampant here, with artistically painted walls, specially designed carpets, and a fabulous overriding 3-D effect concept that is a must to experience.
Well… there you have it! One heck of a way to let loose, be a kid, and not think about anything political or pandemic! And if it’s too close to home… drive up to Cleveland, look at the lake for 20 minutes from the Rock Hall of Fame, and then drive back to Medina to 260 S. Court Street and lose yourself… support local… pure Medina.
In the Spirit of Christmas,
- Dr. Pfister