Winter Wonders

Friends of Richfield Heritage Preserve (Friends) will be hosting their Winter Wonders fundraiser in The Lodge at Richfield Heritage Preserve (4374 Broadview Road) on Saturday, December 5, 2026, from 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. This year’s theme is “Cozy Cabin.” Admission to this family-friendly event is free.

Delectable Christmas cookies will be available for purchase at the “Winter Wonders Bakery”. Local artisans will be offering a wide variety of handmade/handcrafted items.Sunny the Reindeer Horse will be on site from 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Free kids’ holiday activities, crafts, and face painting will be offered. Miss Diane, from the Richfield Branch Library, will be sharing holiday stories by the fireside at 11:30 a.m. Friends’ merchandise (raspberry/cranberry flavored “Richfield Heritage Preserves”, Friends’ mugs containing either a hot cocoa or soup mix, and new notecards with park-themed photos) as well as fresh decorative holiday swags will be sold. Refreshments (including grilled hot dogs/bratwurst, chips and beverages) will be offered for a donation – and a hot cocoa station will be available. Delicious donuts will be made on site and available for purchase. There will be a 50/50 raffle and a special drawing for some fantastic items. Several park partner groups will be on hand to share information about their organizations and to offer activities and/or sell some of their merchandise. Attendees will be provided with a variety of unique photo ops to help them commemorate this special day.

This year’s Winter Wonders will also include special activities at Amity House – the gorgeous French Normandy style home built in 1936 by Clarence and Clara Neal as a wedding gift for their son and his wife. Attendees will follow the festively decorated Storybook Trail, with some fun surprises along the way, from The Lodge to Amity House – where Mother Nature will share stories about the magic of ‘the castle’ and Father Christmas will make appearances on horseback at 12 p.m., 1 p.m., and 2 p.m. Some of his trusted elves will also be on hand to distribute candy canes to attendees. Younger guests will have the opportunity to write a letter to Santa and place it in his designated mailbox. And, if the weather cooperates, there may also be sledding on the small hill located by Amity House.

Friends of Richfield Heritage Preserve is a nonprofit advocacy group whose mission is to help preserve, protect, enhance, and promote Richfield Heritage Preserve. Profit from this event will go toward the Friends continued efforts to restore and preserve historic structures located within this awe-inspiring and historically rich 336-acre public park – which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.To date, the castle-like Amity House and the century-old Garfield Hall (with its bouncy dance floor) have been restored – and efforts continue on the $500,000+ restoration of Kirby’s Mill, one of the park’s most significant landmarks.

For further information, visit friendsofrhp.org.