Babysitting, entertainment available Saturday at Levis Commons

12/19/2013
BY MATT THOMPSON
BLADE STAFF WRITER

The stores at Levis Commons expect the busiest shopping days of the year and the outdoor Perrysburg center is working with Imagination Station to provide babysitting and entertainment for children on Saturday to allow parents to shop.

The event by the Toledo science center runs from 1 to 4 p.m. at 4130 Levis Commons Blvd., next to AT&T store and across the street from Bar Louie. It is the first such event at Levis Commons.

Parents have to RSVP with Imagination Station. The cost for a family is $20 for Imagination Station members and $25 for non-members for the first child. It is an additional $10 for each additional child. The capacity is up to 40 children at one time.

Sara Wilson, marketing and operations coordinator for the Town Center at Levis Commons, said the children will be taught through experiments on how snow forms and how to create instant snow. They also will be able to create ice cream with liquid nitrogen and work on other crafts. Snacks will be provided.

Typically the weekend before Christmas is the busiest for stores nationwide, and that is expected for Levis Commons, which is off of State Rt. 25 near the I-475/U.S. 23 interchange.

The snow last Saturday kept some shoppers at home, who may turn out this coming weekend. Said Ms. Wilson: "This weekend will definitely be busy. We're expecting big numbers."

She said a traffic counter typically logs 6,000 to 7,000 cars each weekend, but that could jump to about 8,000 cars this weekend. Ms. Wilson said they average about two and a half people a car, which means about 20,000 to 22,000 people could be shopping this weekend at Levis Commons.

Santa Claus will be available at Levis Commons from 3 to 8 p.m. Friday, noon to 8 p.m. Saturday, and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Horse-drawn carriage rides will also be available from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Rides are $5 a person or $10 for a family and goes around the outdoor mall. 

Contact Matt Thompson at: mthompson@theblade.com, 419-356-8786, or on Twitter at @mthompson25.