December ’18

A Humboldt penguin takes in a cold, sunny day at Penguin Point in the Akron Zoo.

Canton Brewing Co. has had an undeniable impact on downtown. The brewery and restaurant, which opened in its current form in 2015, dates its history back to 1883. It was founded by Bavarian immigrant Otto Giessen and went through different owners and incarnations until the onset of Prohibition in 1919.

If I make Christmas cookies to take home to my family celebration, I always bake a batch of peanut butter blossoms. When my sister and I were little, our mom informed us those were Santa’s favorite, so they’ve become a Christmas tradition in the Matas house.

SOL Pie Pizza is dedicated to using organic ingredients, many of them locally produced, and catering to people with food allergies and vegan diets.

Located in North Canton, Four Kids Coffee is a full espresso bar with a gluten-free and allergy friendly bakery, a healthy lunch menu and creative play space for the kids. Grab lunch and a latte and let the kids play in the play space.

Eisenbrei Plaza Optical is the quintessential definition of a family-owned, family-run small business. Mark Eisenbrei and his wife, Loretta, currently run the business started by his late father, Maurice. His mother, 91, only recently stopped keeping the books for the business.

Back in September, I was playing around on my phone and found the health app. It’s standard on all iPhones. I tapped around and noticed it was tracking my daily steps and mileage.

Dan Monea can’t remember his life without music. Monea, the vocalist, guitarist and chief songwriter for the popular Canton-based trio, Hey Monea, started playing the piano at the age of 3.

Stop in at Mainstream Boutique in North Canton to get this cute outfit, featuring a Burnout velvet kimono duster paired with a lace corsette camisole and Date Night Skinny Jean from Mainstream’s private label, Mac and Me. The look is finished with a handmade leather tassel necklace and leather/suede bootie. And the rose gold top coffee thermos is a great gift idea!

The Canton Ballet’s annual performance of “The Nutcracker” once again will feature a member of the New York City Ballet. Sterling Hyltin, who has been a principal dancer with the New York company since 2007, will dance the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy alongside 300 students from the local ballet program.