Ashland’s Holiday Attraction Earns a Guinness World Record

The tune “Winter Wonderland” has been covered by countless artists in genres from pop to country, with Alan Jackson, Bing Crosby, Michael Bublé and Dolly Parton all lending their voices to the catchy tune. But if you’ve ever wanted to walk in that wonderland, Ashland, Ohio, might just be the place.

In 2023, the city unveiled the Candy Cane Trail for the first time. Freer Field, which plays host to the Ashland Balloon Festival each summer, is the site of the trail that winds through both wooded areas and open meadow space along a paved path.

This year, the event remains a holiday favorite in the city and was made possible thanks to Dick and Rhonda Poorbaugh, owners of the beloved Grandpa’s Cheesebarn and Sweetie’s Chocolates along Interstate 71 and State Route 250 just east of the city’s downtown.

“It proved to be such a hit that at the end of the [2023] season,” says Ashland mayor Matt Miller. “We were talking with the donors, and everyone was excited because it had been such a successful winter and Christmas season, and we were trying to figure out how to make it bigger and better.”

And bigger it became. The holiday display at Freer Field now spans three-quarters of a mile, showcasing hundreds of colorful, glowing metal trees in all sizes, as well as larger holiday displays like a giant fiberglass gingerbread sculpture or a group of carolers that appear frozen in time that make for great photos ops 

After the 2023 season, there was a joking mention between donors and the city about breaking the record for a large Christmas display in 2024. That playful thought became a goal worth striving for as research began in a genuine effort to obtain the record for the largest display of illuminated metal sculptures. After lots of coordination, an official adjudicator from Guinness World Records came to Ashland for opening night Dec. 1.

“We had just a picture-perfect evening with big, white, fluffy snowflakes,” Miller says. “And just as we began the countdown to light up the Candy Cane Trail for this season, the Guinness World Record adjudicator officially announced that with 776 trees, we had in fact set the world record.”

The record was celebrated by over 1,000 residents who came out to see the season’s first illumination and enjoy opening-night festivities like hot cocoa, choir performances and a fireworks show.

Visitors who want to see the record-setting display themselves can, as the trail is open from dusk to 9:30 p.m. through Jan. 5. The trail is free to walk and has quickly become not just a holiday spectacle, but part of daily life for residents. 

“Many folks tell me that every night they go out there and walk with their family,” Miller says. “The reason they do that is because, truthfully, it is quite picturesque … and is just a wonderful place to walk during the winter season.”

For more information about the Candy Cane Trail, visit ashland-ohio.com.

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