First Snow plays a Trans-Siberian Orchestra matinee at Wadsworth's Celestia Theater

Ohio's longtime TSO tribute plays a 2 p.m. show on Sunday, Nov. 29, in a former school turned concert hall.

The Sunday after Thanksgiving is when a lot of Northeast Ohio families officially flip the switch to Christmas. This year there's a loud way to do it. First Snow, the Ohio tribute to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, plays the Celestia Theater in Wadsworth on Sunday, Nov. 29, a matinee with doors at 1 p.m. and the show at 2 p.m.

The date was announced Oct. 23. Tickets run $24.75–$42 through Etix. The Celestia holds 893, and an afternoon start makes this an easy one to bring kids or grandparents to. You'll be home before dark, which in late November isn't saying much, but still.

If you know TSO, you know the formula: rock guitars, a big band, strings of lights and the holiday songs everybody grew up with, played at arena volume. First Snow has been recreating that show since 2008. A 2019 Business Journal profile, written when the band played the first show at Warren's renovated Robins Theatre, describes an 11-member group whose members had also played together in a Pink Floyd tribute. Several also play in other tribute acts. The founder told the paper the band started small: "When we started First Snow in 2008, we didn't have all of the equipment we have now." The production has grown a lot since then.

The band has deep roots in this corner of the state. Over the years it has played the Robins in Warren and drawn coverage for shows in places like Windham, per the Weekly Villager, and Akron Life has listed it as a holiday-season regular. Ads and listings describe the show as a family event built around the spirit of Christmas.

The Celestia is a 120-year-old school that was once slated for demolition and now hosts concerts.

The venue is half the story. The Celestia sits at 151 Main St. in the Wadsworth Square development, inside a more than 120-year-old school that was once slated for demolition and now hosts concerts, according to News 5 Cleveland. Its calendar leans on tribute acts and touring names. A holiday rock show inside a restored old schoolhouse on Main Street is about as small-town Ohio as it gets.

A couple of practical notes. Doors open an hour early, so you have time to find seats and settle in before the lights go down. A TSO-style show is loud, so if you're bringing little ones, ear protection is a good idea. And with Thanksgiving weekend traffic, give yourself extra time getting into downtown Wadsworth.

Some families do the parade, some do the tree lot. This year there's also a Sunday afternoon at the Celestia with an 11-piece band, a lot of guitars and a lot of lights.

Sources: Business Journal Daily — First Snow Baptizes Renovated Robins Theatre (businessjournaldaily.com); Weekly Villager — First Snow rocks Windham (weeklyvillager.com); Akron Life — First Snow: Trans Siberian Orchestra Tribute since 2008 (akronlife.com); News 5 Cleveland — Historic school hits the right note as new concert venue (news5cleveland.com); Etix — First Snow at Celestia Theater tickets (etix.com); JamBase — First Snow at Celestia Theater (jambase.com)