a psychedelic, hallucinogenic journey
Kringle’s Inventionasium

Holiday traditions in Northeast Ohio die hard. Decades after the fact, many of us have halcyon memories of traveling downtown to see the window decorations, smelling the freshly roasted nuts wafting through the Terminal Tower's May Company or even visiting Mr. Jingeling on Halle's seventh floor.

That said, there's a relatively new seasonal attraction that is quickly gaining momentum to become THE annual must-see tradition of the New Millennium. It's Tower City's Kringle's Inventionasium and it’s the vision of Broadview Heights native, Lakewood resident James Langa.

“It’s definitely a little bit on the wild and wacky and whimsical side but both the adults and children get caught up in the excitement and craziness,” said 2001 Holy Name High School graduate Langa, a Starbucks barista by day and Willy Wonka-wannabe by night. “A lot of people come here to laugh and to be crazy and to wear crazy hats and sport those goofy socks and to let their inner child go wild in here. It’s sort of contagious and everyone else gets infected with it.”

Kringle’s Inventionasium infection begins instantly as wide-eyed kids and coat-carrying adults enter this H.R. Pufnstuf-like daydream turned reality full of bright colors, holiday music and oddball characters with deep storylines (the product of aspiring young thespians from the Cleveland Playhouse, Forth Wall Productions and Near West Theater) that kick off the fun. Inside, visitors will enter interactive Santa workshop stations such as The Brainstorming Department, The Sound Effects Department and The Color Mixing Laboratory.

Naturally the journey ends with an optional ($12.99) picture alongside Santa and a stop at The Toy Engineering Department, which feels a lot like a toy store. For Langa, an aspiring actor who is in the process of writing a Kringle’s Inventionasium narrative that he hopes to one day turn into a book or television mini-series, the nearly six-figure investment he first opened in 2007 is paying off.

“We have people who are making it a tradition,” Langa said. “I feel like it is catching on because we also have guests from out of state that are now making this a yearly trip. The problem we’re having is just getting the word out. So much money has been invested in the actual product that we need to try really hard in the next couple of years to let people know we’re here and that it exists.

“The hard part is reaching all the people in the suburbs looking for a good quality family experience. It’s just a matter of getting them down here and saying, ‘Hey, we’re here. Look at us. Something great is going on in the city. Get excited about the urban experience.’”

Despite his belief word is still getting out, Langa said this year he was forced to institute a new reservation system requiring guests to register online (www.mrkringle.com) in hopes of avoiding three-hour waiting lines of past years. Also new this year is a $2 admission, which the visionary chalks up as necessary in hopes of keeping Kringle’s Inventionasium modern and fiscally viable for the future.

What’s in Langa’s favor is the fact the Kringle’s Inventionasium, which averages over 10,000 visitors a year, is a singularly unique experience.

“One of our customers said it’s a psychedelic, hallucinogenic journey that she was very excited to take,” Langa said. “And to me, that’s a compliment. We’re here to wake people up and get people excited about the Christmas spirit. That’s what we’re trying to facilitate here.”

Kringle’s Inventionasium is open daily through Dec. 23. For additional information, visit http://www.MrKringle.com.

Free-lance writer John Benson spends most of his time writing for various papers throughout Northeast Ohio.

When he's not writing about music or entertainment, he can be found coaching his two boys in basketball, football and baseball or watching movies with his lovely wife, Maria. John also occasionally writes for CoolCleveland.com