Holiday happenings

Exhibits

Through Dec. 17 The 10th annual Festival of Gingerbread and Vintage Toys: Unwrapping History from Folk Art to Modern, is on display at The History Museum for Springfield-Greene County on the third floor of historic City Hall, 830 Boonville. The exhibit includes handcrafted gingerbread structures from local groups and children, and vintage toys such as a log cabin dollhouse and a 1950 Steiff cheetah. Museum hours are 10:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

November/December

Vandivort Center Theatre presents “Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol” Nov. 25-28 at 305 E. Walnut St. Evening shows start at 7:30; Sunday showtime is 2:30 p.m. Reserved seats are $15 for adults and $12 for students and seniors age 55 and older. Group rates also are available. For tickets and additional information, call 417-831-8001. “Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol” also will run Dec. 2–5 and Dec. 8–11.

December

Dec. 1–4 Southwest Missouri State University’s music department will present Elizabethan Christmas Dinners at 6:30 p.m. in the Plaster Student Union Ballroom. Tickets to the event are $25 each. For tickets or additional information, call 417-836-4420.

Dec. 2–12 Springfield Little Theatre presents “The Littlest Angel” at 311 E. Walnut. This production, underwritten by Kraft Foods and 99.5 KADI Positive Hit Radio, features book and lyrics by Joseph Robinette and music by Diane Leslie. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Thursday–Saturday, with matinees at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $8 for adults and $6 for children age 14 and younger. For tickets or additional information, call the SLT box office at 417-869-1334.

Dec. 3 Evangel University’s music department will present a Christmas concert at 8 p.m. in the Evangel chapel auditorium. Admission is canned goods or cash to benefit Ozarks Food Harvest.

Dec. 3 Just in time for holiday shopping, Discovery Center presents its annual Parents Night Out 5-10 p.m. at the center. There will be chaperoned play for children age 4 through sixth grade. Included are exploration, games, crafts, snacks and a movie. The fee is $25 for the first child in a household and $10 for each additional child. Pre-registration and payment is required by Nov. 30. All proceeds will benefit the Discovery Center. For more information, call 417-862-9910 or visit www.discoverycenter.org.

Dec. 3–4 The Midtown Victorian Christmas Homes Tour will feature five homes and the Martin Center at Drury University. There are two changes to the tour this year. The first is that there is an evening tour 5–9 p.m. Dec. 3. The second is that the tour’s base of operations has moved to the Drury University Diversity Center, located in the historic Washington Avenue Baptist Church, 803 N. Drury Lane. Tickets will be sold there, and shuttles will depart from that location. Visitors to the center also will be able to listen to choir performances and watch film screenings. The tour will continue noon–5 p.m. Dec. 4. There will be no Sunday afternoon tours. Each tour destination will be festooned with period and holiday decorations, and homeowners and volunteers will be on hand to lead tours and answer questions. Tickets are $10 in advance and are available at Maschino’s Home Express, 1715 S. Campbell; The Medicine Shoppe, 811 E. Division; Holiday Lanes, 1111 W. Kearney and Urban Neighborhoods Alliance, 304 W. McDaniel. Tickets will be $12 at the Diversity Center on tour days.

Dec. 3–4 The Fourth Annual Christmas Homes Tour, presented by Neighbors and Friends of Table Rock Lake Inc., will be held 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Five homes in the Table Rock Lake area will be featured on the tour, an annual fundraiser to benefit lake-area charities, including the Tri-Lakes Area Humane Society, Ozark Country Senior Center, Lives Under Construction and the Kimberling Area Library. Tickets are $15 each and are available at Country Mart Supermarket in Branson West, Summer Fresh Supermarket and the Kimberling Area Library in Kimberling City, and at Stone County National Bank in Crane. The event includes complimentary refreshments, a silent auction and a raffle in the hospitality room of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church at James River/Joe Bald Road, off Highway 13 in Kimberling City. For additional information, call Neighbors and Friends of Table Rock Lake at 417-779-3058.

Dec. 3-5 Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts presents WinterFest 2004 at 5 p.m. Dec. 3, 10 a.m. Dec. 4 and noon Dec. 5. The visual and performing arts festival includes unique shopping opportunities and music by local performers. Admission to the arts festival is free; some of the performances, including the Jack Daniels Band, require tickets. Information about performances is available online at www.smstix.com, or by calling the SMSU box office at 417-836-SMSU.

Dec. 4 Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts presents Jim Brickman, who returns to the hall with his Christmas Show as part of WinterFest. Brickman will perform at 3 and 8 p.m. Tickets are $30, $35 and $40, and can be purchased by calling the SMSU box office at 417-836-SMSU or visiting www.smstix.com.

Dec. 5 Juanita K. Hammons for the Performing Arts presents “Sounds of Christmas” at 2 p.m. The concert is free and open to the public.

Dec. 6 SMSU’s music department presents the “Ring and Sing” winter concert at noon in the Meyer Library on campus. This centennial concert will feature SMSU students singing seasonal music, accompanied by the Jane A. Meyer Carillon. The concert is free and open to the public.

Dec. 6 Arc of the Ozarks’ 10th annual Sounds of Christmas benefit will be held at the Tower Club. Local and national artists, restaurants and collectors donate auction items for this “canvas, cuisine and collectibles” night to raise money for Arc of the Ozarks’ summer recreation program. Silent auction items will be available for viewing at 6 p.m. and dinner will begin at 7. Tickets to the event are $40 each. For tickets or to donate auction items, call Arc of the Ozarks at 417-864-7887.

Dec. 11 Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts presents “Michael Martin Murphey’s Cowboy Christmas” at 8 p.m. For the seventh holiday season, Murphey brings old-fashioned songs, stories and the message of Christmas to Hammons Hall. Tickets are $20.50, $26.50 and $29.50, and are available by calling 417-836-SMSU or visiting www.smstix.com.

Dec. 17–19 Springfield Ballet presents “The Nutcracker” Dec. 17,18 and 19 at The Landers Theatre, 311 E. Walnut. Showtimes are 7 p.m. Dec. 17; 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Dec. 18 and 2 p.m. Dec. 19. Tickets are $20 for adults, $17 for students and seniors and $14 for children age 12 and younger. For tickets or additional information, call the box office at 417-862-1343, ext. 12.

Dec. 18 As part of its Children’s Series, Springfield Ballet presents “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” at 11 a.m. at The Landers Theatre, 311 E. Walnut. This ballet for children – and performed by children – is based on the holiday story. Tickets are $8 for adults; $6 for students and seniors; and $5 for children age 12 and younger. For more information, call 417-862-1343, ext. 12.

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