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LIGHTSLIGHTS LIGHTSLIGHTSLIGHTSLIGHTS EASILYEASILY EASILYEASILYEASILYEASILY NO BUGS, MOLD, LESS OR MUSHROOMS SMOKE
NO BUGS, MOLD, LESS OR MUSHROOMS SMOKE
NO BUGS, MOLD, LESS OR MUSHROOMS SMOKE
NO BUGS, MOLD, LESS OR MUSHROOMS SMOKE
LIGHTS LESS EASILY SMOKE
NO BUGS, MOLD, NO BUGS, MOLD, LESS OR MUSHROOMS OR MUSHROOMS SMOKE
NO BUGS, MOLD, LESS OR MUSHROOMS SMOKE
Another Wacky Tacky Christmas Load Into Buses and Tour the Town’s Themed, Outrageous Light Displays
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Some of the wackiest, tackiest Christmas lights in town will shine in all their electric glory during the Wacky Tacky Christmas Lights Tour fundraiser for Fresh Air Family this month.
The two-hour bus tours on Dec. 13, 15, 20 and 22 take riders on a guided excursion of the best of the area’s tackiest themed holiday displays – think Santa’s Trailer Park, Dueling Neighbors, Star Wars Christmas, Hanukkah House, the Auburn House and two new houses, Saddle Up Santa and Xmas on a Limb. There will be about a dozen large displays and several smaller ones on view.
“The magic of it is you sit on the bus and we drive,” said Verna Gates, Fresh Air Family’s founder and executive director, noting that families, sororities and Sunday school groups are among those who’ve taken the tour.
The tour, now in its 13th year, is festive, with a lot of laughs, and riders really get into the spirit of the occasion by wearing their tackiest holiday sweaters and outfits. It’s a large event, with nine buses running on tour nights and about 1,500 people expected to participate over the four evenings, Gates said.
The buses will make a stop at Soho Social in Homewood about halfway through the tour, where riders can take a short break and order hot cocoa and other drinks, Gates said.
Buses, provided by Rare Transportation, will run every 15 minutes from 6 p.m. to 7:45 p.m., starting at Cahaba Brewing Company.
Tickets are $45 each and are available online at freshairfamily.org/ wacky-tacky. Buses are available for private group tours.
Fresh Air Family is a nonprofit that offers about 400 outdoor activities to reach more than 10,000 people. Among the programs are family outings, summer and holiday camps, school field trips, hiking, canoeing, birding, star gazing, fossil hunting and orienteering.
Last year’s event raised close to $25,000 in financial aid awarded to more than 150 children who attended camp. In the past three years, Fresh Air Family has awarded more than $100,000 in scholarships to children who otherwise wouldn’t be able to participate. —Anne Ruisi
DEC 15 - DEC 31
Thru. Jan. 16
Birmingham Zoo Glow Wild
Watch the Zoo come alive with all new larger-than-life, jaw-dropping wild animal and sea life lantern creations brilliantly lighting up the night! When: Select nights, 5 - 9 p.m. Where: Birmingham Zoo
Thru Dec. 18
Red Mountain Theatre Holiday Spectacular
Cozy up to RMT’s annual Holiday Spectacular – a gift of your favorite music of the season, performed by Birmingham’s best talent and RMT’s Youth Ensembles. It will leave your heart glowing and set the stage for a magical holiday season. When: Showtimes vary
Fri., Dec. 16 Thru Dec., 19
UGLY SWEATER HOLIDAY PARTY
Celebrate Ugly Holiday Sweater Day at the Hoover Public Library at an adults-only party. When: 7 p.m. Where: Hoover Library Plaza Wing.
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Alabama Theatre Christmas Movie Series
Alabama Theatre’s Christmas Movie Series continues with night time and matinee showings of Holiday classics including: “The Nightmare Before Christmas”, “A Christmas Story”, a Cartoon feature that will include “Merry Christmas Charlie Brown”, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”, “White Christmas”, I”t’s a Wonderful Life”, and “Elf”. Children ages two and younger are free of charge. Doors open 1 hour before showtime, and each screening will begin with a singalong accompanied by the Mighty Wurlitzer Organ. Where: The Alabama Theatre When: Showtimes vary, check website for details.
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It’s A Wonderful Wonderful Life
Be a member of the studio audience as this Ravenswood Radio Theatre Production takes you back in time to the 1946 radio broadcast of “It’s a Wonderful Life,” with a stellar cast of six, an original musical underscore and live foley sound effects that bring the entire town of Bedford Falls to life. When: Showtimes vary Where: Homewood Theatre
Dec. 16 & 17
“The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe”
Birmingham Children’s Theatre presents “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe”. When: Fri., Dec. 16, 7 p.m., Sat., Dec. 17, 11 a.m. Where: Birmingham Children’s Theatre
Dec. 16 - 23
Vulcan Park Magical Nights Holiday Experience
Vulcan Park and Museum has been transformed into a delightful wonderland filled with holiday lights, holiday music, special guest appearances, and Santa. The Anvil and Museum will have extended hours until 8 p.m. There will also be food, hot chocolate, wine and beer available for additional purchase. When: 6-8 p.m. Where: Vulcan Park and Museum
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MAGIC OF MODEL TRAINS | THROUGH DEC. 31
Discover trains of every shape and size inside this exhibit of locomotive displays. From covered bridges and a crowded downtown store fronts to multiple train stations, a thunderstorm and a drive-in movie theater this exhibit will keep curious minds entertained for hours. When: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Where: McWane Science Center
Journal file photo by Jordan Wald
Dec. 16-18, 21-23
George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker
The Alabama Ballet is one of only eight companies in the world licensed by The Balanchine Trust to perform this holiday masterpiece. Tchaikovsky’s beloved melodies transport the young and young at heart to a magical world where mischievous mice besiege a battalion of toy soldiers and an onstage blizzard leads to an enchanted Land of Sweets. When: showtimes vary Where: BJCC Concert Hall
Sat., Dec. 17
Pure Fitness - Reindeer Dash
Ready, Set, Dash! Pure Fitness’s 6th Annual 5k and 1 mile fun run. Dress up as your favorite holiday character for a morning of family fun. When: 7:30-10 a.m. Where: Pure Fitness 1425 Montgomery Highway
Meadow Brook Run
The 28th anniversary of “Birmingham’s most beautiful course”. Christmas holiday T-shirts, gift bags, awards, and great food. Prizes for overall winners. Love Birds release. Benefits “The Jesus Video Project of Alabama” When: 9 a.m. Where: Valley Bank, Hwy 280
Alabama Wildlife Center Holiday Craft & Bake Sale
This fundraiser craft and bake sale will benefit the center’s dual mission to provide medical and rehabilitative care to the state’s injured and orphaned native birds and to raise awareness and appreciation of the state’s native wildlife. When: 9 a.m.2 p.m. Where: Alabama Wildlife Center at Oak Mountain State Park, Pelham
Handel’s Messiah
The Alabama Symphony Orchestra Masterworks series continues with the orchestra’s most beloved holiday tradition. For the first time in several seasons, the production will include almost every movement of the original work. The performance will feature conductor Jason Max Ferdinand, soprano Helen Huang, mezzo-soprano Ann McMahon Quintero, tenor David Tayloe, bassbaritone Frank B. Mitchell, III and the orchestra chorus under the direction of Dr. Philip L. Copeland. When: 7 p.m. Where: Alys Stephens Center, Jemison Concert Hall
Dec. 17-18
Photos with Santa
Santa returns for your family photos at Sims Garden in Homewood. Includes 10 minutes with Santa, refreshments and a gift. For more details or to make appointment email to sims-garden.square.site When: 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Where: Sims Garden
Sun., Dec. 18
Sounds of the Season
Celebrate the holidays with Opera Birmingham’s annual concert of holiday songs, featuring both sacred and secular tunes. Featured performers include Birmingham natives Kristine Hurst-Wajszczuk, soprano, and Emily Jaworski Koriath, mezzo-soprano, joined by artists of the Opera Birmingham Studio at Samford University and the Opera Birmingham Chamber Choir. When: 2:30 p.m. Where: Brock Recital Hall, Samford University
Journal file photo by Jordan Wald
TREADWELL
GRAND MENORAH LIGHTING | SUN., DEC. 18
The Festival of Lights begins this day and the Summit is celebrating with a Grand Menorah Lighting. Music, latkes and donuts, juggler, snow, baloon twister and more. This event is a collaborative project of the LJCC, Chabad of Alabama, the Birmingham Jewish Foundation - Karl and Gladys LJCC Fund, and the Birmingham Jewish Federation. When: 4:30 p.m. Where: Saks Plaza, the Summit. Levi and Mushka Weinbaum with their children, from left, Shaena, Mimi, Menny, Zira and Tzvika at last year’s Grand Menorah Lighting.
Tues., Dec. 20
Menorah Lighting
Enjoy refreshments and activities at the Vestavia Hills Menorah Lighting! When: 6:00 p.m. Where: Vestavia Hills City Center
Wed., Dec 21
Samford String Quartet
Celebrate the season with a holiday concert with the Samford University String Quartet. Light refreshments. When: 11 a.m. Where: O’Neal Library
Sun., Dec. 25 Merry Christmas!
Sat., Dec. 31
Noon Years Eve
What: Enjoy spectacular science demonstrations all day long, but be ready to celebrate with the McWane team from 11:30 to noon for an explosive program filled with science, learning, and a lot of fun. When: 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Where: McWane Science Center Website: mcwane.org
Alys Stephen’s Center New Year’s Eve: A Viennese Celebration
Toast the end of 2022 with a nod to the Vienna Philharmonic’s New Year’s Day performances and a glass of bubbly. Maestro Carlos Izcaray will take the podium to lead the ASO in a selection of Strauss family favorites and more. When: 6 p.m. Where: Jemison Concert Hall
NYE at the BMA
An evening of the unimaginable. Reflect on the year while immersing yourself in the culture, excitement, and surprises that accompany a never-before-seen countdown to a new year. When: 8 p.m. - 12:30 a.m. Where: Birmingham Museum of Art
Sun., Jan. 1 Happy New Year!
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