HOLIDAY EVENTS

EVENTS CALENDAR

ONGOING THROUGH DEC. 5

Vintners’ holidays at the Ahwahnee hotel in Yosemite.

ONGOING THROUGH JAN. 16

Modesto on Ice opens for all ages in downtown.

NOV. 25-DEC. 11 FRIDAYS, SATURDAYS, SUNDAYS

Hein and Co. Books on Main St. in Jackson presents “Sherlock Holmes and the Night Before Christmas.” Tickets are $24 for adults, $20 for seniors and $16 for students. Visit www. bakerstreetwest.com for more information.

NOV. 25-DEC 18

San Andreas Metropolitan Theatre presents “A Christmas Story” Fridays and Saturdays tickets costing $15 for adults and $10 for children and seniors. Visit alaverasmet.com for tickets.

NOV. 25

Sonora’s Christmas parade downtown Washington St. starting at 6 p.m.

EVERY WEDNESDAY-SUNDAY UNTIL DEC. 17

Sierra Repertory Theatre in Sonora begins performances of “Elf the Musical at 13891 Mono Way. Visit www.sierrarep.org for more information.

NOV. 25-DEC. 17

The rail town state historic park in Jamestown will be having their Polar Express train rides departing on every Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 4:30 p.m., 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

ONGOING

The Turlock Police Activities League began operation Blue Santa, which involves collecting donated items to help local children through the holiday season. Call the Turlock Police Department for more questions regarding drop off locations and items most needed.

NOV. 26

Downtown Sutter Creek will kick off their tree lighting at Candy Cane Lane at 6 p.m. and have pictures with Santa to follow.

NOV. 26

The Dorrington hotel in Arnold will host their 30th annual tree lighting at 5 p.m. along with cookies, music, and drinks.

NOV. 29

Escalon will be hosting a hospice tree lighting event from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. with more information at

escalonchamberofcommerce. org.

NOV. 30

Yosemite Valley’s Tenaya Lodge is hosting its annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony from 6:45 p.m. till 7:45 p.m. The Tenaya’s tree is not only the largest in Central California but also sustainably harvested.

DEC. 1-31

Every night in Sutter Creek for the whole month of December they will host the nightly holiday lights tour from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

DEC. 1

From 6:17 p.m. till 9:30 p.m. Lodi will be presenting the annual Parade of Lights down South School Street and West Pine Street. The festive parade will have over 80 floats all covered in lights, and have performances from marching bands, dance groups, and also have themed vehicles.

DEC. 2-3

In all of the downtown shops, Sutter Creek will be having a Christmas open house that includes shopping, refreshments, and holiday cheer all beginning at 5 p.m.

DEC. 2

In downtown Murphys there will be an open house followed by a light parade consisting of treats, music, and an abundance of Christmas lights all beginning at 5 p.m. until 8 p.m.

DEC. 2

Downtown Turlock will have their Christmas parade beginning at 6:30 p.m.

DEC. 2

Merced will be hosting an Irish Christmas on Main Street in honor of the Merced Theatre Foundation beginning at 7 p.m. until 10 p.m.

DEC. 2

Twain Harte will have its winter wonderland parade in their downtown area beginning at 5:30 p.m.

DEC. 2-4

Lodi is having its festival of trees at the County Historical Museum from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. It will feature more than 60 decorated trees, children’s activities, crafts, entertainment, and food, photos with Santa, historical exhibits and demonstrations of pioneer handcrafted work.

DEC. 3

Los Banos’ downtown association will be having a Christmas lights and winter night’s parade and tree lighting ceremony beginning at 7 p.m. at the downtown 6th St. area.

DEC. 3

The Merced theatre is presenting the Merced Symphony: Holiday Pops at 7:30 p.m., tickets can be found and purchased at

eventticketscenter.com/ mercedsymphony.

DEC. 3

In the downtown area of Tracy where the farmers markets are usually held, a holiday light parade and tree lighting ceremony will take place from 6 p.m. until 8:30 p.m.

DEC. 3

Stockton will be hosting their annual holiday at the point Christmas tree lighting at Weber Point Events Center 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. The evening will consist of caroling, visits from Santa and Frosty the Snowman and following the event at 6 p.m. will be the lighted boat parade where yachts and boats will pass by decorated with Christmas lights.

DEC. 3

On Hughson Ave. in Hughson an open community holiday festival with caroling, hot cocoa, and cookies will begin at 5:30 p.m. and a parade and tree lighting ceremony will follow.

DEC. 3

In Oakdale on First St. there will be a Christmas vendor event full of local businesses hosted by Momma’s Closet from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.

DEC. 3

Oakdale Enrichment Society will have the annual Christmas parade through town beginning at 5 p.m. and will have floats and other entries from local businesses and companies spreading holiday cheer.

DEC. 3

The State Theatre presents doughnuts, coffee and cartoons featuring “The Muppet Christmas Carol” with a tree decorating ceremony to follow. Doors open at 9 a.m. and the show starts at 10 a.m. Tickets can be found and purchased at thestate.org/films/ themuppetchristmascarol

DEC. 3

Sutter Creek presents Los Posadas candlelight walk where there will be a festive candlelight procession through town starting at 6 p.m.

DEC. 4

Ripon will be having their neighborhood Christmas on Main St. from 5:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m.

DEC. 4

There will be a Christmas tree lane event in Ceres starting at 7:15 p.m. with pictures with Santa 5 p.m. till 6:30 p.m. all at Smyrna Park.

DEC. 4

Community Hospice will be hosting a tree lighting ceremony on the corner of Coffee and Briggsmore at Sutter Memorial Medical Center in Modesto from 4:40 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. This ceremony offers family, friends, and community members to purchase a symbolic light or personalized ornament to place on the tree in support of the mission of community hospice. For more information on that event and to purchase ornaments call 209-578-6370.

DEC. 8

From 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. Ripon will be having a Christmas light parade through the downtown area. Applications for entries can be found at riponchamber.org.

DEC. 10

Down the main streets of Escalon, there will be a Christmas parade to ring in the holiday season.

DEC. 10

From 2:30 p.m. till 7:30 p.m. Waterford will be having a Christmas parade and market.

DEC. 10

Downtown Riverbank on Santa Fe Ave there will be the 53rd annual Christmas parade and craft fair from noon till 8 p.m.

DEC. 10-11, 17-18

There will be a Columbia Miner’s Christmas at the state park on Main St. from noon to 3 p.m. demonstrating what Christmas was like during the Gold Rush in the 1850’s. You can listen to Christmas stories from miners, taste chestnuts roasted over an open fire, and make oldfashioned crafts. Explore the historic buildings of Columbia while sipping on hot cider and coffee.

DEC. 10

Downtown Angels Camp will be hosting a gold country Christmas lighted parade and downtown shopping open house beginning at 5 p.m.

DEC. 12

The whole week will have students k-12 work with the Coulterville Auxiliary at the VFW Thomas Jenkins post to have their own Christmas shopping adventure. The VFW post collects Christmas gifts for all ages’ boy and girl to set up a Santa shop where kids can shop for free gifts for each member of their family and pick something else out for themselves at the end. The parents fill out forms to show the members in the child’s family and their ages, and a volunteer will take the child around to pick out gifts and even have them wrapped then and there. Hot chocolate and treats are also provided.

DEC. 11

Mariposa County Chamber of Commerce will be presenting a Merry Mountain Christmas parade and tree lighting beginning at 5 p.m. on Main St. This year’s theme is Toys, Trains, and Candy Canes, and will be offering pictures with Santa, hot cocoa, hotdogs, popcorn, and ending the evening in front of the bonfire. More information and the application for float entries can be found at mariposachamber.org/

christmasparade.

DEC. 15

At the Oakdale Senior Center, the community dance band will be having a special Christmas concert beginning at 6:30 p.m. All ages are welcome to come and hear the festive sounds of the holidays.

DEC. 17-18

Beginning on Saturday, Dec. 17 at 11:30 p.m. there will be an ugly Christmas sweater pub crawl until Sunday, Dec. 18 at 4: a.m. meeting at 911 J St. in Modesto and moving on the other locations after that one.

DEC. 18

In Yosemite Valley the Celestial Christmas Countdown will begin at 9:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. and will be hosted at the Baptist Church.

DEC. 21-22

The Tenaya Lodge in Yosemite is hosting a kid’s dinner with Santa for ages 4-12 years old starting at 6 p.m. until 8 p.m.

DEC. 24

Mrs. Claus will be reading “Twas the night before Christmas” at the Tenaya Lodge in Yosemite starting at 8:30 p.m. for children of all ages.

DEC. 24

In Merced, there will be a Christmas Eve Fun Run beginning at Applegate Park on the corner of 26th and O Streets and will be a total of 5.3 miles long. The route will go out and back on the bike path along Bear Creek and will start at 10 a.m. There is no registration needed beforehand, just show up at the starting point before 10 a.m. and a map can be found of the route by going to racethread.com/

mercedchristmasevefunrun.