Christmas & Holiday event listings for Time Out, 2015

Published 9:25 am Thursday, December 3, 2015

Polar Express Train Ride —   Dec. 4-6, 11-13, 16-22. Tickets  and info at http://www.nctrans.org/

LSt’s Scrooge Trolley tour — Fridays and Saturdays through Dec. 19. For times and tickets see http://visitsalisburync.com/vp/1071.aspx

Celebration of Lights and Winterland Express — Through Dec. 31: 6-9:30 p.m. at Village Park, 700 West C St., Kannapolis. Free (excluding train rides, $2 per rider). 250,000+ lights at Village Park nightly (closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day). Marshmallows, s’mores, Santa. Kannapolis’ own Singing Bears perform each hour beginning at 6 p.m.

‘A Charlie Brown Christmas by Charles M. Schulz’ —  8 p.m. Dec. 3-4-5, 11-12 and 19-20. • 2:30 p.m. weekend matinees on Dec. 5-6, 12-13 and 19-20. Old Courthoue Theater, downtown Concord. www.oldcourt housetheatre.org or call 704-788-2405.

It’s a Wonderful Life – A live radio play. Lee Street Theatre, 329 N. Lee St. Dec. 10-12 and 17-19 at 7:30 p.m., Dec. 13 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets at leestreet.org

PPT holiday comedy ‘The Best Christmas Pageant Ever’ — Show dates: Dec. 11 and 18 at at 7:30 p.m. • Dec 12 and 19 at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Adults $10, seniors/ students $8. 704-633-5471, www.Piedmont Players.com. Norvell Theater, 135 E. Fisher St.

Christmas in Gold Hill Village — Dec. 11-13: Light refreshments, live music, Santa, Christmas storytelling, marshmallow roasting, live bluegrass and Christmas music. Historic Gold Hill Village, 840 St. Stephen’s Church Road, Gold Hill, www.goldhill.com

‘A Christmas Carol’ — Dec. 11-13:  Intune School of the Arts’ annual community production at Concord First Assembly, 150 Warren C. Coleman Blvd.  90+  actors, singers, dancers. Tickets at www.concordchristmas.com

Santa & the Grinch antique fire truck rides — 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12: Ride antique fire trucks around downtown. Hot cocoa or coffee, cookies and make holiday decorations.Free rides depart from Visitors Center, 204 E. Innes St.

Montgomery Store Gold Hill presents Home For The Holidays Music Celebration —  7 p.m. Dec 10: Montgomery General Store kicks off the Christmas celebrations on Thursday with the Efird Family Singers ‘Home for the Holidays’ Concert • 7-9 p.m. Friday: Bluegrass Jam • Saturday afternoon musicians include ‘A Banjo Christmas’ with Danny Bowers at 1 p.m., The Broadway Family at 2 p.m. The Jordan River Band will perform 7-9 p.m. Saturday night. Admission for all performances is by donations to benefit the performers. See www.historicgoldhill.com or call 704-267-9439.

Holly Jolly Christmas Show — 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Dec. 12 and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Dec. 13: Inaugural Holly Jolly Christmas Show at the Rowan County Fairgrounds, 85+ craft and small business vendors. Admission $1 and 2 canned goods or $3, under 12 free. All food items go to Faith Lutheran Church  community food bank. Main Street Baptist Church’s women’s fellowship available to wrap gifts. Sponsored by Rowan County Fair Association. Info 336-880-3554.

Holly Jolly Christmas Craft and Vendor Show — Dec. 12-13: Rowan County Fairgrounds Hubert and Blanche Event Center. Info 336-880-3554- Sponsored by Rowan County Fair Association.

Rowan Big Band All Stars —  7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13: 18-piece jazz band featuring local musicians headlines “Christmas In Swingtime,” free, open to the public, hosted by the First Presbyterian Church, 308 W. Innes St.  Christmas music from the Big Band Era of the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s. Dress to impress.

‘Christmas Across the Pond’ — 7 p.m., Dec. 13: Repeat performance by The Salisbury Rowan Choral Society. First United Methodist of China Grove, 110 W. Church St. Free,  donations requested. Also please bring a toy to be donated. https://www. facebook.com/Salisbury. Rowan.Choral.Society

Piedmont Singing Men — 7 p.m. Dec. 13: 43 musicians from 23 churches in the Concord/Kannapolis/Charlotte area will tell a story using songs of the Christmas season. St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, 9275 Bringle Ferry Road, 704-633-3770.

Jubilee Choir annual Christmas concert — 5 p.m. Dec. 13: “Were You There On That Christmas Night?” with guest artist classically trained soprano Kia Baird. Also features Rebecca Stinson, Phyllis Partee, Doris Goodman, Monica  Green.  Choir has been together 50+ years. Free concert, love offering accepted. Held at Soldiers Memorial AME Zion Church.

Karl Hales hosts 11th annual ‘Christmas Traditions’ — 7 p.m. Dec. 14 and 15: The stories and music of Christmas, with Neal Wilkinson, vocalist Leslie Dunkin, pianist Susan  Trivette. Meroney Theater. Admission is one canned item for Rowan Helping Ministries.

Christmas in The Grove —  Dec. 18 from 4-8 p.m. in China Grove. Sledding, s’mores, hot chocolate. Also Dec. 19 from 6-8 p.m. with sledding, horse and wagon rides, Santa, hot chocolate, s’mores. Details on www.chinagrovenc.gov

Unplugged/ acoustic Christmas benefit concert  — 7:30 p.m Saturday, Dec. 19: Four-time Grammy Award-winning artist Kevin Max (member of DC Talk and Audio Adrenaline). Net proceeds and canned goods collected benefit Rowan Helping Ministries and The Hands & Feet Project . Held at Grace Bible Church in Rockwell. www.facebook.com/ events/ 487257908117981/

New Year’s Eve Celebration at the Bell Tower — 8 p.m.-midnight Thursday, Dec. 31: Annual downtown Salisbury tradition in partnership with the Salisbury Parks & Recreation Department.

New Year’s Eve Tomato Drop — 9 p.m.-midnight at Unity Presbyterian Church, Woodleaf. Info 704-278-4248. In affiliation with the Woodleaf Tomato Festival, woodleaftomatofestival@yahoo.com

31st annual Old Christmas at Old Stone House — 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Jan. 2  and noon-4 p.m., Jan. 3: Old Stone House, 770 Old Stone House Road. 704-633-5946, www.rowanmuseum.org

Out of Town traditions

‘Letters to Santa’ — 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Dec. 12: UNCSA Preparatory Dance Program hosts hot cocoa, cookies, write a letter to Santa, play games, make crafts, have a photo. Ace Exhibition Complex, 1533 S. Main St. Tickets $10 at 336-721-1945.

Music of the Carolinas: Freylach Time! — 3 p.m. Dec. 13: An afternoon of Hanukkah music with one of the most popular klezmer dance bands in North Carolina. Free tickets distributed first-come, first-served beginning at 2 p.m. At the NC Museum of History, 5 E. Edenton St., Raleigh. Details at ncmuseumofhistory.org

9th annual Handel’s Messiah by W-S Symphony — 7:30 p.m. Dec. 15-16: At Centenary United Methodist Church, 646 W. Fifth St. Tickets are $15 – $47 at WSsymphony.org or 336-464-0145.

Twin City Stage presents Macy’s ‘Yes, Virginia The Musical’ — Dec. 18-20: Based on the true story. Arts Council Theatre, 610 Coliseum Drive, Winston-Salem. Time and tickets at www.twincitystage.org

Tanglewood Festival of Lights — Through Jan. 3, Clemmons: Light tours plus family activities. http://visitwinstonsalem.com/

Christmas Town USA — Through Dec. 26, McAdenville. In this mill town west of Charlotte, the 375 Christmas trees on view outnumber the households. www.mcadenville-christmastown.com/

Christmas at Old Salem — Through Dec. 31, Winston-Salem. Candlelight tours, holiday music, attend the Moravian Candle Tea. http://www.oldsalem.org/

National Gingerbread Competition — Through Jan. 3, Grove Park Inn, Asheville. www.exploreasheville.com/

Gardens aglow — Various locations: • Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden in Belmont, Holiday Lights at the Garden through Jan. 3 • Asheville, Winter Lights at the North Carolina Arboretum through Jan. 2 • Cape Fear Botanical Garden in Fayetteville, Holiday Lights in the Garden through Dec. 27. See VisitNC.com

Christmas at Biltmore — Through Jan. 10. Candlelight tours through Jan. 2. Asheville. See http://christmas.biltmore.com/