Thanksgiving And After Thanksgiving Events
Thanksgiving in the Mother Lode is a wonderful time with lots of events and activities planned.
The free Thanksgiving Meal with all of the trimmings, for the 28th year, is being delivered to doors by Christian Heights Church. To-go meals are at the Heart Rock Coffee Company in downtown Sonora, today, Wednesday, November 23rd from 5:30 until 6:30 PM as detailed here.
This evening at 5:30 pm is the Inaugural Lighting Ceremony of the Red Church and Downtown Sonora. Join the Sonora Chamber of Commerce at 5:30 pm on Wednesday, November 23rd at the Fire Museum to sing Christmas Carols and then watch the lighting of the St. James Episcopal Church (aka the Red Church), along with lighting Courthouse Park and Coffill Park in downtown Sonora. Local dignitaries will speak and there will be a special appearance of Buddy the Elf from SRT’s production of “Elf, the Musical” Details are here.
The 39th annual City of Sonora’s Christmas Parade. The sounds of Christmas will fill the air with this nighttime parade that begins at 6 pm. Expect bright lights, floats, antique cars, marching bands and dancers. Santa Claus is expected to make a very special appearance. The route runs from the Red Church down to Restano Way. Children can win a $25 gift certificate from the Junction Shopping Center by writing their Christmas list to Santa Claus and letting us deliver it. Santa’s official North Pole Mail Vehicle and Santa’s Elves will be in front of the Clarke Broadcasting building at the conclusion of the Sonora Christmas parade this Friday as detailed here.
The 15th annual Klassen Klassic Turkey Trot will be held on Thanksgiving Day. More than 1,000 people will gather Thursday, Thanksgiving morning, to get some exercise at Murphys Park. Registration begins at 8 am and the races start at 9 am. Details are in the event listing here.
Also on Thanksgiving Day, the Alano Club Of Sonora will have their free Annual Thanksgiving Community Dinner, starting at 2 pm. The details are in the event calendar here.
Saturday is the playoff games for Sonora and Summerville in Stockton. Listen live on KKBN 93.5 FM at 1 pm for the Summerville game and at 6 pm on KVML 1450 AM / 102.7 FM as detailed here.
There is a Columbia College Basketball home game at the Oak Pavillion on Saturday at 6 pm. Details are here.
Dodge Ridge’s Race and Dash Team’s headquarters will officially be dedicated as the Keely Cashman Teams Center this Saturday at 10 pm. Keely Cashman, who is a local resident and current member of the US Alpine Ski Team, was the fastest US female racer during the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing as detailed here.
This weekend go shopping for the holidays
The Annual Groveland Holiday Christmas Craft Fair is happening this Friday, from 9 am to 5 pm and on Saturday, from 9 am to 4 pm at the Groveland Community Hall. This is benefiting Southside Community Connections. Over thirty-five vendors are participating in this popular event. A highlight of the fair is the delicious banana leaf Mayan tamales. Details are here.
At the Sonora Opera Hall the Hometown Crafters Holiday Craft Fair will be open from 10am to 5pm on November 25th and 26th.
At the Calaveras Fairgrounds will be the Spirit of Winter. This holiday marketplace event will feature music, costume characters for photo ops, and Santa and Mrs. Claus giving free gifts to the first 100 kids under age 13. There will be other free gift giveaways, crafts, collectibles, antique vendors, and food vendors there from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm on Saturday and from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm on Sunday.
The 36th annual Christmas In The Country Craft Faire And Luncheon will take place this Saturday at the Mountain Ranch Community Club in downtown Mountain Ranch. The doors will be open from 9 am to 4 pm with lunch available from 11 am to 1:30 pm. There will be many vendors, a bake sale, and raffle prizes. Admission to the Fair is free as detailed here.
At the Metropolitan in San Andreas, Friday is the opening night for A Christmas Story. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:00 pm (no performance on Saturday, December 3) and Sundays at 2:00 pm, through December 18th. Details are here.
Elf The Musical, as reviewed here in a blog is playing Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturdays at 6:30 pm, and Saturday and Sunday at 2 pm at the East Sonora Sierra Repertory Theatre. The last show is Sunday, December 18 at 2 pm as detailed here.
Sierra Repertory Theatre’s Fallon House is performing The Christmas Foundling, as reviewed in the blog here. The last show is Sunday, December 18th at 2 pm. Murphys Creek Theater is performing This Wonderful Life. All local theater shows are detailed here.
Bid on Guitars-Unstrung featuring reimagined guitars by artists as visual sculptures and donated to be auctioned. All proceeds go to the California Youth Organization, a local organization that supports music education in Calaveras County public schools as well as supporting community music performances. The auction lasts until December 31, details are here.
Check out the movie times at local theaters, and Sonora Christmas Town Events that are planned. The Columbia Ice Skating Park is open as detailed here. Skiers and snowboarders check out local webcams here and the Snow Report in the weather section here.
