Middle of December Events
There are several holiday events and performances scheduled, this is an overview from our events calendar for the weekend of December 16th and 17th.
Studio 4 Dance Theater’s Holiday Showcase 2023 will feature a festive array of jazz, contemporary, hip hop and ballet dances including beloved traditional Nutcracker pieces. Performances are Thursday and Friday at 7 pm, and Saturday at 2 pm and 7 pm at Bret Harte Theater. Ticket details are here.
The 34th Annual Mutz Bean Feed is this Friday at 11 am. The holiday tradition is hosted by the Tuolumne County Sportsmen, a local nonprofit fishing and hunting organization since 2017. They host the event in memory of the event creator, Galen “Mut” Mutzner, to “fill people’s bellies with free food and good cheer.” Location and more details are here.
The Sierra Bible Church is hosting a free 30-minute live presentation of the birth of Christ for families. The outdoor Christmas event includes a real donkey, Mary and Joseph, wise men, shepherds and angels, and concludes with a candle-lighting and singing of “Silent Night”. Performances are Friday and Saturday at 6pm. Bring warm clothes and a lawn chair and go early for cookies and hot chocolate, and decorate a candle holder/tree ornament.
The St. Patrick’s & All Saints Catholic Church Choirs will present The Old and the New: A Christmas Concert this Friday. Tickets are $10 and all proceeds will go to repair and maintain the 114-year-old Whaley Organ and the new sound system in the church as detailed here.
Wreaths Across America is coordinating a wreath-laying ceremony involving 400 wreaths at Carters Cemetery. Event organizers and volunteers will meet up at 6:45 am on Saturday on the south shoulder of Highway 108 between Yosemite Junction and O’Byrne’s Ferry Road. They will leave at 7 am to be escorted to Tuolumne for a ceremony that begins at 9 am. The annual event seeks to remember, honor, and teach, so the memory of those who served our country endures.
The Word of Life Fellowship is hosting the Christmas Musicale – Make Room. Performances will be on Friday and Saturday at 7 pm and Sunday at 1pm. Call ahead for complimentary transit service for the Sunday show with pick up planned at noon at the Junction Shopping Center.
Sunday listen to the Sierra Waldorf School Children’s Choir Holiday Concert at the Red Church at 2 pm. The event hopes to raise funds for the St. James Church and is sponsored by the Sonora Boosters.
The nightly Christmas Light Show in Crystal Falls continues with more than 4,000 lights and Christmas songs starting on Eel River Drive from American River Drive, details are here. The Athletic Scholarship Foundation of Tuolumne County is hosting a Christmas Light Show in the Phoenix Lake area starting this Saturday and each night through New Years, as detailed here.
Close to 60 nonprofits are participating in Christmas Tree Lane in Courthouse Park. This Saturday Santa and Mrs. Claus will also be in Courthouse Park from 4 pm to 7 pm courtesy of the City of Sonora and the Sonora Chamber of Commerce. The Holly Jolly Wagon will be available when Santa and Mrs. Claus are at their little house Saturday. This Sunday visiting hours for photos is 3 pm to 5 pm.
Send us your kids’ letters to Santa for a chance to win a gift certificate, details are on 93.5 KKBN here. If your Elf on the Shelf is up to something send us a picture details are on Star 92.7.
MyAct performances of A Christmas Carol continue through Sunday. Tickets are still available for performances on Friday and Saturday at 7 pm and Saturday and Sunday at 2 pm.
It is the last weekend at Sierra Repertory Theater to see “Cinderella” at the East Sonora Theater. As detailed in the blog here the play is Based on Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella. The production features surprising twists and is a funny and romantic experience suitable for all ages. Performances are Thursday at 2 pm, Friday at 7 pm, Saturday at 2 pm and 7 pm, and Sunday at 2 pm each week through Sunday. Sh-boom! A Christmas Miracle is playing at Sierra Repertory’s Fallon House Theater. The play is set in 1965 and features doo-wop hits and holiday classics.
Murphys Creek Theater is performing “One Christmas Carol” with one actor who will play the over 35 distinct characters in Dickens’ famous story. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sunday at 2 pm through December 23rd. All local theater venues are detailed here.
The Merchants of The Junction Shopping Center are hosting a “Giving Tree” this holiday season as detailed here.
The restaurant of the month in our dining guide is Gus’s Steak House. Check out the movie times at local theaters, skiers and snowboarders check out local webcams here and the Snow Report in the weather section here.
