Holiday Shows, Pageants and of course..."The Nutcracker"

 

Images courtesy of http://www.brava-arts.org/

Hi neighbor -

Have you been feeling the holiday spirit? It's almost unavoidable now that we're in our second week of December and especially with all the Christmas tree lightings, parades and other festivities that are happening. On top of the lightings and the parades the IE is bustling with holiday shows, pageants and theater productions - like everyone's Christmas favorite "The Nutcracker." We've compiled a list and want to share it with you. We hope you and your family make some time to check them out during this busy season.

If we've missed any, please give us a shout so we can share with all our neighbors. You know where... :) Facebook and Twitter.

Till next time...

Enjoy!

1. Mannheim Steamroller Holiday Concert (San Bernardino) – 12/7, Wednesday

2. "The Nutcracker" performed by California Riverside Ballet (Riverside) - 12/9-11, Fri-Sun. - New York City Ballet principals Janie Taylor and Sebastien Marcovici will perform as Sugar Plum and Cavalier.

3. Mariachi Christmas (San Bernardino) – 12/10, Saturday

4. “The Nutcracker” by BRAVA (Riverside) – 12/17-18, Saturday-Sunday (Landis Performing Arts Center)

5. "The Nutcracker" performed by the Inland Pacific Ballet at Claremont's Bridges Auditorium and Rancho Cucamonga's Lewis Family Playhouse. Celebrating their 18th season! - Now through 12/18

6. Moreno Valley Wind Symphony Seasons Greetings! (Moreno Valley) – 12/8, Thursday

7. “A Christmas Carol” (Rancho Cucamonga) – 12/9-10, Fri-Sat

8. La Sierra University Big Band Concert (Riverside) – 12/10, Saturday – Oh and it's FREE!

9. “A Christmas Carol" (Temecula) – 12/7-10, Wed-Sat

10. “It’s a Wonderful Life — The Radio Drama” (Upland) – now through 12/16 at The Grove. You can get 50% off tickets at Goldstar.com

11. “A Christmas Show of a Lifetime” (Corona)– 12/16-18, Fri-Sun

12. Bob and Bing's Holiday Road Show (Rancho Cucamonga) - 12/18, Sunday, at the Lewis Family Playhouse

13. “A 1950’s Christmas at the Mansion” (Big Bear) – 12/18, Sunday

14. “Home for the Holidays” with Broadway stars Dale Kristien and Bill Hutton (Upland) – 12/18, Sunday. You can get 50% off tickets at Goldstar.com

15. “Holiday Follies 2011” (Fontana) – now through 12/30 – Fontana residents get 25% off the ticket price!

2011 Inland Empire Holiday Gift Guide

Hi neighbor -

The holiday spirit is going strong which also means most people are starting to cross folks off their shopping list. We've compiled our shopping list along with some suggested unique local spots to pick up those hard to find gifts. If you have any folks on your shopping list who fit our categories we hope you'll go off the beaten path and try out our sugestions.

Take a look and let us know, or even better, if you have another suggested local spot we'd love to hear - we'll add them to our list and share with everyone. Keep in mind this is just the beginning of our list. As we lead up to Christmas we're going to continue to add categories and local spots. So if you think of something don't be shy - share with us! You can leave us a comment or give us a shout on Facebook or Twitter.

And let the shopping begin!

1. "Can't go anywhere without their camera"
- Expert photog gifts from the Claremont Photography and Video
- A nifty print from the store at the California Museum of Photography

2. "The cheesiest friend"
- Temecula Cheese Shop - 42072 5th St Temecula
- Cheese Cave (Claremont)
- Gerrard's Market (Redlands)
- Olive Ave. Market (Redlands)

3. "Wine afficionado"
- The Wine Tailor (Rancho Cucamonga)
- Wine Merchants (Claremont)
- San Dimas Wine Shop & Tasting Room (San Dimas)
- Joseph Filippi Winery & Vineyards (Rancho Cucamonga) - 10% discount on mixed cases of 12 bottles or more!
- Chris Kern's Forgotten Grapes (Riverside)

4. "One throw pillow is never enough"
- Distinctive Home PS (Palm Springs)
- Gardener's Cottage (Riverside)

5. "Natural medicine shaman"
- Yeh Center of Nature Medicine (Upland) - I've never been but from the services and products they're offering make me curious.

Keep an eye out for additions to our list. Till next time...

So many holiday parades, so little time...

*2010 Pomona Christmas Parade...to help us get into the holiday spirit*

Hi neighbor -

Thanksgiving, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday have gone by and you can't avoid the holiday spirit in the air. We have so many local holiday parades filled with Christmas lights, snow, Santa, some freebies and even tamales! A lot of the parades fall on Saturday, 12/3, but maybe if you plan it right you and your family can try to catch more than one. =D Regardless of where you are in the IE, be reassured that you'll get a chance to catch a Christmas parade somewhere.

We hope you enjoy our list below and if we've missed any parades in your neck of the woods please give us a shout in our comments, on our Facebook or tweet us. We'd love to hear.

Enjoy!

1. http://www.ci.claremont.ca.us/update.cfm?resID=247877 (Claremont) - Festivities start on 12/2, Friday and continue through Saturday.

2. Santa’s Electric Light Parade (Temecula) – 12/3, Saturday at 7 p.m.

3. 35th Annual Christmas Parade and Craft Faire (Upland) – 12/3, Saturday, from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

4. Twelve Days of Christmas Parade and Christmas in the Park (Hemet) – 12/3, Saturday, from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

5. 20th Annual Palm Springs Festival of Lights Parade (Palm Springs) – 12/3, Saturday at 5:45 p.m.

6. Redlands Christmas Parade (Redlands)– 12/3, Saturday at 6 p.m.

7. 34th Annual Christmas Parade (San Bernardino)– 12/3, Saturday, 11 a.m.

8. 20th Annual Indio International Tamale Festival Parade (Indio) – 12/3, Saturday, 10 a.m.

9. "Lights on the Lake" Holiday Boat Parade (Perris) – 12/10, Saturday, 5-9 p.m.

10. Fontana Christmas Parade (Fontana) – 12/10, Saturday, at 10 a.m. and don't miss Fontana's Ski Lodge at Veterans Park from 11-5 p.m.

11. Miracle on Second St. Christmas Parade (Pomona) - 12/10, Saturday, 10-2 p.m.

!!UPDATES!!
We found so many more parades and festivities we knew we had to add to our list and share with everyone. Check 'em out!

1. 7th Annual Parade of Lights and Winter Festival (Norco) – 12/3, Saturday, starting at 5 p.m.

2. Winter Wonderland Parade (Ontario)– 12/4, Sunday, starting 1 p.m.

3. "Through the Eyes of Child" Holiday Parade (Coachella) – 12/9, Friday, starting at 6 p.m.

4. Fontana Christmas Parade (Fontana) – 12/10, Saturday, 11-5 p.m.

Local Tree Lighting Spots

Image c/o luxurytraveladvisor.com

Hi neighbors!

Did you get the chance to check out the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree Lighting at Victoria Gardens (Rancho Cucamonga) yesterday? It's not even Thanksgiving yet but it seems like retail stores are starting the holiday promotions  right after Halloween.  No complaints here. I loooove the holidays - all those warm and fuzzy feelings highlighted by presents. Yes, please!   Just to get us into the spirit here is a list of some local tree lighting events.

If you and your family catch any of the events please let us know. You can give us a shout on Facebook or Twitter. You could even tag us in your photo. We would love that! If there's a local tree lighting event that's a part of your family tradition, please let us know.

Till next time...

1. RIVERSIDE MISSION INN FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS (Riverside) 11/25 - Great tradition :)

2. BENEDICT CASTLE LIGHTING (Riverside) 11/27 - Castle and lights?! I'm there!

3. PROMENADE TEMECULA TREE LIGHTING (Temecula) 11/12 - Already past but professionally designed trees will be on display and available to win through an opportunity drawing on Wednesday, December 14, 2011.

4. DOS LAGOS TREE LIGHTING/SANTA ARRIVAL 11/19 (Corona) - Oooo Live Reindeer - neat!

5. JINGLES AND JAZZ AT THE CROSSINGS AT CORONA TREE LIGHTING 11/19 (Corona)

6. VICTORIA GARDENS SANTA'S ARRIVAL & TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY 11/18 (Rancho Cucamonga) - Bring the kids and meet Santa!

7. BANNING PHINEAS FESTIVAL 12/3 (Banning) - Lots to do including a chili cook off!

8. And if you love visiting decked out homes here's a useful tool to track them down. I hear there's a street in Chino between Lemon Place and Fillmore Street (near the intersection of Walnut and San Antonio) that is amazing! Enjoy! http://find.mapmuse.com/interest/xmas-displays