The Centreville High School Band Department is selling See's Candies for the holidays. Assortments include the Christmas Tin (an assortment of See's favorite pieces packed in a festive, collectible holiday tin); Chocolate Truffles (rich, smooth truffles with dazzling centers); Assorted Chocolates (milk and dark chocolate coatings over a variety of centers); Nuts and Chews (whole clusters of nuts, creamy caramels and chewy nougats under coatings of milk and dark chocolate); Lollipops (Chocolate, Butterscotch, Café Latte' and Vanilla); and more. You can also purchase See’s Gift Certificates (No expiration date). The sale ends Dec. 1 with delivery on Dec. 14. See a band member to place an order or contact John Field, president Band Boosters at 703-802-4985 or fieldj_81@yahoo.com.
<cal1>NOW THROUGH JAN. 8
<cal2>Miracle of Lights, a holiday drive-through light show, is now opened and will run through Jan. 8, 2005 in Bull Run Regional Park in Centreville. The show will be opened from 5:30-10:30 p.m. every night (except New Year's Eve).
This year's show will feature: Planet Holiday, Victorian Virginia, Noah's Ark, Santa's Wood, The Angel's Playground and The Enchanted Woods. The show is located in Bull Run Regional Park in Centreville, and is hosted by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority. The show is sponsored by M.C. Dean, Hot 99.5, WASH FM 97.1, WMZQ 98.7, WBIG 100, Pennysaver, Comcast, Journal Newspapers, The Community PhoneBook and the Connection Newspapers. Cost is $12 per car (1-14 people), $25 per commercial van (15-34 people) and $50 per bus (35 people or more). Discount coupons are available in local papers and on the Miracle of Lights web site www.miracleoflights.com. Call Miracle of Lights 703-709-KIDS (5437) or visit www.miracleoflights.com.
<cal1>THURSDAY/DEC. 2
<cal2>The season of music begins with the Centreville High Band’s Winter Concert on Thursday, Dec. 2 at 7:30 p.m. in the CVHS Theatre. Tickets are $3. The community may use their Tag Day pass for free family admission.
<cal1>Friday/Dec. 3
<cal2>Holiday Performance. George Mason University presents "A Chanticleer Christmas," featuring spirituals and traditional gospel music in arrangements by Chanticleer's music director Joseph Jennings and the Grammy Award-winning, all-male vocal ensemble, at 8 p.m., at GMU's Center for the Arts. An artistic discussion takes place 45-minutes prior to the curtain on the hall's Grand Tier. Tickets are $22-$44, and can be purchased online at www.tickets.com or charged by phone by calling 703-218-6500. For more information, visit www.gmu.edu/cfa.
<cal1>DEC. 3-4
<cal2>Nothing celebrates the spirit of the holidays as well as the Westfield Holiday Inn, set for Dec. 3 and 4 at 8 p.m. at Westfield High School. The Westfield Holiday Inn Cabaret is an entertainment extravaganza, filled like a stocking with sketches and songs as varied and plentiful as the snowflakes outside celebrating holidays with song, scenes, and dances. It is sponsored by Westfield Theatre Boosters and directed by Lori Knickerbocker and Zoe Dillard, with production assistance provided by Ute Gunn. Tickets are $5 and they go on sale Nov. 19. Limited seating is available so audiences are urged to purchase tickets in advance by calling 703-488-6430.
Performers include local businessman and actor Jim Mitchell, Westfield Theatre Director Scott Pafumi and numerous beginning and advanced theatre students including Carolyn Agan, Brian Randall, Kevin Manship, Megan Meadows, Tara Mitchell, Sean Youngberg, Missy Paolangeli, Courtney Knickerbocker, Elizabeth Reed, Ariel Herman, Sammy Luffy, Sarah Cowdery, Branson Reese, Will Quinn and Barry Armbruster. The emcee duties will be shared by Jim Mitchell, Sean Youngberg, Katie Hanna and Heather McGrath.
Westfield’s cabarets are designed so that the audiences are part of show — sitting on the stage, just a few feet from the performers. The purpose of the cabarets is to give Westfield students the opportunity to perform in a variety-show type venue and to collaborate with adults in the production. Minimal rehearsals result in a fresh workshop-type presentation filled with fun and laughter, and a lot of great talent.
For more information, call the Westfield Theatre Office at 703-488-6430 or check out the Westfield Theatre Boosters Web site at www.westfieldtheatreboosters.com.
<cal1>SATURDAY/DEC. 4
<cal2>Clifton's 2004 Candlelight Homes Tour will take place Saturday, Dec. 4 from 4-7:30 p.m. The day's festivities begin at 2 p.m. with caroling on horseback through the town, sponsored by the Clifton Horse Society. The Candlelight House Tour begins at 4 p.m. and will include five homes, three churches and the Clifton Caboose. The five families who have volunteered to have their homes on tour this year are: The Babers, the Mills, the Tom Petersons, the Keens and the Worshams. Live music can be enjoyed during the Tour at the three churches: The Primitive Baptist Church (Senior & Children's Choirs), the Baptist Church (Children's Choir) and the Clifton Presbyterian Church (Robinson High School Choir) and members of the Clifton Lions Club will be hosting the Clifton Caboose. Following the Homes Tour, there will be the lighting of the town Christmas tree and a carol sing-a-long in Ayre Square. Tickets for the Homes Tour are $15 for adults and $5 for children under 12. They may be purchased at shops and restaurants in Town and the Temptations Gift Stores (both Burke and Union Mill locations). Contact Jennifer Chesley townofclifton@aol.com 703-830-2129 or Lynne Garvey Wark lghassoc@erols.com 703-322-1811.
<cal2>It's Christmas time in Manassas. Come celebrate "Christmas Around the World" in the Greater Manassas Christmas Parade. The parade will take place on Saturday, Dec. 4 at 10:30 a.m. The Nov. 1 deadline for participant applications is fast approaching. Anyone interested in being part of this honored tradition should call the parade hotline at 703-369-9030 to obtain an application.
Kids can sweeten up the holidays by learning to make gingerbread houses like pros at the Hilton Washington Dulles. Join Hilton Pastry Chef Steve Miller for a class in gingerbread house creating. This complimentary class includes all supplies needed to take home an edible masterpiece. Children ages 6-10 can sign up. The class takes place on Saturday, Dec. 4 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Spaces are limited, so call now to reserve a spot! Call Debbie at 703-478-2900, ext. 1061. Located at the Hilton Washington Dulles, 13869 Park Center Road, Herndon.
<cal1>DEC. 3-5
<cal2>Make time to enjoy old-fashioned family fun at the "Merry Old Town" celebration in Old Town Manassas. The holiday fun begins on Friday, Dec. 3 at 6 p.m. with the Annual Christmas Tree Lighting. Plans for this evening include a live concert on the lawn of The Manassas Museum, lighting of the Christmas Tree by a local celebrity, free hayrides, and, of course, the arrival of Santa Claus via the Virginia Railway Express! The Manassas Museum will also be conducting its Annual Holiday Open House and offering free admission. The 7th Annual Gingerbread Contest also begins on this day. Decorated structures of all sizes and shapes will be on display during the "Merry Old Town" Celebration in Historic Old Town Manassas. Saturday, Dec. 4, is the 58th Annual Greater Manassas Christmas Parade at 10:30 a.m. That Sunday, Dec. 4 you can enjoy the Old Town Merchant's Open House from 1-5 p.m. with free horse drawn carriage rides and hear the sounds of singing on the streets of Old Town by the youngsters from the elementary schools. Call 703-361-6599 or go to www.visitmanassas.org for information.
<cal1>SATURDAY/DEC. 4
<cal2>A Holiday Gift Boutique will be held on Saturday, Dec. 4 from 2-6 p.m. at the Little Rocky Run Recreation Center #1, 13775 Little Rocky Run Circle, Centreville. Home business vendors featured include Elegant Accents (Accents to decorate your home for the holidays), It's Beadiful (Distinctive beaded jewelry), and Tastefully Simple (Easy-to-prepare, delicious food items/gift packs). Come and enjoy some holiday cheer right in your neighborhood ... avoid the crowds and hassles elsewhere! Contact Leslie O'Connor at 703-815-1230.
<cal1>DEC. 4-5
<cal2>Area artists can join members of the Manassas Art Guild for its Winter Art Exhibit, "Let It Show," to be held on Dec. 4-5. The show features more than $700 in cash awards during the judged exhibit phase. Participating artists can also offer framed or matted pieces for the art mart phase. "Let It Show" will be held at the Java Rock Coffee House, 8730 Sudley Road in Manassas. The fee for non-members is $30, and the deadline to enter is Oct. 30. For entry forms, contact Debbie at 703-754-0354.
<cal2>Encore Theatrical Arts Project presents "Jolly Follies Holiday," a Christmas show with a cast of 53 people featured in splashy song-and-dance numbers, with colorful costumes in imaginative settings. An eagerly awaited holiday tradition, each year, Encore's show has a brand-new storyline and is sure to entertain the entire family.
Performances are Saturday, Dec. 4, at 1, 4 and 8 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 5, at 1 and 4 p.m., at the Annandale campus of NOVA in the Ernst Community Cultural Center. Tickets are $12 for students and senior citizens and $15 for adults; call 703-222-5511. Performances will also be held Friday, Dec. 10, at 8 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 11, at 1, 4 and 8 p.m.; and Sunday, Dec. 12, at 1 and 4 p.m.
The Prince William Art Society and the Prince William Historic Preservation Foundation will be presenting "A Look At Prince William, Past and Present," a holiday fine art show and sale at the Old Manassas Courthouse at Grant and Lee Streets in Manassas. The show will be held on Saturday, Dec. 4 from noon to 8 p.m. (with reception from 5-8 p.m.) and on Sunday, Dec. 5 from noon to 5 p.m.
Prince William Art Society members will exhibit local scenes, landscapes and structures of historical bent. This show will have a distinctly Victorian flavor to complement the activities scheduled in Manassas that weekend: Tree lighting at 6 p.m. Friday night, carols, hayrides and Manassas Museum Holiday Open House; the Annual Christmas Parade Saturday morning and Old Town Manassas Merchants Open House on Sunday. Contact Jackie Fitzpatrick at 703-670-7971 or email jackiefitz@worldnet.att.net.
<cal1>DEC. 8-9
<cal2>Santa Claus is coming to McDonald's. Bring your camera for a photo with Santa. Children can also make a Holiday craft. Free.
* McDonald's of Greenbriar, 13003-M Lee Jackson Hwy., Fairfax on Wednesday Dec. 8 from 5-7 p.m.
* McDonald's of Centreville, 5931 Fort Dr., Centreville on Thursday, Dec. 9 from 5-7 p.m.
<cal1>THURSDAY/DEC. 9
<cal2>The Chantilly High School Fine Arts Department will present its annual Holiday Spectacular, on Thursday, Dec. 9 and Friday, Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. Reserved seats are $6 per ticket along with a donation of a can of non-perishable food, to be brought to the concert. Tickets may be purchased at Chantilly High School, from Dec. 6-8 from 11-1 p.m. in the cafeteria. Order forms are also available in the Chantilly High School front office. Tickets can be picked up at Will Call the night of the performance. Call 703-222-8181.
<cal1>DEC. 10-12
<cal2>Encore Theatrical Arts Project presents "Jolly Follies Holiday," a Christmas show with a cast of 53 people featured in splashy song-and-dance numbers, with colorful costumes in imaginative settings. An eagerly awaited holiday tradition, each year, Encore's show has a brand-new storyline and is sure to entertain the entire family.
Performances are Friday, Dec. 10, at 8 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 11, at 1, 4 and 8 p.m.; and Sunday, Dec. 12, at 1 and 4 p.m. at the Annandale campus of NOVA in the Ernst Community Cultural Center. Tickets are $12 for students and senior citizens and $15 for adults; call 703-222-5511.
<cal1>Friday/Dec. 10
<cal2>Live Performance. George Mason University's Center for the Arts presents the Boys Choir of Harlem at 8 p.m., at the Concert Hall. Tickets are $22-$44, and can be purchased by calling 703-218-6500 or by visiting www.tickets.com. For more information, visit www.gmu.edu/cfa.
<cal1>SATURDAY/DEC. 11
<cal2>The Center for the Arts will host the Prince William Chorale in its festival of holiday music. "Sounds of Christmas," directed by Graham Clark, will be presented at the Kellar Theater at the Candy Factory, 9419 Battle Street, Manassas on Saturday, Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. The concert is free to the public. Call 703-330-ARTS.
<cal2>The Fairfax Choral Society Youth Choruses will stage "A Child's Christmas" choral concert on Saturday, Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. at Fairfax United Methodist Church, 10300 Stratford Ave. in Fairfax. Featuring John Rutter's fable, "Brother Heinrich's Christmas," the youth choruses will present a variety of seasonal favorites with special appeal to the younger members of the family. Cost is $10. Visit www.tickets.com or call 703-218-6500.
<cal1>DEC. 11-12
<cal2>Candlelight Tours. Glowing candles illuminate the house and grounds at Sully Historic Site on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 11 and 12. Tours begin at 5 p.m. each night with the last tour at 8:15 Saturday, and 7:15 Sunday. Hear memories of a Victorian Christmas while gathered around the tree festooned with toys, angels and popcorn. Stroll the lighted path to the slave quarter to find out how enslaved African Americans might have spent the holidays. Join in caroling on the lawn and celebrate with Civil War reenactors as they fire the Christmas guns. Cookies and warm cider will be served. Prepaid reservations are required. The cost is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and children. Call 703-437-1794.
The Sully Historic Site seeks volunteers to help during the Candlelight Tours at Sully from 5-8:30 p.m. Help is needed in candle and fire watching, with refreshments, parking and outside activities. Participants must be 16 or older to participate. For more information, call Rob Orrison at 703-437-1794.
<cal1>DEC. 20-22
<cal2>The Chantilly High School Drama Department revives its dramatic adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic, "A Christmas Carol," on Dec. 20, 21, and 22. The cast includes 22 students ranging from freshmen to seniors.
This faithful version of "A Christmas Carol" follows the transformation of a cruel and merciless businessman, Ebenezer Scrooge (Faqir Qarghah, senior), on one fateful Christmas Eve. Scrooge, upon finishing a day's work with his assistant, Bob Cratchit (Brian McDonald, senior), heads to his home where he is haunted by the ghost of his former partner, Jacob Marley (Jae Laroya, senior). Marley warns of the coming visits from three ghosts of Christmas that will help Scrooge to see the error of his ways. When the clock strikes 1 o'clock, the Ghost of Christmas Past (Melissa Klein, senior) appears to lead Scrooge through shadows of his life. At the stroke of 2, the Ghost of Christmas Present (Mike Deveney, senior) takes Scrooge to the home of his assistant, Bob Cratchit, where he sees the rest of the Cratchit household: Mrs. Cratchit (Meredith Lynch, senior), Martha (Juliette Delp, junior), Beth (April Glick, junior), and Tiny Tim (Chloe West, sophomore).
Shows begin at 7 p.m. in the Chantilly High School auditorium. Seating is reserved for each performance. Tickets are $4 and are available in advance and at the door. Call 703-222-8182.
<cal1>Dec. 20-22
<cal2>* The Chantilly High drama department will present "A Christmas Carol," Dec. 20, 21 and 22, at 7 p.m. each night in the school theater. This is Chantilly's Cappie entry, so it's sure to be extra-special. And the timeless story of Ebenezer Scrooge, the three ghosts, Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim is always perfect for the holidays.
<cal1>Dec. 21-22
<cal2>* Westfield High will offer two children's holiday shows, Tuesday-Wednesday, Dec. 21-22, at 10 a.m. in the school auditorium. Tickets are $3 at the door. Always a crowd-pleaser, this year's show will feature excerpts from "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" and "A Charlie Brown Christmas." Students will also perform an original piece called "Hanukkah Harry."
<cal1>WEDNESDAY/DEC. 29
<cal2>Sully Holiday Concert at 1, 2, and 3 p.m. This popular Celtic group combines powerful vocals, compelling flute and whistle and unique harp to bring the music of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall and France, blending songs, dance tunes and aires into a rich and stunning tapestry. House tour included. Refreshments served in the original 18th century kitchen. Prepaid reservations required. Limited seating. $8/seat. Call 703-437-1794.
<cal1>THURSDAY/DEC. 30
<cal2>Sully Holiday Concert at 2 and 3 p.m. Enjoy vocal and instrumental music on period and reproduction 18th century instruments featuring selections that bring America's music heritage to live with beauty and accuracy. David Hildebrand's music has been featured in movies and on television, such as the PBS-TV series "Liberty." House tour of Sully Historic Site included. Refreshments served in the original 18th century kitchen. Prepaid reservations required. Limited seating. $8/seat. Call 703-437-1794.