No more tsk-tsking about poinsettias on the pumpkin aisle: the holiday season is un-put-off-ably upon us. Time to get festive, get shopping or get out of the way. Fortunately there are things going on around town to help accomplish any of the three.
First: the mood enhancers. Anything with music and children generally gets the nostalgia flowing, and the two come together in a number of settings.
The most ambitious effort may well be the annual Prism concert at Sebastian River High School, involving the school’s concert and jazz bands, drum line, full chorus, flag-and-dance line and the Marching Sharks in a two-hour extravaganza that generally ends with the audience on its feet. With Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night performances at 7 p.m., with matinees at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, the concert, which features mostly holiday music, is the band and chorus departments’ largest fund-raiser. Tickets range from $15 to $25; $5 for students. Call 772-564-4368.
Sunday afternoon, the Vero Beach Museum of Art stages one of the prettiest events, turning its beautiful halls into holiday wonderland for children and families and opening its doors for free. Various arts groups perform as a backdrop; there are crafts for kids, free refreshments and Santa arrives at 2 p.m. The event, set up by the Friends of the Museum, runs from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Also on Sunday, the Brevard-based Space Coast Orchestra performs its free holiday concert at 3 p.m. at the Vero Beach High School Performing Arts Center.
Then there’s the Christmas parade on Ocean Drive Saturday at 5:30 p.m., and in Sebastian starting at 6 p.m. along Indian River Drive from Main Street to Riverview Park. Budget plenty of time for parking, positioning and catching up with friends along the way, then give in to the charm of small-town celebrations.
As for shopping, Vero’s monthly downtown Gallery Stroll is Friday and it typically draws close to 1,000 people in December, with galleries offering handmade Christmas ornaments as well as affordable art for gifts.
And Saturday, the Vero Beach Art Club has its annual Art Trail, where 10 artists open their home studios to the public. From Al Gustave’s wood inlay bowls to the jewelry of Sara Shankland or Elaine Apollo, there are plenty of gift ideas along the way, including, of course, paintings. The Art Trail runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are $25 and are available at the Vero Beach Museum of Art. Call 231-0303 for information or visit www.verobeachartclub.org.
Next weekend:
“The Nutcracker: In Swing time!” is Riverside Children’s Theatre’s latest tradition, with dance instructor Adam Schnell’s libretto and choreography set to Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn’s jazz arrangement of Tchaikovsky’s famous suite. Now in its fifth year, the production uses RCT dancers in a story that takes place in a girl’s boarding school in 1938. The shows run from Dec. 11 through 14 at Riverside Children’s Theatre. Call 772-231-6990.
At the Emerson Center, the Avenue D Children’s Choir performs a free holiday concert Dec. 11 at 7 p.m.
This Fort Pierce group has been singing for a decade, inspired by the Harlem Boys’ Choir to give structure to the lives of economically challenged children. Under the direction of Mary Hendricks, the choir’s goal of nurturing kids has succeeded so well that a number of long-time singers have gone off to college. With a new crop of voices, the choir now also includes girls.
And finally, the much-anticipated 10th Christmas Cantata at Christ by the Sea Methodist Church takes place Dec. 13 at 4:30 p.m. and again at 7 p.m. The concert is free, with donations accepted. With full choir and orchestra under the direction of Marcos Flores, the production features flutist Emilio Rutllant, a 2008 graduate of Vero Beach High School who is now principal flutist with the Miami City Ballet and earning his doctorate at the University of Miami.
Flores will be using both arms to direct the choir, having just gotten the cast off his left arm, broken during his brief infatuation with a motorcycle purchased after his sabbatical in Italy this summer. The cast is now off; the motorcycle is for sale – and it’s red, holiday shoppers. Hint, hint.
And if that third option for holiday hoopla – steering clear of it – appeals to some (and we know who we are, don’t we?) there’s Comedy Zone this weekend at Riverside Theatre with Kevin Lee, a one-time street performer in Washington, DC, who weaves juggling and magic into his comedy act. Lee has appeared on HBO’s “Def Comedy Jam” and “Showtime at the Apollo” and toured with a number of major comedy acts including Sinbad, Dave Chapelle and Martin Lawrence. Tickets are $16, $18 for premium seating, with a private VIP area available for groups. There is food available, free live music beforehand, cheap drinks served at table throughout. Ho, ho, ho.
Shows Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Call 231- 6990.