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Arts & Entertainment

The Weekender: Christmas, Kwanzaa & Hanukkah Festivities

Animal Adoption Day at West Orange Animal Welfare League this Saturday

Check out some of the festive events around the city and nearby.  Click the EVENTS tab on the home page to see all the possibilities for the weekend.  Feel free to add your own in the comments section. 

WHAT: 
WHERE:  Thomas Edison National Historical Park, West Orange
WHEN:   Friday, Saturday, Sunday   10am – 4pm
WHAT:   Glenmont will be decorated much as it was while the Edison family lived there. Favorite musical pieces will be playing and greenery and red poinsettias will deck the mantles above the fireplaces. Staircases will be ringed with boughs and red ribbon bows and wreaths will hang in every window. In the Den, the majestic 10 foot tree will be lit and the presents underneath.
COST:   Admission is $7.00, and includes the Glenmont Estate and the Laboratory Complex. Children under age 16 are free.

WHAT:   
WHERE
:  Bloomfield Middle School 
WHEN:    Thursday, Saturday, Sunday    3pm & 8pm
WHY GO:  One of Broadway's master storytellers, Douglas Carter Beane, weaves a moving, electrifying tale of endless fun that will keep you in stitches, while the original, legendary chart-topping tunes lift you out of your seat. You'll want to keep the music in your head, and Xanadu in your heart forever.
COST:   $18 General Public -- $15 Member/Student/Senior

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WHAT: 
WHERE:  Luna Stage Theater  
WHEN:    Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm,  Saturdays and Sundays at 3pm
WHY GO: Rediscover the true meaning of the holidays: tradition, family, and joy!    Join The Casa Band and Storytellers in a bilingual celebration for all ages.  Folksongs and Fables, Seasonal Poems, and Classic Holiday Tunes
COST:  $20 for adults; $10 for children 

WHAT:   
WHERE:  JCC MetroWest, West Orange
WHEN:   Saturday   6:30pm
WHY GO:  Join us for fun & friendly Olympic style activities specially designed for families with children in grades K-6.    Each family will be placed on a team-team requests will be granted.  Hanukkah Playroom will be open during the event for children ages 4 and younger.  Swim Games (all families come ready to swim),  Hanukkah Apache Relay Race, Prizes and More
COST:   $25 per family and pre-registration REQUIRED

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WHAT:  
WHERE:   NJPAC
WHEN:  Friday, Saturday and Sunday
WHAT:   Kwanzaa, Hannukah, Christmas—the holidays are coming! Take care of all of your gift-giving needs when NJPAC’s Prudential Hall Lobby transforms into a community marketplace featuring artisans and vendors of jewelry, art, books, bath and body products, clothing, home furnishings, pottery and much more. Free and open to the public!  Vendors include:  Be Fabulous, Dented Impressions, Global Linkages, Jewelry Clay Works, Just Us Books, Kendell Maliki, Must Have Accessories, Pillows and Thangz, Simply Greta, Suzette Art Couture, Top Shelf Tribal Truths, Yara International, Zuresh Bath and Body   HOURS: Friday, Dec 16 from 4:00–10:00pm, Saturday, Dec 17 from 12:00–8:00pm,  Sunday, Dec 18 from 12:00–7:00pm

WHAT: 
WHERE:  311 Watchung Ave, WO
WHEN:     Saturday   11am 
WHY GO:  Need more love in your life? The West Orange Animal Welfare League has wonderful homeless cats and dogs who would love to become part of your family! Come see our wonderful pets at our open house adoption day this Saturday from 11am-3pm at the animal control facility - 311 Watchung Avenue, West Orange. Stop by and take a look - you might just fall in love!

WHAT:   
WHERE: New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), 36 Park Pl, Newark, NJ
WHEN:  Saturday  12pm – 5pm
WHY GO: Bring the entire family for this afternoon of free Kwanzaa activities, from 12:00pm-5:00pm, including hands-on workshops (for adults and children) in African dance and music, storytelling, Capoeira, drumming and more. These workshops give families the opportunity to learn more about the Kwanzaa holiday and the African Diaspora. There will also be a Children's Book Fair, an Arts and Crafts Village featuring face painting, hands-on activities such as spirit masks, sekere crafting, Kwanzaa wish scrolls, and more.

WHAT: 
WHERE:  West Orange High School
WHEN:   Sunday
GAME SCHEDULE:  
 
 1:30 PM Girl’s Consolation Game
   3:00 PM Boy’s Consolation Game
   4:30 PM Girl’s Championship Game
   6:00 PM Boy’s Championship Game
COST:  $2

WHAT:   
WHERE:  
Turtle Back Zoo, West Orange
WHEN:     Friday, Saturday, Sunday
WHY GO: 
Experience Turtle Back Zoo in the winter as 100,000 bulbs and 40 lit displays illuminate the zoo this holiday season!
COST:   Free.   Turtle Back Zoo will be collecting non-perishable food, winter coats and unwrapped new toys for the needy each evening of holiday lights.

WHAT: 
WHERE:   
Newark Museum, 49 Washington Street, Newark
WHEN:     Friday, Saturday, Sunday    12:00pm–5:00pm
WHY GO:   Season of Light (Limited run)   Saturdays & Sundays, 2 pm - Recommended for adults and children ages 6 and up    40 minutes
Trace the development of many of the world's endearing holiday customs, all of which involve lighting up the winter season—from Yule logs and sparkling Christmas tree lights to the lighting of the Hanukkah Menorah. This show recounts the historical religious and cultural rituals practiced during the time of winter solstice—not only Christian and Jewish, but also Celtic, Nordic, Roman, Irish, Mexican and Hopi.
Seven Wonders    Fridays, 2 pm  Saturdays & Sundays, 2 & 4 pm - Recommended for adults and children ages 9 and up    40 minutes
Turn back the pages of time and witness the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World as they have not been seen for thousands of years. 
The Little Star that Could    Saturdays & Sundays, 1 & 3 pm - Recommended for adults and children ages 5 to 8   35 minutes
A little star is born all by himself.  Lonely for some friends, he embarks on a journey through the galaxy.  Along the way he meets different stars, learns about their lives, colors and temperatures.  At the end of his voyage he is introduced to a star cluster, the Milky Way and the planets in our Solar System.
COST:   Adults $15; children under 12, seniors, and college students $9 - includes Museum & Planetarium admission .

WHAT:   
WHERE:   Kip's Castle Park, 22 Crestmont Rd, Verona
WHEN:    Friday & Saturday    12:00pm–4:00pm
WHY GO:  Visit Kip’s Castle during the month of December for a self-guided tour of the first floor and experience the holidays circa 1928.

WHAT: 
WHERE:  JCC MetroWest
WHEN:   Monday  1pm
WHY GO:  Adults, Celebrate the holiday with your JCC friends! Enjoy latkes and dessert following the concert. This program is generously supported by Homewatch CareGivers.
COST:   Members $3; Guests $8

WHAT:  White Christmas
WHERE:  Paper Mill Playhouse, Millburn, NJ
WHEN:    Nov 16 – Dec 24    (showtimes: http://www.papermill.org/whats-playing/season-at-a-glance/cat/cat_id/1.html)  
WHY GO:  Based on the beloved Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye film, this merry musical tells the tale of two famous song-and-dance men who stage a show in a scenic, snow-topped Vermont inn — and end up finding love with two singing sisters under the mistletoe.
COST:   $25 to $80

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