Christmas parade The Springfield Jaycees and Ansar Shrine are celebrating this holiday season
with the return of the annual Christmas Parade. The parade was canceled last
year because of the weather, but the show will go on this year, rain or shine.
This year’s theme is “Holiday Scenes from the Big Screen” and the committee is expecting some creative floats with scenes from popular
Christmas movies like A Christmas Story and HowThe Grinch Stole Christmas. The parade will also feature Southeast High School, Sacred Heart Griffin and
Jacksonville High School marching bands as well as the Lincoln Magnet School
band. The arrival of Santa’s carriage and free candy makes the celebration complete.
Saturday Dec. 6
Ansar Shrine and Jaycees Christmas Parade
Downtown Springfield
West on Jefferson, South on Fifth St., East on Capital and North on Sixth St.
www.springfieldjaycees.org
10 a.m.
Free
The Nutcracker The Springfield Ballet Company is taking Tchaikovsky’s classic holiday tale and giving it a new look. The story follows Clara and her
prince as they go from a regal Christmas party to a magical adventure through
The Land of Snow and The Kingdom of Sweets. The production includes everyone’s favorite characters — The Mouse King, the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Snow Queen — with new costumes and choreography. Julie Dunn, SBC artistic director, said the
extravagant performance promises to be a delight. Local children, adults,
company dancers and guest artists Todd Kiech and Jeff Lynch make up the
120-member cast. Twirling ballerinas and breathtaking scenery make the
production a must-see for the holidays.
Sat. & Sun. Dec. 6 & 7
The Nutcracker
Sangamon Auditorium
UIS
217-206-6160
www.sangamonauditorium.org
2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Sat, 2 p.m. Sun
$25 adults, $23 seniors, $15 students and children
Musical holidays Share the joy of the holiday season with the ones you love most at the Lowe
Family Christmas Show. The nine-member group has been featured as special
guests during the Olympics and China’s New Year Celebration. They are known for their six-part harmony and
high-energy performances. This year the group will ring in the holiday season
with a show unlike any other. The Lowe Family Christmas show is a mix of jazz,
classical, Broadway and old-time favorites with festive costumes and dancing.
Singing traditional Christmas songs like White Christmas, Jingle Bells, and more, the Lowes remind us that family is the reason for the season.
Monday Dec. 8
Lowe Family Christmas Show
Prairie Capital Convention Center
1 Convention Center Plaza
217-788-8800
www.springfieldpccc.com
7:30 -10 p.m.
$25-$30
Small town radio Let the personalities of OKKK radio tell you about Christmas in the third
smallest town in Texas in A Tuna Christmas. The holiday themed play is the sequel to Greater Tuna, and follows the residents of Tuna, Texas as they prepare for the annual Holiday
Lawn Display won 14 times in a row by Vera Carp. The play is a satire about
small-town life as characters struggle to keep families together, get off
parole and bring holiday cheer to the community despite unpaid electric bills.
Only two actors, Rich McCoy and Darin Harms, play the entire cast of more than
20 eccentric residents of the town. Through quick changes and clever costumes
the two men bring to the stage the trials of Christmas in the third smallest
town in Texas.
Fri.-Sun Dec. 5-7 & 12-14
A Tuna Christmas
Hoogland Center for the Arts
217-523-2787
www.scfta.org
8 p.m. Fri –Sat, 4 p.m. Sun
$15
This article appears in Nov 27 – Dec 3, 2008.
