SO MUCH GOOD STUFF, UPPER VALLEY!
Friday
It’s Wassail Weekend in Woodstock. The packed weekend of festivities get rolling today at 10 am with a day-long celebration at Billings, a rare and vintage book sale at the Norman Williams Public Library, horse and carriage rides through town, an artisan market on the Village Green, Alice By Heart at the high school (see below), and Frisson at Pentangle (also see below). Tomorrow: a buzzing downtown with extended shopping hours, the various sales and markets continuing, Ham Gillett channeling Dylan Thomas, caroling and handbells, music at Artistree and the Harvard Krokodiloes at Town Hall, and lots more. Sunday’s pretty packed, too. Full schedule at the link.
Dino Lights at the Montshire. Starting at sunset Friday, you’ll find a twinkling Triceratops, a sparkling Spinosaurus, “a surprising character who only became extinct around 4000 years ago,” and other illuminated prehistoric creatures along the path in the museum’s Science Jurassic Park. Free with museum admission. Runs at least through January 10.
SPONSORED: Join us at DeLeon Spa in Lyme, NH for our annual Holiday Bazaar! Wondered about our cool lion sign as you're driving by? Join us for two days of cheer, and bring a friend! Friday and Saturday, December 12th/13th 11am-4pm. Raffle giveaway, mulled cider, client goodies, gift certificates, HUGE SALE 50% OFF select children's apparel. Full organic retail boutique. Sponsored by DeLeon Spa.
Whaleback hosts a Taylor Swift party. “We Are In Our Whaleback Era,” they write. 6 pm, families welcome, 12 and under free.
Clara Dreamz at the Claremont Opera House. Springfield VT’s Dreamz in Motion Dance & Performance Center offers up a contemporary take on the Nutcracker. Friday at 6 pm, Saturday at 2 pm.
The Jane Austen Ball. Continuing its celebration of the author’s 250th birthday, the Howe Library hosts an English country dance called by David Millstone, with live music by Trip to Norwich (Carol Compton and Thal Aylward). No experience necessary (though if you’re accustomed to dancing on wooden floors, you should know that this time around, you’ll be on carpet). “Costumes admired, but not required,” the Howe writes—though just in case, they’ve got PDFs at the bottom of the link with suggestions. You’ve got a day to find a tailcoat… 7 pm.
Hop Film hosts a free advance screening of Dead Man’s Wire. Gus Van Sant’s latest stars Bill Skarsgård, Colman Domingo, Cary Elwes, and Al Pacino in a true-crime dramatization of a 1977 Indianapolis hostage incident. “Darkly funny, wildly entertaining, and rife with appealing supporting characters,” the Hop writes. 7 pm in the Loew Auditorium, in conjunction with the White River Indie Festival.
Woodstock Union High’s Yoh Theatre debuts Alice by Heart. In the rubble of a bombed-out WWII London, Alice Spencer and her friend Alfred take shelter in an Underground station. Alfred’s ailing, and Alice encourages him to escape with her into Wonderland in this musical adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s classic. Friday and Saturday at 7 pm, Sunday at 2 pm. Here’s Emma Stanton’s story about it in the Standard.
Frisson Holiday Concert at Woodstock Town Hall Theatre. The chamber music ensemble brings its classical flair to the holidays and Wassail Weekend. 7 pm, but the lobby opens for drinks, bites, and mingling at 6.
United Church of Strafford’s 9th Annual Noel concert. It features Annemieke and Jeremiah McLane, Julie Ness (voice) and Eric Boodman (fiddle). 7pm. Music to uplift and delight. (No link).
The Mallett Brothers at Court Street Arts. The Maine-based group is “known for their fiery blend of alt-country, roots rock, and genre-bending storytelling,” Court Street writes, with a loyal fanbase for performances that deliver “the kind of live show that fills a room with heart, grit, and that unmistakable New England spirit.” 7:30 pm in Haverhill’s Alumni Hall.
The John Lackard Blues Band at Sawtooth Kitchen in Hanover. With a night of blues and danceable tunes. 8 pm.
Saturday
Norwich Farmers Market at Honey Field Farm. This weekend’s winter market will be in the farm’s greenhouses, with 40+ vendors. 55 Butternut Road, Norwich, 9 am-1 pm.
Lake Morey Resort holiday market. 70+ vendors from VT and NH, sleigh rides 10 am-noon, music, arts and crafts, holiday flicks in the theater (Rudolph at 10 am, Frosty at noon, the Grinch at 2 pm). Runs 10 am to 4 pm.
Matt Tavares with Dasher and the Polar Bear at the Norwich Bookstore. The author-illustrator will give a story-time reading of his new book, featuring Dasher the reindeer, George the polar bear, and what it takes to make a polar bear fly. 10 am.
Hop Film with the Met Opera in HD’s production of Andrea Chénier. Umberto Giordano’s tragedy stars tenor Piotr Beczała and soprano Sonya Yoncheva as lovers who “fall victim to the intrigue and violence of the French Revolution.” 1 pm in Spaulding Auditorium.
Carol Pub Sing with Revels North. Anchored by the participants in the English Village Carols course at Upper Valley Music Center, all are welcome to sing along to both familiar and unfamiliar carols. There will be lyric books available. 2 to 4 pm at Salt Hill Pub in Lebanon.
“Pattie Peels Out” at the Beaver Meadow Chapel in Norwich. Ria Blaas’s potato-fired puppet show (more in tomorrow’s Daybreak) features spuds with sentiments. With Blaas, Glennis Gold, and Cody Williams bringing them alive. 4 pm Saturday and Sunday.
At Artistree in S. Pomfret, “Holiday Music in the Hayloft.” With Ben Kogan, Elizabeth Frascoia, Lola Dorsogna, David Westphalen, and Grey Cats featuring: Kathleen Dolan, Mark van Gulden, and Glendon Ingalls. 7 pm.
The Bel Canto Chamber Singers with “Ceremony of Carols” at the First Congregational Church of Lebanon. It’s the first of two concerts featuring Benjamin Britten’s Ceremony of Carols, Stephen Paulus’ Three Nativity Carols, and music from the Renaissance to recent times. Also featuring Rebecca Kauffman on harp and Katie Oprea on oboe. 7 pm Saturday, 3 pm Sunday.
The Harvard Krokodiloes at Woodstock Town Hall. Presented by Pentangle Arts, it’s Harvard's oldest a capella group, “blending choreography, humor, and a large repertoire of songs that were influenced by the Great American Song Book.” They’ll be joined by Blue Streak Quartet. 7 pm.
Contra dance in Norwich’s Tracy Hall. With western Mass.’s Ben Sachs-Hamilton calling and music by the Boston-based duo Cojiro (Jess Newman and Mark Price). All dances taught, refresher/intro session at 7:15 pm, dance begins at 7:30. No tailcoats needed.
The Wood Brothers with their Puff of Smoke Tour at the Lebanon Opera House. What started as the Nashville-based duo of singer/guitarist Oliver Wood and his brother, bassist/singer Chris Wood grew in 2011 with the addition of drummer and shuitar player Jano Rix, who now lives in Rutland and has a new album coming out with his dad, Luther, who played drums with Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and others. More in the Rutland Herald. Concert’s at 7:30 pm, just a few tix left.
Sunday
Windborne at the Chandler. The Brattleboro-based folk quartet presents “Music of Midwinter”, with traditional folk songs from around the world and through time. Voices, of course, but also instruments from banjos and guitars to Lithuanian Kanklės and Irish bodhran. 2 pm Sunday.
The Kat & Brett Holiday Show in S. Woodstock. Kat Wright, the popular Burlington-based singer-songwriter, and bluegrass/honky-tonk guitarist Brett Hughes bring their holiday cheer to the Ransom Tavern after sold-out gigs up north. 4 pm.
Tuck’s Rock Dojo Holiday Show at Sawtooth Kitchen. The dojo’s young but up-and-coming musicians take the stage from 5-8 pm.
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