Hallelujah!
Riverside Presbyterian Church, 116 Barrypoint Road, promises liberation from your cares and concerns for at least an hour if you stop by on Sunday, Dec. 11 at 4 p.m. and listen to the Riverside Festival Chorus, soloists and orchestra perform Handel’s Messiah.
Conducted by Dr. Sally Sloane, the music of Handel will fill the sanctuary to lift your spirits and usher in holiday cheer. Soloists include Theresa Ludden-Wold (soprano), Erike Morrison (mezzo-soprano), Wain Parham (tenor) and Andrew Schultze (bass-baritone). A wassail bow reception will follow the performance.
The performance is open to the public. A free will offering is appreciated.
Lessons and carols at St. Louise
St. Louise de Marillac Church, 30th Street and Raymond Avenue in LaGrange Park, will host its 3rd Annual Advent Lessons and Carols, on Sunday, Dec. 11 at 6 p.m.
Lessons and Carols is a service of scripture and song dating back to the late 19th century. Members of the St. Louise music ministry will read selections from the Bible interspersed with music reflecting on the sacred texts.
All are welcome to attend the service.
Jazzing up the holidays
Jazz up your holiday season by attending the Brookfield Jazz Society’s annual Christmas party featuring a performance by the all-female Chicago Outskirts Big Band.
The celebration, which is open to the public as well as society members, will be on Thursday, Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. in the lower-level “jazz room’ of Sawa’s Old Warsaw, 9200 W. Cermak Road in Broadview.
For this special event there’s a minimum band donation of $10 at the door.
Christmas concert at Nazareth Academy
The Nazareth Academy Fine Arts Department welcomes the public to a Christmas Concert celebrating the talents of student-musicians and singers on Tuesday, Dec. 13 at 7 p.m.
The concert, which will be held on the Congregation of St. Joseph Chapel at 1515 W. Ogden Ave. in LaGrange Park, is free and open to the public. No reservations are necessary.
Guests will enjoy a selection of Christmas favorites performed by Nazareth’s Concert and Progressions choirs as well as the Symphonic Band, Jazz Ensemble and Percussion Ensemble. The performance will also feature the high school premiere performance of Dr. Thomas Bough’s composition “Poorest of the Poor: Music for Mother Teresa,” written in honor of her canonization in September.
LTHS stages classic comedy
The Lyons Township Theatre Board presents You Can’t Take it With You, the Kaufman and Hart classic comedy about the quirky but lovable Sycamore family, who raise snakes, make fireworks, write plays and entertain a Russian dancer and a drunk actress while their “normal” daughter woos her fiancé and his conservative parents.
Performances are Dec. 9 and Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. and Dec. 11 at 3 p.m. in the North Campus Reber Center, 100 S. Brainard Ave. in LaGrange. Tickets at the box office are $10 ($5 children/seniors, free for students with LTHS ID).
Explore the gardens of China
The Riverside Public Library, 1 Burling Road, in partnership with the Frederick Law Olmsted in Riverside Education and Design (FRED) committee hosts “Gardens of China” with Ron Henderson, fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects in the library’s Great Room on Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 7 p.m.
Henderson will explore the rich legacy of Chinese gardens with a concentration on the gardens of Suzhou and the surrounding region and examples of contemporary Chinese gardens and landscapes.
And more
• Kuratko-Nosek Funeral Home, 2447 Desplaines Ave. in North Riverside, is participating in the 8th Annual Christmas Stockings for Soldiers and Veterans initiative.
Through Dec. 20, stop in and pick up a stocking to decorate and stuff with Christmas cheer. Kuratko-Nosek will ship the stockings to troops overseas and deliver them to veterans’ hospitals. Call 708-485-2500.
• The village of North Riverside provides $6 haircuts for seniors at the Village Commons, 2401 Desplaines Ave. Open to residents and non-residents. Call the Recreation Department for details and appointments at 708-442-5515. Upcoming date Dec. 12.
• Lyons Township High School students are invited to stop by the Corral for Open Fun Nights on Dec. 9 from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. Play the latest video games, ping pong, pool, board games and meet with friends. Movies, bands, dances are in the works. Located at 4940 S. Willow Spring Road in Western Springs.
• Mailboxes for letters to Santa are ready to receive children’s letters in both Riverside and North Riverside. In Riverside, the mailbox is located on the east side of the historic water tower, 10 Pine Ave. Letters received before Dec. 22 will get a note back from Santa.
In North Riverside, the mailbox is inside the Village Commons at 2401 Desplaines Ave. Deposit letters before Dec. 21 with a return address so Santa may respond.
• Celebrate the season with a holiday craft around the fireplace in the Great Room of the Riverside Public Library, 1 Burling Road, on Saturday, Dec. 10 from 2 to 3 p.m. Make fragrant orange and clove pomander balls while listening to the classic Christmas story It’s a Wonderful Life. Adults and teens drop in.
On Sunday, Dec. 11, at 2 p.m. enjoy a concert by the Hauser Jazz Band playing holiday and jazz favorites. Reception to follow.
• “Good Machines,” an art exhibition highlighting connections between humans and technology continues thru Jan. 7 at Riverside Arts Center, 32 E. Quincy St., Riverside. Free. Visit www.riversideartscenter.com for gallery times.
• Holiday Magic at Brookfield Zoo, 3300 Golf Road in Brookfield, continues Dec. 10-11 from 4 to 9 p.m. For more information visit www.czs.org/HolidayMagic or call 708-688-8000. Admission and parking fees apply.
• The North Riverside Public Library, 2400 Desplaines Ave., will show the holiday movie, Meet Me in St. Louis starring Judy Garland and Margaret O’Brien on Wednesday, Dec. 14 at 2 p.m. The movie is free. Drop-in only.
