As Flagstaff’s autumn colors fade, signs of the holiday season are popping up everywhere.
In what’s becoming an annual tradition, Northern Arizona University’s Music and Dance Academy presents a Nutcracker Tea on Saturday at Little America Hotel (2515 E. Butler Ave.). There will be arts and crafts for the kids, along with a reading of The Nutcracker by NAU Voice Coordinator Dr. Judith Cloud. A light lunch will be served along with tea, coffee, hot chocolate, and holiday desserts. The Sugar Plum Fairy will teach a special dance and costumed dancers will be available to pose with guests for pictures.
The event benefits student scholarships. An online Silent Auction of 42 items closes Friday, November 14th at 4:00 p.m. Bidding continues at the Saturday event. Call for reservations: (928) 523-1889. $35 for adults, $25 for children ages 2 – 12, $225 for a hosted table of 8.
Opening on Friday evening, the Flagstaff Light Opera Company presents the touching and heart-warming musical classic, Fiddler on the Roof. Rich in historical and ethnic detail, Fiddler On The Roof’s universal theme of tradition cuts across barriers of race, class, nationality and religion. Performances Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Sinagua Middle School. Tickets: $20 Adults, $15 students and seniors, $10 12 and under. Dates through November 23rd.
Also opening on Friday evening, the Northern Arizona University (NAU) Department of Theatre presents In the Next Room (Or, The Vibrator Play). In a stimulating, hilarious Broadway hit, Sarah Ruhl penned a comedy about marriage, intimacy, and . . . electricity. Winner of the 2010 Will Glickman Award for Best New Play. Performances are Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 2:00 p.m. At NAU’s Studio Theatre. Dates through November 23rd. Buy tickets: $14 Adults, $12 seniors and NAU employees, $8 youth.
At a fundraiser for Flagstaff Friends of Traditional Music (FFOTM), see James Reams and the Barnstormers, featuring legendary fiddler Blaine Sprouse, on Friday evening at Firecreek Coffee Company (22 E. Route 66). This internationally known bluegrass band treads the terrain where bluegrass, Americana, old time, folk, and rockabilly meet. Doors open at 7:00 p.m. Show begins at 8:00 p.m. Admission is $12; $10 for FFOTM members.
On Saturday evening, the Flagstaff Arts Council hosts a public Opening Reception for the annual juried show, It’s Elemental. Meet the artists and view fine crafts featuring jewelry, ceramics, glasswork, wood, furniture, fabric, sculpture and more. Enjoy food, drink and live music. It’s free at the Coconino Center for the Arts, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. It’s Elemental is the perfect run-up to the holidays, continuing through December 20th during regular Coconino Center hours. The exhibition is also accompanied by the annual Fine Craft Sale on Saturday and Sunday, December 6th and 7th.
On Sunday afternoon, 4:00 p.m., the Flagstaff City-Coconino County Public Library presents Stories to Life: Letters. A spoken word cast reads from some of the very best letters ever written with accompaniment by the chamber music quartet The Ponderosa Players. For ages 6 and up. Free, at the Coconino Center for the Arts.
Or you may be in the mood to sing! The Master Chorale of Flagstaff hosts a Handel’s Messiah Sing-A-Long on Sunday evening at 7:30 p.m. This long-standing tradition ushers in the holiday season. Bring your Messiah scores and sing those great Handel choruses with the Master Chorale. At NAU’s Ardrey Auditorium. Buy tickets: $20 Adults, $18 seniors, $8 students with ID. Children 12 and under are free. Tickets at the door are $2 more.
It’s a great time of year to be in Flagstaff. Of course, that’s true of every time of year. When you’re ready to give living in Flagstaff a chance, contact The Elite Team at RE/MAX Peak Properties.