Looking to deck the halls, sing a carol, give a gift, take a stroll, see a play, make a craft or pass a wish list on to a man in a red suit? Here’s where to do all of those things. For more ideas, visit the Community Calendar.
• Don’t risk cabin fever on Thanksgiving — escape the house for turkey day crafts at Lake James State Park. The free event starts at 10 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 27. ncparks.gov/Visit/parks/laja/events.php
• Work up an appetite with the annual Turkey Trot 5K and Gobble Wobble one-mile fun run. The races take place Thursday, Nov. 27, beginning and ending at Pack Square Park. The fun run starts at 8:30 a.m. followed by the 5K at 9:15 a.m. $35 5K/$12 fun run. ashevilleturkeytrot.com
• “The hammered dulcimer is a percussive instrument, but its ringing overtones also create beautiful, ethereal sounds,” says a press release. National champion hammered dulcimer player and composer (and recent Western North Carolina transplant) Joshua Messick uses those sounds in his Christmas arrangements, “always in touch with the spiritual power of the melodies.” Messick releases a holiday album, Hammered Dulcimer Christmas with a concert at White Horse Black Mountain. He’ll be joined by percussionists James Kylen and River Guerguerian and flutist Jamie Wilken. Friday, Nov. 28, at 8 p.m. $18 advance/$20 at the door. whitehorseblackmountain.com
• Read It & Weep Repertory Theatre performs The Christmas That Almost Wasn’t at the Burnsville Town Center. The show stages Friday, Nov. 28, at 10:30 a.m. Tickets are $5. townofburnsville.org
• Local singer-songwriter David Wilcox holds his annual Thanksgiving Homecoming show at The Grey Eagle on Friday, Nov. 28. “It’ll be a lot of musical guests and a musical Thanksgiving table,” Wilcox says in a promo video for the event. “Songs of gratitude and getting our emotions and spirit ready for the long winter.” All ages, 8 p.m. $18 advance/$20 day of show. thegreyeagle.com
• “Peace on Earth, good will toward man … what else is on your holiday wish list?” asks American Folk Art & Framing. The local gallery hosts its Wish List Celebration exhibit from Friday, Nov. 28, at 10 a.m., through Wednesday, Dec. 31. It’s a collection of works from regional potters and painters, gathered throughout the year by American Folk Art & Framing’s staff. Also, “each holiday season sees painters Cornbread & Liz Sullivan painting ornament-sized paintings to adorn a windowsill all year or your tree during the holidays,” says a press release. “Lonnie and Twyla Money, woodcarvers from Kentucky, have created a special bear ornament for 2015.” amerifolk.com
• The Asheville Puppetry Alliance and Mountain Marionettes bring their show, In the Nutcracker Mood, to White Horse Black Mountain. The productions includes the songs “All I want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth” and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” Trick marionettes, “always an integral part of Mountain Marionettes’ productions,” according to a press release, “perform to a very special rendition of The Nutcracker by the incomparable Glenn Miller Orchestra.” Friday, Nov. 28, at 2 p.m. $8. ashevillepuppetry.org
• Not ones to mince words, High Point-based guitar-and-drum duo The Low Counts describe their Holiday Hideway show at Jack of the Wood as “for people who can’t stand being with their families after turkey day but are stuck in town.” And if you are besties with your relatives, bring them along to the Friday, Nov. 28, performance. Matt Townsend and the Wonder of the World shares the bill. 9 p.m., $5. jackofthewood.com
• While there’s plenty of serious, somber, spiritual holiday music — the “Silent Night” and “What Child Is This” ilk — many of our favorites come from cartoons, pop albums and movies. And that’s why local pianist David Troy Francis, who based his career in classical music, film soundtracks, theater and television, is the perfectly poised to play a holiday concert. He’ll do just that at White Horse Black Mountain, with vocalist Simone Vigilante. Sunday, Nov. 30, at 7:30 p.m. $15 advance/$18 at the door. whitehorseblackmountain.com
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