Festive holiday events on tap to spark Christmas cheer in the Grand Cities
Nov. 26—GRAND FORKS — The Grand Cities will be bustling with activity in the next few weeks as the Christmas holiday draws near. Here's a look at some of the events for people of all ages to enjoy:
Lorie Line has been delighting audiences here with Christmas performances regularly for years. And this year is no exception.
The solo pianist is bringing her holiday show to the Empire Arts Center next month. The performance, titled "An Intimate Christmas with Lorie Line," will begin at 7 p.m. Dec. 9.
Tickets range in price from $68 to $73, including fees. To purchase tickets, go to
https://www.empireartscenter.com
and click on Calendar.
Line promises to make it a "magical and memorable night," according to promotional materials. Audiences can expect "a very intimate evening with Lorie as she shares her beautiful music, funny stories and heartwarming stories of faith, all centered around the piano."
Children ages 10 and older are welcome, but there will be no "Twelve Days of Christmas" this year. It is advised that toddlers and infants not attend.
For more information, contact the Empire Arts Center at (701) 746-5500.
The clubhouse at Lincoln Golf Course will be decorated to the hilt for Christmas again this year, just in time to welcome kids in for a couple of holiday events.
The Grand Forks Parks District is hosting "Breakfast with Santa" from 10 to 11 a.m. on Dec. 9, 10, 16 and 17 at the clubhouse. Admission is $10 per person, including parents and guardians. Guests are sure to enjoy breakfast and fun with Jolly St. Nick himself, said Lynne Roche, special events manager at the Park District. Register online at
https://www.gfparks.org/breakfast-with-santa/
The clubhouse also will be the setting for the Elf Academy, from 4 to 5 p.m. Dec. 9 and 16, when Mr. and Mrs. Claus will be recruiting helpers to join the team that makes people happy all over the world, Roche said. The kids will be busy with activities such as toy building and finishing, gift-wrapping, sleigh-loading, tree-decorating and reindeer training.
The program is intended for children 12 and younger. Admission is $10; registration is required at
https://www.gfparks.org/elf-academy/
. Only children need to be registered for the Elf Academy, but a parent or guardian must be present at the event.
The Lincoln Golf Course clubhouse is located at 250 Elks Drive, just off Belmont Road.
For more information, contact Roche at (701) 746-2750 or
.
The HB Sound and Light company is again hosting its Annual Holiday LEGO Display on Dec. 3, 4, 10 and 11 at its headquarters at 101 N. Eighth St.
The event, open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., guests will be treated to cookies, cider, games and plenty of LEGO creations. LEGO building stations will be set up for kids of all ages.
The display will include a festive holiday city scene, including downtown Grand Forks landmarks.
Also, a preview of the display is planned for adults. Anyone 21 and older is invited to view the display, while enjoying Far North Spirits cocktails served by Ely's Ivy, from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2.
Tickets are $20 each. Each ticket-holder receives two drink tickets, signature cocktails, beer, hors d'oeuvres and a chance to win prizes. Non-alcoholic cocktails will be available.
The Empire Arts Center will present "The Holiday Show: Home for the Holidays," featuring the Century Choir from Grafton, North Dakota, at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 27.
The show is patterned after "the warm and charming '60s and '70s TV shows" that showcased celebrities such as Andy Williams, Bing Crosby and others, said Kathy Coudle-King, the Empire's managing artistic director.
The Holiday Show features talented, home-grown artists Therese Kulas, Matthew Lorenz, Casey Hennessy and Seth Brandl, who have moved away to pursue performing careers.
Tickets are $26.25 for general admission; $24.25 for students and seniors; and $20.25 for ages 12 and younger. Purchase tickets at
or call (701) 746-5500.
The Thursday Music Club is presenting its annual Christmas Musicale concert at 4 p.m. Dec. 4 at Calvary Lutheran Church, 1405 S. Ninth St.
The event is free.
About 70 holiday displays will be lighting up the night at Lincoln Park when "Christmas in the Park" begins Friday, Nov. 25.
The hours for the display, which continues through Dec. 31, are 5:30 to 10 p.m.
Grand Forks Lions clubs invite everyone to take a drive through the scenic park, located off Belmont Road and 13th Avenue South, to view the annual exhibit. The various displays are sponsored by local businesses and organizations.
Cost is $8 per car; $10 per limousine; and $20 per bus.
Proceeds from the event will be used by the Grand Forks Lions clubs to benefit worthwhile charities and projects in the community.
For more information, call (701) 739-0982.
The "Medora Christmas memories" show will take the stage at 3 and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 2 at the Empire Arts Center.
Shows are also scheduled for Dec. 1 at 7:30 p.m. in the Grafton (North Dakota) High School; Dec. 13 at 7:30 p.m. in the Mayville (North Dakota) State University Auditorium; and Dec. 18 at 3 p.m. in the Robert Fawcett Auditorium at Lake Region State College, Devils Lake.
The performance features stars of the Medora Musical, a summertime show presented in Medora, North Dakota.
For tickets, go to
.
The Heritage Village, on the north edge of East Grand Forks, is hosting a "Happy Holidays at Heritage Village" event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 3.
Lots of fun family activities, including sleigh rides and hayrides, as well as music in the church, will begin at 11 a.m. The Railroad Museum opens at 10 a.m. Reindeer will be on hand from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., with Santa Claus arriving at noon, weather permitting. A bake sale and concessions will be available throughout the event.
The Dakota Science Center is planning "winter science fun" from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The event is free. Canned goods will be collected for the local food cupboard.
Heritage Village is located at 219 20th St. N.E.
Tickets are still available for the Winter WUNDerland Family Holiday Concert set for 1:30 p.m. Dec. 3 at the Chester Fritz Auditorium.
The event, under the direction of Melanie Popejoy, features all of the UND music department's choral ensembles performing a variety of festive and meaningful songs of the season.
Tickets are $17 for adults in advance or $22 at the door, and $10 for students. Go to
or
; call the Fritz box office, (701) 777-4090; or purchase tickets in person at the Chester Fritz Auditorium, 3475 University Ave.
The annual Winter WUNDerland Candlelight Dinner and Private Concert on Dec. 2 is sold out.
The Canadian Pacific Holiday Train will make a stop in Thief River Falls at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 15 as part of its annual ride through the northern U.S., bringing live entertainment and Christmas cheer in exchange for non-perishable food donations to local food banks.
The train is about 1,000 feet long, with 14 brightly-decorated rail cars. Each car is decorated with hundreds of thousands of LED lights and holiday designs celebrating the spirit of the giving season.
Visitors can enjoy free musical performances by Alan Doyle and Kelly Prescott at each stop, according to a news release. Food or cash donations at each stop will benefit the local community.
The Holiday Train is making more than two dozen stops in Minnesota from Dec. 11-16 in the railroad's network in an effort to raise awareness of food insecurity.
The train will also stop at 4:20 p.m. at Mahnomen and 6 p.m. at Plummer on Dec. 15.
Since the Holiday Train program was launched in 1999, it's raised more than $21 million and collected five million pounds of food for community food banks across America.
