OKC-area events, news: 'Hip Hop Nutcracker,' Winter’s Night at Edmond Fire Department and more
Local students join RACE Dance Co. for 'Hip Hop Nutcracker'
RACE Dance Company is celebrating its 10th annual "Hip Hop Nutcracker" performance Dec. 10-11 at Oklahoma City Community College's Visual and Performing Arts Center, 7777 S May Ave.
RACE Dance Collective, a nonprofit organization, strives to ignite social awareness and change through dance performances, education and community engagement. This year, RACE mentored 100 students from eight Oklahoma City Public Schools. Each student was provided with new shoes and taught the choreography and fundamentals of hip-hop.
Set to high-energy music with a blend of hip-hop, jazz and tap styles, this holiday classic retells the traditional story through an urban, Oklahoma lens that follows a young boy named Carlos on his journey of self-discovery.
Performances times:
2 p.m. Dec. 10: English Performance (Tickets, $28)
4:30 p.m. Dec. 10: Humanities Panel (Free)
7 p.m. Dec. 10: Spanish Performance (Free)
2 p.m. Dec. 11: English Performance (Tickets, $28)
For more information or to buy tickets, go to www.racedance.com/hhndetails.
Homeless Alliance receives $2.5 million grant
The Homeless Alliance, an Oklahoma City-based nonprofit dedicated to helping people end their homelessness, received a $2.5 million grant from the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund, the largest private gift focused on families in the organization’s history.
Launched in 2018 by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, the Day 1 Families Fund issues annual leadership awards to leading organizations on the frontlines that are employing compassionate, needle-moving work to help families move from unsheltered homelessness and shelters to permanent housing with the services they require to achieve stability.
In 2021 the Homeless Alliance helped 858 people end their homelessness in Oklahoma City.
The alliance plans to use the grant funds over the next five years to expand its housing navigator program, help transition unsheltered families with children off the streets and help families secure permanent housing.
For more information about how to help, call the Homeless Alliance at 405-415-8410 or go to www.homelessalliance.org.
Oklahoma City Philharmonic presents the ‘Sounds of the Season’
YUKON — The Oklahoma City Philharmonic presents the "Sounds of the Season": holiday concert 7:30 p.m. Dec. 15, in the Yukon Fine Arts Auditorium, 850 Yukon Ave.
This year’s concert features a special holiday program conducted by Alexander Mickelthwate, the music director of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic.
General admission tickets are $5 and are on sale at the Yukon Community Center, 2200 S Holly; Jackie Cooper Gym, 1024 E Main; the Dale Robertson Center, 1200 Lakeshore Drive; as well as all Yukon National Bank locations. General admission tickets also can be purchased online at www.yukonok.gov/catalog (Click on “Special Events”).
Reserved seating tickets are $10 and only available at the Dale Robertson Center, while supplies last. Reserved tickets are limited to six per person.
To learn more, go to www.yukonok.gov or call 405-350-8937 or 405-354-8442.
OKC Zoo welcomes new male Asian elephant
Guests visiting the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden will have an opportunity to welcome its newest animal family member, Bowie (pronounced Boo-ee), a 9-year-old male Asian elephant. Bowie is joining OKC Zoo's elephant herd from the Fort Worth Zoo as part of Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan.
Born in 2013, Bowie stands over 8 feet tall and weighs more than 6,400 pounds. He loves to play in the water and can be seen swimming almost any time of the year. Like most young elephants, he is full of energy and eager to learn new things.
Male elephants, also known as bulls, in the wild are semi-nomadic, typically traveling alone as adults and meet up with females to breed.
As Bowie settles in to his new home, the zoo's expert animal care team will begin slow introductions with the elephant herd. There is no determination how long this process will take. Guests may be able to see Bowie outside soon, depending on his level of comfort and weather.
The OKC Zoo is home to a multi-generational herd of seven Asian elephants — males Rex (55) and Kandula (20) and females Asha (27), Chandra (26), Achara (7), Kairavi (4) and the newest addition Rama (10 months).
The Oklahoma City Zoo is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, with the last entry at 4 p.m. The zoo will be closed to the public during the daytime on Christmas and Tuesdays and Wednesdays between now and Feb. 8, 2023. To purchase tickets, go to okczoo.org/tickets.
Winter’s Night at the Children’s Safety Village
EDMOND — The Edmond Fire Department invites the public to come out and enjoy a Winter’s Night at the Children’s Safety Village 6 to 9 p.m. Dec. 9 and Dec. 16 at the Edmond Fire Department, Fire Station #5, 5300 E Covell Road. Admission is free to the public for this event with most activities geared for children 10 and under.
Get pictures with Santa Claus on an antique 1929 Fire Truck, and be on the lookout for the Grinch and other notable holiday characters throughout the village. Coffee Slingers will be providing its menu for purchase at this event.
There will be free hot chocolate as you enter the village, which has been transformed by festive Christmas lights, and children will have an opportunity to build a toy in Santa’s Workshop and ride pedal cars. A signup for free smoke alarms will be available, and monetary donations will be accepted. Attendees also are encouraged to bring a gift for donation to Integris Children’s Center.
A list of items needed can be found at this link.
For more information, call 405-216-7300 or email FirePrevention@edmondok.gov.
To be considered for this column, please email news and events with photos two weeks in advance to DLindauer@Oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma City metro-area happenings: News and events
