Weekend brings Clydesdales, 'Nutcracker,' Elvis tribute to Tuscaloosa

This weekend brings the Budweiser Clydesdales, performances of "The Nutcracker" ballet, an Elvis Christmas tribute and more to Tuscaloosa.

From 2-4 p.m. Saturday, the famed Budweiser Clydesdales draft-horse team will pull a vintage restored beer wagon through downtown Tuscaloosa, with donation buckets out at various stops to benefit the Salvation Army. Patrons are encouraged to watch the horses walk out — from customized trailers — and get hitched and harnessed in front of the Tuscaloosa County Courthouse, 714 Greensboro Ave.

During the parade itself, people will need to stay back on sidewalks for everyone's safety. Photo opportunities will be available at the end, which will culminate in Government Plaza, near the Tinsel Trail and the outdoor ice-skating rink.

The Clydesdales, presented by Adams Beverages, will also make a public appearance from 4-6 p.m. Thursday at Piggly Wiggly, 641 Bear Creek Road.

Meanwhile, Tuscaloosa native Jennifer Lauren Quarles, principal dancer for the Miami City Ballet, will return as a guest artist performing the Sugar Plum Fairy during the Tuscaloosa Community Dancers' production of "The Nutcracker." The traditional Tchaikovsky ballet will be performed at the Bama Theatre, 600 Greensboro Ave., with showtimes set for 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Saturday; and 2 p.m. Sunday.

Tickets cost $20 and $30 and are available at  www.etix.com/ticket/o/9232/tuscaloosacommunitydancers. Saturday morning at 8:45, there will be a separate Breakfast with the Nutcracker event at the Battle-Friedman House and Gardens, 1010 Greensboro Ave. Tickets for that are $15, through the same link above. For more, see www.tuscaloosadancers.com.

And for those whose Christmas would be blue without the king of rock 'n' roll, the Druid City Music Hall will host "An Elvis Christmas" at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Jerome Jackson of Dothan will portray a 1970s-era Elvis during the show. Pre-show tickets cost $15, while admission at the door will be $20. The Druid City Music Hall is at 1307 University Blvd.

Here's a look at more holiday happenings around Tuscaloosa:

FRIDAY AND SATURDAY

"The Great Christmas Cookie Bake-Off," a new musical comedy, will be presented Friday and Saturday by Theatre Tuscaloosa at the Bean-Brown Theatre, Shelton State Community College Martin Campus, 9500 Old Greensboro Road. Tickets cost $24 for general admission; $20 for seniors (60 and older), Shelton employees, and military; $16 for students and children; $8 for Shelton students. Performances will be at 7 p.m. Friday, Saturday, and Dec. 15-16; 2 p.m. Sunday, Wednesday and Dec. 17-18. For more information, go to www.theatretusc.com or call 205-391-2277.

SATURDAY

The Alabama Choir School will hold its winter concert at 7 p.m. in the concert hall of the Moody Music Building, 810 Second Ave., on the UA campus. The performance will feature a variety of seasonal pieces, including traditional holiday carols, spirituals and songs from around the world, contemporary and popular. The choir consists of children in the first through 12th grades. Tickets cost $15 and are available at https://acstickets.ludus.com or through a link on the Alabama Choir School's Facebook page. For more information, go to www.alachoirschool.org.

The Comic Strip, 505 Hargrove Road E., Suite 10, Tuscaloosa will hold its Krampusnacht Holiday Market from 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

The Grinch will appear for a photo opportunity at Izzy's Comics, 2-3 p.m., 2801-6 Lurleen Wallace Blvd., Northport. No purchase required.

SUNDAY

The University of Alabama Opera Theatre will bring the moral and magical Christmas tale of “Amahl and the Night Visitors” to life in one performance only at 3 p.m. Sunday at Bryant-Jordan Hall on the Bryce side of the UA campus. The opera is a family-oriented production about a disabled boy’s interaction with three traveling kings, the biblical Magi, and how his loving mother with a heart of gold tries to teach him vital life lessons. Admission is free and open to the public.

The Weihnachtsmarkt German Christmas Market will be from 3-7 p.m. at Tuscaloosa Academy, 420 Rice Valley Road N. The market will feature music, kids' holiday crafts, sweet treats, shopping, and dinner, including German bread, bratwurst, pretzels, cookies and punch. Vendors will be selling woodworking, jewelry, handmade soaps, books, Christmas crafts and more. Admission is $1; children 5 and younger admitted free.

MONDAY

"Home for the Holidays," Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra's annual holiday concert, will be at 7 p.m. at the Moody Concert Hall, 810 Second Ave. on UA campus. The orchestra will be joined by the Alabama Choir School, the Prentice Concert Chorale, and the Shelton Singers. General admission seats for "Home for the Holidays" are $30 and $40, depending on location. All student tickets are free.

"Home for the Holidays"' repertoire includes "Christmas Favorites," by Bruce Chase; "Carol of the Bells" arranged by Richard Hayman; Mannheim Steamroller's "Stille Nacht," arranged by Calvin Custer; "Adoration of the Magi," from the Botticelli Triptych by Ottorino Respighi; "A Hanukkah Celebration," arranged by Lucas Richmond; "Fantasia on 'We Three Kings'" by Brian Balmages; "And the Glory of the Lord," from "Messiah" by George Frideric Handel; "Christmas is Coming," arranged by Mack Wilberg; "The Many Moods of Christmas, Suite no. 3," arranged by Robert Russell Bennett; "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" and "Do You Hear What I Hear," arranged by Emily Crocker; a Christmas pops singalong, arranged by John Kuzma; and "This Christmastide," by Donald Fraser. For more, call 205-752-5515, or visit www.tsoonline.org.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Weekend brings Elvis tribute, Clydesdales, 'Nutcracker,' to Tuscaloosa