Holiday Events Extravaganza

The holiday season is now here in full force, and in all the hustle and bustle, it is important to take the time to relax and savor family time. It is also a season of many events, celebrations and parades; there is something for everyone. For your convenience, we have provided a guide to many holiday happenings. Of course, we have listed shopping opportunities first!

Shop!

The 2006 Buy Broken Arrow Christmas Campaign will kick off November 10th 2006, and the drawing will be held December 18th 2006 at 3 p.m. Broken Arrow merchants submit tickets to each customer who buys a certain amount of merchandise; the maximum is 100 tickets per customer. Persons must be 18 and over to participate; you do not have to be present to win, just watch your local news, or check either website www.brokenarrow.org or www.brokenarrow.org. You can win up to $10,000 by supporting your Broken Arrow merchants. For more information, contact the Broken Arrow Chamber of Commerce at (918) 251-1518.

“Tulsa’s Red Light District” Every year, Cherry Street dresses itself in sparkling cherry-colored lights for the holiday season. Tulsa’s most unique shopping, dining and entertainment district offers everything the holiday shopper could ask for in an atmosphere you won’t soon forget! The festive shopping atmosphere begins on December 1st, and ends on December 31st. For more information: www.cherryst.com.

Dickens on the Boulevard in Claremore. This Victorian Christmas celebration heralds the beginning of the merry holiday shopping season. The celebration is complete with a Victorian costume contest, street dance, artisan village, a Civil War encampment at the historic Belvidere Mansion, carriage rides, entertainment and food on Friday, November 17, 2006, all Day in historic downtown Claremore. Also, be sure and check out Christmas at the Belvidere Mansion, November through December. The rooms are full of Christmas displays, ornaments and gifts, and all are beautifully crafted. Call for dates and hours, (918) 342-1127.

The Tulsa Holiday Mart provides three days of shopping with unique merchants from all around the country on November 17th, 18th and 19th in the Expo Center at Expo Square.

With over 100 merchants, shoppers will find gifts for everyone on their list that can’t be found at the mall. All proceeds benefit Operation Aware of Oklahoma, which teaches drug and violence prevention and good life skills to more than 150 schools throughout northeastern Oklahoma every year.

All proceeds directly benefit Operation Aware of Oklahoma, making it possible to teach positive life skills and drug and violence prevention programs to 25,000 students at more than 150 schools across northeastern Oklahoma each year. For more information, visit the website at www.operationaware.org.

Blooming Deals. The Junior League of Tulsa, Inc. (JLT) will host one of the Tulsa-area’s largest rummage sales, on Saturday, November 18 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Tulsa Event Center. Tickets will be available at the door for $2.

Blooming Deals will feature thousands of new and gently used items including antiques, furniture, electronic equipment, toys, books, clothing and vintage items.

Parades

Once your shopping is done, you can relax and enjoy the festivities! A big part of almost everyone’s holiday tradition is the parades – here are some that are going on in your area!

Night-time Christmas Parade, PSO Parade of Lights – This parade is one of the most frequently and highly attended parades in Oklahoma and always is unique. In addition to the wonderful floats, there are bands, dance squads, and giant balloons that delight the eye every time. The parade is scheduled for Saturday, December 9th at 6:00 p.m. and can also be viewed live on KTUL Channel 8. For more information, call (918) 583-2617 or visit www.tulsadowntown.org.

The Skiatook Christmas Parade and Santa Workshop takes place the very first day of December! The parade begins at 7 p.m.; call (918) 396-3702 for more information. There is also a Veteran’s Day Parade on November 11, beginning at 9 a.m.

The Sapulpa Christmas Parade takes place on December 2nd at 6 p.m. and features over 100 entries lining the street to ring in the holiday season. Sapulpa’s downtown district is in the heart of the historic Route 66 and was recently placed on the National Registry of Historic Places; phone: 918-224-0170.

The Annual Christmas Parade of Bixby is hosted by the Rotary Club of Bixby, and is held in Old Town Bixby, which is south and east of 151st and Memorial. In 2006, the Parade has changed dates the traditional 2nd Friday evening to the 2nd Saturday in December. The parade will start at approximately 5 p.m., arriving in the downtown viewing area by 5:30 p.m.; Trophies will be awarded, and the Bixby Fire Department will conclude the parade with Santa. . For more information about the host of this parade, Rotary Club of Bixby, visit www.bixbyrotary.com

Owasso’s Annual Christmas Parade is on December 9th, on Main Street, featuring many eye-catching floats and, of course, Santa! (918) 272-2141.

Claremore’s Christmas Parade takes place on the 4th of December, and the route begins at 6 p.m. from the Expo Square. More information, call (918) 341-2818.

Broken Arrow’s Annual Civitans Club Parade will begin at Main Street and College on December 1st at 10 a.m. Call (918) 249-3609 for information.

Sand Springs has one of the oldest parades in Oklahoma! This city’s Annual Festival of Lights Christmas Parade is held on Friday, December 1st at 7 p.m. in downtown Sand Springs; the theme this year is “On the Road to Christmas” with Michael Wallis as Grand Marshall.

Collinsville Annual Christmas Parade, December 9th, held at 11 a.m. (918) 341-4703.

Glenpool features two events on the same day! The Christmas Parade is on December 16th at 6 p.m., and there is also a holiday giveaway. (918) 322-3505.

Theatre

No holiday season is complete without theatre extravaganzas! Listed below are some of our picks:
“Seussical, the Musical” comes to Broken Arrow December 1st and 2nd and 7th through 10th! Based on the well loved stories of Dr. Seuss, the performances are great for audiences of every and all ages. “Seussical, the Musical” is produced and performed at the Broken Arrow Community Playhouse, located at 1800 S. Main Street. For more information, call (918) 258-0077 or see the website at www.bacptheatre.com.

The Tulsa Oratorio Chorus, 100 voices strong, presents and evening of music from Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Christmas Oratorio” on December 2nd at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center. Traditional holiday favorites will also be presented, and the chorus will be accompanied by the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra and joined by soloists April Golliver, Kim Childs, Amanda Mansheim and Evereich Sutter. Phone: (918) 596-7109

The American Theatre Company presents “A Christmas Carol” between December 7th and December 23rd at the John H. Williams Theatre at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center.

This is the 30th year that ATC has put on the annual production of this Dickens’ and is set to music by Tulsans Bob Odle and Richard Averill. Information: www.tulsapace.com.

No holiday season would be complete without Tulsa Ballet’s production of “The Nutcracker”. Tulsa Ballet’s unique version of the timeless story begins at the Paris Opera House, and features all the favorite characters such as the Sugar Plum Fairy, the Mouse King, the Snowflakes and many others. “The Nutcracker” will be held at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center; check www.tulsaballet.org or call (918) 749-6030 for more information.

Festivals

The annual Philbrook Museum of Art Festival of Trees will be held on November 17th through December 3rd, and will showcase holiday trees inside and outside the museum. Local artists will also create seasonal art which will be available for purchase; the 2006 Philbrook Exclusively Exclusively Designed Festival of Trees Pin was created by Rosalind Cook and will serve as a special commemorative Centennial pin. Family and children’s events are scheduled throughout the three weeks. For more details, check www.philbrook.org or call (918) 748-5382.

The Eighth Annual “Christkindlmarkt” (Christmas Market) is always an anticipated event, and is held at the German American Society of Tulsa building. There will be many domestic and imported items for purchase, music, puppet shows and food, and admission is completely free. The address is 2301 East 15th Street, one block west of south Lewis Avenue, and the hours are as follows: Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday Noon to 5 p.m. For further information call (918) 744-6997. For more information: www.gastulsa.org

Fish like to celebrate the holidays, too, and this year will bring in the second annual Fishmas Festival at the Oklahoma Aquarium. It is a one-day event on December 15th, and promises lots of family fun with entertainment, arts-n-crafts, games and goodies. Folks can get pictures taken with Santa Shipley, make ornaments and register for hourly prizes. www.okaquarium.org.

Lights

No holiday season is complete without a dazzling array of lights. Here are a few suggestions:

Lights On! in Utica Square is a family favorite on Thanksgiving evening. The celebration begins at 6:30 p.m. and Santa will be present to conduct the final countdown of over 300,000 twinkling lights adorning 175 trees. A Tulsa family tradition.

One of the largest light displays in the area can be found at Rhema Bible Church and Bible Training Center, located at 1025 W. Kenosha in Broken Arrow. From Thanksgiving to Christmas, thousands of visitors flock to see the stunning array of lights and holiday displays. This year’s presentation will start on November 22nd, and end on January 1st, 2007.

The Woolaroc Wonderland of Lights takes place on the weekends from November 24th through December 17th, and transforms into a fabulous wonderland of winter with more than 300,000 lights that covers the Woolaroc grounds and buildings. The Wonderland of Lights at the Woolaroc Ranch has been a Bartlesville tradition for many years, and each year features live holiday entertainment, wagon rides, Santa in the museum and much more. Woolaroc is located on Oklahoma State Highway 123, which is only 12 miles southwest of Bartlesville. For more information, call (918) 336-0307 or toll free, (888) 966-5276.

Christmas Lights in the Park at the Pedestrian Bridge and area surroundings creates a beautiful panorama along Riverside Drive in Tulsa! The park’s annual holiday light display, including multi-colored lights and pretty displays illuminates the Zink Dam area each December through the first of January.

“Holiday Lights in Central Park” – Broken Arrow’s Central Park is lit up all throughout and features Santa’s elves playing softball on the park diamonds while Santa does some fishing in the creek. A fun drive-through for the family, Broken Arrow’s Central Park is located at 1500 S. Main Street.

The lights are coming on in the city of Jenks on November 16th, and the RiverWalk will be lighting up as well the following evening. There will also be a Centennial fireworks display at 9:30 p.m. on the evening of the 17th from the 96th Street Bridge. For more information, call (918) 299-5005.

More Events…

On December 15th, Santa Claus will be at the Bixby Community Center to visit with children at all ages! This is a free event, from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m. and refreshments will be provided. The Bixby Community Center is located at 211 N. Cabaniss; for more information, call (918) 366-4841.

“Carols & Crumpets,” the annual holiday event given by the Tulsa Herb Society is a must for those who love crafts. It takes place at the Tulsa Garden Center, 2435 S. Peoria, and offers herbal vinegars, wreaths, teas, spices and seasonings, soaps, lotions, cosmetics and more. Free admission; 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; call (918) 746-5125 or see the website at www.tulsagardencenter.com.

Another Santa sighting is made on December 2nd at Woodland Hills Mall! The Kidgits Club Members will get to eat breakfast with Santa, take their picture with Santa and make fun crafts. For more information, call (918) 252-7511 or www.simon.com.

Don’t forget that Jenks is Oklahoma’s “Antique Capital!” Every year, the city is splendidly decorated to better highlight their shops and wares.

Sapulpa’s Holiday Stroll of evening shopping downtown takes place from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., and on December 16th, there will be a Jingle Bells Sweepstakes drawing at the Courthouse at 1 p.m. Further information, call (918) 224-5709 or www.sapulpamainstreet.com

Race into the New Year on December 31st! The race will begin at 41st & Riverside at 9 p.m., with proceeds going to the MS Society. Contact Kathy Sager at Runners World at (918) 749-7557 for more details.

The Junior Ocieleta Club in Claremore is hosting its 24th Annual Christmas Home Tour on Saturday, December 2, 2006 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The tour will feature four residential homes and a craft show consisting of a number of crafters and baked goods at Verdigris Elementary School. The tickets are $10.00 and can be purchased in advance and the day of the tour. The tickets can be purchased in Claremore at the following locations: Ann and Barbara’s Draperies and Interiors, Antique Peddler’s Mall, The Belvidere Mansion, Claremore Flowers, Dorothy’s Flowers, Floral Creations, Gripado’s Deli, Home Sweet Home, Hoover’s Have All Mall, J&J Pharmacy, Java Dave’s, Lion’s Gate, Pecan Porch, Phillip’s Florist, The Pink House, RCB Bank, Shear Delight, Sweet Celebrations, and Uniquely Susie’s. Proceeds benefit student scholarships and civic needs throughout the Claremore area. Call Natasha Reid at 341-6181 for ticket information.

Roosa PTO Fundraising Auction
NOVEMBER 18, 2006, 5 p.m. Claremore High School Gymnasium. There will be both a live and a silent auction with many outstanding items up for bid.

We hope this holiday array of events is helpful and enjoyable. All of us at Value News would like to wish you the very best this joyful Holiday Season!