By Gabe Sadoski
As spooky season approaches its end and the remaining autumn leaves paint the ground in their red, orange and yellow hues, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” begins to bellow through Targets and Hallmarks heard across the country.
Holiday music entails an array of emotions in people. Some associate it with the candy canes they receive from the person working the window following the drive-in holiday light show with their family. Some despise the sheer thought of Michael Bublé’s Christmas album playing while they sit in a Kohl’s dressing room waiting for their mom to finish trying on all the clothes she liked. In honor of the nutcracker’s sitting in storage in your grandmother’s attic, here are five upcoming holiday events you can attend in Jefferson, Rock and Walworth County.
5. Rotary Botanical Gardens Holiday Light Show – Janesville
One of the long standing traditions of every holiday season (and many months following), holiday lights brighten up any dark December night with their luminance. Whether they glisten along your artificial pine-smelling plastic trees or millions are placed on display for your viewing, holiday cheer follows closely behind them. Of the many light shows, Rotary Botanical Gardens in Janesville hosts their annual holiday event to many.
This year, their Holiday Light Show begins Friday, Nov. 29 before a brief pause in operations following their Sunday, Dec. 1 display.
After the three-day break, the lights return Thursday, Dec. 5 and run every day until Monday, Dec. 23.
They return Thursday, Dec. 26 until Monday, Dec. 30 before one final break heading into the new year.
The final shows last from Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, until Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025.
All days of operation for the light show runs from 4:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m.
4. Miracle on 34th Street at The Fireside Dinner Theatre – Fort Atkinson
Beginning in 1964 as a restaurant with an occupancy seating of 120 people, Fort Atkinson’s Fireside Dinner Theatre hosts a plethora of shows year-round featuring Broadway’s very own accompanied by a fine dining meal. This year’s holiday show is based on the George Seaton-inspired 1947 movie of the same name, Miracle on 34th Street.
Shows begin Halloween night and run until Sunday, Dec. 22. Matinee shows call for a 10:30 a.m. arrival with lunch set for 11:15 a.m. and a 1:30 p.m. showtime (1:15 p.m. on Sundays). No matinee show takes place Friday, Nov. 29.
3. Parade of Lights – Whitewater
Whitewater’s annual Parade of Lights traditionally takes place on the first Friday of December. While that remains true again this year, the city announced an expanded event for the community. This year’s Friday, Dec. 6 event features numerous festivities to go along with a “Windows of Whitewater” contest. The contest features downtown Whitewater businesses showing off their artistic skills in their front windows for all to see.
The Parade of Lights begins at 6 p.m. followed by the Park Lighting Ceremony of Whitewater featuring 8-foot light displays. The Lighting Ceremony lasts into the New Year, ending Jan. 6.
From 5 to 8 p.m., the Cravath Lake Community Center will also feature a Holiday Market during the event.
2. Holiday Art Show & Sale – Janesville
When people think of the holidays, they typically think of gifts or hot cocoa – what about art?
The Holiday Art Show & Sale features nearly 50 artists from the area while providing over 150 different pieces altogether. The opening session begins Thursday, Dec. 5 from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Janesville Performing Arts Center and remains on display until Sunday, Jan. 5. Displays run Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon until 3 p.m. and Wednesdays noon until 5 p.m.
1. A Christmas Carol at Milton House – Milton
Like Miracle on 34th Street with Fireside Dinner Theatre, the historic Milton House Museum hosts their own rendition of a holiday classic with Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. The play progresses throughout the museum by taking the audience along with them for full on interaction.
Shows run from Friday, Dec. 13 and Saturday, Dec. 14 at 7 p.m. with the Sunday, Dec. 15 show slated for 5 p.m.
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