Fall and winter highlights

Where to be in Chico’s cooler months

THE JOLLY OLD ELF HIMSELF <br>When Christmas draws near Santa is sure to make an appearance so Chico’s younger set can make their requests to him in person.

THE JOLLY OLD ELF HIMSELF
When Christmas draws near Santa is sure to make an appearance so Chico’s younger set can make their requests to him in person.

Photo by Tom Angel

Throughout the Season

Farmers’ Market
Local growers sell their produce and wares year-round at the Chico Certified Farmers’ Market, on Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the parking lot at Second and Wall streets. 893-FARM.

Silver Dollar Swap Meet
All year-round every Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Silver Dollar Fairgrounds from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 892-9205.

Winter Migratory Waterfowl Tour
Each year, from October to March, more than 150 species of birds, including bald eagles, mallards, mourning doves, red-tailed hawks and California gulls, migrate to Butte County. By following a self-guided tour provided by local chambers of commerce and wildlife groups, visitors can cover 100 miles of nature-filled preserves. There are also guided one-and-one-half-hour walks on Saturdays at 10 a.m. and Sundays at 1 p.m. leaving from the Gray Lodge Wildlife Area. 846-5176

Chico Museum
With interesting exhibits that change every few months, the museum is located on the corner of Second and Salem in Downtown Chico and is open Wed.–Sun. noon-4 p.m. 891-4336

October

Sweeney Todd
Through Nov. 12, 7:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. matinees at the Chico Theater Co. Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, a suspenseful musical thriller about an unjustly exiled barber who returns to London seeking revenge against the judge who framed him and ravaged his young wife. 530 894-3282.

Arlo Guthrie
Oct. 29, 7:30 p.m. at Laxson Auditorium. Presented by Chico Performances, Guthrie revisits Alice’s Restaurant with an anniversary tour, with son Abe and Gordon Titcomb. 898-6333 for tickets.

Halloween
Treat Street, the annual Downtown Trick or Treat: Oct. 31 from 2 to 5 p.m. Many downtown businesses will offer candy and goodies to children and their adult chaperones. 345-6500. Also on Oct. 31, Cal Skate hosts a Halloween Carnival from 3:30 to 8 p.m. with a costume contest, roller-skating, trick-or-treat booths and a haunted house; and Trick or Treating at Chico Mall from 4 to 6 p.m.

Book Family Farm Harvest Festival
Through Oct. 31, at Book Family Farm off Highway 99 just south of Chico. The Harvest Festival is a tradition for many Chico families who celebrate the harvest with horse-drawn wagon rides, the annual scarecrow competition, pumpkin picking, hay and corn mazes, animals, live music and more. 893-3 139.

November

Bidwell Park Centennial Exhibit
Nov. 1-Dec. 31, Wed.-Sun. 12- 4p.m. at the Chico Museum. The Bidwell Park Centennial Commitee presents the opening of 100 Years of Gratitude. 891-4336.

Nutcracker: Moscow Ballet
Nov. 3, 7:30 p.m. Presented by Chico Performances at Laxson Auditorium, the Moscow Ballet returns the grand tradition of the Russian Nutcracker to Chico. 898-6333.

The Memory of Water
Nov. 3-20. The Blue Room Theater presents this comedy of three sisters trapped in a snow storm on the eve of their mother’s funeral, attempting to recall their childhoods. 895-3749.

Honey Run Covered Bridge Artisan’s Bazaar & Bake Sale
Nov. 5. Artisan, crafters and bakers gather for a fund-raiser to support the historic bridge. 342-0036 or 876-8483.

Polar Bear Plunge

Photo by Tom Angel

31st Annual Almond Bowl Run
Nov. 6. 10 a.m. The annual run begins at One-Mile Recreation Area in Bidwell Park and is non-competitive. Participate in the 3- and 6-mile runs, 3-mile walk or kids’ fun run/walk. Register early. 879-9000.

Comedy Pet Theatre
Nov. 6, 2 p.m. Family entertainment at Laxson Auditorium. See extraordinary feats performed by 14 cats, 12 dogs, 10 doves, and six white mice. 898-6333.

Ballet Hispanico: Nightclub
Nov. 9, 7:30 p.m. A three-part dance performance with the rhythms from late 1920s Buenos Aires brothels, social clubs in 1950s Spanish Harlem, and today, presented by Chico Performances. 898-6333.

American Beauty
Nov. 10- Dec. 10. Theatre on the Ridge presents a musical dramatization of the hopes of seven women as they compete for the Miss Delta Queen Pageant title. 877-57600.

Michael Cooper: Masked Marvels & Wondertales
Nov. 17, 7:30 p.m. Michael Cooper returns with his entertaining one man show full of family fun. Paper maché masks enhance Cooper’s mime skills. 898-6333.

Mrs. Bob Cratchit’s Wild Christmas Binge
Nov. 10 through Dec. 17, 7:30 p.m. In Chico Cabaret’s giddy parody of Charles Dickens classic, ghosts show up too early and Mrs. Bob Cratchit plans to jump off the London Bridge. 895-0245.

Farm City Celebration—Harvest Dinner & Dance
Nov. 19, 6:30 p.m. Held at the Silver Dollar Fair Grounds Commercial Building, this benefit dinner includes cocktails, a tri-tip dinner and dancing. 891-6474.

Christmas Preview
Nov. 20, 4-8 p.m. Downtown merchants bring out holiday cheer to kick off the season. Experience the season’s sights, sound, and smells, plus a visit from Santa. 345-6500.

A Christmas Carol
Chico Theater Company, Nov. 25- Dec. 18, 7:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. matinees. The Dickens classic presented as an updated family comedy by the Chico Theater Co. 894-3282.

December

Letter to Santa
Dec. 1-9, 1- 4 p.m. at CARD. Kids under 8 years old can write to Santa, then mail it or bring it to the CARD office. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope and receive a reply from the North Pole. 895-4711.

Incorruptible
Dec. 1-18. Set in 1250 France, this Blue Room Theatre production focuses on monks in a financial bind. Ready to call it quits, a minstrel offers an unholy solution. 895-3749.

3rd Annual Holiday Festival & Christmas Tree Auction
Dec. 2, 6:30-9 p.m. Join the Chico Community Shelter Partnership for drinks, hors d’oeuvres, dessert and live music at the Masonic Family Center. 891-9015.

Christmas Tree Lighting
Dec. 2, 6-8 p.m. This Chico tradition will continue despite the renovations of the Downtown Park Plaza. This year’s ceremony will be held in front of City Hall. 345-6500.

A Decade of Dance
Dec. 2-4, Fri.-Sat. 7:30 p.m. and Sun. 2 p.m. Chico Dance Theatre’s 10-year celebration will be held at Harlen Adams Theatre with a showcase of various styles of American music and dance. 898-6333.

Annual Christmas Fair
Dec. 2-4, at the Silver Dollar Fair Grounds. Crafts are highlighted. 345-9652.

WATCH IT <br>Waterfowl lovers take to their lenses at the annual Snow Goose Festival.

Photo by Tom Angel

Chico Icons
Dec. 2- Jan. 16, reception Dec. 2, 5-8 p.m. Group exhibition at Avenue 9 Gallery. 879-1821.

An Evening with Joan Baez
Dec. 7, 7:30 p.m. Social commentator from the 㥄s to today, Baez performs new music from her latest album at Laxson Auditorium. 898-6333.

Chistmas Faire
Dec. 9-11. The Chico Art Center Gallery hosts artwork and handmade crafts by multiple artists. 895-8726.

Glorious Sounds of the Season
Dec. 9-11, Sat. 7:30 p.m. and Sun. 2:00 p.m. This highly energetic and emotional production fit for the family features more than 200 singers, the Symphony Wind Ensemble, Jazz X-Press, and more at Harlen Adams Theatre. 898-6333.

Breakfast with Santa
Dec. 10, 8-10:50 a.m. Santa, Ms. Claus and the elves serve pancakes. Make crafts with the elves and get a small gift from Santa himself. 895-4711.

Christmas Open House
Dec. 11, 1- 4:15 p.m. Themed tours every 45 minutes. 895-6144.

Riders in the Sky: Christmas the Cowboy Way
Dec. 13, 7:30 p.m. The award-winning Riders in the Sky fill Laxson Auditorium with classic cowboy songs, yodels, and plenty of humor. 898-6333.

Evening Christmas Tours of Bidwell Mansion
Dec. 21-23, 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. A chance to see “John” and “Annie” in period dress. 895-6144.

January

Polar Bear Plunge
Jan.1, 1 p.m. Come swim or watch the polar bears at One Mile Area Sycamore Pool in Bidwell Park, weather permitting. 893-0545.

Quills
Jan. 12-29. The Blue Room Theatre presents this shocking comedy that explores love, art, and self-expression through the eyes of the Marquis de Sade. Violence, explicit language. 895-3789

The Music Man
Jan. 6- Feb. 4, 7:30 p.m. 2:00 p.m. matinees. Chico Theater Company’s presentation of the story of a salesman who plans to con folks in Iowa, saying he’ll set up a school band. Before he can leave with the cash, he falls in love and finds redemption. 894-3282.

Beguiled Again
Jan. 12- Feb. 11. Theatre on the Ridge presents a revue of nearly 50 Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart songs. The clever juxtaposition of music is an emotional journey. 877-5760.

Peking Acrobats
Jan 18, 7:30 p.m. Returning for the seventh year, these elite gymnasts, cyclists, jugglers and tumblers seem to defy gravity and perform incomprehensible contortions with grace and athleticism. 898-6333.

Indigo Girls
Jan. 21, 7:30 p.m. Skillful harmonies and flawless musicianship come to Laxson Auditorium. A little folk, a little soul, a little pop, the Indigo Girls are warm, open and honest, and their lyrics are too. 898-6333.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Jan. 26-29, 7:30 p.m., 2 p.m. Sat. & Sun. matinees. Chico Community Ballet celebrates its 25th season with this comical tale of fairies, mismatched lovers, and trickery at Laxson Auditorium. 898-6333.

GETTIN’ IN THE SPIRIT <br>The annual Glorious Sounds of the Season concert is a holiday tradition for the Chico State Music Department.

Photo by Tom Angel

7th Annual Snow Goose Festival
Jan. 27-29. Bird watch in one of the most diverse wildlife corridors of the Sacramento Valley. Most events take place or begin at the Chico Masonic Family Center. 891-5559 x313.

February

Children of Uganda: Tour of the Light
Feb. 1, 7:30 p.m. A chorus of 20 children, ages 8 to 18, is ambassadors of Uganda’s AIDS and war-related orphans. The tour stops at Laxson Auditorium to promote global awareness and fund fellow orphans Uganda. 898-6333.

John Cleese: Seven Ways to Skin an Ocelot
Feb. 4, 7:30 p.m. Best known for his comedy in Monty Python, A Fish Called Wanda, and TV appearances, Cleese now write film scripts, makes speeches and grow a decent tomato. 898-6333.

Assassins
Feb. 9-26. The Blue Room Theatre presents an American musical about the lives, loves and lunacy of nine individuals who assassinated or tried to assassinate the President of the United States. 895-3749

Hapa
Feb. 11, 7:30 p.m. Hawaiian pop combining Polynesian ballads of the sea and land backed by virtuoso guitar for a little acoustic folk/rock, Celtic and world influence, an unusual combination, at Laxson Auditorium. 909-6333.

An Evening with Garrison Keillor
Feb. 14, 7:30 p.m. Author, storyteller, performance artist, poet and comedian Keillor brings his nationally syndicated program A Prairie Home Companion to Laxson Auditorium. 898-6333.

Mark O’Connor’s Hot Swing Trio
Feb. 16, 7:30 p.m. Laxson will be jumping to one of America’s best known fiddles, a guitarist and bassist. The influences of the ‘30s jazz tunes are overt. 898-6333.

La Guitara
Feb. 24, 7:30 p.m. The Ninth Annual International Guitar Festival at Laxson Auditorium is a celebration of women guitarists. Patty Larkin joins Mimi Fox and newcomer Kaki King. 898-6333.

The Nerd
Feb. 24- Mar. 18, 7:30 p.m. Chico Theater Company. 894-3282.

March

Bradley Fields
Mar. 1, 7:30 p.m. Chico Performances presents Bradley Field’s magic and illusion show to Laxson Auditorium. Slight-of-hand, mime, and quick wit quickly convince any skeptics. 898-6333.

The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail
Mar. 9-26. Set in 1846, The Blue Room Theatre an inspiring production depicting Thoreau’s imprisonment for failing to pay taxes in protest of an unjust war. 895-3749.

The Cemetery Club
Mar. 16- Apr. 18. The Theatre on the Ridge brings the story of three middle-aged widows, who meet monthly at the cemetery to honor their deceased husbands and consider finding new ones, to life. 877-5760.

Three Musketeers
Mar. 18, 7:30 p.m. A romantic, swashbuckling, coming-of-age adventure, this show follows d’Artagnan as he changes from country boy to daring hero. 898-6333.

Home Garden & Antique Show
Mar. 18-19, all-day event. View hundreds of home and garden displays, cooking demonstrations, an antique sale and more at this fund-raiser for Soroptimist International of Chico Club. 540-5664.

Macbeth
Mar. 19, 7:30 p.m. Combining swift action and Shakespearean poetry at Laxson Auditorium, this classic follows one man’s rash attempt at the crown. One evil dead leads to the next, unleashing madness. 898-6333.

Julliard String Quartet
Mar. 24, 7:30 p.m. The standard for string quartets for more than 50 years comes to Laxson Auditorium to play Beethoven, Scubert, Bartok, and more. 898-6333.

Casablanca
Mar. 25, 6-11 p.m. Support the Northern Valley Catholic Services with a night of silent auction, oral auction, no host bar, formal dinner, and a casino at the Bell Memorial Union. 345-1600.