ring in the season

Mt. Lebanon High School Percussion Ensemble’s popular Holiday, Bells, Mallets and Drums—a concert of seasonal favorites—is 7:30 P.M., Friday and Saturday, December 19 and 20. A special children’s matinee is 2 P.M., Saturday, December 20. Get tickets here.

holiday for the birds

The birds are living it up this time of year.  Partridges, calling birds, turtle doves, French hens, geese, swans, who knows what all else? So Mt. Lebanon Nature Conservancy decided the birds needed their own special day—Holiday For the Birds. At 10 a.m., Saturday, December 6, at the library, preschoolers (ages 3 to 6) will make biodegradable bird feeders, hear stories, and learn about local birds and animals with naturalist Verna McGinley. You need to pre-register at 412-341-7307 or email chrisphillips@verizon.net.

gifts by hand

Check out Pittsburgh’s first and largest indie craft fair, Handmade Arcade, Saturday December 6, from 11 to 6 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. It features 150-plus vendors selling housewares, art, jewelry, organic bath and body products; children’s and adult clothing; paper goods; upcycled clothing and toys.

Also: There will be a variety of short and daylong drop-in projects for kids of all ages—craft demonstrations, mini-tutorials, make-and-take activities, craft competitions, performance pieces and large-scale installations.

Also: Live music by Colonel Eagleburger’s Highstepping Goodtime Band and Pittsburgh DJs Pandemic, Bad Seed and The Garment District; pop-up performances by Continuum Dance Theater; art and craft raffles, and an on-site cafeteria.

hit the slopes

Mt. Lebanon Recreation Department’s popular middle school ski trips resume the second Saturday in January.
Sixth- through eighth-grade students can spend the day at Hidden Valley Resort, skiing or snowboarding. Bus leaves the rec center at 1:30 and returns at 11. Cost of this year’s trips is still being determined. Check www.mtlebanon.org and click on Recreation for updated fees and registration info, or call 412-343-3409.

in those dark streets shineth

That’s right. Shineth. The Winter Festival of Lights, at Oglebay Resort and Conference Center, about an hour south of Pittsburgh, will shineth all month and through the first weekend in January. One of the biggest holiday light shows in the country, Oglebay’s 300 acres light up through the season over a six-mile course. More information: www.oglebay-resort.com.