Seasonal festivities happening in Douglas County

Wanting to celebrate locally this holiday season? Check out this list of events — featuring concerts, markets, parties and more — all located within Douglas County.

Shows, concerts and recitals

• A Christmas Carol Radio Show: UCC’s Theatre Department wrote and produced their own play for the holiday season, a two-act comedy taking place in 1958 at a Los Angeles radio station that is trying to put on Charles Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol.” Holiday hijinks ensue.
  • Dates: Nov. 29, 30 and Dec. 1, 2 at 7 p.m.; Dec 2, 3 at 3 p.m.
  • Location: Centerstage Theatre in the Whipple Fine Arts Center.
  • Cost: $15 general admission, $10 for seniors; students and staff get in free. Cash preferred.
• Messiah: Roseburg Concert Chorale and Umpqua Chamber Orchestra: Directed by UCC instructor Jason Heald, a 75-voice choir and full orchestra will perform George Frideric Handel’s “Messiah,” which Smithsonian Magazine calls a “Baroque-era oratorio” and “musical rite of the holiday season… still awe[ing] listeners more than 250 years after the composer’s death.”
  • Date: Dec. 3 at 3 p.m.
  • Location: Jacoby Auditorium.
  • Cost: $15 general admission, $10 for seniors; students and staff get in free. Cash preferred.
• In Concert: Umpqua Singers and Big Horn Jazz Band: Directors Jason Heald and Josh DiStephano present a program “of high energy music including jazz standards, contemporary selections and holiday favorites.”
  • Date: Dec. 5 at 7 p.m.
  • Location: Centerstage Theatre in the Whipple Fine Arts Center.
  • Cost: $15 general admission, $10 for seniors; students and staff get in free. Cash preferred.
• Leap of Faith Dance Center’s “Tis the Season to be Dancing”: This annual Christmas recital features dancers of all ages performing pieces in “ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary and acro-dance.” Advanced ticket sales are available online until Dec. 16 at 6 p.m.
  • Date: Dec. 16 at 5 p.m.
  • Location: Jacoby Auditorium.
  • Cost: $16.75 online, $18 at the door. Ages 2 and under are free, but must remain seated on an adult’s lap during the performance.

Shopping, workshops and markets

• Christmas Craft Fair: The self-described “largest and most popular Christmas fair in Southern Oregon” celebrates its 50th event with “over 300 crafter booths displaying a wide variety of handcrafted items.”
  • Dates: Dec. 1 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Dec 2. from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Dec 3. from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Santa’s hours can be seen online.
  • Location: Douglas County Fairgrounds.
  • Cost: $5 general admission; $1 discount with a canned food donation. Kids 12 and under are free. Everyone gets in free on Dec. 1 from 5 to 8 p.m.
• Jackson Street Holiday Shopping Vendor Event: The second event in Better Together Event Rentals’ holiday series, this time hosting “seven local vendor booths, Sugar Magnolia boutique and The People’s Goods (over 80 local vendors) all in one location.”
  • Dates: Dec. 8 and 9 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Location: 549 SE Jackson Street, Roseburg, OR.
  • Cost: Free.
• Melrose Farmers Market Victorian Christmas Bazaar: Shop local and enjoy “old time family fun” in this event, featuring “Santa Claus, [an] ugly sweater contest, food and toy drive, sip and shop, vendors galore, gifts, [and a] food truck.”
  • Dates: Dec. 9, 10 and 17 from 1 to 5 p.m.
  • Location: Inside the Oran Mor Artisan Mead building at 305 Melrose Rd., Roseburg, OR (corner of Garden Valley and Melrose Rd.).
• 12 Beers of Christmas: McMenamins Roseburg Station Pub and Brewery invites patrons to celebrate the season with their special beers, released every other day in December. Ordering a beer also enters patrons into a raffle for a McMenamins gift basket, “including a free night’s stay, a $75 McMenamins gift card and more!” The raffle will be held Dec. 24.
  • See the full schedule, including the names and locations of the beers, on the Facebook event page.
• Ceramic Angel, Snowman, Slab Trees and Family Friendly Ornaments: Be Still Studio’s upcoming holiday workshops invite creatives to explore a variety of craft styles: ceramics and bisque firing; pinch pots; and a day to paint pre-made ornaments “while sipping on hot cocoa and enjoying cookies!” All workshops will provide any needed glazes, materials and instruction, as well as a free half-day of open studio time to glaze the created piece after the two weeks it will take to be fired.
  • See the full schedule with details on each separate event at Be Still Studio’s website.
  • Location: 719 SE Jackson Street, Roseburg, OR.
  • Cost: $45 to $65, depending on the event.

Festivals, parties and Christmases

• Festival of Lights, Dutch Bros Holiday Village: The Roseburg Rotary Club presents the 31st annual Umpqua Valley Festival of Lights, featuring “more than a half-million lights and over 90 displays at River Forks Park… visitors enjoy all the traditional attractions that have made the Festival famous — including the newly refurbished World’s Largest Nutcracker and the Dutch Bros Holiday Village.”
  • Dates: Nov. 19 through Jan. 1, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. on Sunday through Thursday and 5:30 to 10 p.m. on Friday through Saturday. See the full schedule with special nights on the Umpqua Valley Festival of Lights’ website.
  • Location: River Forks Park, Exit 125 Garden Valley. The Holiday Village, featuring Santa Claus, holiday decorations and refreshments is at Riversdale Grange on 3855 Garden Valley Road.
  • Cost: $10 per car.
• Holiday Lights Community Bike Ride: Thrive Umpqua, Bike Walk Roseburg and Umpqua Valley Tennis have routed a five mile family friendly bike ride through the Hucrest neighborhood of Roseburg, including an optional split-off point to shorten the ride to three miles. Their event page says, “We will ride at a leisurely pace, and riders are encouraged to decorate themselves and/or their bicycles in holiday lights and costumes.”
  • Date: Dec. 19 at 5:45 p.m.
  • Location: Starting and finishing at Umpqua Valley Tennis Center on 1275 NW Stewart Parkway, Roseburg, OR.
  • Cost: Free. Helmets and bike lights are required and can be provided for those who need them via registration.
• Winston Community Christmas: The Winston Area Independence Day invites folks to “bring the family and enjoy a free night of refreshments, light snacks and contests to boot,” celebrating the holiday spirit with contests for the best — or worst — ugly sweaters, Mrs. Clause’s aprons and Santa’s beards.
  • Date: Dec. 8 from 6 to 8 p.m.
  • Location: Winston Community Center on 440 SE Grape Avenue, Winston, OR.
  • Cost: Free.
• Umpqua Community Center Holiday Party: Santa, a main dish and fun activities for kids are to be had at the Umpqua Community Center’s annual Holiday Party. They request partygoers bring an appetizer, side dish or dessert.
  • Date: Dec. 16 at 4 p.m.
  • Location: Umpqua Community Center on 806 Hubbard Creek Road, Umpqua, OR.
  • Cost: Free.
• Umpqua Valley Rainbow Collective’s Second Annual Holigay Party: All are welcome at the second annual Holigay Party, which will feature “food, Queer Santa, community and much more!”
  • Date: Dec. 30 from 2 to 5 p.m.
  • Location: 150 NE Kenneth Ford Drive, Roseburg, OR.
  • Cost: Free.
• Pinay Pride Productions’s “Come out for the New Year” Karaoke and Drag Show: Sip on champagne or sparkling cider to sing in the new year with karaoke and “a kickass drag show!”
  • Date: Dec. 31 from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m.
  • Location: Wild Rose Lounge on 805 SE Stephens Street, Roseburg, OR.
  • Cost: $10 at pre-sale; $12 at the door. Includes a toast of champagne or cider at midnight.
• Third Annual Toys for Tots Christmas Party: The Beckham Group will host their third annual Christmas party with pizza, drinks, ping pong, cornhole, an ugly Christmas sweater contest and other games. Toy donations allow entry into a gift basket — the number of entries is unlimited.
  • Date: Dec. 8 at 5:30 p.m.
  • Location: 2198 NE Stephens Street Suite 200, Roseburg, OR.
  • Cost: Free.

Meet and greets: Santa, The Grinch

• Coastal Farm and Ranch’s Santa and his Reindeer: Coastal invites families to come by and “tell Santa what [they] want for Christmas and see his reindeer!”
  • Date: Dec. 5 from 2 to 6 p.m.
  • Location: 782 NE Garden Valley Boulevard, Roseburg, OR.
  • Cost: Free.
• Meet and Greet with The Grinch: Douglas County Farmer’s Co-Op will host the Grinch himself.
  • Date: Dec. 9 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • Location: 3171 NE Stephens Street, Roseburg, OR.
  • Cost: Free.
• Roseburg Honda’s Photos with Santa and his Reindeer: Roseburg Honda invites families to take a free picture with Santa and his reindeer as they “make their special stop here in town to ring in the holidays.” Those who bring an unwrapped toy for the Rudolph Run event will be entered to win a prize.
  • Date: Dec. 8 from 2 to 6 p.m.
  • Location: 1950 NW Mulholland Dr, Roseburg, OR.
  • Cost: Free.

Contact me at:
UCCMainstream@yahoo.com

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