Wizards
Academy of Music: TV personality Adam Savage (“Myth Busters”) and YouTube star Michael Stevens celebrate curiosity by demonstrating crazy toys and tools with “Brain Candy Live!” at 8 p.m. Nov. 19 at Broad and Locust streets, Philadelphia. Tickets range from $35-$150. Call (215) 893-1999 or visit www.kimmelcenter.org.
Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University: It’s a Wild Wizarding Weekend 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 24-26. Explore the world of the academy’s beasts with hands-on activities. Meet the museum’s live animals and learn about the actual animals that inspire your favorite wizarding stories. Play a Bunny and Broomsticks game, make a magic wand and take home a dragon’s egg. The academy is at 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia. Wear a costume and get a $2 discount at the door, or save when you purchase online at www.ansp.org.
Best of Chesco
Chester County’s Best Kept Secrets Tour: Running Nov. 25-Dec. 9, the tour features 40 businesses with holiday decor, special treats, door prizes and refreshments. Tickets are $9. Learn more at (717) 721-9409 or www.bestkeptsecretstour.com.
The magic begins
LuLu Shrine Center: The LuLu Shriners first Fez-tival of Trees and Lights offers a forest of decorated trees, refreshments, entertainment, a marketplace, sleigh rides, photos with Santa and raffles 3 to 9 p.m. Nov. 17, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Nov. 18 and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 19 at 5140 Butler Pike, Plymouth Township. Call (610) 828-9050 or visit www.lulushriners.org.
State Street, Media: Check out the fourth annual Santa Parade and Fun Run at 3 p.m. Nov. 26. Go to www.visitmediapa.com.
Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library: “Treasures of Holidays Past” is this year’s theme of Yuletide at Winterthur, the holiday celebration running Nov. 18-Jan. 7. Through Christmas cards, candy containers, cake boards, cookie cutters, toys, books, and other items drawn from the museum and library and private collections, explore holiday traditions of the late 1800s and early 20th century in 22 rooms of Henry Francis du Pont’s former home. Highlights include a history of lights, and the Dried Flower Tree and Christmas Trees Fit for a Queen. Tickets are $22, $20 for seniors and students, $5 for children and free for infants. Winterthur is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays (closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day). Winterthur is at 5105 Kennett Pike, Winterthur, Del. Call (800) 448-3883.
Peddler’s Village: Welcome the Season of Lights with the Grand Illumination Celebration 6 to 9 p.m. Nov. 17. In a countdown ceremony at 6:15 p.m. on the Main Green, Santa and Mrs. Claus will “switch on” the assortment of jewel-colored holiday lights. After the ceremony, enjoy complimentary warm apple cider and roasted marshmallows over an open fire. Local musicians and school choirs will perform holiday favorites throughout the evening. Join Santa for photos in Giggleberry Fair, where photos with Santa continues Fridays through Sundays through Dec. 23. The Gingerbread Competition & Display also opens on Nov. 17 and is on free public display through Jan. 6. It features more than 50 creative and whimsical entries in the Village Gazebo. The village is near the intersection of Routes 202 and 263, Lahaska. For more information, visit www.peddlersvillage.com or call (215) 794-4000.
Upper Darby Performing Arts Center: Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet Society performs “The Nutcracker” at 7 p.m. Nov. 17, 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Nov. 18, and 1:30 and 5:30 p.m. Nov. 19. Performances are ideal for children 4 and up. Tickets range from $10-$22, with discounts for UDPAC members and children 12 and under. Upper Darby Performing Arts Center is at 601 N. Lansdowne Ave., Drexel Hill. Visit www.udpac.org or call (610) 622-1189.
Morris Arboretum: The Holiday Garden Railway returns Nov. 24, and runs daily 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Dec. 31 (closed Christmas Eve and day, and New Year’s day). The quarter-mile of track features seven loops and tunnels, with fifteen different rail lines and two cable cars, nine bridges (including a trestle bridge you can walk under) and model trains, all set in the winter garden of the Morris Arboretum, 100 E. Northwestern Ave., Philadelphia. The display and buildings are all made of natural materials – bark, leaves, twigs, hollow logs, mosses, acorns, dried flowers, seeds and stones – to form a miniature landscape with small streams. Buildings replicate Philadelphia-area landmarks such as Independence Hall and Philadelphia City Hall. For more information, call (215) 247-5777 or visit www.morrisarboretum.org.
Music highlights
State Street, Media: The 15th Anniversary Jazz by Night Celebration runs 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. the night of Nov. 18 in 20 indoor restaurant venues in downtown Media. Get $15 advance tickets, and find the schedule, at www.statestreetblues.com.
Church of the Holy Spirit: Cordus Mundi, a Bucks County male a cappella choir, will present a “Cordus Pops” concert of popular songs at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 17 at the church at 2871 Barndt Road at Sumneytown Pike, Upper Salford. A dessert reception follows. For more information, call (215) 234-8020 or visit www.churchoftheholyspirit.us.
The Grand: “Invincible – A Glorious Tribute to Michael Jackson” hits the stage at 8 p.m. Nov. 18. Tickets range from $32-$41. The theater is at 818 N. Market St., Wilmington, Del. Call (800) 37-GRAND or see www.thegrandwilmington.org.
On stage
Ursinus College: The college’s dance company presents “Once Removed” at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 17-18 in the Blackbox Studio Theater of the Kaleidoscope Performing Arts Center. The college is at 601 E. Main St., Collegeville. Tickets are $8, $5 for students. Contact the box office at boxoffice@ursinus.edu or (610) 409-3030.
Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center: Flamenco dancer Liliana Ruiz joins forces with maestro Daniel Spalding and his 22-piece orchestra to perform an interpretation of Bizet’s “Carmen,” as arranged by Russian composer Rodin Shchedrintelling. It begins at 8 p.m. Nov. 17 at 226 N. Main St., West Chester. Visit www.uptownwestchester.org or call (610) 356-ARTS.
Contemporary designer
Philadelphia Museum of Art: “Patricia Urquiola: Between Craft and Industry” opens Nov. 19 and runs through March 4 in the Art Museum’s Alter Gallery 176. The first solo exhibition devoted to the Spanish architect’s work showcases her versatility in creating products, interiors and architectural spaces. For more information, visit www.philamuseum.org.
