Go ahead, try to say all the notable holiday season events scheduled at this weekend in a single breath.
Gallery Walk, the opening of Eaglecrest Ski Area, Juneau Dance Theatre debuting its 50th season with its annual production of “The Nutcracker,” the world premiere of a play at Perseverance Theatre, two concerts by radically different types of performers, tours of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Healy icebreaker, a school breakfast with Santa, and a traditional Lady of Guadalupe feast by Juneau’s Hispanic community.
Incidentally, people can also choose to spend most of Saturday at a “retreat” in a conference room at Juneau International Airport where most of Juneau’s political and administrative leaders will be discussing things like goals for next year’s budget.
For everyone else who’s more into festivities than fiscal notes, here’s the major holiday-related events scheduled in Juneau between Friday and Sunday.
FRIDAY
Public tours of the Healy icebreaker
With the Coast Guard officially stating it plans to homeport a newly purchased icebreaker in Juneau within a few years, potentially adding up to 600 personnel and family members to a town suffering a population decline, this week’s stop by the Healy offers residents a chance to learn about the type of work being done aboard such vessels.
Public tours are being offered from 3:30-5:30 p.m. Friday at the North Cruise Ship Berth. Closed-toed shoes are required, all children must be accompanied by an adult and no pets are allowed aboard the cutter.
“The Healy is the Coast Guard’s only icebreaker specifically designed to support research,” an announcement for the event notes. “It provides high-latitude U.S. presence and scientific access to areas too challenging for most research vessels to reach.”
Gallery Walk
While this annual event at more than 50 downtown locations lists event times from Friday morning until the wee hours of Saturday morning, most of the happenings will get going mid-afternoon and last until early evening.
The overall feel will be familiar with performers, vendors, and holiday characters including Santa and The Grinch wandering the streets — even if the rain forecast for the day falls. Inside at locations including museums, stores and galleries there will be additional performers, food and drink, and special activities/sales.
Events span a triangular area from the Alaska State Museum to the Alaska State Capitol to the Goldbelt Tram. A free Holiday Trolley will make stops at those locations, as well as the intersection of Front and Franklin streets in the heart of downtown.
World premiere of play at Perseverance Theatre
Perseverance Theatre, whose history includes notable holiday-season debuts such as “King Island Christmas,” will offer another at 7 p.m. with the world premiere of Ariel Estrada’s one-man show “Full Contact.” Estrada, who spent his childhood in Sitka, portrays multiple characters in a narrative that includes his late Filipino father’s immigration to the United States, and Estrada’s upbringing in the country including coming of age as a gay man in NYC at the height of the AIDS crisis, according to a description by the theater.
The play is scheduled to continue Thursdays through Sundays until Dec. 22.
Juneau Dance Theatre opens 50th year with 20th production of “The Nutcracker”
Two landmark anniversaries are being observed for one of Juneau’s long-running holiday traditions as Juneau Dance Theatre is beginning its 50th season with its 20th staging of “The Nutcracker” at 7 p.m. Friday in the Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé Auditorium.
A company of 86 performers young and old, including visiting guest artists Nanako Yamamoto and Aldeir Monteiro from the American Repertory Ballet in New Jersey, are participating in the production. Performers are also scheduled at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. The afternoon weekend shows will also be preceded by at 1 p.m. Land of Sweets Tea & Tour, which includes premium seating during the ballet.
SATURDAY
Breakfast with Santa at TMMS
People looking to fuel up festively before taking on other holiday tidings can indulge in a pancakes and sausage breakfast with Santa at Thunder Mountain Middle School from 8 am. to noon on Saturday. The event hosted by JDHS Softball will also feature arts and crafts, cookie decorating, storytelling and photos with Santa.
Tickets are $10 in advance from JDHS Softball participants or $15 at the door.
Opening of Eaglecrest Ski Area
Heavy snowstorms during the past couple of weeks have resulted in several feet of snow at the resort, which is scheduled to open for its first day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
The resort will be operating this season without one of its two chairlifts to the top of the mountain, due to mechanical problems with the Black Bear lift. Eaglecrest officials are emphasizing all of the mountain is accessible via the Ptarmigan lift, although there may be longer lines and a longer walk to access the east side of the mountain.
Concerts featuring Bach and rock
Spirits and sounds will flow in very different ways during two Saturday evening concerts downtown — one at a church featuring classical works, the other at a saloon by a rapper who promoters refer to as a “former strange music artist.”
Starting first is the Juneau Bach Society’s annual Winter Concert, featuring the works of Bach and Handel, from 7:30-9:30 p.m. at Ḵunéix̱ Hídi Northern Light United Church. The performance will feature local soloists, a chorus and chamber orchestra conducted by Bruce Simonson, who earlier this year was honored with the Greater Juneau Chamber of Commerce’s Lifetime Achievement award for his decades of work for the Bach organization he founded.
Tickets for the concert are $20 at the door. A second performance is scheduled at 3 p.m. Sunday.
Rapper Stevie Stone — whose former affiliation with Strange Music presumably accounts for the promotional reference, is the featured performer during a four-hour event at the Crystal Saloon beginning at 8 p.m. The event will also feature local performing artists Northcutt, D.D.E, Zansler, Phonetic, Radiophonic Jazz, T Loc, and D.Loading.
Tickets are $25 online in advance and $35 at the door.
SUNDAY
Lady of Guadalupe feast
Juneau’s Hispanic community will again observe Mexico’s Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe with a Mass and celebration at St Paul the Apostle Catholic Church from 4-8 p.m. Sunday. The national holiday marks the day in 1531 when Catholics believe the Virgin Mary appeared before Juan Diego, a Mexican peasant and farmer who became a holy visionary.
This year’s celebration features a first-ever live performance by Mariachi Agave Azul, plus a traditional feast after the Mass in the parish hall building adjacent to the church.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com or (907) 957-2306.
