Youth group to wrap gifts, baby sit

The busiest shopping day of the year will be made easier by the Snoqualmie United Methodist Church’s Youth Group.

This year the youth group will be baby sitting and wrapping gifts from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 27. Drop off the kids, go shopping; drop off the gifts, go to lunch; come back and pick up the kids and the wrapped gifts. What a time saver.

There will be adult supervision and healthy snacks served. Donations accepted. Funds raised will help support the church’s youth ministries.

* Call (425) 888-1697 for information. The Snoqualmie Methodist Church is located at River Street and Railroad Avenue South in Snoqualmie.

Enjoy Christmas in Carnation

Enjoy Christmas in Carnation on Saturday, Dec. 4. The Sno-Valley Senior Activity Center will offer a holiday bazaar from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. featuring many local artists. Homemade cinnamon rolls will be offered in the morning. Hot, homemade soup will be available from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Soup is $4 and includes a roll and drink. There will also be a bake sale and special music.

The craft sale and soup will be offered at the Sno-Valley Senior Activity Center at 4610 Stephens Ave. in downtown Carnation, located just behind City Hall. Call (425) 333-4152 with any questions.

In the evening, join the tree lighting at Hopelink with plenty of children’s activities, hot chocolate and Nestles Toll House cookies.

* Call Dan Beckler at (425) 333-4025 with any questions about the evening activities.

Holiday market has local artisans

Valley shoppers looking for unique, handcrafted gifts this holiday season won’t have to travel far. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 4, Fall City Elementary School will host the fourth annual Fall City Holiday Market. Twenty-four vendors will have handcrafted items for sale that include glass art, beaded jewelry, alpaca goods and more.

This event will conclude with the Fall City Tree Lighting Ceremony and Holiday Concert at 5 p.m. that lights up the town’s main promenade along the Snoqualmie River.

* For information on the market event, call Terri Reilly at (425) 222-6166. Fall City Elementary School is located at 33314 S.E. 42nd Place.

Mouse Bazaar to be held Dec. 11

The Snoqualmie United Methodist Church is holding its 15th annual Christmas Mouse Bazaar from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 11.

The bazaar will have Christmas gifts and craft items available, as will as luncheon of homemade soup and freshly baked bread. There will also be a bake sale with a wide assortment of delicious goodies.

* For information, call (425) 888-1697. The church is located at River Street and Railroad Avenue South in Snoqualmie.

Help make wreaths to benefit theater

The Snoqualmie Falls Forest Theater is inviting community members to take part in the theater’s annual wreath-making party from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 27.

Volunteers will be provided with holly, greens, ribbon and wire rings. They are asked to bring their own wire cutters, pruners, pliers and work gloves.

A fire, warm beverages, snacks, Christmas music and camaraderie will be provided.

Volunteers will be able to keep a wreath of their own for a $10 donation after making two for the theater to sell. Additional wreaths priced at $25-30 and swags priced at $25 will be available.

All proceeds from this fund-raising event will benefit the Snoqualmie Falls Forest Theater and its many ongoing projects.

Snoqualmie Falls Forest Theater is located at the end of the David Powell Road off the Preston-Fall City Road.

* For information on the fund raiser, call Sue Beauvais at (425) 888-9666 or (425) 890-2038; e-mail suebeauvais@comcast.net; or visit the theater’s Web site at www.foresttheater.org.

See ‘A Christmas Carol’ at Unity

North Bend’s Unity Theater is presenting Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” on Friday and Saturday nights from Dec. 3 through Dec. 18. The theater will bring the classic tale to life using the original text from the book in a story theater style, a technique where the actors both tell the story and act in scenes simultaneously.

“A Christmas Carol” is the first formal production of the Unity Theater. Sixteen Snoqualmie Valley adults and children have been chosen as cast members; many getting their first stage experience in the production under the direction of Gary Schwartz.

Young actors and their roles include Paul Nelson as Tiny Tim; Summer Nash as Fan/Martha; Sarah McCullum as Peter; Alex Schecterson as Peg; Abbie Grimstadt as Belinda; Sean Stone as the young Ebenezer/Fred; Jacob Barrus as the younger Ebenezer/turkey boy; Alyce Titus as the girl about town; Rebeckah McFarland as Flora; and Guston Grimstadt as the postboy.

The adults in the cast are Tove Titus as Mrs. Cratchit; Rob Boose as Bob Cratchit/fiddler/miner; Bill Stone as solicitor/miner; Avery Ash as Christmas Present; Leslayann Schecterson as the Ghost of Christmas Past; Ed Benson as Jacob Marley/Fezziwig; and Gary Schwartz as Scrooge.

The show will run on Dec. 3 and 4, Dec. 10 and 11 and Dec. 17 and 18. There will be a preview of the evening performance on Saturday, Dec. 11, at the Mount Si Senior Center prior to the Christmas tree-lighting ceremony at 5 p.m. Except for the Dec. 11 show, which will start at 8 p.m., all shows will start at 7:30 p.m. Ticket prices are $15 for adults and $10 for seniors and kids under 12.

* For tickets and information, call the Unity Theater box office at (425) 831-5667 or online at www.unitytheater.org.

Unity Theater performances are on the second floor of the Masonic Lodge, 119 North Bend Way, in North Bend, one half block east of Bendigo Way.

Tickets going fast for dinner train

The Northwest Railway Museum is presenting the Holiday Dinner Train on Saturday, Dec. 18, departing at 5:01 p.m. from the Snoqualmie Depot. Enjoy the holiday lights and the top of Snoqualmie Falls while feasting on a succulent three-course meal catered by La Cascina Ristorante Italiano and sipping wine from the Woods Lake Winery.

Proceeds from this event will help support the construction of the Northwest Railway Museum Conservation and Restoration Center.

Tickets are $50 per person and participants must be 21 years of age or over to attend this three-hour event.

* Tickets can be purchased at the Snoqualmie Depot, 38625 S.E. King Street, open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For information, call (425) 888-3030 or visit www.trainmuseum.org.

Meet Santa’s reindeer at festival

The Cougar Mountain Zoo in Issaquah is holding its major fundraiser from Dec. 1-23 with its Issaquah Reindeer Festival. The zoo, now in its 16th year, contains the largest herd of Siberian reindeer of any zoo in the country. Visitors will meet Santa’s reindeer team, sit in a traveling sleigh and visit with Santa. Art projects and lots of photo opportunities will also be available.

Admission is $9.50 for adults, $8 for seniors and $6.50 for children. Those under 2 are free and there are discounts for groups of 10 or more.

* For information, call (425) 391-5508. The Cougar Mountain Zoo is located at 19525 S.E. 54th St., Issaquah.

Christmas craft show at Vasa Park

Vasa Park off West Lake Sammamish Road is decking the halls getting ready for its annual Christmas Country Craft Show from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 3, and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 4. Browse, shop and enjoy thousands of handcrafted gifts, garments, gourmet foods, furnishings and accessories for holiday decorating and gift giving. Admission is free. Donated canned goods for local food banks will be accepted.

To find Vasa Park, take I-90 to Exit 13. Follow West Lake Sammamish Parkway Southeast for a little more than 1 mile to Vasa Park Ballroom on the left.

* For information, call (425) 888-1798 or visit www.country-craft.com.