Friday, Dec. 11
Princeton Regional Schools Board of Education Program Committee, noon, Valley Road.
“A Cappella Jam and Toy Drive”: Princeton University student a cappella groups will regale localshoppers and diners with a free concert at 6:30 p.m. indowntown Princeton as part of the Palmer Square holiday festivities. Free. Attendees are encouraged to bring a new toy that will be donated to the YWCA Princeton St. Nicholas Project. The featured student a cappella groups include Tigertones, Tigressions, Shere Khan, Roaring 20, Nassoons, Wildcats, Kindred Spirit, Tigerlilies, Katzenjammers and Footnotes. Toy donations will be accepted throughout the performance.
Scott Langdon: ‘A Christmas Carol’: Equity actor Scott Langdon will perform his highly acclaimed adaptation of “A Christmas Carol” at Princeton United Methodist Church, Nassau Street and Vandeventer Avenue. Dessert, accompanied by carol singing, is at 7 p.m. and the one-man performance is at 8. A free-will offering will be taken for the Appalachia Service Project. For more information call 609-924-2613 or visit www.princetonumc.org/.
Saturday, Dec. 12
Festival of the Nativity: The annual Festival of the Nativity at Nassau Presbyterian Church, 61 Nassau St., will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Also Sunday, Dec. 13, from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.) There will be crèches in the windows of the sanctuary and on display in the conference room. Collector Nancy Mulford will give a tour and lecture about the exhibit on Saturday afternoon. Free. For more information, call 609-924-0103 or visit www.nassauchurch.org.
Holiday Concert: The Princeton Singers will hold a holiday concert, “A Child’s Christmas in Wales,” at 6 p.m. at Nassau Presbyterian Church, 61 Nassau St., Princeton. Call 609-896-0374 for tickets: $25 adults/seniors, $10 students. Presentation features music complementing Dylan Thomas’s classic story of misrule and mayhem in the life of a country boy at Christmas. Music will include traditional holiday favorites and carols as well as a premiere of Edward T. Cone’s “Petit Chant de Noel.” Program recommended for children ages 12 and up.
Sunday, Dec. 13
Festival of the Nativity: The annual Festival of the Nativity at Nassau Presbyterian Church, 61 Nassau St., will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Also Saturday, Dec. 12, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) There will be crèches in the windows of the sanctuary and on display in the conference room. Free. For more information, call 609-924-0103 or visit www.nassauchurch.org.
Candlelight Open House: Rockingham Historic Site, the final Revolutionary War headquarters of Gen. George Washington, will offer its annual holiday candlelight open house from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Guided tours by docents in period dress will begin every quarter hour (last tour at 3:45). The museum store will be open for shopping. Donation of $5 is suggested; reservations are required. For reservations, call 683-7136. Rockingham is located on Laurel Avenue/ Kingston-Rocky Hill Road (Route 603) in Kingston. For information or directions, call 683-7132 or visit www.rockingham.net.
Holiday Open House: A Holiday Open House will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Schenck House, 50 Southfield Road in West Windsor. Holiday decorations, refreshments, self-guided tour of museum rooms and out buildings, comprehensive exhibit of West Windsor history. Event is free; donation appreciated. For information call Mary Schenck, 609-799-1278.
Book Signing: Michael Davis will sign copies of his book “Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street” at 1 p.m. at Borders – Princeton, 601 Nassau Park, Building G, West Windsor. The author was a senior editor and family TV columnist for “TV Guide” from 1998-2007. A Nieman fellow, he also has worked for the Baltimore Sun and Chicago Sun-Times. Call 609-514-0040 for more information.
Photographs of Israel: An opening reception for the photography exhibit “Israel 2009 (5769) — Traditions in Stone” will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. at The Princeton Jewish Center, 435 Nassau St. All are welcome. The exhibit presents new color photographs taken by award-winning fine art photographer Maia Reim in March and April 2009, in the aftermath of war for Israel. They represent an attempt to portray the subjects with compassion and understanding. The exhibit will run through Feb. 15, 2010.
Christmas Pageant: The Princeton United Methodist Church, 7 Vandeventer Ave., will hold its annual Church School Christmas Pageant at 5 p.m. in the church sanctuary. Call 609-924-2613 or visit www.princetonumc.org/ for more information.
GOP Holiday Party: The Republican Association of Princeton will hold its annual Holiday Party from 5 to 7 p.m. at the home of Carol Wojciechowicz in Princeton Township. Free; reservations required. For reservations and information, call 609-497-0740 or e-mail: [email protected]. Event will provide an opportunity to thank Princeton area volunteers who helped make the election of Republican Gov. Chris Christie possible.
Monday, Dec. 14
Princeton Township Historic Preservation Commission, 4 p.m., Township Municipal Complex.
Princeton Borough Traffic and Transportation Committee, 5:15 p.m., Borough Hall.
Princeton Regional Schools Board of Education Facilities Committee, 5:30 p.m., Valley Road.
Montgomery Township Wildlife Management Committee, 6 p.m., Municipal Building.
Leadership During Health Crises: Leadership during alarming health threats such as the H1N1 virus is the topic at 7:30 p.m. at Princeton Public Library, when physician and research scholar Laura Kahn talks about her latest book, “Who’s in Charge? Leadership During an Epidemic, Bioterror Attack and Other Public Health Crises.” Dr. Kahn is a research scholar with the Program on Science and Global Security at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, and a member of the Princeton Regional Health Commission. She will discuss such public health worries as anthrax, SARS, mad cow disease, cryptosporidium, avian flu and H1N1. Free. The library is in the Sands Library Building at 65 Witherspoon St. in Princeton Borough. On the Web: www.princetonlibrary.org.
Montgomery Township Planning Board, 7:30 p.m., Municipal Building.
Montgomery Township Municipal Alliance, 7:30 p.m., Municipal Building.
Tuesday, Dec. 15
Princeton Borough Shade Tree Commission, 5:30 p.m., Borough Hall.
Princeton Regional Schools Board of Education Finance Committee, 5:30 p.m., John Witherspoon Middle School.
Book Discussion: Joshua Clover, a poet and cultural critic, will discuss his book “1989: Bob Dylan Didn’t Have This to Sing About” at 5:30 p.m. at Labyrinth Books, 122 Nassau St., Princeton. Free. Mr. Clover re-imagines how we understand both pop music and its social context in a vibrant exploration of a year famously described as “the end of history.”
West Windsor-Plainsboro Board of Education, 7 p.m., Grovers Mill Middle School.
Peace Concert: The Coalition for Peace Action presents David Brahinsky, folk singer, storyteller, musician. 7 p.m. Free. Assembly Room of Nassau Presbyterian Church, 61 Nassau St., Princeton (directly across the street from Palmer Square). For info concerning Candlelight Vigil for Peace on Earth and A Potluck and Party for Peace, preceding the concert, visit www.peacecoalition.org.
“Ira Mowitz: Demystifying the Fine Art of Composition”: The Arts Council of Princeton presents “Ira Mowitz: Demystifying the Fine Art of Composition” at 7:30 p.m. at the Paul Robeson Center for the Arts, 102 Witherspoon Street, Princeton. The program features composer Ira J. Mowitz discussing and performing his compositions in an informal setting. Suggested donation $5. For more information, or to register for Ira J. Mowitz’s Music Composition Workshop (running 10 weeks beginning Jan. 12), visit www.artscouncilofprinceton.org or call 609-924-8777.
Montgomery Township Board of Education, 7:30 p.m., Upper Middle School Media Center.
Montgomery Township License Appeals Board, 7:30 p.m., Municipal Building.
Montgomery Township Zoning Board of Adjustment, 7:30 p.m., Municipal Building.
Montgomery Township Environmental Commission, 7:30 p.m., Municipal Building.
Princeton Regional Schools Board of Education open session, 8 p.m., John Witherspoon Middle School.
Wednesday, Dec. 16
‘Writing: A Friendship’: A conversation between playwright Emily Mann and international best- selling author Irene Dische. College roommates and lifelong best friends, the two writers will talk about the ways in which their long, close friendship has shaped them and their work. This event is free and open to the public. 5:30 p.m. Labyrinth Books, 122 Nassau St., Princeton.
Ragged Sky Poets: The Ragged Sky Poets will read from their work at Princeton Public Library at 7:30 p.m. at a U.S.1 Poets Invite event, co-sponsored by the library and the U.S. Poets Cooperative. Poets Ellen Foos, Mimi Danson, Carlos Hernandez- Pena, Elizabeth Anne Socolow, and Arlene Weiner will read. Free. The library is in the Sands Library Building at 65 Witherspoon St., Princeton Borough. On the Web: www.princetonlibrary.org.
“Rock of Ages: A Concert for Chanukah”: The Holidays at Westminster festival will continue with “Rock of Ages: A Concert for Chanukah” at 7:30 p.m. in Bristol Chapel on the Princeton campus of Westminster Choir College of Rider University. The concert will feature the Westminster CMENC Singers conducted by Frank Abrahams. They will perform music written or arranged by living American composers and includes representative works by Westminster faculty, students and alumni. The program includes three world premieres: Maoz Tsur, by J. A. Kawarsky, which was commissioned by the Hamburger Fund for Frank Abrahams and the Westminster CMENC Singers, as well as Psalm 27 by Michael Fili and the descant to the Chanukah hymn Rock of Ages by Eric Johnson. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for students and seniors. They may be ordered by calling 609-921-2663 or online at www.rider.edu/arts.
Montgomery Township Shade Tree Commission, 7:30 p.m., Municipal Building.
Montgomery Township Landmarks Commission, 7:30 p.m., Municipal Building.
Princeton Environmental Commission, 7:30 p.m., Township Municipal Complex.
Thursday, Dec. 17
55PLUS: Sophie Gee, assistant professor, Department of English at Princeton University, author of the historical novel “The Scandal of the Season,” discusses “Sex and the City in Eighteenth Century London.” 10 a.m. Free. Open to the public. Jewish Center of Princeton, 435 Nassau St., Princeton.
Princeton Borough Affordable Housing Board, 6 p.m., Borough Hall.
McCarter Live at the Library: Princeton Public Library continues its collaboration with McCarter Theatre when playwright, actor, rapper and educator Will Power appears at the library at 7:30 p.m. Free. Mr. Power’s play “Fetch Clay, Make Man” will come to McCarter’s Berlind Theatre Jan. 8-Feb. 14. The library is in the Sands Library Building at 65 Witherspoon St., Princeton Borough. On the Web: www.princetonlibrary.org.
Princeton Borough Zoning Board of Adjustment, 8 p.m., Borough Hall.
Friday, Dec. 18
Blues legend: The Arts Council of Princeton presents legendary blues guitarist Danny Kalb at 8 p.m. at the Paul Robeson Center for the Arts, Solley Theater, 102 Witherspoon St., Princeton. Admission is $15. Long recognized as one of America’s foremost guitarists, Danny Kalb established himself on the folk and blues revival scene in NYC’s Greenwich Village alongside the likes of Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Richie Havens, Eric Anderson and Odetta. More information at www.artscouncilofprinceton.org or call 609-924-8777.
Saturday, Dec. 19
Salsa workshops: Central Jersey Dance Society presents “Salsa Sensation” with Carlos Xiloj — advanced workshop in salsa at 7 p.m. and beginner salsa at 7:30 p.m. at the Suzanne Patterson Center, Monument Drive, off Route 206, Princeton. Dance to DJ X from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m., playing the best of salsa, mambo, cha- cha, bachata, merengue and more. Everyone welcome; no partner needed. Admission is $12; students with ID, $8. For more information visit www.centraljerseydance.org or call 609-945-1883.
Sunday, Dec. 20
Holiday Concert: The Kingston Women’s Chorus will present its annual offering of holiday music on at 7 p.m. at the Kingston United Methodist Church, Church Street, Kingston. The concert, “Christmas Belles,” will present a varied array of spiritual and popular holiday songs. The evening will culminate in the chorus’ traditional community carol sing-along. Free; donations accepted. For information, contact Heather Robbins, chorus director, at [email protected].
