By Chip Chandler — Producer
Here's a quick take on your 10 best entertainment bets in the next 10 days.
1. Nibbler
TheatreAC will stage this dark comedy about a mysterious encounter shared by five high school friends from Dec. 5 to 8 in the Amarillo College Experimental Theatre on the Washington Street campus. Also on stage: Amarillo Little Theatre Academy's sold-out stagings of Frozen Jr. from Dec. 6 to 15.
2. Electric Light Parade
Amarillo's official holiday kick-off event will begin at 6 p.m. Dec. 6 at 11th Avenue and Polk Street and wind its way downtown to the Amarillo Civic Center Complex, 401 S. Buchanan St., featuring a March of the Toys-themed parade, food vendors, music and the lighting of the city Christmas tree. Other holiday lights events will include:
- West Texas A&M University's Festival of Lights: 5:30 p.m. Dec. 5 on the WT campus in Canyon;
- Amarillo College's Deck the Mall: 6 p.m. Dec. 5 on the Washington Street campus;
- Tangled Lights holiday display: 7 p.m. to midnight daily through Jan. 6 at 11816 Flying W Trail;
- The Lights at Town Square: 5 to 9 p.m. daily through Jan. 31 at Town Square Village, 9181 Town Square Blvd.;
- Christmas in the Gardens: 6 to 8 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays through Dec. 22 at Amarillo Botanical Gardens, 1400 Streit Drive;
- Holiday Happenings Christmas Light Tours: 6 and 8 p.m. nightly through Jan. 1
- and Bishop Hills lights: 6:30 to midnight nightly through Dec. 25. (806-418-4192).
3. Messiah Sing-In
Professional and amateur singers will join together for this second annual Amarillo Opera event at 11 a.m. Dec. 7 at First Presbyterian Church, 1100 S. Harrison St.
4. The First Rainbow Coalition
Amarillo community leaders Floyd Anthony (Amarillo Branch NAACP), Teresa Kenedy (Barrio Neighborhood Planning Committee) and Mercy Murguia (Potter County Commissioner Pct. 2) will talk about how they build bridges following an Indie Lens Pop-Up screening of this documentary about community organizing at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 10 at Alamo Tree Center, 1502 S. Cleveland St.
5. Michael Martin Murphey
The Western music icon will bring his annual Cowboy Christmas show back to town for a 7 p.m. Dec. 11 show at Kwahadi Museum of the American Indian, 9151 E. Interstate 40. Other holiday celebrations of note:
- Christmas Open House: 6 to 9 p.m. Dec. 6 and 1 to 5 p.m. Dec. 7 at Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, 2503 Fourth Ave. in Canyon.
- Brunch with Santa: 8:30 a.m. to noon Saturdays and Sundays from Dec. 7 to 22 at Starlight Canyon Bed and Breakfast, 100 Brentwood Road;
- Panhandle Potters' Holiday Show: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 7 at Amarillo Art Institute, 3701 Plains Blvd.;
- Santa's Jolly Jamboree: 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Dec. 7 at Don Harrington Discovery Center, 1200 Streit Drive;
- Christmas in Canyon: 4 to 9 p.m. Dec. 7 in downtown Canyon;
- Shine Christmas production: 7 p.m. Dec. 7 and 8 at First Family Church, 6101 S. Bell St.
- Amarillo Wind Ensemble's A Christmas Adventure: 7 p.m. Dec. 8 at The Church at Quail Creek, 801 Tascosa Road;
- Christmas Home Tour: 1 to 4 p.m. Dec. 8 in various Pampa homes;
- Bomb City Pretties' Frightmare Before Christmas: 10 p.m. Dec. 13 at T's Bar, 700 S.W. 10th Ave.;
- Tuba Christmas: 3 p.m. Dec. 14 at Westgate Mall, 7701 W. Interstate 40;
- and A Big Band Christmas: featuring the South Plains Dance Orchestra at 7 p.m. Dec. 14 at Mulkey Theatre, 110 S. Kearney St. in Clarendon.
6. 'Tonkin Around the Christmas Tree
Texas country stars Randall King, Bri Bagwell and Jake Worthington will team for this holiday event at 9 p.m. Dec. 11 at Hoots Pub, 2424 Hobbs Road. Other concerts of note:
- Lubbock combo Luna Jazz at 9 p.m. Dec. 6, classic rock band Geezers Gone Wild at 9 p.m. Dec. 7, touring ska-reggae band The Skatalites at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 11 and Lubbock combo Alma Quartet at 9 p.m. Dec. 13, at Esquire Jazz Club, 626 S. Polk St.;
- Texas country star Josh Ward at 10 p.m. Dec. 6 and Cory Morrow at 10 p.m. Dec. 13 at Hoots Pub;
- Lubbock country act Jordan Robert Kirk at 10 p.m. Dec. 6 and Americana singer Jon Young with Texas Love Company at 10 p.m. Dec. 7 at Golden Light Cantina;
- Amarillo rock band Jonathan Guidi & Touching Voodoo at 10 p.m. Dec. 6 and a reunion show for Amarillo rock band Indeavor at 10 p.m. Dec. 7 at Skooterz, 4100 Bushland Blvd.;
- rock band The Ahhfugyeahs at 10 p.m. Dec. 7, rock band Holy Roller Baby with Rival Magnetics at 10 p.m. Dec. 12 at Leftwoods, 2511 S.W. Sixth Ave.;
- Amarillo country-rockers Chino & The Strange Whiskey Band at 10 p.m. Dec. 7 at Whiskey River, 4001 S.W. 51st Ave.;
- singer-songwriter Dan Martin at 7 p.m. Dec. 10 at Fire Slice Pizzeria, 7306 S.W. 34th Ave.;
- Red Dirt star Cody Canada in an acoustic show at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 12 at Spinning Jenny's House of Music, 201 E. 12th St. in Shamrock;
- Amarillo country-rock band Strange Saints at 9 p.m. Dec. 14 at Broken Spoke Lounge, 3101 S.W. Sixth Ave.;
7. Black Christmas
The cult classic '80s slasher flick gets a girl-power remake in this horror flick opening, appropriately, on Dec. 13. Also in theaters:
- Dec. 6: legal drama Dark Waters, musical drama Hold On, Shia LaBeouf's acclaimed family drama Honey Boy and animated film Playmobil: The Movie;
- Dec. 13: action sequel Jumanji: The Next Level and real-life drama Richard Jewell;
- Special engagements: an encore screening of Peter Jackson's World War I documentary They Shall Not Grow Old on Dec. 7 (plus Dec. 17 and 18); holiday animated film The Star on Dec. 7 and 8; anime action film Promare on Dec. 8 and 10; TCM Big Screen Classics screenings of Meet Me in St. Louis on Dec. 8 and 11; concert film INXS: Live Baby Live at Wembley Stadium on Dec. 9; and faith-based film Love and Mercy: Faustina on Dec. 10;
- Other special events: a meet & greet with actor Tommy "Tiny" Lester of Friday at 2 p.m. Dec. 7 at Amarillo Premiere 6 Westgate Mall, 7701 W. Interstate 40.
8. Amarillo Bulls
The Amarillo squad will face off against the New Mexico Ice Wolves in games at 7:05 p.m. Dec. 13 and 14 in the Amarillo Civic Center Complex Coliseum, 401 S. Buchanan St.
9. The Nutcracker
Lone Star Ballet's eternal holiday tradition will return with performances Dec. 13 to 15 in the Amarillo Civic Center Complex Auditorium, 401 S. Buchanan St.
10. Ghosts of Palo Duro's Past
Learn about historical figures like Charles Goodnight, Isabel Robinson, prehistoric women and Civilian Conservation Corps members at 6 p.m. Dec. 14 at Palo Duro Canyon State Park.
Chip Chandler is a producer for Panhandle PBS and a member of GALECA. He can be contacted at Chip.Chandler@actx.edu, at @chipchandler1 on Twitter and on Facebook.
