:: With Christmas Day and New Year’s Day both falling on a Tuesday this season, please note that all city services will be open and functioning on Monday, Dec.24 and Monday, Dec. 31, with the exception of the Mayor’s Office, which will be closed at 2pm on Friday, Dec. 21, and reopen Wednesday, Jan. 2, so that Mayor Wilders can attend the Urban Environmentalism Awareness Conference in Aruba.
:: Founder’s Pier will once again host “A Taste of Nog” Sunday, Dec. 23. Fans of the festive holiday drink can purchase tickets to sample some of the finest nogs the city has to offer. Favorites from last year included Traditional Egg Nog (The Legacy Diner), Quail Egg Nog (Le Cafe Brulee), Root Beer Nog (Felix’s Frankfurters), and the Triple Bourbon Nog (Grinning Kinsky’s). Tickets are 5 for $7.50 for non-alcoholic nogs, and 5 for $17.50 for adult nogs (Limit 10).
:: St. Albert’s Cathedral on Algonquin Avenue issued a public correction to an item published in their most recent newsletter. The choir concert featuring Handel’s “Messiah†will take place Sunday, Dec. 23 rather than the listed date of Tuesday, Jan. 8. Also, the Parents without Partners ‘Elvis Night’ dance will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 8, instead of Sunday, Dec. 23.
:: The Fourth Annual New Year’s Eve River Cruise sponsored by the Valley Regional Tourism Commission will feature the music of “Contraband,†a ‘tribute band’ specializing in the music of “The Band.†Tickets are still available for this event ($75), which departs the 17th Street Pier at 8pm Monday, Dec. 31.
:: Due to last year’s incident with smoldering embers drifting into the warehouse district, the fireworks display scheduled for midnight Dec. 31 will be launched from the shore opposite the 17th Street Pier this year.
:: An informal survey of the downtown area reveals that 79% of the Chinese, Japanese and Thai restaurants will be open on Christmas Day, but only 57% will be open on New Year’s Day.
– David Andrews, Ray Ingraham