Events Around the Bay – Week of November 28, 2016

Holiday Train
December 3 & 4
Celebrate the season with the Holiday Train! This beloved Bay Area tradition features a glittering train, a community toy drive and fun characters that delight families at train stations from San Francisco to Santa Clara. Glowing with thousands of lights and holiday decorations, the Holiday Train will stop at nine train stations over two nights. During the 20-minute station stops, Santa, Mrs. Claus, Frosty and the gang will get off the train to greet children and spread holiday cheer. Have your family join in the fun, and bring a new, unwrapped toy to donate to the Holiday Train Toy Drive which is sponsored by Silicon Valley Community Foundation. Happy Holidays!

Tickets and Information
Free admission, but toy donation is required
Visit www.holiday-train.org for the Caltrain stations participating in this program and the station stop times

Photo courtesy of Caltrain

Fei Tian Academy of Arts Recital in San Francisco
December 8 at 7:00 p.m.

You definitely do not want to miss the annual recital by the energetic drummers and the talented dancers representing the students of the renowned Fei Tian Academy of Arts Middle and High Schools, Weekday and Weekend programs, as they perform for one night only at the city’s iconic Herbst Theatre. The show allows students the opportunity to learn from each other, to showcase the dance skills they have learned, and to offer parents, families and friends an opportunity to see the students’ progress and their incredible artistic achievements in their own interpretation of the beauty of Classical Chinese Dance, a precious cultural heritage. Through the Fei Tian Academy’s leadership and the entire experience, the students gain confidence, promote teamwork, reach higher goals, build new skills, and create lifelong memories. See if you can spot young Andy, my favorite drummer in the group.

Tickets and Information
Prices: $20 – $25; $10 for youth under the age of 17
Good news: The performers do not need to purchase tickets
Purchase tickets by visiting www.cityboxoffice.com
Herbst Theatre, located at 401 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco

Photo courtesy of Fei Tian Academy of the Arts

Wigilia, The Traditional Polish Celebration in Piedmont
December 10, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

No need to travel to Poland in search of a wonderful culinary journey. Piedmont is the place for you to taste and enjoy some of the best Polish delicacies presented at the Bay Area’s Polish Arts and Culture Foundation (PACF). The 2016 Wigilia, the Polish traditional Christmas Eve feast celebration, features an eleven course meal, Polish vodka, and some of California’s best wines. Na Zdrowie (Cheers in Polish)! Carols will be sung between courses, with accompaniment by Dan Capodanno and Tomek Radomski. Food is being catered by Krystyna Tulik and Feliks Janiszewski of San Francisco’s popular Old Krakow Polish Restaurant. And what would a party be without some shopping? Rejoice: there will also be a gift table for your pleasure featuring Polish ornaments; books for children and adults in Polish and English; beautiful bookmarks; DVDs; wooden toys; Goralskie wooden plates; hand embroidered linens; colorful aprons for men and women; and lots of amber jewelry (my favorite item). Say hi to my Polish friend Caria Tomczykowska, the event’s planner. She will be delighted to greet you at the door.

Tickets and Information
Price: $60.00 per person; $25.00 for children under 16
For additional information and reservations call 510-599-2244
Location: The Gibson Center at Corpus Christi Church
322 St. James Drive, Piedmont ( corner Park Blvd.)

Photo courtesy of the PACF

Fun in the Sun California Style: Downtown Ice Rink in San Jose
Now through January 16, 2017

Great news from San Jose: Downtown Ice is open! Lace up your boots and glide around the Downtown Ice Skating Rink recently ushered by Kristi Yamaguchi, the 1992 Olympic figure skating gold medalist and Nina Ouellette, 2015 US Novice Bronze Medalist and Team USA member, who also resides in the Bay Area and practices in San Jose. Experience the magic of this holiday season with a winter wonderland surrounded by 32 palm trees. Only in California! The festive events will feature music, food, traditional Hawaiian performances, and promotional activities. Wear a costume or Hawaiian shirt for some extra pizzazz, and don’t forget to bring your sun block! Say hi to Kristi, Nina, and Sharkie, the San Jose Sharks’ mascot when you see them… you never know who you will run into on the ice. Downtown Ice is located at Plaza de Cesar Chavez just within steps of Christmas in the Park’s creative and beautiful holiday displays.

Tickets and Information
Admission: $15 for children 10 and under and $17 for skaters 11 and older.
Those who bring their own skates will be admitted for $10.
408-610-4055
www.downtownice.com
120 South Market Street in San Jose
Parking information is at https://parksj.org.

Photo of Kristy Yamaguchi courtesy of San Jose Downtown Association

Lina Broydo immigrated from Russia, then the Soviet Union, to Israel where she was educated and got married. After working at the University in Birmingham, England, she and her husband immigrated to the United States. She lives in Los Altos Hills, CA and writes about travel, art, style, entertainment, and sports. She hardly cooks or bakes, with no borsch or piroshky on her home cooking menu. Therefore, she makes reservations and enjoys dining out, mostly sushi.