It’s that time of year

A tree-lighting ceremony is set for Saturday at the Emlen Physick Estate, 1048 Washington St., Cape May, N.J. The event begins with the reading of “The Night Before Christmas” at 6:30 p.m. The Physick Estate will be open for free from 6 to 8 p.m. featuring Victorian Christmas vignettes. Also, the exhibit “And Old-Fashioned Christmas: Holiday Traditions through the Years” runs Friday through Jan. 4 at the Carriage House Gallery. Admission to the exhibit is $2 for adults, $1 for children 3 to 12 or free with the Physick Estate tour.

Also, Holiday Lights Trolley Rides are planned Friday and Saturday, featuring Cape May’s historic district. A Christmas Carol Tour is also planned for Friday.

Ghosts of Christmas Past Trolley Rides are this weekend as well. For a complete listing of events and more information, call (800) 275-4278 or check www.capemaymac.org.

Dutch Winter Wonderland is open for the season Friday through Dec. 30. Hours are 5 to 9 p.m. Fridays and Dec. 29-30, 4 to 9 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Dutch Wonderland, 2249 Lincoln Highway East, Lancaster, offers seasonal rides, games, food and entertainment. New this year is the Dutch Winter Wonderland Royal Light Show. Admission is $9.95 for ages 3 and up. Call (866) FUN-AT-DW.

Sight & Sound Millennium Theatre’s “Miracle of Christmas” show presents the biblical story of the season through Jan. 3. Tickets are $50, $40 for weekdays, $28 for teens 13-18, $16 for children up to age 12. Show times vary. Note that most Saturday shows are sold out. “Voices of Christmas” also runs through Jan. 3 in the Living Waters Theater. The theaters are on Hartman Bridge Road, Route 896 south off Route 30, Strasburg. Call (717) 687-7800 or visit www.sight-sound.com.

American Music Theatre’s annual Christmas Show continues through Dec. 30, blending secular and sacred Christmas songs and comedy sketches. Prices and show times vary. The theater is at 2425 Lincoln Highway East, Lancaster. Call (800) 648-4102 or visit www.amtshows.com.

On stage

"Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” is on stage at 8 p.m. Friday at the Zoellner Arts Center, 420 E. Packer Ave., Bethlehem. Tickets are $40 and $33. For more information, call (610) 758-2787.

Hedgerow Theatre, 64 Rose Valley Road, Media, has “Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure” at 8 p.m. tonight and Friday, 4 and 8 p.m. Saturday. Tickets range from $20-$30. There’s also the family theater production of “Mr Toad and Company” at 11 a.m. Saturday. Tickets range from $9-$11. Call (610) 565-4211 or visit www.hedgerowtheatre.org.

The Garden State Discovery Museum, 2040 Springdale Road, Cherry Hill, N.J., presents a medley of Dr. Seuss with “Seuss on Stage” at noon and 3 p.m. Saturday, Sunday and Nov. 28-30. Admission is $9.95 for ages 1 through adult, $8.95 for seniors. Call (856) 424-1233.

In style

A celebration of people in fashion if the focus of Lehigh Valley Fashion Weekend beginning with a gala at 7 p.m. Friday at Allentown Symphony Hall, 23 N. Sixth St. For ticket information, check www.lvfashionweekend.com.

Broad imagination

Philcon, the annual convention of the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society, runs Friday through Sunday at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 2349 W. Marlton Pike, Cherry Hill, N.J. Special guests include artists Tim Powers and John Picacio, the band The Chromatics, and animator and comic book author Christian Scott Sava. Activities start at 2 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. Saturday, when the schedule continues through a midnight movie screening. Sundays events start at 9 a.m., with the wrap up session at 4 p.m. Get a breakdown of the schedule and accommodation info. at www.philcon.org.
Versatility a must

“Double Lives: American Painters as Illustrators” shows that even artists that are held in high regard, such as Winslow Homer and N.C. Wyeth, had to do some moonlighting. See it through Sunday at the Brandywine River Museum, 1 Hoffman’s Mill Road, Chadds Ford. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily. Admission is $8, $5 for seniors, students and children 6-12. Call (610) 388-2700.
Keeping it clean

Mike Cabot, Jack Swersie and Todd Charles are the “Clean Voices of Comedy,” performing at 8 p.m. Friday at the State Theatre, 453 Northampton St., Easton. Tickets are $20. Call (800) 999-STATE or visit www.statetheatre.org.

They love outdoors

The Wildlands Conservancy’s Green Gala 6 to 10 p.m. Friday includes dinner and a live and silent auction with eco-friendly items and gifts for all manner of outdoorsmen. The site is the Brookside Country Club, Willow Lane, Macungie. Tickets are $135. Call (610) 965-4397 or visit www.wildlandspa.org.

‘Fourscore and...’


A Remembrance Day Parade and ceremonies observing the anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address is set for Saturday. A parade of Civil War living history groups begins at 1 p.m., and there will be a Remembrance Illumination in the Soldiers’ National Cemetery. Call the Gettysburg Foundation for further information at (717) 338-1243.

Make it ‘Great’


The Great Brews of America Classic Beer Festival is held noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Resort at Split Rock, 1 Lake Drive, Lake Harmony. Sample the latest from 50 breweries, food, musical entertainment on three stages, seminars on various beer related topics, crafts and artwork. Attendees receive a commemorative beer glass. A Beer and Food Matching Dinner will be held on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $30, $85 for admission and the dinner. Call (570) 722-9111 or visit www.splitrockresort.com/gba.php.

Don’t wait for TV

The National Dog Show will air Thanksgiving on NBC, but you can see it live Saturday and Sunday at the Greater Reading Expo Center, 2525 N. 12th St., Reading. The events start at 8 a.m. each day, continuing into the late afternoon and culminating in Best in Show judging around 6 p.m. Tickets are $10, $5 for children 12 years and under. Call (215) 336-2000.