By: Brian Bingaman

Playing with food

“Thanksgiving Leftover Science Weekend” programs are at the Da Vinci Science Center, 3145 Hamilton Boulevard Bypass, Allentown, from Friday through Monday. Activities will include an investigation into the DNA of corn, the way potatoes can light a room, the power of cranberries and more, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday. Jacobsburg Historical Society will demonstrate turkey calling. Also, explore the physics of model trains from 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 3 p.m. Friday, 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to noon. Admission is $9.95, $7.95 for seniors 62+, children 4-12, military personnel and veterans. Call (484) 664-1002.

Shopping, shows

- Christkindlmarkt is a family holiday marketplace featuring handmade works, live holiday music, German and Austrian food, St. Nicholas and more, Friday through Dec. 21 at Spring and Main streets, Bethlehem. Hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays. Admission is $8, $14 for a season pass and free for children 12 and under. Call (610) 332-1300 or visit www.christmascity.org.

- About 140 artisans will be at the 38th annual Belsnickel Craft Show, which runs 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Boyertown High School, Fourth and Monroe streets, Boyertown. Admission is $4, free to children under 12.


- The “Lehigh Valley Christmas” concert offers holiday favorites in a variety of musical genres from Zen for Primates, Jake Kaligis Band, BC & the Blues Crew, Cambiata, Blackwater Celtic Music, Dave Fry, The WilyGoats, Two Part Invention, Hector Rosado, Don Cunningham & The Cabinet, plus an All-Star Finale. It begins at 7 p.m. Sunday at Allentown Symphony Hall, 23 N. Sixth St., Allentown. Tickets are $35. Call (610) 432-6715.

- “Merry Christmas, George Bailey!” is a retelling of “It’s a Wonderful Life” as a live 1940s radio broadcast. See it Dec. 3-14 at the Labuda Center for the Performing Arts, 2755 Station Ave., Center Valley. Performances are 8 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets Wednesdays and Thursdays are $20, $18 for seniors and students. Friday and Sunday tickets are $23, $21 for seniors and students. Tickets are $24 for all on Saturdays. Call (610) 282-3192.

- Touchstone Theatre, 321 E. Fourth St., Bethlehem, presents “Christmas City Follies IX” Dec. 3-21. Show times are 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $20, $18 for students and seniors, and free for the preview on Dec. 3. Call (610) 867-1689.

- Trump Plaza, Mississippi Avenue and the Boardwalk, Atlantic City, N.J., has “Cirque Dreams: Holidaze” from Friday through Dec. 28. Holiday figurines transform into aerialists, acrobats, singers and dancers in the show. Times are 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 9 p.m. Fridays, 3 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $35 and $25. Call (800) 736-1420.

Where are they now?

“Idols in Concert for the Holidays” features Diana DeGarmo, David Hernandez, Kimberly Caldwell and Constantine Maroulis at 8 p.m. Dec. 3 at the State Theatre, 453 Northampton St., Easton. Tickets are $35 and $40. Call (800) 999-STATE or visit www.statetheatre.org.

For the health of it

- The PhillyFit Bash runs 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at Bucks County Community College, 275 Swamp Road, Newtown. Highlights include a healthy pet section; kids fitness, games and demos; music by the Klemmer-Hill-Reid Band; a lecture from former Eagles punter Sean Landetta; and more. Admission is $5, free to children under 5. Call (215) 396-0268 or visit www.phillyfit.com.

- The 19th annual Run for Your Health Thanksgiving Day Race and Run/Walk happens Thanksgiving Day at 9 a.m. at the 1 Summit Square Building, Route 413 at the Route 332 Bypass, Langhorne. Registration is $25. Register online through www.active.com or contact the

Bucks County Roadrunners Club at (215) 530-604

New York a bit closer

The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center presents a concert at 8 p.m. Dec. 2 in the Williams Center on the campus of Lafayette College, High Street, Easton. Tickets are $25. Call (610) 330-5009 or visit www.lafayette.edu/williamscenter.

Yuletide cheer

The City Rhythm Orchestra performs a seasonal concert, “Holiday Style,” at 7 p.m. Sunday at the Colonial Theatre, 227 Bridge St., Phoenixville. Tickets are $25. Call (610) 917-1228 or visit www.thecolonialtheatre.com.

Holi-day tripping

- Step back in time to the Georgian world of Jane Austen, and the Yuletide customs evoked from her novels, in scenes and vignettes in the Historic Houses of Odessa’s Corbit-Sharp House Friday through Dec. 31. Also, part of the 2008 Christmas Holiday Tours are the “Family Trees Exhibit” in the Brick Hotel; the “Historic Odessa Foundation Dollhouse Collection” in the Wilson-Warner House; “Scrap Ornament and Dollhouse Collections”; and the “44th Annual Christmas in Odessa.” The Historic Houses of Odessa is an enclave of 18th and 19th century structures in the village of Odessa, Del. Get more detailed information by calling (302) 378-4119 or visit www.historicodessa.org.

- Card games, dolls, puzzles, blocks and sleds have delighted children for generations. See these antique toys and more during “Christmas at Hagley” Friday through Jan. 1 at Hagley Museum and Library, Route 141, Wilmington, Del. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily. Admission is $11, $9 for students and seniors, $4 for ages 6-14. Call (302) 658-2400 or visit www.hagley.org.

- Kitchen Kettle Village, Route 340, Intercourse, will have a “Simply … Old-Fashioned Christmas,” Friday nights from 5 to 9 p.m. till Christmas. Visitors can enjoy cookie baking, concerts, special overnight accommodation packages, the decorated village and more. Admission is free. For a complete list of events and times, visit www.kitchenkettle.com or call (717) 768-8261.

- To celebrate Ebenezer Scrooge’s miraculous transformation, the newly well-to-do Bob Cratchit invites one and all to a holiday gala unlike any other as Mount Hope Estate & Winery, 2775 Lebanon Road, Cornwall, offers its 25th annual “Dickens of a Christmas,” Friday through Dec. 23. Different rooms in the mansion feature theatrical presentations of “A Christmas Carol,” “A Child’s Christmas in Wales” and “The Gift of the Magi.” A Dickens Dinner Buffet will be offered for $39.95 at 5 p.m., prior to the midweek 7 p.m. shows on Dec. 10-11 and 17-18. A la carte service is available at the Swashbuckler Pub 4 p.m. to midnight Fridays, 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturdays, 2 to 8 p.m. Sundays and Dec. 27-28. Friday shows begin at 6 and 9 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday shows are at 1, 4 and 7 p.m. Additional performances are at 4 and 7 p.m. Dec. 27-28. Limited weekday shows are at 7 p.m. Admission is $19.95 weekends and $17.95 midweek. Admission for children 5-11 is $9.95. Call (717) 665-7021, ext. 231 or go to www.parenfaire.com.

Ice-capades

National, world and Olympic ice skaters from across the Delaware Valley perform 20-minute live shows under the stars at Longwood Gardens, today through Jan. 11. The performances are part of Longwood’s annual Christmas season, which features floral displays, decorated trees, holiday music, 500,000 outdoor lights, dancing fountains and more. Ice skating shows at the outdoor skating venue, near the Chimes Tower, take place at 5 and 6:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; at 5, 6:30 and 8 p.m. Fridays; and at 3:30, 5, 6:30 and 8 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Longwood is at Routes 1 and 52, Kennett Township. Admission for “Longwood Gardens Christmas” is now by timed ticket. Call (610) 388-1000, ext. 100 or go to www.longwoodgardens.org.