Weekend Plans: Disney on Ice, parades, Laurie Berkner, book sale, more

It’s another big weekend of holiday-related activities. So let’s just get started. (As always, check WRAL.com’s Out & About calendar and Go Ask Mom’s Holiday Central page for more ideas).

Hanukkah continues, of course! Local celebrations include a Jewish Cultural Festival from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Thursday, at the Cary Arts Center.

Holiday light shows are on; Santa is traveling across the region for pictures at malls; and Santa trains are chugging along. (Big note: Pullen Park’s annual Holiday Express is sold out. The park will be closed to everybody but ticketholders during the run of the event).

Speaking of holiday lights, Park West Village in Morrisville’s Magical Winter Lights runs this Friday through Sunday. The four-minute show, projected on the front of the center’s movie theater, features all kinds of Christmas scenes. There also are storytimes with Santa, free train rides, Star Wars characters and more.

We have a lot of Christmas shows: Cinderella at the Raleigh Little Theatre; various versions of Nutcracker (including the Carolina Ballet’s run and the City Ballet in Raleigh); Theatre in the Park’s “Christmas Carol;” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical” in Raleigh.

Children’s music superstar Laurie Berkner is in town with her band for a fun holiday show at 11 a.m., Saturday, at the Duke Energy Center Performing Arts in Raleigh. Before you get tickets, be sure to check our ticket deal!

And, not holiday related, but fun: Burning Coal Theatre in Raleigh is presenting “The Wiz.” I grew up watching the movie version of this Broadway show on TV. My kids loved watching the Broadway version live on TV earlier this month. Now you can see it in person! The two-hour show runs Thursdays through Sundays through Dec. 20. Tickets are $15 to $25.

Disney on Ice skates its way into Raleigh with multiple shows through Sunday at the PNC Arena.

In Durham, Duke Homestead’s Christmas by Candlelight is 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Friday. Doors open at 6:45 p.m. Tickets are $6 for adults and $3 for kids 10 and under. Costumed interpreters will lead you on a candlelit tour through the historic area decorated with period decorations as we celebrate Christmas in the 1870's. There also will be live music, carols, hot apple cider and other holiday goodies.

Mordecai Historic Park near downtown Raleigh will host a holiday open house from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday. Tour the house near downtown Raleigh, enjoy decorations, music and light refreshments. Each room of the house will be decorated from a different time period that the Mordecai family lived in the home.

The Executive Mansion, the downtown Raleigh home of the North Carolina governor, is open to the public through Sunday. It's free. You'll see giant Christmas trees and lots of decorations and hear seasonal music.

Northgate Mall in Durham hosts special free activities for kids. From 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Saturday, there will be coloring sheets and prizes. From 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., find a performance from the Red Herring Puppet Show featuring a Santa puppet.

The Chapel Hill-Carrboro parade is 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday.

The Happy Holly Days Christmas Parade in Holly Springs is 11 a.m., Saturday.

The Cary Jaycees Christmas Parade is 2 p.m., Saturday.

The Wake Forest Christmas Parade is 1 p.m., Saturday.

The Grinch (well ... the costumed character version of him) will be at Quail Ridge Books on Wade Avenue in Raleigh for a special reading of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." It's 10 a.m., Saturday.

Marbles Kids Museum hosts its Gingerbread Jamboree with two sessions Saturday. Tickets are $12 per Marbles member and $15 per non-member. The houses are $20. Participants get to decorate their own gingerbread house to take home.

The Cary movie theater will screen "Frozen" at 2 p.m., Sunday. Tickets are $5.

The N.C. Museum of Art will host special family tours of its “The Worlds of M.C. Escher” on both Saturday and Sunday. The tours are free, but you’ll need a paid ticket to the Escher exhibit to participant. The tours, best for ages 6 to 12 and their adults, are 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., each day.

Wake County Public Library’s big annual book sale runs this Thursday through Sunday at the N.C. State Fairgrounds in Raleigh. Get some great deals on books, including some that are in gift-giving condition. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, you’ll find all kinds of special activities for families, including crafts, face painting and magic.