In Brief: First Friday and more

Music/Museums

'DECEMBER TO REMEMBER'

in CULTURAL CORRIDOR

Holiday traditions from around the world - and artistic impulses from here at home - combine to inspire a variety of events and activities through downtown's Cultural Corridor, home to such institutions as the Natural History Museum, the Lied Discovery Children's Museum and the Las Vegas Shakespeare Company.

Highlighting this weekend's schedule: the Las Vegas Jazz Society's Irv Gordon Memorial Scholarship Concert, featuring an afternoon of standards and original tunes at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Las Vegas Shakespeare Company (formerly Reed Whipple Cultural Center), 821 Las Vegas Blvd. North. Tickets ($12) are available at the door.

At the Lied Discovery Children's Museum, 833 Las Vegas Blvd. North, activities and workshops explore Hanukkah's history and traditions; visitors may create holiday cards and finger-painted menorahs. Activities continue during the museum's regular hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. Programs are included with general admission: $8.59 for children and seniors, $9.50 for adults. For more information, call 382-3445.

Also on tap: international holiday traditions at the Natural History Museum, 900 Las Vegas Blvd. North. This weekend, the spotlight's on Thailand, with a dance performance by the Thai Cultural Arts Association at 1 p.m. Sunday; visitors may also create festive bouquets of Thailand's national flower, the Ratchaphruek , at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday workshops. Programs are included with museum admission: $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, military and students 12-17, $5 for children 3-11. For more information, call 384-3466.

Family fun

HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR

AT SPRINGS PRESERVE

Most of the year, the Springs Preserve focuses on its desert setting.

But it's beginning to look a lot like the North Pole, thanks to the annual Holiday Spectacular's arrival.

From "snow" in the Springs Amphitheater to "reindeer" (pony) rides for the little ones, the Holiday Spectacular greets the season with a variety of attractions, bathed in the glow of almost a million LED lights.

Community ensembles provide nightly entertainment, while activities range from cookie decorating to photos with Santa. For sale: holiday treats and arts and crafts.

The Holiday Spectacular runs from 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and Dec. 15-23 at the Springs Preserve, 333 S. Valley View Blvd. Admission is $8 for adults, $5 for children 5-12 and free for kids 4 and under. (On Dec. 21, local teachers, administrators and school staff receive half off admission with school ID.) For tickets, call 822-7700 or go online to www.springspreserve.org.

First Friday

'ART OF GIVING' INSPIRES

MONTHLY HAPPENING

From a holiday shopping bazaar to Marines collecting Toys for Tots, the focus is on seasonal spirit at tonight's First Friday event in Las Vegas' downtown Arts District.

Snow, sleigh rides and carolers will add to the festive atmosphere, joining more than 75 artists, 15 live bands and DJs on four stages.

Also getting into the act: students from Garehime Elementary School, creating a model city in the Kids' Zone for "Going Downtown Day," complete with homemade products First Friday patrons can buy with "Downtown Dollars."

The Venetian's "Da Vinci - The Genius" returns to First Friday with a miniexhibition of several da Vinci creations, including a portable piano.

Also on the schedule: free seminars on everything from painting to legal issues for artists.

First Friday runs from 5 to 10 p.m. today at Casino Center Boulevard and Colorado Avenue, while more than 25 food trucks will be on Third Street, between Colorado and Imperial avenues.

More First Friday information is online at www.firstfridaylasvegas.com.

Theater

LITTLE THEATRE STAGES

HOLIDAY SHOW, DRAMA

Las Vegas Little Theatre celebrates the holiday season - and continues its Blackbox series - as it opens two very different productions.

On the Mainstage, the third annual "A Little Theatre Christmas" spotlights favorite Yuletide melodies - and some holiday hilarity. A bake sale precedes and follows this weekend's show.

On the Blackbox stage: playwright Steven Belber's "Tape," in which the past returns to haunt two former best friends at their 10-year high school reunion.

"A Little Theatre Christmas" will be presented at 8 p.m. today and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at Las Vegas Little Theatre, 3920 Schiff Drive. Tickets are $15 for adults, $14 for students and seniors and $5 for audiences under 18.

"Tape" continues at 8 p.m. tonight and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday; additional performances are 8 p.m. Dec. 13-15 and Dec. 20-22 and 2 p.m. Dec. 16 and 23. Tickets are $15 for adults, $14 seniors and students.

Tickets to both shows are available by phone (362-7996) or online (www.lvlt.org).

- By CAROL CLING