Dec 12, 2003 7 min read

“A Shenandoah Christmas” will be presented at New Life Covenant Church in Markleysburg at 7 p.m. today through Sunday. There is no admission charge, and seating is on a first-come basis. This musical is set in the mountains of Virginia during the Civil War. It features memorable characters, high-energy choral numbers, country ballads, dancing and a homespun tale suitable for all ages. “A Shenandoah Christmas” features more than 25 actors along with an adult and children’s choir. New Life Covenant is located on Route 40 about five miles east of Nemacolin Woodlands Resort next to A.J. McMullen School. For more information, call the church at 724-329-4945.The annual “Homes for the Holiday” house tour sponsored by the Crime Victims’ Center will be held from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday. The tour will feature four privately owned homes and the Stemz Floral Shoppe and Caf?. Welcoming guests will be Bill and Ellen Ulmer, Roger and Penny Ice, Mark and Pat Altman and Mike and Sharon Mullen. A limited number of tickets are available. Following the tour, a special dinner will be held at the Torchlight Restaurant. Tickets are on sale at the Crime Victims’ Center, 109 W. Fayette St., Uniontown. Call 724-438-1470. The Asbury United Methodist Church Chancel Choir and Theatre Guild will host an authentic Christmas Madrigal Feaste today through Sunday. The 16th-century dinner and entertainment will be held in the Asbury social hall, which is located at the corner of South Beeson Avenue and Dunbar Street. Guests will be treated to a beef dinner with all the trimmings along with 15th- and 16th-century entertainment and reverly very similar to that seen in the manor halls of Medieval England during the festive yuletide season. A highlight of the evening’s entertainment is the masque or play-within-a-play, which is presented by the Royal court and a group of wandering actors called the Half-Act Players. The evening’s feasting is topped off by a brief concert of Christmas favorites by the Asbury Madrigal Singers. Reservations for the event can be made by mail only. Reservation brochures are being mailed this week to those already on the madrigal mailing list. Seating is limited for the three evenings. There will be no reservations made by telephone or at the door. If you would like to be placed on the mailing list to receive a brochure, send an address label to Asbury United Methodist Church, attention: Magrigal Feaste, 20 Dunbar St., Uniontown, Pa. 15401. Seating each evening will begin at 6 p.m., and dinner and entertainment will begin at 6:45 p.m. Asbury’s social hall is handicapped accessible.

Live Nativity will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday at Mount St. Macrina on Route 40 in Uniontown. The event presented by Mount Macrina Manor staff, Another Way and Sisters of St. Basil and employees will feature singing of carols. The schedule is as follows: 5 to 5:30 p.m., Geibel Catholic High Chorus; 5:30 to 6 p.m., Sisters of St. Basil; 6 to 6:30 p.m., New Meadow Bruderhof; and 6:30 to 7 p.m., Women of Another Way.

The Ohiopyle Stewart Community Center will host Breakfast with Santa at 10 a.m. Saturday and its annual Christmas dinner at 1 p.m. Sunday. Those coming to dinner should bring a covered dish. For reservations, call 724-438-0276.The St. Vincent Camerata will celebrate the upcoming holidays with its seasonal Christmas Concerts in period costume at 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in the St. Vincent Archabbey Basilica in Latrobe. For more information, call 724-537-4579.

Elton Martin, keyboardist and vocalist, will perform jazz and pop music from 6 to 9 p.m. today in the Heritage Room Restaurant at the Ramada Inn in Morgantown, W.Va. For more information, contact Martin at 724-438-4928 or visit the Web site at www.geocities.com/eltmartin.

Buck Naked Band will perform at 10 p.m. today at Judies Lounge, Route 19 North, Mount Morris near Morgantown, W.Va., and 10 p.m. Saturday at Don & Jerry’s (Old El Dorado Club), Route 50 East, Prunnytown, W.Va.

Country music will be presented on Saturday at the Sagebrush Round-Up on Bunner Ridge near Fairmont, W.Va. Featured acts will include Donny Leonard & The Countryman, Chuck Comas & Friends, Ilene Smith, Midge Murray, Molly Waters, Sharon Inness and the house band “Stagecoach.” Country music starts at 6 p.m. with the open stage. The scheduled portion of the show then starts at 7 p.m. and lasts until about 11 p.m. There is a small fee for adults. Children under 12 are admitted free of charge. The Sagebrush Round-Up is located six miles east of Interstate 79 at Exit 139 on Bunner Ridge. For more information, call 304-292-5854, 304-363-4864 or 304-986-2158.

odds & ends

Tour seven decorated Victorian homes during the Old Allegheny Victorian Christmas House tour Friday through Sunday in Allegheny West on Pittsburgh’s North Side. Calvary United Methodist Church, famous for its Louis Tiffany stained-glass windows, will be included in the tour as well, decorated to celebrate a 19th-century Christmas. Tours will be scheduled at 12-minute intervals from 5:24 and 7:12 p.m. Friday, noon and 7:12 p.m. Saturday and 12:24 and 6 p.m. Sunday. Sleigh rides must be scheduled in advance to secure a seat. Personal tour guides will explain Victorian holiday traditions, give the history of Allegheny West and its famous 19th-century residents and will discuss the individual homes as they are visited. A holiday shop will be at the tour’s end in Jones Hall where a cup of hot cider and a browsing of antiques, gifts and handcrafted items awaits. Available today and Saturday evening is a candlelight dinner tour featuring the seven Victorian homes plus dinner at a restored neighborhood home. Ticket quantities are limited. For additional details and tickets, call 412-323-8884 or visit the Web site at www.alleghenywest.info for updates.

Compass Inn Museum will hold Christmas Candlelight Saturday and Sunday. For more information, call 724-238-4983 or visit www.compassinn.com.

The 21st annual Festival of Lights, sponsored by the Ligonier Valley Historical Society, will be held noon to 7 p.m. Sunday in the Gallery of the Ligonier Valley Library. Local families, businesses and groups will decorate more than 50 trees and 14 wreaths, which will be for sale and available for pick up when the festival closes. The event will also have a raffle table and complimentary cookie caf?. For more information, call 724-238-6818.

West Overton Museums will host their annual Christmas Celebration today and Saturday. A Christmas dinner with all the trimmings will be served at 6 p.m. each night in the decorated museum theater. A Christmas concert of dulcimer music and vocals will take place at 7:15 p.m. Dr. Susan Sommers will conduct a workshop on Scherenschnitten, German paper cutting, following the concert. West Overton Museums is located on Route 819 between Scottdale and Mount Pleasant. For ticket information, call 724-887-7910 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Ride the Santa Trolley at the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum in Washington from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The last trolley with Santa leaves at 4 p.m. Santa talks to children and everyone sings carols while riding on a restored vintage streetcar. The You-Run-It train layout has been completely revamped and will be ready for operation. For more information, call 724-228-9256.

or toll free at 1-877-728-7655 or e-mail ptm@pa-trolley.org.