Weekend Events at the Jersey Shore

Get in the Christmas Spirit this weekend (Dec. 20 - 22, 2013) with some great events:

– The Christmas Light Show: A dazzling display of holiday lights and effects synchronized to music at 2702 Woolley Road in Wall. They have added two shows on Friday at 7:00 PM and another at 8:30 PM.  And there will be 2 shows on Sunday December 22nd, one at 7:00 PM and another at 8:30 PM. Pending the forecast for Sunday, additional shows may be added Saturday night. Please checkwww.TheChristmasLightShow.com orwww.facebook.com/TheChristmasLightShow for details and show information. The show lasts about twenty minutes so dress warm. Plan on arriving about 40 minutes early in order to find parking and walk to the show…maybe with a small flashlight to illuminate your way. There will be music and refreshments before the show. The show is FREE and donations are welcomed to benefit Challenged Youth Sports for special needs children.

– Christmas Lantern Tours at Allaire Village on Saturday. 90 minute tours leave every 15 minutes from 5 pm - 8 pm.. Experience 19th-century holiday music in the Chapel, caroling and gingerbread baking in the Village, and beautiful holiday festivities in the Allaire Mansion. Tickets are $12.50 and advanced purchase is HIGHLY recommended. Call 732-919-3500 or purchase online by clicking here . PLUS…

– The Christmas Express Train Ride with Santa on the Grounds of Allaire State Park. You and your kids can ride the train with Santa. Trains leave every half hour from 6 – 8:30 pm Friday and Saturday night. Tickets go fast, and must be purchased at the train station’s ticket window. $6 fare. Brought to you by the New Jersey Museum of Transportation at Allaire State Park in Farmingdale (NOT affilliated with Allaire Village, which is in the same location.) Click here for details. Or ride the train with Santa during the day this Saturday and Sunday 11 am - 4 pm. AND...

-- The Allaire Village General Store and Museum Gift Shop is open for Holiday Shopping Saturday and Sunday, 10 am - 4:30 pm...and the day AFTER Christmas, too! Find old world Christmas ornaments, hand-made crafts by Allaire Artisans, unique lanterns, candles, and candle jars, pottery, tinware, glassware, ironware, old-fashioned toys, candy, and cards, NJ books, cookware, and prints, and so much more! Celebrating 175+ years! Call 732-938-3311 for more information.

– At the Info-Age History Learning Center in Wall, kids not only meet Santa…they go inside his workshop. The holiday spectacular features craft sessions with Santa and two of his reindeer…AND the Garden State Model Railroad Club’s mammoth train display. It takes place Saturday and Sunday on Marconi Road. Noon – 5 pm. Donation of $5 for adults, and $1 for kids. For more information on this Holiday Spectacular, click here.

-- See the Nativity come to life in Colts Neck. Actors and real animals recreate the scene Saturday evening at 5:15, 6, and 6:30 pm on the front lawn of the Colts Neck Community Church...with refreshments and a singalong. For more info, click here.

-- A Christmas Carol at Jersey Shore Arts Center, based on the Dickens classic. It's the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge who is visitid by the ghosts of Christmases Past, Present, and Future. This is a musical adaptation with the Coastal Artists' cast in Ocean Grove. Friday and Saturday, 7 pm, $20. Click here for details.

-- Scrooge at Spring Lake Theatre featuring Ebenezer Scrooge and a lavish production in Spring Lake. Friday and Saturday night, 8 pm, $20-$28 dollars. Click here for details.

-- Wind in the Willows: The story of the friendship of the Water Rat, the shy and curious Mole, and the sensible Badger. The antics of Mr. Toad, too! This is a performance by the Algonquin Youth Ensemble that's great for the whole family at the Algonquin Arts Theatre in Manasquan. Friday, 7 pm and Saturday, 11 am. $20 for adults, $15 for students. Click here for details.

-- A young girl's fantasy world springs to life Saturday at the Strand Theater in Lakewood. The Atlantic City Ballet performs Tchaikovsky's the Nutcracker...complete with a tree that reaches 30 feet in height, an onstage snowfall and all the timeless characters. Get ticket details by clicking here.

-- Night skies offer their own holiday spectacular, and you can see it al the Novins Planetarium at Ocean County College in Toms River. Explore cosmos-inspired cultural festivals and learn about the season's most famous mystery - the Star of Wonder. The Season of Light Show continues through January Fourth.

--Fill A Truck for the Foodbank. An eighth grader from Manasquan Elementary School is celebrating his 14th birthday by asking for non-perishable food donations Sunday starting at 8 am in the parking lot of the Manasquan Acme on the corner of Rt. 71 and Main Street. To benefit The Foodbank of Monmouth and Ocean Counties.