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Calendar

< Saturday, December 8, 2018 >


All Day Holiday Festival of Wines is December 8 & 9! Shop Small & Local!
Murphys, CA...Holiday Festival of Wines! Shop small and shop local this Holiday Season! December 8th-9th following Murphys Holiday Open House, visit wineries and receive special offers and discounts as you shop for wine, wine related merchandise, gift packs and more for your holiday gift giving or entertaining needs. A list of coupons offered by wineries this holiday season is enclosed and enjoy some local savings!




All Day Columbia Gold Rush Days
Columbia, CA...Reserve the second Saturday of every month for Gold Rush Days at Columbia State Historic Park. You’ll get to see inside special exhibits, stores and residences not regularly open to the public.  Docents in period attire will provide lots of information on the structure of their featured building, nature of its business and equipment, contents of store merchandise, or interior décor of family homes, along with history of the times for visitors. If you’re lucky, the gambling table will be set up on the boardwalk for everyone to try their hand at betting against a mining camp gambler. This event is free.


Sponsored by The Friends Of Columbia SHP. Visit their website here for more information.
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Old Timers Museum Walking Tours Are Every Saturday at 10am.
Murphys, CA...Each Saturday morning the Old Timers Museum in Murphys offers a historical walking tour of Murphys. No reservation necessary. Meet at the Museum, 470 Main St, Murphys, across from the Hotel 10 am. Walk is 1-1/12 hours.


A stroll down tree-lined Main Street transports visitors back to the mid-1800s with buildings bearing thick stone walls, iron shutters and pastoral gardens with white picket fences. Once you experience the charm and hospitality of Murphys, the historic “Queen of the Sierra”, you’ll want to come back again and again!

Rich in Gold Rush History, Murphys today is a vibrant, thriving community of over 2,000 residents. Many of the surrounding hillsides are rich with the fine wine grapes grown in our area. Murphys offers wineries, art galleries, live theater, eclectic shops, fine restaurants, charming hotels and B&B’s as well as a multitude of outstanding outdoor recreational opportunities.

Murphys’ colorful past came alive in 1848 when John and Daniel Murphy established a trading post and gold mining operation in the area that is now their namesake. True entrepreneurs with the luck of the Irish, they were a part of the very first immigrant party – the Stephens-Townsend-Murphy families – to successfully bring wagons over the Sierra in 1844, paving the way for westward migration. John and Daniel’s cries of “Gold!” were among the first heard in California. It is reported that the brothers took two million dollars in gold ore from the Murphys Diggins in one year’s time, making them millionaires before the age of 25. The sizzling Gold Rush camp of Murphys also played host to President Grant, Mark Twain and Black Bart. And in some circles, to an even more famous chap – a young, inquisitive lad who literally changed the scientific world, Dr. Albert Michelson.

Our friendly residents invite you to revisit the past while exploring the “new” upscale Murphys. Guided walking tours of the town’s many historic buildings including the home of Albert Michelson, the first American Nobel Prize winner, are conducted every Saturday at 10:00 a.m., starting in front of the Old Timers Museum on Main Street.
10:30 AM Children's Holiday Party
The Women of the Moose, Chapter 1714, will host a Kids' Santa's Workshop on Saturday, December 8, from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm at the the Ebbetts Pass Moose Lodge, 1965 Blagen Rd. in Arnold. Children up to 10 years will enjoy cookie decorating, crafts, face painting and gifts! Bring your camera to take photos with Santa.
11:00 AM - 04:00 PM Safety with Santa on December 9th
Sonora, CA...Safety and Santa??? Sounds like a fun day to us! Join the the Red Cross, CAL FIRE Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit, Tuolumne County Fire Department and several other Public service agencies this Sunday 11-4pm at the Blood Bank.

11:00 AM - 05:00 PM Guided Tours of Ironstone Vineyards
Murphys, CA...Take a complimentary guided tour beginning in the tasting room (offered Wednesday – Sunday only) at 1:30 pm. Or take the self-guided tour. Print out the self-guided map here.   Ironstone is open Daily from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Closed: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day

11:00 AM Town Tours of Columbia State Historic Park
Columbia, CA...Enjoy an hour-long walking tour of town led by a park staff member or docent. See the actual gold discovery site, learn about the buildings and early merchants of Columbia. Sponsored by The Friends Of Columbia SHP. Visit their website for more information. Town Tours are every Saturday & Sunday starting at 11 am. Meet at the office on Main Street & State St Columbia, CA 95310

01:00 PM Chocolate Festival
Taste the chocolates, all you can eat, then purchase your favorites to take home for the holidays. Wine will be available by the glass. There will be raffle items, too! Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children under 8. Located at the Mountain Ranch Community Club, 8049 Washington Street, in Mountain Ranch. This is a fund raiser for Central Calaveras Firefighters Association.
03:00 PM Mountain Melody Women's Chorus Winter Concert
Mountain Melody Women's Chorus is once again bringing you a delightful program of Holiday Songs entitled, "A Nostalgic Christmas."

This special program will bring back cherished holiday memories with songs like "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas," "The Christmas Song," and "I'll Be Home For Christmas."

Another extraordinary Mountain Melody event is our participation in a special concert in New York City presented by Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) and held in the legendary Carnegie Hall in March of 2019.

Mountain Melody is so excited to be participating, and if you'd like to help us on our journey, please visit our website: www.mountainmelody.org
Or go to our GoFundMe page:
https://www.gofundme.com/MountainMelody
03:00 PM Mountain Melody Women's Chorus Winter Concert
Mountain Melody Women's Chorus is once again bringing you a delightful program of Holiday Songs entitled, "A Nostalgic Christmas."

This special program will bring back cherished holiday memories with songs like "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas," "The Christmas Song," and "I'll Be Home For Christmas."

Another extraordinary Mountain Melody event is our participation in a special concert in New York City presented by Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) and held in the legendary Carnegie Hall in March of 2019.

Mountain Melody is so excited to be participating, and if you'd like to help us on our journey, please visit our website: www.mountainmelody.org
Or go to our GoFundMe page:
https://www.gofundme.com/MountainMelody

Saturday December 8th 3 pm
Union Congregational Church
1141 S Main St. Angels Camp CA 95222
209-736-4171
Suggested Donation $10.00
04:30 PM THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Rides Continue on at Railtown 1897
Jamestown, CA...For the fifth consecutive holiday season, California State Parks, Railtown 1897 State Historic Park (SHP) and the California State Railroad Museum Foundation are proud to present THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride experiences this holiday season. The festive train rides start the weekend after Thanksgiving and run on the following dates in 2018: November 23, 24 & 30 and December 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15 & 16. Three festive train rides will be available each day the trains are running at 4:30 p.m., 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.  In 2016, Railtown 1897 was recognized by Rail Events, Inc. with a prestigious Polar Bell award for Best Décor for THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride experiences offered in Jamestown.




Pulled by the iconic Sierra No.3® steam locomotive and headed straight to the North Pole, the staff and volunteers at Railtown 1897 SHP go to great lengths to re-create the holiday experience depicted in the classic children’s book of the same name by Chris Van Allsburg. The holiday experience includes keepsake souvenir tickets, hot cocoa, festive holiday cookies, Santa Claus sightings and even the coveted silver bells – the first gift of Christmas for those who still believe in Santa Claus. Additionally, guests who bring their cameras or smartphones can capture memorable holiday photos in the historic Roundhouse – complete with a steam engine in the background.

Ticket prices for THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride at Railtown 1897 SHP are as follows: $50 per person for coach seating and $70 per person for First Class seating that includes a commemorative THE POLAR EXPRESS™ mug (note an additional service fee of $6 per ticket or $24 per table will apply at purchase checkout). Children under two years of age are free and must be seated on an adult’s lap. THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride is a fundraiser for the California State Railroad Museum Foundation, which supports Railtown 1897 SHP. Advance tickets are available online only at www.railtown1897.org. For questions, please call THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride hotline at 209-984-3407.  

Subscribe to California State Parks News via e-mail at info@parks.ca.gov or via RSS feed

California State Parks Mission


To provide for the health, inspiration and education of the people of California by helping to preserve the state’s extraordinary biological diversity, protecting its most valued natural and cultural resources, and creating opportunities for high quality outdoor recreation.

About the California State Railroad Museum Foundation
The mission of the California State Railroad Museum Foundation (CSRMF) is to generate revenue and awareness on behalf of its destinations, while supporting the preservation, interpretation and promotion of our railroad heritage. The Foundation provides funding for ongoing support of numerous programs, both at the museum's Old Sacramento location and at the historic park in Jamestown, Calif. For more information, please visit www.californiarailroad.museum.
07:00 PM Big Holiday Laughs: Inspecting Carol’ at Murphys Creek Theatre
Murphys, CA...All they wanted to do was put on a nice little Christmas play…what they got was a “Christmas Carol” you’ve got to see to believe. On November 30, Murphys Creek Theatre unveils its final offering in what has become a landmark season with new Artistic Director Robbie Allen at the helm. “Inspecting Carol” is the perfect comic antidote to the hustle, bustle and blues of the holidays.


The Union Democrat called the play “riotously funny” and a “well-paced mix of slapstick and wit that is packed with laughs and is a great holiday stress-reliever”. The Modesto Bee chimed in with “an uproarious Christmas comedy…‘Inspecting Carol’ is pure bliss”. The Sierra Lodestar dubbed it “sheer holiday hilarity”.

The play was written by Daniel Sullivan and members of the Seattle Repertory Theater who no doubt had a variety of real “Christmas Carol” disasters in mind when they concocted this fictional one.

The ‘Soap Box Playhouse’ is trying to mount its production of ‘A Christmas Carol’ for the umpteenth time. No problem. They could do it their sleep. What could possibly go wrong? The answer is, of course, everything - and then some. We can’t tell you much, suffice to say the comic results are…well…devastating.

Don Bilotti directs the show and is thrilled to be back directing big-time comedy. “I love directing the big, important dramas that have been my stock-in-trade for some years now, but it’s so much fun to let all that bottled-up silliness loose on the world every once in awhile.”, he says.

“This is pure, large-cast situational comedy, where one unfortunate circumstance gets piled on another and the harder the characters try to make things better, the worse things get. The roles are delicious and it’s so much fun to work on. Plus, I’ve been lucky to land a cast chock full of the best comic actors in the region.”

From Zorah, the excitable artistic director (“She’s Lithuanian.”), to Larry, the leading actor who wants to perform the entire role of Scrooge in Spanish, to Luther, who has played Tiny Tim so long that Bob Cratchit can’t even lift him anymore, to Walter, the company’s first African-American actor who finds himself playing an all-white ghost, this hapless troupe of players finds itself in a mounting series of disasters and mistaken identities that goes from bad to worse and downhill from there.

To complicate matters, the company finds itself flat broke with only one slim hope of survival. The National Endowment for the Arts is sending one last inspector to view their work. If only they can put on “the best ‘Carol’ the country has ever seen”, they will be saved. They do their best and the result is pure hilarity.

Maryann Curmi plays Zorah, the director of the Soapbox Playhouse. “I’ve given them everything they’ve asked for and now they want, what? Quality? We never get a break do we?” Zorah – at the end of her short, Lithuanian rope - pleads.

Curmi, who has made quite a name for herself as a multi-talented actor and director, returns with a vengeance to one of her favorite roles.

Michael Crich is Larry, the recalcitrant Scrooge and one of the principal troublemakers of the company.

Sean Lewis plays Wayne Wellacre, the timid aspiring actor and erstwhile data processer who stumbles into the Soapbox playhouse and the comic adventure of a lifetime.

Sally McClellan is Dorothy Tree Hapgood, the daffy Grand Dame of the company and Jake Edmondson is Sidney Carlton her not-so-perfect husband and doddering company veteran.

Mike Moon plays Kevin, the unfortunate business manager of the company. Kirk Summers takes the role of Phil, the self-important and accident-prone leading man. Sarah Grimes-Emmons is MJ, the loveable-in-a-sarcastic-way stage manager.

Sean-Pierre Fox-Wilson is Walter the newest actor in the company who gets a lot more – or less – than he bargained for. Newcomer Aidan Seay plays Luther, the pesky Tiny Tim who has outgrown both the role and his costume. David Vershay as Bart and Emily Graham round out the troupe.

The surprising set is designed by Micki Dambacher and props are provided by Linda Glick and Dambacher. Costumes are courtesy of Kathleen Lowe and Linda Glick.

This production is rated PG-13 for some comic adult language. If you had the same troubles as these folks, you’d cuss too.

November 30-December 23 Fridays and Saturdays @ 7:00pm Sundays @ 2pm 580 S. Algiers Street Murphys CA 209-728-8422 Opening weekend features a special Bring A Friend for Free- patrons can by 2 general admission tickets for the price of one, by using the voucher code SCROOGE when booking in advance.

Tickets available at www.murphyscreektheatre.org or www.facebook.com/murphyscreektheatre

$24 GENERAL, $22 SENIORS AND STUDENTS, $12 children 12 and under

Mark Twain Medical Center
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