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
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.
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.
05:00 PM - 08:00 PM
Murphys Open House, Not to be Missed Small Town Fun! Murphys, CA...Every year on the first Friday in December, Murphys celebrates the start of the holiday season with a community Open House from 5 to 8 pm on Historic Main Street. Admission is free, the streets are closed to traffic and we are ready to celebrate the winter holidays. Chestnuts will be roasting, carolers will be singing, and Santa will be visiting! A favorite of locals, the annual event is an old-fashioned celebration featuring a parade, holiday treats and entertainment hosted by Main Street merchants, restaurants, wineries and the Murphys Business Association. Santa and the Mrs. Will be available for photos with the kids in the Native Sons Hall. Bring your phone or camera to snap a picture or let our photographer get the shot. The New Horizon Band will be providing music in the Native Sons Hall and Road Trip Espresso will be offering hot drinks for sale nearby.
Each year the merchants, wineries and other businesses of Murphys put on this event to help all of us find our holiday spirit, let us show off our beautiful and friendly little town and, most importantly, to say thank you to locals and visitors for their support throughout the year.
Open House is a fun time to visit Murphys’ shops, tasting rooms and restaurants, see what’s new and visit with friends, old and new, while warming yourself around the fire-pits manned by our local Boy Scouts. Make sure you also visit our side streets and nooks and crannies just off Main Street. Take a moment to admire the town tree located on the Milliaire patio and provided by Ironstone Vineyards. This year we are also collecting donations for the folks impacted by the Camp Fire. Drop off cash or gift cards at the Native Sons Hall during the event or at Gold Country Roasters, SNAC, Marisolio, The Spice Tin, Creative Cookware, Sustenance Books, Murphys Pourhouse, Milliaire Winery, Tanner Winery and the Calaveras Visitors Center throughout the holiday season. 100% of donations collected by the Camp Fire Community Cash Fund will be distributed to the Paradise and surrounding communities thanks to the Angels-Murphys Rotary Club.
The parade begins promptly at 5:30 pm starting at the Historic Murphys Hotel and continues to Big Trees Road, so come early and grab a good spot.
Free parking is available at the Masonic Hall, Old Schoolhouse, The Church of Latter Day Saints and behind the Arbors as well as on surrounding streets but please be considerate of the residents when selecting a parking place. Accessible parking is available behind Arbors and at the Masonic Hall. The Black Bart Theater parking lot and Algiers Street between Scott Street and the Hotel will be closed for parade staging until about 6:30pm. There will be no parking on Main Street during the event. If you are planning on having dinner downtown, make your reservations early.
The Calaveras Wine Alliance will be celebrating their Festival of Wines in Murphys on Friday evening and at wineries throughout the county over the weekend so plan to visit Murphys and other Calaveras County wineries on Saturday & Sunday for exclusive tasting, gift specials and wine pairings. Sip a glass of wine in a cozy tasting room while making a dent in your holiday gift list. Wondering what else is going on in Murphys during the holidays? Visit our online calendar at visitmurphys.com.
Alchemy Market & Cafe
191 Main Street
Murphys, CA 95247 United States + Google Map
Phone:
(209) 728-0700
Website:
http://www.alchemymarket.com/
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
