Weekend Planner: Local Schools Host Events and Cranbrook Continues its Celebration

Welcome, Friday! The weekend is finally here and there are numerous activities going on in and around town. All week long we have counted down the days to help you plan your weekend with options of events you might not want to miss.

Here's a recap:

Where: 

When: 9 a.m. Saturday

Why go: The Jingle Bell Run/Walk is one of the most festive holiday walks for a good cause you can participate in. Those that do are encouraged to come dressed in holiday-themed costumes and tie jingle bells to their shoelaces. You may see attendees dressed as Santa, elves, or wearing reindeer headbands. The whole family can get involved with either the 5k, 10k, or Snowman Shuffle (a 1/4 mile fun run for kids 12 and under). Funds raised will be used to fight arthritis, the nation's most common cause of disability.

Where: 

When: Friday from 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.

Why go: Cranbrook Art Museum has a big day planned as it continues its grand reopening celebration on Friday with tours of the exhibition No Object is an Island: New Dialogues with the Cranbrook Collection, the Collections Wing Tour, and the Saarinen House Tour.

At 7 p.m., artists Hernan Bas and Bill Harris will speak In Dialogue in deSalle Auditorium.

At 8 p.m., there will be three live performers as EMERGENCE presents "A Night of Music: Night Two." They're followed by Miz Korona, who has won the Best Female Artist at the Detroit Hip-Hop Awards three years running. And Jessica Care Moore, a poet, actor, activist, and playwright, will share her work, which she has performed nationally and internationally. The Foundation All Stars celebrates women in Hip-Hop. A screening of the documentary The Revival, a series highlighting women in Hip Hop, will also be shown.

Where: 

When:  10 a.m.- 4 p.m. Saturday

Why go: Visit the Cranbrook House and Gardens 36th annual Holiday Tables event to get ideas and inspiration on how to dress your own holiday table. There will be more than a dozen tables decorated in a variety of styles, as well as the chance to listen to up to four guest speakers in a seminar-style presentation. The Thistle Shop, a special holiday boutique, will also be open during Holiday Tables.

Where: 

When: Sunday 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.

Why go: Nearing the final day of Cranbrook Art Museum's 11-day grand reopening celebration, the Museum continues with some family educational fun on Sunday. The Cranbrook Schools Upper School Docent Club will lead a family and youth tour of the new "No Object Is an Island Exhibition" at noon. This tour is designed particularly for students and younger viewers. From 1 - 3 p.m., the Museum has invited award winning Michigan storyteller, author and teaching artist, Judy Sima, in to lead a family workshop on storytelling. Sima is known for engaging performances that combine folk, traditional and modern tales and lots of humor and songs.

Where: 

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday or Saturday; or 2:30 p.m. Saturday or Sunday

Why go: Andover High School students perform Disney's classic fairy tale of how a young man is transformed into a Beast and he must learn to love and be loved to be transformed back into a prince this weekend. In this version, seniors Alyssa Giannetti and Kyra Weeks play the role of the beautiful princess Belle. This will be Kyra's 10th show at Andover and Alyssa's 4th performance. The role of the Beast is played by senior Harrison Kenum, who has performed in eight shows with the high school theater. The orchestra will perform the music. It is composed of thirteen students and three adult members which Bruce Snyder, Producer/Music Director, will conduct. The fairy tale is to be enjoyed by children of all ages.