The holidays are right around the corner. That means more activities on the calendar. Just take a look…

WACO
Mayborn Museum Complex at 1300 S. University Parks Drive is a place to bring the whole family to explore. Walk across a replica of Waco’s famous mammoth site, see a Comanche tipi up close or spend your day exploring the 16 themed Discovery rooms. The Mayborn Museum Complex is located on the Baylor University campus at 1300 S. University Parks Drive. Admission to the museum and the Bones exhibit will be $8 for adults, $7 for seniors and $5 for children. Museum members are admitted free. For more information, call (254) 750-1110.

McLennan Community College Small Business Development Center offers one-on-one counseling with Certified Business Consultants. The center is fully certified under the regulations of the national Association of Small Business Develoment Centers. The program is underwritten by SBA, the State of Texas Comptroller’s Office and McLennan Community College. For more information, call (254) 299-8141. All Classes require prior registration. To Register call 254-299-8888 or 800-349-SBDC Classes and services provided by the McLennan Community College Small Business Development Center are funded in part by grants from the U. S. Small Business Administration. All SBA-funded programs are extended to the public on a nondiscriminatory basis.

ITALY
Gladiator Basketball fans will have to wait until December 4-6 for the next home game when both Varsity teams will host a tournament at the dome. Times will be announced at a later date.

WAXAHACHIE
Candlelight Home Tour will brighten your spirits.
Nov 28-30 from 2:00 pm to 8:00 pm twelve unique homes will open their doors and show off their holiday finery for three weekends. Sponsored by The Waxahachie Downtown Merchants Association and Chamber of Commerce & CVB, costs will be $15 per weekend. Children under 12 are free. For more information, call 972-937-2390 or see their website.

Downtown Waxahachie Victorian Christmas Celebration
Nov 28-30 Christmas market vendors, choirs, carolers and costumed characters, carriage rides, photos with Santa, lighted Victorian Christmas stroll, outdoor movies and much more. Call 972-937-2390 for more information.

Sims Library Harvest Ball
Nov 29 10:30 am to 11:30 am at 515 W. Main Street
Come have a ball with us as we play with pumpkin balls and make Christmas ball ornaments. We will also tell after-Thanksgiving tales that will make you laugh and make Oreo turkey treats that you will gobble for. Children ages 2-10 are invited along with their adults. Call 972-937-2671 if you have any questions.

Sims Family Movie Night
Dec 2, 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm located at 515 W. Main Street
This months animated movie includes WALL-E the robot in the year 2700. He ends up on a galaxy chase with a pet cockroach and a team of malfunctioning misfit robots. This movie is rated G. Call 972-937-2671 for more information.

BOERNE
Dickens on Main, Nov 28-29. Includes food and drink booths, costumed shop keepers, wassail, arts & crafts, caroling, Santa, biergarten, live entertainment and more. Located downtown Boerne on Main Street. See their website or call 830-249-2766.

WIMBERLEY
Winberley Players Present “Christmas Belles,” Nov 28-Dec 14. The sqaubbling Futrell sisters of Fayro, Texas, attempt to pull together a church Christmas program. Everything that can go wrong does. Located at the Wimberley Playhouse at 450 Old Kyle Road. See their website or call 512-847-1592.

BASTROP
Nov 28-29 Harvest Art Fest. The city celebrates local artists at 1308 Chest St. See their website or call 512-303-9599.

CANTON
Nov 27-30 First Monday Trade Days. Shop for antiques, home décor, arts & crafts, tools, plants and so much more. Located at the original First Monday grounds/Canton Civic Center. See their website or call 903-567-6556.

GRAPEVINE
Nov 28-30, Dec 5-7, 12-14, 19-21. Head down the tracks aboard the Grapevine Vintage Railroad. The ride is complete with carols, stories and an encounter with Santa. Located at the Cotton Belt Depot. See their website or call 817-410-3185 or 800-457-6338.

“Texas Monthly” always has some wonderful suggestions…

AUSTIN
CIRQUE DREAMS JUNGLE FANTASY Direct from Broadway, a cast of 25 soaring aerialists, contortionists, acrobats, jugglers, and musicians presents an exotic show inspired by “nature’s unpredictable creations.” Nov 25—30. Call for times. $25—$65. For more performances see their website. The Long Center for the Performing Arts, 701 W. Riverside Dr (512-482-0800).

DALLAS
THANKS-GIVING SQUARE Consecrated on Thanksgiving Day in 1976, this 3.5-acre site was built as a nondenominational sanctuary and features a Chapel of Thanksgiving (which boasts the sixty-foot-high stained glass Glory Window), a meditation garden with waterfalls, fifteen-ton Thanksgiving monoliths, and a Wall of Praise displaying a mosaic of Norman Rockwell’s The Golden Rule. Open Mon—Fri 9—5, Sat & Sun 10—5. Free; $2 donation suggested. Guided tours: gen adm $4, senior citizens and youths 17 & under $3. See their website. 1627 Pacific Ave (214-969-1977).

EL PASO
SUN BOWL PARADE Floats, equestrian units, clowns, and drum and bugle corps make their way down Montana Avenue in this annual Thanksgiving Day parade. This year’s theme: El Paso pride. Nov 27 at 10 a.m. Free, stands $5. See their website. Parade route along Montana Avenue beginning at Ochoa and ending at Copia (915-533-4416).

FORT WORTH
PARADE OF LIGHTS AND TREE LIGHTING Ring in the holiday season as you watch more than a hundred floats, balloons, and marching bands—not to mention Santa and his elves—make their way through downtown. Afterward, stay to watch the tree lighting. Nov 28 at 6. Free; reserved seats $7—$10. See their website. Parade begins at Throckmorton & Belknap; main routes along Houston & Commerce (817-336-2787).

HOUSTON
THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE The shopping—er, holiday—season is officially under way once this festive cavalcade of floats, marching bands, hot-air balloons, and costumed characters (including Santa) passes by. Nov 27 at 9. Free; turkey seats $14, reserved grandstand $22. See their website. Parade begins at Minute Maid Park (Hamilton & Texas) and ends at Crawford (713-654-8808).

SAN ANTONIO
MARIACHI VARGAS EXTRAVAGANZA More than a thousand mariachi musicians come together for this big jam session. The highlight of the event is a concert by the world’s best such group, Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán. Nov 30—Dec 6. $20—$100. For schedule & locations see their website. Various locations (210-225-3353).

MCKINNEY
DICKENS OF A CHRISTMAS Stroll down old-fashioned, Victorian-esque streets filled with horse-drawn carriages and traveling carolers while perusing boutiques, art galleries, bookstores, and antique stores for unique gifts. After you’re all shopped out there are visits with Santa, a Christmas tree lighting ceremony, and activities for all ages. Nov 28—30. Fri & Sat 10—8, Sun noon—6. Free. See their website. Downtown McKinney, 111 N. Tennessee (972-547-2660).

HILL COUNTRY
TEXAS HILL COUNTRY REGIONAL CHRISTMAS LIGHTING TRAIL Eleven communities in central Texas—Boerne, Burnet, Dripping Springs, Fredericksburg, Goldthwaite, Johnson City, Llano, Marble Falls, New Braunfels, Round Mountain, and Wimberley—kindle the holiday spirit with shimmering courthouses (Johnson City), a sparkling shoreline festooned with 130 twinkling sculptures (Marble Falls), Christmas markets (Fredericksburg), and more. Nov 27—Jan 4. For schedule & prices, see their website. Various locations (830-997-8515).