• World AIDS Day Candle Light Service is being hosted by Matthew 25 AIDS Services at Community Baptist Church on December 1^st, 2007 starting at 6:00 pm. This vigil is to celebrate the lives of those who are living with HIV and to commemorate those who are no longer with us. 39.5 million people worldwide are infected with HIV. A reception will follow service. The Church is located at 1026 Pebble Creek Drive in Henderson. Call 270-826-0200 for more information.

• Pets are super cute. But put a Yorkie on Santa’s fat lap and you have metric boatloads of adorable. So… why not set aside a little time on December 15 and head to the Warrick Humane Society’s Pet Adoption Center for Santa Paws Pictures? From noon to 4 p.m. you and Fido – or Miss Kitty, or Larry the Llama – should come out to the facility for photos and fun, all for a good cause. For only $20 you get two 5 X 7 prints. Call 858-1132 for more info; the Center is at 5722 Vann Road in Newburgh, around a mile due east of Castle High School.

• New News 4U online… Check out the new and improved online version of News 4U at news4uonline.com. The new site had a leaner look, more features, an RSS feed and more nifty things. As always you can enter to win great prizes and giveaways, keep tabs on what’s going on, where to dine, party, heighten your cultural well-being and more. 

• The music of Tchaikovsky courtesy of the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra sets the scene for the Evansville Dance Theatre’s Nutcracker. The Dance Theatre has performed the beloved Holiday ballet for over 25 years now, and thousands have been delighted by the sounds, sights and artistry provided by the two local creative organizations.

            Two performances are scheduled on December 15 at the Victory Theatre. First is a matinee show at 2 p.m., followed by a 7:30 p.m. show. Tickets are available through the EPO; call 425-5050 for more information.

• The 14^th Annual Ritzy’s Fantasy of Lights is the largest drive-through winter light display in the immediate area is back and bigger and better than ever, with new displays, including two more lighted trees in the Northside Kiwanis Display. As always, Garvin Park is the scene of dozens of elaborately lighted and animated scenes, each depicting themes of the Holidays.

            Admission tickets can be picked up at any of the G.D. Ritzy’s locations in Evansville or at the gate. Prices per vehicle are $7 for six people or fewer, $10 for seven to fourteen people and $25 for fifteen people or more. You can get a ride through the displays in a horse-drawn carriage for $30, which also includes admission.

            All of the proceeds from the Fantasy of Lights goes to support therapy sessions at the Easter Seals Rehabilitation Center; since 1994, over a million dollars has been raised to support the organization.

            Congratulations to the guys who construct the displays – the local Teamsters, IBEW and NECA members – they won the Red Cross Heroes Award for 2007 for all the volunteer effort they put into making Ritzy’s Fantasy of Lights happen.

            Days & hours: Through January 1; Sundays through Thursdays, 5 to 9 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays, 5 to 10 p.m.

• Tenor Doug LaBrecque brings voice to Holiday musical favorites to one of the most popular concerts in the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra’s season – the Peppermint Pops program – scheduled for December 1 (8 p.m.) and 2 (2 p.m.) at the Victory Theatre. The Evansville Philharmonic Chorus joins Music Director, Maestro Alfred Savia for this special engagement.

            Also coming this month from the EPO is Handel’s Messiah by Candlelight, a perfect piece of music for the Holidays. The program will be at Trinity Methodist Church on December 7 at 8 p.m. The church is located at 216 SE 3^rd Street in downtown Evansville. Call the Orchestra’s office at 425-5050 for more details.

• Smokey Joe’s Café is playing at the Evansville Civic Theatre, and fans of the stage and the rock & roll songs of the 50s and 60s are invited to see and hear the local theatre perform dozens of the hits from the era.

            This is the longest running musical revue in Broadway history, and since its debut in New York over a decade ago, the “Songs of Leiber & Stoller” have made the rounds to each corner of the globe. Check out the show December 1, 2, 6-9, 14-16. Friday and Saturday times are 8 p.m., Sunday matinees are scheduled for 2 p.m. Phone 425-2800 for more info about this or any of the other shows at Evansville Civic Theatre.

• The Vanderburgh 4-H Center gets in on the big outdoor light displays too. Once again the grounds out on North 41 will be ornamented with twinkling lights during their Winter Carnival Christmas Light Display, continuing through December 23. For specific details on the display, call the 4-H at 812-867-6217.

• One of downtown Evansville’s most familiar landmarks presents, for the 28^th year in a row, Victorian Christmas. The Reitz Home Museum’s theme is “Through the Eyes of Children,” and in keeping with that spirit the historic landmark at First and Chestnut Streets is adorned with antique toys and dolls representing the period. Area interior decorators lent their hands to the project, which runs through January 6. Contact the Reitz Home Museum at 426-1871 for more information.