December 2017

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Page 2—December 2017 From the Publisher Tree lighting just the start of a busy holiday season now may be missing but the people sure aren’t. Looking down Pine Knot Ave. I see a sea of people gath- Sering for “Christmas in the Village” the day after Thanksgiving, undeterred that Big Bear had yet to see even a single flake. Hundreds? Thousands? I can’t really tell but it’s obvious people aren’t letting the dearth of snow keep them from celebrating the start of the holiday season at the annual tree lighting. In fact it looks even more crowded than usual, with throngs of people milling everywhere, some sipping hot cocoa from Village Fair. Others have dogs on leash and their four-legged friends are clearly enjoying warmer weather, not having to tromp through drifts or over icy patches. Appropriate since HomeAway recently named Big Bear Lake as one of the most petfriendly places in the nation. Maybe daytime temperatures in the upper 60’s are actually what people want for Thanksgiving. No tire chains to mess with or bitter wind blowing. I’ve always said that people love snow but hate to actually go out in it. “This weather is so nice,” master of ceremonies Steve Cassling says before festivities begin. “The last few years have been so cold.” No worry of that at this tree lighting. Why, there are a number of attendees wearing shorts and T-shirts! Normally I’m the only one decked out in such duds but not for this gig. Yeah, others are in hats and scarves and mittens but most look like they’re dressed for a summer night, instead of about to greet Santa Claus, who will soon make his way up Pine Knot aboard his fire engine sleigh with lights flashing. The only snow south of Mammoth is on Big Bear’s inner tubing hills which were able to blast enough man-made white stuff to withstand summer-like temperatures. But no one seems to mind, save for skiers and snowboarders, and even those folks have money in their pockets since they didn’t buy lift tickets. It may not look or even feel like Christmas but attendees seem to be in the holiday spirit just the same. Big Bear, sans snow, is still a pretty special place to ring in the season. Especially when the Mountain Marvellettes take the stage. Tonight there’s a new batch of homegrown singers— Caitlin Barney Theobald, Amber Carpenter, and sisters Kylar and Kortney Carmody—but they’re still marvelous singing a dozen or so carols, drawing a warm ovation from the onlookers. From representing Big Bear at Carnegie Hall to traveling and performing with the Young Americans between them the Marvellettes have a slew of credits. Then it’s Nikki Sparks’ turn. She’s been a regular at The Cave opening for Dick Dale among others and other venues, and currently Fridays and Saturdays from 5-8 p.m. in the lounge at The Lodge. Her rendition of “O Holy Night” is absolutely spine-chilling as she nails the high notes with passion. Her newly-released Christmas CD is sure to be in demand. Between them the Marvellettes and Sparks perform all the season’s magical music. Listening to songs like “Joy to the World,” “Feliz Navidad,” “Silent Night” and so many more brings back memories of previous Village Christmases. Like 1989, our first holiday in Big Bear, when Academy Award-winning actress Shirley Jones, a part-time Big Bear resident, also sang “O Holy Night” in a riveting rendition. Then there was the time we lost a kid, some 20 years ago. Sons Kevin and Michael went off with friend Brendan Bennett, disappearing into the crowd, but only the latter two returned. “What happened to your younger brother?” I asked Mike while wife Sandy went into hysterics. Fortunately Kevin turned up on stage, certainly a holiday memory for him. As it happens Mike is visiting for the holiday but he opts to not come to the tree lighting, so as to not be blamed for losing a kid. Instead we meet him and his girlfriend after festivities are over at Big Bear Lake Brewing Co., such a good idea many other folks had it too. So we let the kids get a table for two instead of waiting 30 minutes for four seats to open. Hey, they need to make memories too. Not hard to make them in Big Bear either. There’s more holiday shows this year than ever, most of which we were able to fit into this issue. But not all. Like the Voice Studio of Diane Sloan Kubeja’s annual Winter Recital on December 3 at Performing Arts Center at 2 p.m. Enjoy holiday, classical, Broadway, pop tunes and more by talented performers including 2018 “Carnegie Kids” Lauren Davis, Maggie Kubeja, Troy Obernolte and Jazmin Thompson. Then there’s Lighthouse Youth Orchestra’s Winter Concert Dec. 8 at 7:30 p.m., also at the PAC. Get there by 6:15 for pre-show with holiday carols and treats. See the calendar on page 13 for details on both. Happy Holidays! Marcus ON THE COVER: Get all the winter you want inner tubing at Big Bear Snow Play, open for family fun as is Alpine Slide. Holiday happenings include the Torchlight Parade. Volume 29, Number 6 December 2017 4 5 6 10 16 Publisher Marcus G. Dietz Associate Publisher Sandra L. Dietz Publishing Consultant Bret Colson Technical Consultant Charles Dietz Photography Steve Dietz John Daskam Mark Gauger In This Issue... Big Bear Today Sure-Fire Fun at Big Bear Snow Play, Slide Winter is on at Big Bear’s two inner tubing areas, where families are finding plenty of winter wonderland...finally. Warm November temperatures challenged their powerful snowmaking guns but fortunately Big Bear Snow Play and Alpine Slide were able to open before Thanksgiving. The season is hitting its stride with rising snow depths and the return of night sessions and Glow Tubing. Santa Claus and Holiday Shows Abound Saint Nick is setting up shop in the Village weekends right up till his big night out, and also see him at the resorts and tubing hills. Celebrate the season with a bevy of holiday shows ranging from The Messiah community singalong and The Nutcracker Ballet to the zany A Christmas Carol...Askew. Animals Get Real Winter at Alpine Zoo Big Bear’s Zoo can offer snow leopards, Arctic foxes and other animals what other parks can’t: true alpine habitat. No need to simulate high altitude environment here and animals get their choice of seeking out the weather or avoiding it. When the snow falls many choose to play in it. Family-Friendly to Winter Festival, Ring in 2018 Big Bear ushers out one year and brings in another on New Year’s Eve with the traditional torchlight parade at Snow Summit. Then it’s time to party, at Snow Summit with winter festival in the base area, family-friendly party at Wyatt’s with the famous Doo Wah Riders and free rides home. Tallies, Treks, Talks at Discovery Center Count bald eagles in the wild, meet one up close, discover flora and fauna at the Discovery Center...Big Bear’s recreation destination has your way to play in December. Including naturalist-led Snowshoe Eco-Tours into the forest assuming Old Man Winter finally shows up. Think snow, then go! Who knew Scrooge could be so fun? A Christmas Carol is Askew on page 10 DEPARTMENTS 2 3 13 14 From the Publisher Potpourri New! Area Map/ Calendar of Events The Almanac Big Bear's most complete listings for recreation, dining, and more. Big Bear Today is a monthly magazine covering recreation, dining, nightlife, and events in Big Bear. Reproduction of any material, without the express written consent of the Publisher, is prohibited. Advertising/editorial, call Big Bear Today at (909) 585-5533. Mailing address: PO Box 3180, Big Bear City, CA, 92314. Fax: (909) 585-9359. E-Mail: bigbeartoday@verizon.net. Member, Big Bear Visitor Bureau and Big Bear Chamber of Commerce. Internet Address: www.bigbeartodaymag.com Production: Offset printing by G.W. Reed Printing, Inc. Color prepress by 2-Bit Studio. Manuscripts and Art: Contributions are welcome. Big Bear Today is not responsible nor liable for unsolicited manuscripts or art. Materials received will not be returned. © Copyright 2017 Big Bear Today
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December 2017

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