Calendar
Our picks
Dance, wine and dine for a cause: The 2014 Beats on the Bayou Benefit Gala will be from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday at the Tarpon Springs Heritage Museum, 100 Beekman Lane. The night will include live music by the Bus Stop Band; heavy hors d'oeuvres provided by Delectables Fine Catering; and wine, beer and nonalcoholic beverages provided by Lundy's. $75 per person (tax-deductible). Proceeds benefit the 2015 Tarpon Springs Performing Arts Center Restoration Project. For information, call (727) 942-5605 or visit kathleenmonahanfoundation.org.
'Stitches in Time': Hand-embroidered needlework by the Gulfview Chapter of the Embroiderers Guild of America is on display through Dec. 15 in the Rao Musunuru M.D. Art Gallery in the Alric C.T. Pottberg Library on Pasco-Hernando State College's West Campus, 10230 Ridge Road, New Port Richey. For information, call (727) 816-3231 or visit phsc.edu/gallery online.
On stage
Lessons learned on Broadway: Nick Abounader, an actor who used to tour and perform on Broadway, will perform a show, What You Need to Hear: Life Lessons From Broadway, at 8 p.m. today at the Tarpon Springs Cultural Center, 101 S Pinellas Ave. $16 to $18. For information, call (727) 942-5605 or visit TarponArts.org.
Dame Edna lives: Vocalist and actor Michael Walters is America's longest-running Dame Edna impersonator. He'll pay homage to Dame Edna's original Broadway shows with an afternoon of glamor, laughter and glittering gowns at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Show Palace Dinner Theatre, 16128 U.S. 19, Hudson. $30. Call (727) 863-7949 or visit showpalace.net.
Musically inclined
Flower power happy hour: Yesterdayze, a musical experience with authentic 1960s outfits and video montage, will be at 8 p.m. today at the Show Palace Dinner Theatre, 16128 U.S. 19, Hudson. $25. Call (727) 863-7949 or visit showpalace.net.
Rock musical at River Ridge: Theatreworks USA will present an off-Broadway rock musical adaptation of The Lightning Thief at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Center for the Arts at River Ridge, 11646 Town Center Road, New Port Richey. $7.50. Order tickets online at pascocfa.seatyourself.biz or call (727) 774-7382.
Get your bluegrass on: The 35th annual Sertoma Thanksgiving Bluegrass Festival will start with dinner at 1 p.m. Thursday at the Sertoma Youth Ranch, 85 Myers Road, south of Spring Lake. Music will start at 2:30 p.m. and will end at 10 p.m., then continue from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Nov. 28 and 29. The event will also feature craft exhibitors, music jams and camping. Bring a covered dish to share on Thanksgiving. Tickets for adults are $12 for Thursday and $35 for Nov. 28 or 29; $75 to camp all three days. Tickets for youth are $3 per day; free for ages 9 and under. Proceeds benefit the Sertoma Youth Ranch. For information, call (352) 754-3082 or visit sertomayouthranch.com.
Family fun
'Symphony in Lights': This annual holiday light show, choreographed to music by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, will be at 6, 7, 8 and 9 p.m. daily through Dec. 31 at the Shops at Wiregrass, 28211 Paseo Drive, Wesley Chapel. The seventh annual show will feature a 55-foot tree with more than 250,000 lights, 47 miles of wiring, 2,000 watts of sound and 10 tons of holiday decor. Nightly Santa photos will be from 7 to 9 p.m., and there also will be an ice-skating rink. For information, call (813) 994-2242.
Drive through a winter wonderland: The inaugural Celebration of Lights, a mile-long, drive-through trail of animated holiday light displays, will be open from dusk until 9 p.m. on weekdays and from dusk until 11 p.m. on weekends at Safety Town, 15325 Alric Pottberg Road, Shady Hills, on the following dates: Nov. 27-30, Dec. 4-7 and Dec. 11-Jan. 3. The event will include an interactive game for kids and holiday music for inside the car. The trail ends at Jingle Bell Junction, a village where attendees of all ages will be treated to entertainment, seasonal fare and photos with Santa. Celebration of Lights is the culmination of the vision of Dave Parris, a west Pasco community leader who died in August. It was his hope that the event would become a holiday tradition that benefits local charities. This year's proceeds will benefit the Angelus House, the Good Samaritan Clinic, the Haley House Fund, Metropolitan Ministries and Safety Town. $20 per car and $40 per 14-passenger van. For information, visit celebrationoflights.net.
Plan ahead
Rockin' the holidays: The Pasco-Hernando State College Foundation will present Phil Dirt and the Dozers at 7 p.m. Dec. 6 at the PHSC Performing Arts Center, 10230 Ridge Road, New Port Richey. Tickets are $25 and $30 and may be purchased in advance by phone from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays (with credit card); in person from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays; at the PHSC College Store; online at phsc.edu/tix, or at the box office one hour prior to the show.
Holidazzzzzle tickets on sale: Tickets for John Leggio's Center for the Performing Arts annual Holidazzzzzle dance show are on sale. The show will be from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Dec. 11 and 12 at the Eleanor Dempsey Performing Arts Center at Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School, 13651 Hays Road, Hudson. Premium orchestra tickets are $17, standard seats are $15 and side mezzanine seats are $12, plus handling fees. Ages 4 and younger are free, and there are special rates for groups of 10 ages 65 and older, but these tickets must be ordered over the phone at (352) 683-8395, or in person at Leggio's studio on County Line Road in Spring Hill. All regular orders are online at leggio.ticketleap.com/holidazzzzzle.