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December 6-21, 2008: 2008 Pawtucket Winter Wonderland, Pawtucket

4:00pm-8:00pm. Slater Memorial Park, Newport Avenue and Armistice Boulevard. See 400 decorated Christmas trees, twenty Victorian buildings, and a talking snowman, and enjoy free visits and photos with Santa, train rides, hay rides, carousel rides, food court, and entertainment. Free admission and parking. Call (401) 726-3185, email santa1@localnet.com, or visit the Pawtucket Winter Wonderland (www.pawtucketwinterwonderland.org) website for more information.

December 18-19, 2008: Ocean State Follies, Johnston

A talented cast of five use song, parodies, skits, and audience interaction to poke fun at and celebrate the great state of Rhode Island. Reservations required. Call (401) 353-3330, or visit the Ocean State Follies (www.oceanstatefollies.com) website for more information.

December 19, 2008: Holiday Lantern Tours, Newport

Museum of Newport History, 127 Thames Street. Discover the authentic history of Newport's holiday traditions during a lantern-lit stroll, led by professionally trained guides from the Newport Historical Society, through the exquisitely preserved streets of central Newport. On a visit inside the 1697 Wanton-Lyman-Hazard House, learn about changing approaches to holiday decorations and home festivities. Adults, $12; children or members, $8. Call (401) 846-0813, or visit the Newport Historical Society (www.newporthistorical.org) website for more information.

December 20, 2008: Victorian Christmas Feast, Newport

Starts at 7:00pm. Astors' Beechwood Mansion, 580 Bellevue Avenue. Step back in time with the Beechwood Theatre Company as they re-create St. Nicholas Day 1891. The three-hour event features a magnificent holiday dinner, breathtaking music, and the festive antics of the servants. Reservations required. Call (401) 846-3772, email astors@astors-beechwood.com, or visit the Astors' Beechwood (www.astorsbeechwood.com) website for more information.

December 20, 2008: Handel's Messiah with the Rhode Island Philharmonic, Providence

Starts at 8:00pm. Veterans Memorial Auditorium Arts and Cultural Center. Andrew Clark leads the Providence Singers and the Rhode Island Philharmonic in Handel's majestic favorite, presented for the second consecutive December at VMA. Listeners returning from last season's sold-out "Messiah" will enjoy the subtle twists that Clark has in store this year, culminating as ever in a grand "Hallelujah" to highlight the holidays. Admission: $22 to $62. Call (401) 421-ARTS, or visit the VMA (www.vmari.org) website for more information.

December 20, 2008: Holiday Evening Duet, Newport

6:00pm-9:00pm. The Elms, 367 Bellevue Avenue, and Marble House, 596 Bellevue Avenue. Take a leisurely self-guided evening tour through two opulent Gilded Age mansions decorated for the holidays as you enjoy live holiday music and sample holiday sweets, eggnog and cider. Adults $25 in advance, $30 at the door; children (6-17) $10. Call (401) 847-1000, or visit the Newport Mansions (www.newportmansions.org) website for more information.

December 20-21, 2008: Victorian Christmas Display, Newport

9:30am-5:00pm. International Tennis Hall of Fame, 194 Bellevue Avenue. The museum will showcase a Victorian Christmas display, plus there'll be a special guided museum tour at 1:30pm (both days). Call (401) 849-3990, or visit the International Tennis Hall of Fame (www.tennisfame.com) website for more information.

December 21, 2008: Holiday House Tour, Warwick

1:00pm-3:00pm. Clouds Hill Victorian House Museum, 4157 Post Road. Experience the elegance of another age; step back to 1890 and enjoy the holiday season. Enjoy a tour of the 1870s gothic Victorian mansion built for Elizabeth Ives Slater on her marriage to Alfred Augustus Reed, Jr. Holiday music, food, and festivities. $15. Call (401) 884-9490, or visit the Clouds Hill (www.cloudshill.org) website for more information.

December 21, 2008: Ocean State Follies, Johnston

December 21, 2008: Christmas Pops, Westerly

4pm, 6pm, and 8pm. George Kent Performance Hall, 119 High Street. Chorus of Westerly presents three performances of its very popular Christmas Pops concert with the Boston Festival Orchestra. Program includes popular holiday favorites, carols, and a sing-a-long. Call (401) 596-8663, or visit the Chorus of Westerly (www.chorusofwesterly.org) website for more information.

December 23, 2008: Ocean State Follies, Johnston

December 26, 2008: Holiday Lantern Tours, Newport

December 26-January 2, 2009: Public Walk-In Hours at Biomes, North Kingstown

12:00pm-4:00pm. Biomes Marine Biology Center, 221 Shady Lea Road. Biomes is the only privately owned marine education center in the state focusing on marine fish and invertebrates collected from local waters. See all of these animals and get your hands wet with our hands-on exhibits featuring live sea creatures. $5 per person for three years old and up. Call (401-295-4690, or visit the Biomes Marine Biology Center (www.biomescenter.com) website for more information.

December 27, 2008: Ocean State Follies, Johnston

December 31, 2008: New Year's Eve Gala, Newport

8:30pm-11:59pm. Astors' Beechwood Mansion, 580 Bellevue Avenue. This New Year's joint is jumpin' as you sneak into a Roarin' '20s Speakeasy where the jazz is hot, the drinks are cold, and fun is in the air! Dinner buffet, dancing, live music, champagne toast, cash bar. Reservations required. Call (401) 846-3772, email tours@astors-beechwood.com, or visit the Astors' Beechwood (www.astorsbeechwood.com) website for more information.

December 31, 2008: First Night Newport, Newport

5:00pm-9:00pm. Downtown Newport. Family-friendly event showcasing Newport's rich art and cultural community, culminating with a fireworks display over Newport Harbor. Call (401) 848-2400, or visit the First Night Newport (www.firstnightnewport.org) website for more information.

December 31, 2008: Bright Night Providence, Providence

An artist-run, arts-oriented New Year's Eve celebration, Rhode Island's biggest and best New Year's Eve Party! Featuring hundreds of the best local singers, actors, dancers, acrobats, musicians, magicians, and clowns. Admission: $10 in advance; $15 at the door; $50 Family Four-Pack can be purchased at the door. Call (401) 351-2596, or visit the Bright Night Providence (www.brightnight.org) website for more information.

December 31, 2008: New Year's Eve Party, Woonsocket

King's Court, River Falls Complex, 74 South Main Street. Welcome 2009 with the fun and excitement of a New Year's Eve bash offering red carpet arrivals of celebrity look-alikes. Call (401) 651-6775 for tickets.

December 31-January 1, 2009: New Year's Eve Ball, Newport

9:00pm-1:00am. Belcourt Castle, 657 Bellevue Avenue. Dance to the sounds of Larry Brown's Swing Lane Orchestra in the French Gothic Ballroom. Top-shelf beverages, Magnificent Midnight Chocolate Buffet. Call (401) 846-0669 for reservations, or visit the Belcourt Castle (www.belcourtcastle.com) website for more information.

January 1, 2009: New Year's Day Polar Bear Plunge, Newport

Starts at 12:00pm. Easton's Beach, Memorial Boulevard. Folks from the local Polar Bear Club race to dip into the icy waters at Easton's Beach, all to benefit charity. Call (401) 846-0028, or visit the Newport Polar Bears (users.ids.net/~cwwright) website for more information.

January 1, 2009: Jamestown Penguin Plunge, Jamestown

Mackerel Cove. Swimmers risk hypothermia in the name of charity. Call (401) 823-7411 for more information, if you dare.

January 1, 2009: Happy Zoo Year!, Providence

Roger Williams Park Zoo, 1000 Elmwood Avenue. Help us welcome the New Year wild style with free admission for all! Beat cabin fever by bundling up and enjoying beautiful winter scenery. It's a wonderfully different zoo experience! See the snow leopards, penguins, and many other cold-hardy animals in a winter wonderland. Or, soak in the heat in Rhode Island's only indoor rainforest. The Tropical America building features free-roaming monkeys and more. Call (401) 785-3510, or visit the Roger Williams Park Zoo (www.rogerwilliamsparkzoo.org) website for more information.

January 3, 2009: Ocean State Follies, Johnston

January 11, 2009: The Last Voyage of the Slave Ship Charlotte: Discoveries of an Archivist, Peace Dale, South Kingstown

2:00pm-4:00pm. Peace Dale Library, 1057 Kingstown Road. Join us for a presentation by Nancy Kougeas, whose archival work in Bristol illuminates the fascinating history of one Rhode Island-based slave ship and the society out of which she sailed. Seating is limited; registration required. Call (401) 789-1555 x112, email jwilson@skpl.org, or visit the Peace Dale Library (www.skpl.org) website for more information.

January 12, 2009: Abraham Lincoln and the Rhode Island Soldier, East Providence

Weaver Library, 41 Grove Avenue. Join author and Civil War historian Robert Grandchamp as we honor the bicentennial of the birth of President Abraham Lincoln. This lecture will be a diverse, in-depth study into Lincoln's complicated relationship with the states and the soldiers who did his bidding. Hear the words of the brave men from Rhode Island who fought and died to save the Union. Artifacts from the period will also be on display. Call (401) 435-1986, or email jmay@eplib.org for more information.

January 14, 2009: An Armchair Tour of Pleasant Street, North Kingstown

7:00pm-8:15pm. North Kingstown Free Library, 100 Boone Street. Local historian Tim Cranston, author of The View from Swamptown, and library staff member Elizabeth Donovan will present an armchair version of a walk on Pleasant Street. Free, but please register by calling (401) 294-3306 x3. Email sberman@nklibrary.org, or visit the North Kingstown Free Library (www.nklibrary.org) website for more information.

January 17, 2009: Ocean State Follies, Johnston

January 18, 2009: Ranger Days, Woonsocket

1:30pm-2:30pm. Museum of Work and Culture, Market Square. URI Professor Scott Molloy will speak on his new book, Irish Titan, Irish Toilers: Joseph Banigan and Nineteenth Century New England Labor, the story of Banigan's rise as Rhode Island's first Irish millionaire and founder of the U.S. Rubber Company. Free. Call (401) 769-9675, email rbacon@rihs.org, or visit the Rhode Island Historical Society (www.rihs.org) website for more information.

January 19, 2009: Public Walk-In Hours at Biomes, North Kingstown

January 21, 2009: Kick N' Chili Night, Warwick

5:00pm-8:00pm. Ocean State Harley-Davidson, 5 Albany Road. Dig out that old family recipe 'cause we're having our 3rd annual "Chili Cook Off"! No problem if you prefer not to cook... we'll have plenty of food. Come on out and be a taste tester. It's an all around country night, so kick off your shoes and join us for some country line dancing! Call (401) 781-6866, or visit the Ocean State Harley-Davidson (www.oceanstatehd.com) website for more information.

January 28, 2009: Lymonsville: A Village, Johnston

Starts at 7:00pm. Elijah Angell House, 101 Putnam Pike. Following the regular monthly meeting of the Johnston Historical Society, researcher Judith A. Bissette will give a presentation on the North Providence village of Lymonsville. Free and open to the public. Call (401) 231-3380, email info@johnstonhistorical.org, or visit the Johnston Historical Society (www.johnstonhistorical.org) website for more information.

January 31, 2009: Rhode Island Mills: Reclaiming an Industrial Legacy, Newport

Starts at 2:00pm. Griswold House, Newport Art Museum, 76 Bellevue Avenue. Roger Williams University professor Richard Greenwood takes a look at the architecture of Rhode Island industry and traces its development through two hundred years of growth, decline, and renewal. Museum members $8; non-members $12. Call (401) 848-2787, email jhambleton@newportartmuseum.org, or visit Newport Art Museum (www.newportartmuseum.org) website for more information.

February 1, 2009: Ranger Days, Woonsocket

1:30pm-2:30pm. Museum of Work and Culture, Market Square. Iona Dobbins, Director of the Gallery of Governors Project, will speak about the restoration of the Rhode Island Governors' portraits in the State House, which are on display at the Museum of Work and Culture until March 15. Free. Call (401) 769-9675, email rbacon@rihs.org, or visit the Rhode Island Historical Society (www.rihs.org) website for more information.

February 2, 2009: Block Island Census, Block Island

Albion Pub, Ocean Avenue. Everyone on-island overnight will be counted! Call (401) 466-2747, or visit the Block Island Chamber of Commerce (www.blockislandchamber.com) website for more information.

February 2, 2010: Block Island Census, Block Island

Albion Pub, Ocean Avenue. Everyone on-island overnight will be counted! Call (401) 466-2747, or visit the Block Island Chamber of Commerce (www.blockislandchamber.com) website for more information.