NOWOMAHA / LOCAL FIELD NOTES
Council Bluffs’ holiday week: Santa at the Dodge House, Jim Brickman and a $6 craft show
From Dec. 5 to 12, the Historic General Dodge House runs four holiday events, and the Mid-America Center and the Arts Center fill in the rest of the week.
The first full week of December is a good one to cross the river. The Historic General Dodge House, the mansion on South Third Street, has four holiday events in eight days, and two of the city’s bigger venues add a craft show and a concert.
Saturday, Dec. 5: Breakfast With Santa. One seating at 10 a.m.: breakfast with Santa, a reading of The Night Before Christmas and crafts in the basement. It is $15 per person and you must pre-register by Dec. 3. The ballroom is on the third floor and there is no elevator, which matters if you are bringing a stroller or a grandparent.
Same weekend: the Callahan craft show. At the Mid-America Center, the Callahan Promotions Arts & Crafts Show runs 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $6, kids under 10 are free and parking is free.
Sunday, Dec. 6: A Day with the Dodges. From 1 to 5 p.m. the decorated house fills with Cantare Omaha singers and costumed characters. Regular admission applies, paid at the door.
Thursday, Dec. 10: Family Night. The cheapest Santa visit of the week is priced per family: $15 covers up to two adults and six kids. Make a craft in the Beresheim House next door, tour the mansion, then have cookies and cocoa, 6 to 8 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 11: Jim Brickman. The pianist brings his annual Christmas tour to the Arts Center at Iowa Western at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are through the Arts Center box office.
Saturday, Dec. 12: Christmas by Candlelight. The mansion is lit only by tree lights and candles for an evening tour from 6 to 10 p.m. Check in at the Beresheim House; register through the Dodge House events page.
Dates, prices and times are from the Dodge House, Council Bluffs CVB and Arts Center pages as of Nov. 12, re-checked Nov. 13. All six are on our calendar.