Weekend to-do list
Last call for holiday lights and free days at the zoo — and Chevy Chase.
Keep season bright with Chevy Chase and ‘Christmas Vacation’
Here’s a post-Christmas present: Comedian and actor Chevy Chase will be at the Riverside Theater Friday, taking part in an audience Q&A following a 30th anniversary screening of “National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.” The 1989 movie, a modern holiday staple, also stars Beverly D’Angelo, Randy Quaid, Juliette Lewis, Johnny Galecki and Doris Roberts, among others. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. at the Riverside, 116 W. Wisconsin Ave. Tickets for the movie and Chase’s rare Milwaukee visit start at $49.50. Info: pabsttheater.org
Climb aboard Trans-Siberian Orchestra at Fiserv Forum
Trans-Siberian Orchestra has made it a tradition to stop in Milwaukee just after Christmas. This year, the pop-metal orchestra brings its high-octane holiday show, “Christmas Eve and Other Stories” to Fiserv Forum, 1111 N. Phillips Ave., for shows at 3:30 and 8 p.m. Friday. Tickets start at $49. Info: fiservforum.com/events
Visit the animals at the Milwaukee County Zoo — for free
It’s prime time for polar bear watching — not the folks diving into Lake Michigan on Jan. 1, but the polar bears and other winter-loving animals at the Milwaukee County Zoo, 10001 W. Blue Mound Road. What makes it prime time, apart from the weather? Admission is free at the zoo through New Year’s Day, as part of the zoo’s Frosty Free
Week. This time of year, the zoo is open 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. weekdays, and 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. (Parking is $12.) Info: milwaukeezoo.org
Do some post-holiday shopping at Milwaukee Music Fest
So, you didn’t get that Mott the Hoople album you wanted for Christmas? You might want to stop by
Milwaukee Music Fest's year-end event, with record dealers selling an array of vinyl albums, CDs and DVDs featuring all sorts of music, from classic to collectible. The sale runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at Four Points by Sheraton Milwaukee Airport, 5311 S. Howell Ave. Admission is $3. Info: Milwaukee Music Fest Facebook page
Get in the ring (well, sit near it) with pro wrestling in Oak Creek
The Midwest Independent Association of Wrestling's “Season Greetings” edition is Saturday, with the first bell clanging at 7:30 p.m. at the Oak Creek Community Center, 8580 S. Howell Ave., Oak Creek. (Hopefully, no fruitcakes will be tossed into the turnbuckle.) Tickets start at $10 (for kids); all kids get a free lucha wrestling mask with admission. Info: occenter.com/miaw-wrestling
Gaze at Milwaukee’s holiday lights (before they go dark)
It’s the last weekend for two of Milwaukee’s brightest holiday traditions, and for its newest.
❚ Candy Cane Lane: The West Allis neighborhood Christmas light display, bounded by Oklahoma and Montana avenues and 92nd and 96th streets, turns off the lights after Saturday. They’ll shine for the last time this season 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, and 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday. Donations go to the MACC Fund — Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer. Info: candycanelanewi.com.
❚ Milwaukee Holiday Lights Festival: The bright lights in the big city — above and along three downtown streets, including Wisconsin Avenue, and in downtown’s Cathedral Square Park, Pere Marquette Park and Zeidler Union Square — go dark after next Wednesday, New Year’s Day. Admission is free. Info: milwaukeedowntown.com.
❚ Winter Wonders: The inaugural Winter Wonders drive-thru holiday lights display, in the area around Boerner Botanical Gardens, wraps up its run after Jan. 1, too. Drivers line up at Whitnall Park Golf Course, 6751 S. 92nd St., Franklin, with the display open from 5 to 9 p.m. daily through New Year’s Day (it’s closed on Tuesday, New Year’s Eve). Tickets are $25 for a carload of up to seven occupants, $50 for larger vans and limos. Info: winterwonders.org. Contact Chris Foran at chris.foran@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @cforan12.