Arts events: Dec. 2 through Dec. 4, 2016

For more upcoming events, click here for The Chester Telegraph calendar. To be included in our Upcoming Events briefs, email Susan Lampe-Wilson at calendar@chestertelegraph.org. Photos welcome. No PDFs, please. Notices must be received by noon on Fridays to be eligible for publication the following week.

Dec. 2: River Theater presents ‘Charlie Brown Christmas’

The River Theater Co. of Charlestown announces its first offering of the season, a youth musical production of the family classic, A Charlie Brown Christmas, presented at 7 p.m., Friday, Dec. 2 at the Acworth Town Hall 13 Town Hall Road Acworth, N.H. and at 7 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 3 at the Charlestown Town Hall, on Main Street in Charlestown, N.H.

A Christmas carol sing-a-long and refreshments will follow the performances.

Tickets are available at the door for $10, or a family ticket for $25 (two parents and children). More details about its productions will be posted on the River Theater Company Facebook page. The company welcomes new members interested in performing or working in technical and other capacities.

Dec. 3: ‘Clara’s Cracked Christmas’ at Claremont Opera House

Stardancer Studios suggest people make their production of Clara’s Cracked Christmas; an annual tradition to share with friends and family in celebration of the spirit of the season.

The show runs at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3 and at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 4 at Claremont Opera House, 58 Opera House Square, Claremont, N.H.

Clara’s Cracked Christmas is a modern version of the Nutcracker.

There are more than 80 local dancers ranging in age from 3 to adult in this production.

Tickets are $17 and $14 children age 12 and under are available by calling 603-542-4433, stopping in at the office at 58 Opera House Square in the City Hall Complex or in-house at Stardancer Studios at 23 John Stark Highway Newport, N.H. and Jenkins School of Dance in Claremont, N.H.

Dec. 4: Fiddle and banjo music with the Speckers

On Sunday, Dec. 4 from 2 to 4 p.m. Andover’s fiddling family, the Speckers present a Concert of Acoustic Fiddle and Banjo Music, including Revolutionary and Civil War era hits at Andover Town Hall at 953 Weston Andover Road in Chester.

The band consists of John Specker, his daughters Lila and Ida Mae and two grandchildren. Whether you fancy “Boil ’em Cabbage Down,” “Old Molly Hare” or trekking through the “Cumberland Gap,” the afternoon’s repertory preserves the challenges, triumphs and joys of early American life. Admission is free and all are welcome.

Visit www.thespeckers.com for additional information.

— Susan Lampe-Wilson