Hickory – This weekend the Hickory Community Theatre is the place to celebrate the Christmas season, with three shows that capture the magic of the holiday.

First is the musical Beautiful Star, an Appalachian Nativity, a home-grow bluegrass musical about the Christmas pageant at a church in the Blue Ridge mountains. Performances are on Thursday Dec 13 at 7:30pm Friday and Saturday Dec 14 & 15 at 8:00pm, and Sunday Dec 16 at 2:30pm. Thursday night tickets for adults and seniors are $16, students and children are $10. Tickets for Friday, Saturday and Sunday are $20 for adults, $18 for seniors and $10 for students and youth 18 & under.

Saturday afternoon is the final matinee performance of the original play Tiny Tim’s Christmas Carol. This charming take on the familiar classic still has Scrooge and the four ghosts but is narrated by Tiny Tim himself. The performance is at 2:30pm on Saturday, Dec 15. Tickets are $10 each for all ages.

Finally there is Jackie Finley and Nathan Hefner’s Annual Christmas Concert at the Theatre on Monday, Dec 17. This year the theme is “Oscar Winning Christmas” featuring Academy Award-winning songs by famous songwriters like Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer, accompanied by Rick Cline and a fabulous orchestra. Special guests include local favorite Ulysses Long, a former finalist on “America’s Got Talent” and “American Idol” Top 40 contestant Johnny White. The concert starts at 8:00pm and tickets are $25 each, general admission.

Tickets for all of these events are on sale online at hickorytheatre.org or through the Theatre box office, in person or by phone at 828-328-2283. Box office hours are 12-5 Wednesday through Saturday this week..

The Hickory Community Theatre is a Funded Affiliate of the United Arts Council of Catawba County. The 2018-2019 Season is sponsored by Paramount Automotive and A Cleaner World. Beautiful Star, an Appalachian Nativity is produced by Sunbelt Xpress and The Guild at Hickory Community Theatre.

PHOTO: (from left) Kaylyn Hall and Jared Wachsmuth in Beautiful Star, an Appalachian Nativity. The home-grown bluegrass Christmas musical is one of three holiday events on stage at the Hickory Community Theatre this weekend, December 13th through the 17th. Photo by Ken Burns.