Calendar
Charitable lights
Arlington Park transforms from a racecourse into a "Wonderland of Lights" for the holiday season. This third annual show allows you to drive through the 1.6-mile course featuring millions of lights accompanied by festive tunes. Proceeds will benefit Clearbrook, a local charity offering opportunities to nearly 3,000 children and adults with developmental disabilities.
When: 5:30 to 9 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays; 5:30 to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; runs Thursday through Jan. 1
Where: Arlington Park, 2200 W. Euclid Ave., Arlington Heights
Cost: $10-$12 per car
Info: (847) 577-4646 or www.clearbrook.org
Play time
The 2007 Chicago Toy and Game Fair opens its doors to the public at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel & Convention Center, 1551 Thoreau Drive, Schaumburg. See some of the latest and classic toys on display and on sale. One-day tickets cost $10; $5 for children. Two-day passes cost $18; $9 for children. Special events like a "Star Wars" breakfast at 9 a.m. Saturday cost extra. www.chitag.com or (312) 268-5900.
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
Vetting for corvettes
The 26th annual Chevy Vettefest features 400,000-square feet of floor room space to ogle the country's best and rarest Chevrolet muscle cars. Owners from as far away as Alabama and Texas display their prize cars, while stars of the racing world like Spiro Pappas and Kaus Zimmer are slated to appear at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, 5555 N. River Road, Rosemont. Tickets cost $14; children younger than 12 admitted free. (847) 692-2222 or www.chevyvettefest.net.
9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday
Period 'Messiah'
Conductor Andrew Lewis and the Elgin Choral Union don't have a time machine, but that hasn't stopped them from trying to re-create the historically accurate sound of Handel's 1742 premiere of his most famous oratorio, "The Messiah." Period 18th-century instruments are used by the Janus Ensemble, while countertenor Ryan Belongie stands in for the Baroque era's famed castrati on the parts typically sung nowadays by mezzo-sopranos. Hear it at the Blizzard Theatre in Elgin Community College's Visual and Performing Arts Center, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin. Tickets cost $23; $18 for seniors; $15 for students; and $5 for children. (847) 622-0300.
7 p.m. Saturday
Awards magnet
Rita Moreno is one of only a few entertainers to have won a Tony ("The Ritz"), Grammy ("The Electric Company Album"), Emmy ("The Rockford Files") and Oscar ("West Side Story"). Along with having reinforced curio shelves, Moreno is also known recently for her TV drama appearances on "Oz" and "Cane." See this amazingly talented woman in concert as part of Centre East's season at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. Tickets cost $70. (847) 673-6300.
3 p.m. Sunday
Parading Thanks
Macy's has its name all over its famed Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York. But die-hard Marshall Field's fans don't have to boycott Chicago's 74th annual Thanksgiving Day because its corporate sponsor is Oak Brook-based McDonald's. So bundle up to see huge helium balloons, marching bands, horse troupes and celebrities (odds are Ronald McDonald will show).
When: 8:30 to 11 a.m. Thursday
Where: State Street between Congress Parkway and Randolph Street, Chicago
Cost: No charge
Info: www.chicagofestivals.org
Magnificent crowds
The holiday shopping season officially gets under way along Chicago's Michigan Avenue with the Harris Bank-sponsored "Holiday Magic: The 2007 Magnificent Mile Lights Festival." Jam the sidewalks between Oak Street and the Chicago River to see Mickey Mouse flip the switch to light up the street's display and stick around for more free entertainment by the likes of KT Tunstall and Justin Roberts. You can also sing along with WLS 890 AM's attempt to set a record by attracting more than 60,000 singers for the World's Largest Holiday Carol.
6 p.m. Saturday
Le jazz hot
"The Jazz Fauré Project," presented by the University of Chicago International House, promises a fusion of "French Impressionism meets American jazz" as classical works by Faure get jazzed up by the likes of pianist Bobby Schiff, singer Claudia Hommel and many more. Experience this intersection of Paris and Chicago at 1414 E. 59th St., Chicago. Tickets cost $10-$15 and $35 for VIP reserved cabaret seating with complimentary wine. (773) 509-9360.
3 p.m. Sunday
Vocal vision
Soprano Danielle de Niese is wowing the crowds as Cleopatra in "Julius Caesar" at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. See de Niese in a more intimate setting when she sings a "Vocal Journeys" recital with pianist Eric Weimer at Preston Bradley Hall in the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St., Chicago. The performance of selections by Mozart, Barber and others is free, but seating is limited. (312) 744-6630.
6:30 p.m. Wednesday
Germany in Chicago
Being quintessentially German at the holidays requires a visit to the village's outdoor Christkindlmarket full of nutcrackers, spiced wine, strudel and more. The German American Chamber of Commerce ensures once again those Germanic season's greetings can be experienced locally with the 12th annual Christkindlmarket Chicago at Daley Plaza near Dearborn and Washington streets in Chicago. About 65 percent of the vendors fly in from Germany to sell their wares. It's open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Admission is free. Call (312) 443-5500 for details.
Opens at 11 a.m. Thursday; through Dec. 24