by Andrew Alonzo | calendar@claremont-courier.com

Friday, November 29

• It’s Black Friday, which is considered the official start of the holiday shopping season. In observance, California Botanic Garden, 1500 N. College Ave., Claremont, hosts Green Friday, with free admission from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. RSVP at org. Also, gardener Krista Von Stetten leads a free half-hour planting workshop at 1 p.m. RSVP at calbg.org.
• Ivy Park Living’s Toys for Tots drive starts today and runs through December 21 at 2053 N. Towne Ave., Claremont. Donations of new, unwrapped toys can be dropped off from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Call (909) 317-3602 or email hrmoore@ivyliving.com for more info.
• The Kiwanis Club of Claremont’s annual pop-up See’s Candies store at the former Hibbard Auto Center location, 191 S. Indian Hill Blvd., is open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. through December 24, closed Thanksgiving. The club also has a booth at the Claremont Farmer’s and Artisans Market from 8 a.m. to noon on Sundays through December 22, and is selling online at kiwanis-seescandy.square.site. To place an order in advance, call (909) 260-0168. More info is at org.

• The American Museum of Ceramic Art, at 399 N. Garey Ave., Pomona, invites the public to Black FriGlaze at 11 a.m. or 1 p.m., a pottery workshop starting at $35 including 1 bisque piece, or a ceramic material that has been fired once. RSVP at org/events.

Saturday, November 30

• It’s Small Business Saturday. For a list of local businesses participating in Small Business Saturday, go toclaremontchamber.org.
• The City of Glendora’s Recreation and Human Services Department is requesting donations of new, unwrapped toys and gift cards for its 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. stuff-the-bus toy drive at Walmart, 1950 Auto Center Dr. Donations will go to local families in need. Visit org for more info.
• Chamberlain Choose and Cut, the Claremont-based choose and cut your own pine or cypress tree farm, opens for its 34th season at 10 a.m. today. The farm, located at 3436 Padua Ave., is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday through December 22. Call (909) 626-0243 for more info.

• Inland Valley Repertory Theatre mounts “Winter Wonderettes” at 2 and 7:30 p.m. today, and at 2 p.m. Sunday, December 1 at the University of La Verne’s Morgan Auditorium, 1950 3rd St. Tickets, $45-$55, and info are at org.
• The free and open to the public Novemberfest at Barnes and Noble, 5183 N. Montclair Plaza Ln., Montclair, runs from 3 to 5 p.m. and features arts and crafts, face painting, live musical artists, and giveaways.
• A free and open to the public closing reception for the Claremont Heritage exhibit, “Mike Hill | Earth and Sky Retrospective,” will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. at 840 N. Indian Hill Blvd., Claremont. More info is at org.
• “Tibbies’ Holiday Follies,” a family-friendly show inspired by television specials of holidays past, runs at 7 p.m. tonight, and 2 p.m. Sunday, December 1, at Lewis Family Playhouse, 12505 Cultural Center Dr., Rancho Cucamonga. Tickets, $54-$61, are at com.
• Surf guitar and rock instrumental trio Three on a Match perform a free 21+ 8:30 p.m. show at Rowdy’s Brew Co., 10002 Sixth St., Suite A, Rancho Cucamonga.

Sunday, December 1

• The Jazz Doctors play from 2 to 5 p.m. at this week’s free and public Jazz at College Center concert at 665 E. Foothill Blvd., Claremont. Info is at com.
• The Claremont Symphony Orchestra invites the public to a free 3:30 p.m. program led by guest conductor Alan Medak and featuring soloist John Barcellona at Pomona College’s Bridges Hall of Music, 150 E. Fourth St., Claremont. Visit org for more information.

Monday, December 2

• Pooch Park, 100 S. College Ave., reopens today after a monthlong closure for turf maintenance. For more information, call (909) 399-5431 or visit claremont.ca.us.
• Today’s the deadline for the public to submit feedback on environmental documents for the proposed Ontario Connector project, which would connect the Rancho Cucamonga Metrolink Station and Ontario International Airport with an underground tunnel. Instructions are at com/ontconnector. To submit at comment, email ontconnector@gosbcta.com with “ONT Connector” in the subject line, or write to ONT Connector, care of Tim Watkins, to 1170 W. Third Street, San Bernardino, CA 92810.
• A veterans service officer provides free assistance to veterans and families every Monday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at La Verne Community Center, 3680 D St. Visit org for info.
• Carl Cohn, Professor Emeritus at Claremont Graduate University’s School of Educational Studies, will deliver “The November Election Results: The Potential for Ending the School Cultural Wars Across the Country and Here in California,” a free and open to the public 6 to 7 p.m. discussion, part of Magic Mondays at CGU’s Albrecht Auditorium, 925 N. Dartmouth Ave. RSVP at com/carlcohndec2024.
• Upland’s free 6 p.m. tree lighting ceremony takes place in downtown Upland at East Ninth Street and North Second Avenue.
• La Verne’s free and open to the public tree lighting ceremony, featuring live entertainment and a visit from Santa Claus, takes place at 6 p.m. at La Verne City Hall, 3660 D. St.
• Pomona College’s Balinese Gamelan play a free and public 8 p.m. concert at Bridges Hall of Music, 150 E. Fourth St., Claremont. Doors open about 7:30.

Tuesday, December 3

• Today is GivingTuesday, which encourages donations to local and national nonprofits. Info is at org.
• Free and open to the public story times with Santa take place from 11 to 11:15 a.m. at Montclair Place’s Center Court, 5060 E. Montclair Plaza Ln., on Tuesdays, December 3, 10 and 17. More info is at com/event.
• The Friends of the Claremont Library’s holiday fine book sale runs through December 31 at the Claremont Helen Renwick Library, 208 N. Harvard Ave., from noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. Books in the display case and on burgundy carts are eligible for discounts.
• Brian Palmer-Rubin, associate professor of political science and international relations at USC, delivers “Social Capital and Export Agriculture in Mexico: Evidence from a Survey Experiment,” a free noon Zoom lecture as part of Claremont Graduate University’s Tuesday Talks Learn more or sign up at cgu.edu/event/tuesday-talks.
• The Benton Museum of Art, 120 W. Bonita Ave., Claremont, hosts free and open to the public World AIDS Day lectures at 4 and 5 p.m. Visit edu/museum to learn more.
• Ovitt Family Community Library, 215 E. C St., Ontario, celebrates national 3D Printing Day by offering opportunities for adult patrons to make printable models using the TinkerCad software at a free 6 to 8 p.m. workshop. Learn more at gov/events.
• Claremont Planning Commission meets at 7 p.m. at council chambers, 225 W. Second St. Agendas are posted online and at city hall the Thursday before the meeting. Visit claremont.ca.us for info.
• Harvey Mudd College hosts a free student recital from 7 to 8 p.m. at Drinkward Recital Hall at the Shanahan Center, 320 E. Foothill Blvd., Claremont. More info is at edu/calendar.
• Free and open to the public Pomona College student recitals take place from 7 to 9 p.m. today and December 4 at Thatcher Music Building’s Lyman Hall, 340 N. College Ave., Claremont.

Wednesday, December 4

• Seniors can learn about Medicare during a free seminar at 9:30 a.m. at La Verne Community Center, 3680 D St. Call (909) 596-8776 to RSVP.
• Jeffrey Post, author and curator in charge of gems and minerals at the National Museum of Natural History talks about his book, “The Smithsonian National Gem Collection Unearthed: Surprising Stories Behind the Jewels,” at a free 11 a.m. virtual author talk. Register at lacountylibrary.org/event.
• Plaza West Covina, 112 Plaza Dr., invites the public to donate new, unwrapped gifts for children in need during the California Highway Patrol’s CHiPs for Kids Toy Drive from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. inside the mall, between Best Buy and Forever 21. More info is at com.
• Claremont Helen Renwick Library, 208 N. Harvard Ave., hosts a free and public noon to 4 p.m. Naloxone (Narcan) clinic. Learn more at lacountylibrary.org/event.
• The National Hot Rod Association hosts twilight cruise nights, a free and open to the public car show, from 4 to 7 p.m. at NHRA Motorsports Museum, 1101 W. McKinley Ave., Pomona. This month’s event will double as a California Highway Patrol CHiPs for Kids Toy Drive. Info is at com.
• Young people ages 13-18 can work with library staff at the Lewis Family Branch Library, 3850 E. Riverside Dr., Ontario, to create gifts for loved ones during a free 4 to 5:30 p.m. event.
• The Glendora Chamber of Commerce hosts a 6 to 9 p.m. holiday mixer at CocoVino Los Angeles, 131 N. Glendora Ave. Bring a gift for the scavenger hunt. RSVP, $55 for members, $70 for non-members, at glendora-chamber.org.
• The annual free and open to the public Music Mania Holiday Recital, featuring elementary and middle school students from Uncommon Good, takes place at 6:45 p.m. at Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum, 385 E. Eighth St., Claremont. Angie Gushue, Kate Huh, and Samyuktha Natesan are this year’s Music Mania Learn more at cmc.edu/athenaeum.

Thursday, December 5

• Children ages 2 to 5 can learn songs, rhymes and movement skills during the Claremont Helen Renwick Library’s free 10:15 a.m. smarty pants story time at 208 N. Harvard Ave. Go to lacountylibrary.org/event to RSVP.
• Those taking photos with Santa Claus at Montclair Place, 5060 E. Montclair Plaza Ln., are encouraged to wear ugly sweaters on Thursdays. Photos are offered is from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. today. Register for a photo at com/event.
• Claremont Graduate University School of Arts and Humanities History Department’s hosts a free 4 to 5 p.m. forum, “From Graduate Studies to Public Historian: Reflections on Applied Practice After Graduation” led by CGU history alumnus Jeffrey Griffith, at the IAC Library, 831 N Dartmouth Ave., Claremont. Email hernandez2@cgu.edu to register.
• Pomona Public Library, 625 S. Garey Ave., invites hosts a free and open to the public 4:30 p.m. crochet lab led by Khaos Crafts.
• A 5 to 7:30 p.m. holiday mixer hosted by the San Dimas Chamber of Commerce is $20 for members and non-members at West Park Senior Living, 801 Cypress Way, San Dimas. RSVP at sandimaschamber.org/events.
• Matthew Jaramillo, founder of Yarntario, invites the public to a free 5 to 8 p.m. coaster-making workshop at Ontario Museum of History and Art, 225 S. Euclid Ave. RSVP at org/programs.
• Children’s Foundation of America’s holiday gala, Winter Wonderland, takes place from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at Padua Hills Theatre, 4467 Padua Ave. Tickets are $150 and include a cocktail hour, photo opportunities, festive activities, client testimonies, a silent auction, dinner, and more. Register at org.
• Los Angeles artist Anna Wingfield leads a 6 to 8 p.m. workshop at the Benton Museum of Art, 120 W. Bonita Ave., Claremont. Registration is $20 at edu/museum.
• Montclair hosts Holly Jolly Holiday, a free and open to the public 6 to 8:30 p.m. tree lighting ceremony that also features photos with Santa Claus, at the Montclair Youth Center, 5111 Benito St. More info is at org/holly-jolly-holiday.
• The second annual free and open to the public Athenaeum Singing Party will be held at the Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum, 385 E. Eighth St., Claremont, at 6:45 p.m. More info is at edu/athenaeum.
• Film and Broadway producer Michael Alden teams up with composer and music producer Micah Huang and his father Hao Huang, the Scripps Frankel Chair of Music at Scripps College, for “Recalling Spirits,” a free and open to the public 7 to 9 p.m. event at Balch Auditorium, 1030 Columbia Ave., Claremont. Tickets are at edu/events/calendar.

Friday, December 6

• This month’s 7 a.m. Upland Chamber of Commerce networking breakfast event at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, 555 W. Foothill Blvd., Claremont, will double as a gift drive for CASA of San Bernardino County. To join the breakfast and participate in the ugly sweater contest, RSVP at org/event. Tickets are $23 for members, $28 for non-members.
• Fairplex’s Harvest Festival, a holiday arts and crafts event, opens at 10 a.m. December 6-8 at 1101 W. McKinley Ave., Pomona. Tickets are $5, or free for children 12 and under. Head to com/pomona for more info.
• The war and existentialism book club meets at Joslyn Center, 660 N. Mountain Ave., Claremont, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. the first Friday of each month. December’s read is “The Killer Angels,” by Michael Shaara.
• Claremont Helen Renwick Library hosts a free 10:30 a.m. book club at 208 N. Harvard Ave. This month’s tome is “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.
• The first Friday of the month is pay what you can day from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at American Museum of Ceramic Art, 399 N. Garey Ave., Pomona. Today also marks the beginning of AMOCA’s holiday sale, which features docent-led tours, and a collector’s marketplace through Sunday, December 8. Info is at org.
• The City of Claremont’s free and open to the public Holiday Promenade kicks off at 5 p.m. in the Village. The tree lighting ceremony is set for 6 p.m. at the Claremont Depot, 200 W. First St. Pictures with Santa will be available from 5 to 8 p.m. at city hall, where entertainment from the Moultrie Academy runs from 6:30 to 8 p.m. More info is at claremont.ca.us.
• Jiadi Liu performs a free and open to the public 5 p.m. concert at Albrecht Auditorium, 925 N. Dartmouth Ave., Learn more or attend virtually at cgu.edu/event.
• Rancho Cucamonga’s IncredAbles Friday Night Fun Club invites special needs children ages 8 and up to its 5:30 to 8 p.m. Holly Jolly holiday dance at Central Park, 11200 Base Line Rd. Tickets are $6 at us/events.

Saturday, December 7

• The first seating for Breakfast with Santa Claus at Central Park, 11200 Base Line Rd., Rancho Cucamonga, begins at 8:30 a.m., with the second at 10:30. Tickets are $25 for children ages 3 to 17, $20 for adults. Children under 3 are free. For more info or to register go to us/events.
• Finkbiner Park, 160 N. Wabash Ave., Glendora, hosts a free and open to the public 9 to 10:30 a.m. gingerbread house decorating party. For more information, call (626) 852-4891.
• The special needs community is invited to meet and greet Santa Claus from 10 a.m. to noon at Blaisdell Community Center, 440 S. College Ave., Claremont. RSVP at apm.activecommunities.com/claremontrecreation, search “Santa.”
• Help the Pomona Police Department fill cruisers with toys for children in need during a 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. toy driveat Target, 701 Rio Rancho Rd., Pomona.
• La Verne Community Center, 3680 D St., hosts brunch with Santa Claus from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tickets are $10. Call (909) 596-8776 to RSVP.
• Upland invites furry friends for free photos with Santa Claus from 10 a.m. to noon at Baldy View Dog Park, between Mountain and San Antonio avenues.
• Performances of Inland Pacific Ballet’s annual winter show, “The Nutcracker,” are set for 2 p.m. December 7-8 and 21-22 at Pomona College’s Bridges Auditorium, 450 N. College Way, Claremont. Shows will also be held at 2 p.m. December 14-15 at the Fox Performing Arts Center, 3801 Mission Inn Ave., Riverside. Tickets, $39-$101, are at org.
• Children’s Foundation of America volunteers begin this year’s gift-wrapping fundraiser at Montclair Place, 5060 N. Montclair Ln., at 2 p.m. Efforts will continue through December 24. Information and hours are listed at com.
• The deadline is 3 p.m. to donate gifts or monetary donations for the Kiwanis Club of Claremont and Inland Valley Hope Partners’ annual Adopt-A-Family program. Gifts can be dropped off at the Claremont Kiwanis See’s Candies pop-up store, 191 S. Indian Hill Blvd., weekdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visit org to sign up to purchase items on the list.
• The Claremont Chorale performs “Christmas Classique” at 4 p.m. at Claremont Presbyterian Church, 1111 N. Mountain Ave. Admission is $25 for those over 17 and $15 for children ages 6 to 16. Children 5 and under are free. Go to org/concerts for more info.
• Auralynn Nguyen leads a 4 to 6 p.m. Ikebana flower arrangement workshop at the Ginger Elliott Center, 840 N. Indian Hill Blvd., Claremont. Tickets are $50. RSVP at bigcartel.com.
• Browse artwork around the City of Trees during the free and open to the public 6 to 9 p.m. Claremont Art Walk.