Community Calendar

Build a personal gingerbread house and decorate a giant gingerbread playhouse.

Missouri is home to some strange wildlife. And winter weather shows just how strange-but-true some native critters can be. Did you know that some frogs freeze nearly solidly in winter – and then thaw in the spring?! Some owls start nesting in January and their eggs can survive temperatures of 10 degrees or below freezing! Ground squirrels sleep for six months – without waking up!

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) invites everyone to learn more about these and other strange-but-true animal facts by joining its Wild Webcast on Wildlife Weathering Winter on Wednesday, Dec. 17, from noon to 1 p.m. MDC Naturalist Sarah Easton will share fun facts about Missouri wildlife in winter – including information from the MDC book, Strange but True.

Register at mdc.webex.com/weblink/register/reaeb5ed495fb39f98dd574dd5120fca0 and then join the webcast live at noon on Dec. 17. Participants will receive an email confirmation that includes information on how to join the webinar. Check junk mail or spam folders for registration confirmation.

Strange but True was adapted from the pages of MDC’s Xplor magazine and features 350 weird and wild facts and illustrations about creatures that inhabit Missouri. Buy it for $8.95 at MDC nature centers, through the MDC online Nature Shop at mdcnatureshop.com or by calling 877-521-8632. Applicable tax, shipping, and handling costs will apply.

Pre-Registration Required

Beginners 6:00 - 7:30 PM

Experienced 7:30 - 9:00 PM

The Springfield Ringers community handbell choir will present A Christmas Celebration December 17 at the Chapel at Maranatha Village.

A care-free girl is sold to a traveling entertainer, consequently enduring physical and emotional pain along the way. (NR, 108 min.)

Essential Arthouse: This monthly series showcases “essential arthouse” films everyone should see on the big screen. Arthouse is a film genre which encompasses films where the content and style – often artistic or experimental – adhere with as little compromise as possible to the filmmakers’ personal artistic vision. This series is Free for Members.

There has never been a face quite like that of Giulietta Masina. Her husband, the legendary Federico Fellini, directs her as Gelsomina in La Strada, the film that launched them both to international stardom. Gelsomina is sold by her mother into the employ of Zampanò (Anthony Quinn), a brutal strongman in a traveling circus. When Zampanò encounters an old rival in highwire artist the Fool (Richard Basehart), his fury is provoked to its breaking point. With La Strada Fellini left behind the familiar signposts of Italian neorealism for a poetic fable of love and cruelty, evoking brilliant performances and winning the hearts of audiences and critics worldwide.

Starring: Giulietta Masina, Anthony Quinn, Richard Basehart
Director: Federico Fellini
Languages: Italian
Genre: Drama

Adults are invited to attend Travelogue at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 18, at the Schweitzer Brentwood Branch Library, 2214 Brentwood Blvd.

From Denmark’s royal castles and Norway’s mountains and waterfalls to Sweden’s historic sites and vibrant cities, explore Scandinavia through Library staff member Becca Harris’ account of three countries in under two weeks.

For more information on this free program call 417-883-1974.

Adults are invited to attend Christmas & Country Music with Dottie Dillard and Anita Kerr at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 18, in the Library Center Hatch Auditorium, 4653 S. Campbell Ave.

In the 1950s and ’60s, Springfield’s own Dottie Dillard joined Anita Kerr and the Anita Kerr Quartet as backup singers on a quarter of all Nashville recordings — about 200 songs a year after the group formed in 1956. They helped create the "Nashville Sound," blending country with pop rhythms and themes. Explore the voices of Anita Kerr and Dottie Dillard in the quartet and enjoy their classic Christmas songs and Nashville hits.

For more information on this free program call 417-882-0714.

The Historic Gillioz Theatre Presents:
Ancient Aliens Live

Thursday, December 18th, 2025
Doors: 6:30PM
Show: 7:30PM
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The ninety-minute live experience celebrates the long-running program Ancient Aliens on The HISTORY Channel and features leading Ancient Astronaut theorist Giorgio A. Tsoukalos, investigative mythologist William Henry, UK government UFO investigator Nick Pope, and ancient civilizations expert, Jason Martell, as they discuss thought-provoking extraterrestrial theories on fan-favorite topics from Ancient Egypt to the moon, paving the long road to Disclosure.

Ancient Aliens LIVE is an experiential extension of Ancient Aliens that explores the theory that extraterrestrials have visited Earth for thousands of years.

VIP POST-SHOW PHOTO OP tickets are also available. You must purchase BOTH a show ticket AND a VIP Add-On in order to attend the photo-op.

The Springfield Fire Department will host Fire Safety Story Time at the new Fire Station 3.14 inside the Discovery Center on December 19.

Please note: admission to this event is free but DOES NOT include Discovery Center admission.

The Dade County Community Theatre will present A Twisted Christmas Carol by Phil Olson December 12-20 at the Dade County ArtConnect Center.

Tickets are required.