What's Happening in Provo and Orem | Dec 9th, 2024

What’s Up Provo! Happy National Pastry Day! Hopefully an éclair or a croissant is in your future. We’re hoping for some baklava. 🍯 

A few highlights of today’s newsletter:

• Live Nativity at University Mall 🌟 Velour Battle of the Bands 🎸 🆚 🎸 Swingin' In the Holidays Jazz Ensemble 🎷

• BYU freshman wins Food Network competition (anya’s cookies 🍪)

• Pick up your Taste Passport, and other deadlines 📆 

Local Business: anya’s cookies 🍪 

Last April, Anya Fazulyanov, a freshman at BYU, competed in the Food Network’s “Christmas Cookie Challenge”—and she won! The episode only recently aired, read more about it here ➡️ Article

What sets Anya’s cookies apart? Anya says it her ability to create amazing designs. In her own words, “I can turn someone's product into a cookie.”

As a younger teenager she started decorating cookies. And after a few years of perfecting her craft she decided to start marketing her work. “I started doing them (cookies) for celebrities who came to Utah and so it kind of just exploded from there.”

So if you are ever in need of some custom cookies—you know where to look! (She also does classes!)

Check out more of Anya’s designs

Nothing in this section is sponsored. We’ll always let you know if something is sponsored.

The Bulletin 📌 

The Alamo Bowl 🏈 

BYU will play Colorado in the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio. From Deion: “Playing against a wonderful, storied university in BYU is unbelievable. You talk about leadership in (Kalani Sitake) ... don’t get it twisted, he’s a darn football coach, he’s a leader of men and a God-fearing man. So to see him, to watch him, to get the opportunity to meet him at the Big 12 meetings and now being able to compete against him is unbelievable.”
Kickoff will be 5:30pm MST on Dec. 28. | Article | Tickets (starting at $85)

Job opportunities 💻️ 

The Provo School District released their job openings on Dec. 6th. More info
CharityVision in Provo is looking for a proficient Spanish speaker to be their Spanish Country Coordinator (part-time & up to $20/hour). More info

Today
33° | ⛅️ | 10%

Live Nativity at University Mall 🌟 

Tonight is the 7th annual live nativity at University Place (University Mall). There will be music and live animals 🐫 and refreshments!
University Place | 6pm-8pm | More info

Velour Battle of the Bands 🎸 🆚 🎸 

It’s all out war at the Velour. 🤘⚔️

Tonight, Soul Dye, Sage Lane, Mom Dad & Me, and Lemonfern will be battling it out, and only one band will leave victorious. ☠️

Then tomorrow night, after they’ve cleaned up the carnage, a fresh set of contestants will be pitted against each other in another all-out-musical-melee.

The battles will be happening all week! Check out the more info link for the lineup each day. The victors from each day will have one final contest this Saturday.

Velour in Provo | All week long @ 7:30pm | More info

Utah County Christmas Concert 🎼 
If you are looking for a more harmonious and peaceful musical experience 🕊️, the Cantorum Chamber Choir will have a free concert at the Orem Library tonight, with guest performer (harpist) Anamae Anderson.
Orem Library Hall | 7pm | More info

Also:
👉️ Ice sculptures at the Riverwoods
👉️ Final FHE of the year at the MOA
👉️ Print your own Christmas cards at the Crandall Printing Museum (also happening on Dec. 11th and Dec. 13th)

Tuesday
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Wilderness Adventuring with Brenden Rensink 🏔️ 

Utah Valley Historical Society has invited Brenden Rensink (Associate Director of the Charles Redd Center for Western Studies and Professor of History at BYU) to share portions of new research on histories of "wilderness" adventuring and recreation in the American West.

Join the Utah Valley Historical Society at the Provo Library (the event is free and open to all) and learn more about why the American West is so unique. Also, gain insights into the current state of the wilderness in the west—and what it means for those of us who are hoping for unique outdoor experiences in Utah, and other western states, in the years to come.

Provo Library (room 201) | 7pm

💚 Meet the Grinch at University Place
Al’s Sporting Goods has invited the Grinch to be their special guest. Let the kids meet him, get some photos, and maybe a new pickleball paddle.
Al's Sporting Goods | 6pm-8pm | More info

💑 Desk Set (1957, NR)
It’s $2 classic movie time at the Scera. Katharine Hepburn plays a library reference clerk who falls in love with a computer expert (Spencer Tracy), whose super huge mega-computers are about to put her out of a job.
Scera | 10am | More info

Also:
👉️ BYU women’s basketball vs UVU at home @ 7pm
👉️ Jazz concert at BYU @ 7:30pm (free)
👉️ Flute Choir at BYU @ 7:30pm (free)

Wednesday
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It's A Wonderful Life - Radio Play (Opening Night) 🎙️ 

Let George Bailey warm your heart again this year, but this time via Live Radio Play!

Here’s a little more info about what to except from a “live radio play”:
“…staged in a 1940s radio station, this play fills audiences with nostalgia and delights them with a small cast using multiple voices, 1940s style musical radio advertisements, and live, practical sound effects.”

Timpanogos Valley Theatre | (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday thru Dec 21st @ 7pm-10am (December 21 added showing @ 2pm-5pm) | More info

🛍️ Taylor Joelle's Christmas Market 
“Celebrate the season by supporting local businesses and exploring a delightful variety of unique vendors offering one-of-a-kind gifts, handmade crafts, and holiday treasures.” This market starts today and runs until December 13th.
Taylor Joelle (1675 N Freedom Blvd Suite 10G, Provo) | 4pm - 6pm | More info

🎷 Swingin' In the Holidays Jazz Ensemble
If Christmas Cocktail Jazz is one of your top Spotify Christmas playlists, then this is the event for you! Let the cool cats at BYU help you swing in the holidays with this Christmas-themed concert.
BYU Concert Hall | 7:30pm | More info

Also:
👉️ Live Nativity Christmas Celebration in Heber
👉️ John Held, Jr.' Gallery Talk with Guest Curator Glen Nelson at the MOA at 12:10
👉️ BYU Mountain Strings concert ($6-$12) and BYU Trombone Choir (free)
👉️ Santa and friends at Santa’s Village and Mrs. Claus storytime (ticketed) at University Mall

Library Corner 🏛️ 

Every day this week you can go to the Provo library and make a winter bookmark, compete in the winter song lyric competition, or create and then hang your own stocking. (Hang it before Christmas Eve and then come back later to see what treats Santa brought you. 🍭)

But there are also a few one-off events that everyone should know about:

One Man Band: A Christmas Carol 🎅 

"Before I draw nearer to that stone, tell me! Are these the shadows of things that must be, or are they the shadows of things that MIGHT be?"

Here’s a shadow of things that WILL be: Tonight Bryan Johnson will be performing a one man version of A Christmas Carol at the library for free! (But they do ask that you register)

Provo Library Ballroom | Monday @ 7pm - 8pm | More info

Senior Book Club: Founding Mothers 👩🇺🇸 

This week at the Senior Book Club they will be discussing Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation by Cokie Roberts.

“Explores the lives of women who helped shape the United States, including Abigail Adams, Eliza Pinkney, Dolly Payne Madison, Deborah Read Franklin, and Catherine Littlefield Greene.”

Provo Rec Center (Senior Library) | Tuesday @ 1pm | More info

Coming Up… 📆 

Unfortunately, one of the top library events this week, the Creative Gift Wrapping class, is full.😶 So here are some coming up events that aren’t full yet, which we will include this week so you can snag a spot:

☘️ Celtic Christmas - Mon., Dec. 16 - “Dance a jig for Christmas with local Irish band An Rogaire Dubh and the Thomas Cordner Memorial Pipe Band!” Register/More info
🎥 Interactive Family Movie - The Muppet Christmas Carol - Mon., Dec. 23rd - “Kick off your Christmas Break by bringing your whole family to our interactive screening of The Muppet Christmas Carol.” Register/More info

And here are some other events you should know about, but the registration isn’t open yet:

❄️ Learn It: 3D Snowflakes - Jan., 14th - “Add some shimmery snowflakes to your winter décor this year by making your very own 3D snowflakes.” Registration opens Dec. 23rd. More info
🏅Mock Caldecott - Jan., 15th - “Join us for a special Mock Caldecott program to predict what picture book will bring home the award. Come early, starting at 6 PM, to view the books on our list.” Registration opens Jan 1st. More info

(When the registration opens up for these we’ll include a reminder.)

Reminders and Notices ⚠️ 

🗳️ Holiday Window Competition 
The shops downtown have decorated their windows and they need us to vote on which one is the best. The winning shop will win $1000 dollars! Voting ends December 20th. More info

🥙Taste Passport
Not much time left to pick up your Taste Passport from the Orem Library. The grand prizes for this fun and tasty competition could win a 5-night hotel stay in Seoul, Korea or $300 in gift cards! More info

Thanks!

Thanks for reading! Make the most of today! 😉 

-Nicole, Josh, & Carlie

p.s. If someone forwarded this to you, and you aren’t part of the group yet, then sign up here! 👈️