• The Passage Theatre Company’s production of Trenton Lights runs through June 6. From the website: “A musical play that reaches beyond the headlines, history books and news reports, Trenton Lights is a theatrical revelation of the many voices that make Trenton, NJ what it is today … and will be tomorrow.” The show has been written up in the New York Times and is getting positive reviews all around.
  Thursday – Saturday, 8:00 p.m., Sunday 3:00 p.m., tickets from $25
• Patriots Theater at the War Memorial presents Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma, conducted by Francesco La Vecchia, in their U.S. debut tour.
  Wednesday, June 6, 7:30 p.m., tickets from $19
• The Trenton Film Society’s Wednesday Night Film Series has started up again at Café Olé. This week (June 2) is Alfred Hitchcock’s classic Vertigo, which really cannot be watched too many times in our opinion.
  Wednesdays, 7:00 p.m., suggested donation $5
• If you haven’t yet seen the Ellarslie Open, which has works both at Ellarslie and at Artworks, you really should get on with it. Amazing works by local artists in a wide variety of genres. The Artworks show is almost over, so get on over there this weekend!
  Through June 1 at Artworks
  Through June 20 at Ellarslie
• Ellarslie is also offering some interactive activities this summer. For adults, award-winning artist Marge Chavoosian will be teaching a plein air watercolor workshop. And for the kids, Ellarslie, together with Passage Theatre Company, is hosting a summer art and theatre camp for budding artists and actors ages 6-13.
  Plein Air Workshop: Saturday, June 5, 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., $50 for members, $60 for non-members
  Summer Art & Theatre Camp: July 26 – August 6, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., $200 for members, $250 for non-members
• Artworks’ fantastic annual Art All Night event is coming up on June  19-20. Artists of all ages and skill levels, in all media, can submit one piece each at the event’s registration table. Then, for 24 hours (in a row), visitors can enjoy all the art submissions, along with food, music, and general frivolity. It is not to be missed.
  Registration (for artists): June 18, 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. and June 19, 8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
  Event: 3:00 p.m. June 19 – 3:00 p.m. June 20
  And they still need volunteers!

Other weekend options….

• This Friday is Trenton2Nite, featuring Latin jazz at Gallery 125, Irish music at The Barn on West Front St, poetry, yoga, and more.
• Passage Theatre’s Solo Flights series continues through April 3 with single-person performances that range from comedic autobiography to ragtime piano. Tickets from $20.
• On Saturday, 12:30 – 4:00 pm, the William Trent House will teach visitors how to make and write with a quill pen. Plus you’ll learn what a hornbook is.
• Planetarium shows are always free on the second Saturday of the month at the New Jersey State Museum, and this week they are also presenting a free performance for kids by comic Marc Lohr.
• Classics’ meet the candidates series continues with at-large council candidate Missy Balmir, Saturday at 2:00 p.m.
• The Harlem Globetrotters are coming to play the Sun Center Sunday at noon. Tickets from $19.

The South Trenton Area Residents’ Society (STARS) has decided to embark on a bit of neighborhood beautification, and they’re working to paint a mural and build a community garden and sculpture park on an empty lot on the corner of Steamboat and Asbury. The photo above, from their website, is an artist’s rendering of what that might look like (you can also check out what that particular lot looks like right now; hint: not as pretty). Read more about their effort in this article from Tuesday’s Times of Trenton, and then help them out by attending their silent auction fundraiser on Saturday, February 27, at 6:00 p.m. at Artworks. Seems like something we should all be able to get behind, doesn’t it? Plus, isn’t it nice, in the midst of yet another snowstorm, just to think about gardens and parks and being outside in the sunshine?

A few other weekend happenings, for your consideration.

• The Trenton Film Society will be showing all the Academy-Award-nominated short films (live action and animated) on Saturday, February 27, starting at noon. For a mere 25 bucks, you can see them all, and impress your friends with your vast knowledge of the new Wallace and Gromit at that Oscar party.
• Classics is continuing its series of meet-and-greet sessions with the Trenton mayoral candidates on Saturday, February 27, with Tony Mack at noon and Annette Lartigue at 2:00 p.m.
• Calling all AV geeks! Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton is hosting the Trenton Area Festival of Electronic Arts on Saturday, February 27, from noon to 6:00 p.m., featuring performances, exhibits, and seminars, along with an e-drum circle and an open Personal Media Player jam.
• The Trenton War Memorial presents comic Lisa Lampanelli on Saturday, February 27, at 8:00 p.m. A regular on Leno and Howard Stern, she is, according to her own website, “a cross between Don Rickles, Archie Bunker, and a vial of estrogen.” She said it, not me. **UPDATE** This show has been postponed. Call the box office at (609) 984-8400 for more information.
• Ellarslie is hosting the Volanti Flute Quartet on Sunday, February 28, at 2:00 p.m. According to the program description, the Princeton quartet’s name “was inspired by Aure volanti, an aria from an early opera by Francesca Caccini. It involves multiple flutes and evokes wandering breezes, warbling songbirds, and waving meadows. The aria is sung by nymphs, describing the pleasures of their island to a shipwrecked sailor in the hope of detaining him there.” And I’m guessing we could all use some warbling songbirds and waving meadows right about now.

Other options for your weekend include:

• The Trenton Devils play the Reading Royals on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. at the Sun Center. Let’s Go Devils!
• Eric Jackson, one of Trenton’s 10 mayoral candidates, is doing a meet-and-greet at Classics on Saturday at noon. Come out and get to know him, and find out what his intentions are for our beloved city.
• Ellarslie’s annual Taste of Chocolate fundraising event is on Saturday at 8:00 p.m., and features music by guitarist Greg Merkle, live and silent auctions, and, of course, lots and lots of chocolate. Tickets are $35 in advance; $40 at the door.
• If you don’t want to feel guilty about eating all that chocolate at Ellarslie, may we recommend a little Saturday morning boot camp? Chris Amaro of “Fit Body Boot Camp” in Pennington is running a two-hour session at 7:00 a.m. on Saturday, which, in addition to being good for you, is a fundraiser for the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen. The requested donation amount is $25, but if you pay more you don’t have to work out the whole time. (Okay, I made that last part up. But I bet you could donate more than $25 if you wanted to. TASK is a great organization, and they could really use the help.)
• Also on Saturday, the William Trent House is hosting a colonial candy making event from 12:30-4. (See, that boot camp idea is seeming better and better, isn’t it?)
• The PrimeTime Shootout comes to the Sun Center this Saturday and Sunday. Called “the best high school hoops event in the nation,” PrimeTime Shootout is the nation’s top invitational tournament showcasing the finest high school basketball teams and players. Tickets start at $13.50; doors open at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday and 10:00 a.m. on Sunday.

Oh, and right, it’s Valentine’s Day on Sunday. If you are still looking for a gift for your sweetheart, the TDA put together a list of options for you. Nobody’s judging…but you better get out there quick!

• On Saturday the William Trent House is hosting food historian Kimberly Costa in a program called “Spotted Dog and Boiled Baby,” which will explore those 18th-century culinary delights and others with possibly less hilarious names. There will be tastings, too, so you can find out exactly what boiled baby tastes like, if you’re curious. (Food historian sounds like an awesome job, right?) The program starts at 2:00 p.m.
• Artworks‘ current photography exhibit, Meta-More-Faces, is up and getting good buzz. Also, they’re still looking for an event director for Art All Night, which seems like a pretty cool gig if you ask me.
• Trenton’s very popular Knit-n-Stitch group is having its last meeting at Classics Books on Saturday at noon–they’ve become so popular they can’t fit in the back of the store anymore! So grab your needles and go cram in there for their final meetup at their original location.
• Ellarslie’s Young Artists exhibit is still up for your perusal–go check out the work of some of our promising Trenton youngsters. Ellarslie also has several upcoming workshops, including a 2-session photography workshop that starts this Saturday and a 6-week yoga class starting February 6. There are also several workshops for kids…if they’re already tired of their Christmas presents it might be worth checking these out. The children’s classes are appropriate for kids in grades K-4, and advanced registration is required for all classes.
• The planetarium at the New Jersey State Museum has a new show: Extreme Planets shows us water worlds, molten landscapes, inhabitable moons, and more. The truth is out there. Shows at 2:00 and 4:00, Saturday and Sunday.

And finally, if you like having things to do in Trenton, maybe you’d like to participate in developing a comprehensive strategy for cultural heritage tourism in the city. Join the folks from the Trenton Downtown Association for a collaborative meeting on Thursday, January 28th at 6:00 p.m. at the Masonic Temple on Barrack St.

• The Young Artists at Ellarslie 2010 exhibit opens today, with an opening reception next Saturday, January 16, at 3:00 p.m.
• And if that’s not enough art for you, Artworks opens its Meta-More-Faces exhibit tonight with a reception from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. Also, Artworks is looking for someone to coordinate 2010′s Art All Night event…if you’re interested, check out the job description here.
• Classics has its regular array of Saturday activities today: Knit and Stitch at noon, and then at 2:00 Chef E’s Cultural Collaborative will meet for poetry, music, and general good times.
• The Monster Truck Winter Nationals show continues today at the Sun National Bank Center. Featured monster trucks include Crushstation, Git’er Done, and Viper, in case you were wondering. And also at the SNBC (is that what we’re calling it?), local Westminster Choir College student Richard Crandle appears in Hairspray, Tuesday night at 6:30.
• Singer-songwriter Mary Gauthier comes to the Patriots Theater at the Trenton War Memorial this Thursday, January 14, at 7:00 p.m.

And of course, there’s more.

• On Friday it’s time once again for Trenton2Nite, and this week, Santa’s making an appearance. Take your kids to Gallery 125 and plop them down on Santa’s lap for photo ops. It’s free, and we bet the lines will be shorter than at the mall. And even if they’re not, there’ll be hot chocolate and cookies and fine company to help pass the time. Other T2N excitement includes local favorites The Blue Method at The Phoenix (formerly Maxine’s, 120 South Warren), Christmas carols by the Capital Singers of Trenton, the Artworks annual holiday art sale opening reception (the sale continues on Saturday), and the proverbial much, much more.
• Also on Friday is the Christmas tree lighting ceremony outside City Hall, at 5:00 pm. Who doesn’t love a good tree lighting?
• The Friends of the Trenton Public Library are having a book sale at the library’s main branch at 120 Academy Street. Thursday and Friday 11:30-4:30; Saturday 10-4.  New and used books: adult, children’s, paperbacks, large print, videos & CDs, plus handmade items and baked goods. All proceeds from the sale are used to support the Trenton Free Public Library’s programs and collections.
• Ladies in their underwear will be playing football again at the Sun National Bank Center. Friday, 9:00 pm. Tickets $15-$105. (That’s not a typo. There are seriously tickets to this that cost over $100.)
• The Passage Theatre presents Holiday Musicale, featuring performances by some of your favorite Passage Theatre performers and other local musicians, including Samuel Frisby, whose day job is as Trenton’s Director of the Department of Recreation, Natural Resources, and Culture. Apparently he takes his recreation and culture quite seriously! Saturday and Sunday only, tickets $25.
• Classics Used Books has its typical fabulous lineup of weekend events, including Scrabble on Friday night at 6:30, and meetings of the Knit & Stitch group (at noon) and the young adult book group (at 2:00) on Saturday.

So it’s a big weekend! Take some time off from your holiday madness and come join the fun!

Also, just so you know (and in case you couldn’t tell), this is a very low-rent operation, and we get our info on Trenton area events almost entirely from reading the paper and surfing the web. If you have events you’d like us to list here, send us an email at tweetingtrenton@gmail.com. We’d be happy for the help!

The house tour starts at Artworks (Everett Alley and Stockton Street), which opens its Through the Eyes of a Tornado photography show on Saturday as well.  The show, curated by I Am Trenton, features photos by 35 students from Trenton Central High School. The opening reception is Saturday 6:00-9:00 pm.

Here are a few other noteworthy happenings this weekend:

• One of our top five favorite places on earth (or at least in New Jersey), the Trenton Farmers Market, is hosting one of Slow Food Central New Jersey’s “Eat Local” winter farmers markets on Friday night from 5:00 to 8:00 pm. The event features cooking demonstrations and music, and of course the regular vendors will be there, so there will be produce, pie, cheese, and more… mmmm.
• The Trenton Devils play the Reading Royals at the Sun National Bank Center, Friday at 7:00 pm and Sunday at 4:00 pm. Let’s Go De-vils (clap, clap, clapclapclap).
• The 1719 William Trent House is also all decked out for Christmas and having its annual holiday open house this weekend. Saturday noon-5:00 pm and Sunday 1:00-4:00 pm.
• The Trenton City Museum (Ellarslie) is hosting its annual holiday sale this weekend. Do a little holiday shopping and support the museum and the local artists whose wares it sells. The sale features original paintings by distinguished local artists, hand-crafted jewelry, and collectible Stangl pottery (while you’re there check out the Stangl pottery exhibit too). Sale hours are Fri 11-7, Sat 11-5, Sun 12-4.
• Princeton Pro Musica is performing Handel’s Messiah at Patriots Theater at the War Memorial, Sunday at 3:00 pm. Tickets $25-$55.
• The New Jersey State Museum’s planetarium has added a holiday-themed show to its lineup: Laser Nutcracker Spectacular 3D. As far as we’re concerned, Tchaikovsky should always be accompanied by a laser show.

Other to-dos this weekend:

• Also tonight, The Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie presents an evening of Lyrical Poetry in the Park, featuring The Unknown Poet, otherwise known as TuP, whose performances are described as “the perfect combination of rhythm & blues and jazz with thought-provoking intellect all wrapped up in spoken word.” Also featured will be award-winning poet and writer D.J. Haslett, whose decision to become a poet at age 49 after working for many years in insurance sales and commercial broadcasting is an inspiration to all of us who dream of leaving our boring desk jobs to pursue our artistic dreams.
• It’s “Marching In” Weekend at the Old Barracks. Captain Wright’s 1st Foot of British “regulars” return to the Barracks for a winter occupation after fighting in the frontier regions of the French & Indian War. Experience living history programs and enjoy colonial stew with the soldiers. Friday and Saturday, 10am-5pm. $8/adult, $6/senior, $6/child.
• There’s still some nice weather to enjoy before winter sets in, and Saturday looks like it will be beautiful. Join members of various civic groups on Saturday morning for a tour of the D&R Canal Park as it meanders through Trenton neighborhoods. Learn about the history of the canal, development in the city, and canal challenges. Starts at Ellarslie in Cadwalader Park at 9:30 a.m. and ends at the Battle Monument. And if you feel like a little bike ride before the walk, the Trenton Cycling Revolution group will be meeting at the Calhoun Street Canal House at 9:15 and biking up to meet the walkers.
• Also on Saturday, The William Trent House will be hosting a colonial candle-making event. The Trent House hours are 12:30-4pm, call (609) 989-3027 for specific information about the candle-making event.
• And finally, there’s Eastern Region Championship Cheerleading at the Sun National Bank Center (formerly known as the Sovereign Bank Arena) on Saturday. If you’re not feeling peppy, stay off South Broad Street.

Here are a few other things you can do this weekend instead of raking all those leaves. (Leaf pick-up in Trenton goes until December 20, so why do today what you can put off until next month?)

• Do you knit? Crochet? Are you willing to do it in public? Trenton’s Knit and Stitch group has its biweekly meeting at Classics Books (117 South Warren St) on Saturday at noon.
• Also at Classics Books, the young adult book club discusses the Newbery-Award-winning Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata at 11:00 a.m., and then at 2:00 the grown-ups can join a discussion led by author Jeffrey Perry about Hubert Harrison (1883-1911), agitator, founder of the “New Negro” movement, editor of Negro World, and the principal influence on the Garvey movement. Details on all Classics events on their Facebook page.
• A new dual-artist exhibit opens at the Trenton City Museum (Ellarslie) on Saturday, November 14: The Wall Series by Bruce Rigby and the Sculpture of Elizabeth Miller-McCue. Opening reception Saturday from 7:00 to 9:00 pm (members and artists only from 6:00-7:00).
• We mentioned this last week, but it bears repeating…the Passage Theatre Company presents Blood: A Comedy, a story about an atheist professor who loses tenure for trying to teach intelligent design, and then decides to try to make her entire dysfunctional family get religion. Hijinx, presumably, ensue. Thursday-Saturday 8:00 pm, Sunday 3:00 pm, through November 22. Tickets $25-$30.
• The New Jersey State Museum’s planetarium shows are free on Saturday (and every second Saturday of the month). Free! We said free!
• Dancing horses! The famous Lipizzaner Stallions will be at the Sovereign Bank Arena on Sunday, November 15 at 2:00 pm. Tickets from $22.50.