Jingle, mingle and sing-le all you want this weekend

It’s not the biggest, but it’s one of the best.
   The 37th annual BLP Club Holiday Gift Show is from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday in Palmyra.
   The high school gym on South Main Street, plus a few hallways, will be filled to the brim with plenty of shopping ideas from almost 100 vendors.
   Admission is just $2, and kids ages five and younger get in free.
   Proceeds enable the BLP Women's Club to support community projects, including high school scholarships, grade school field trips, school supplies and other needs.
   Donations also are given to the Palmyra Nutrition Center, Palmyra Bicentennial Library, Maple Lawn Nursing Home, Marion County Junior Fair, Flower City Park and the annual Adopt-a-Family campaign.

Dancing shoes
   Get your dancing shoes on for the Hannibal High School production of “Footloose.”
   The popular musical, based upon the 1984 movie of the same name, will be staged at 7 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $8.
   The plot follows the story of Ren, who comes to attend high school in a town that’s outlawed dancing. As Ren and his friends find themselves in confrontation with adults in town, a local pastor who’s ranted and raved against a plan to hold a high school prom finds peace with the death of his own son.

Keeping it jazz
   The Great River Jazz Preservation Society always puts on a great show.
   This month, it’s pianist Don Stille and Keepers of the Flame.
   The band performs from 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday at the Quality Inn & Suites on Highway 36 west of Hannibal.
   Tickets are $20 for adults. Students get in free. In addition to Stille, the band features Jeannie Lambert (vocals), Russ Phillips (trombone), Nick Schneider (bass), Tom Garling (trombone) and Charles Braugham (drums),

School’s out
   Well, not really, but Louisiana High School is offering a bit of a break.
   The one-act musical comedy “Recess” will be staged at 7 p.m. Saturday in the Middle School gym. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students.
   The plot revolves around a substitute who fills in on the last day of classes for a teacher who had a nervous breakdown.
   You’ll learn, you’ll laugh, you’ll want to sing along to “We’re a Dunce” and “If I Were a Teacher.”

Beam me there
   Clopton is going Hollywood.
   Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock are stopping by the high school between Clarksville and Eolia to lead a fun-filled night of song and dance.
   You’ll enjoy favorite numbers from “The Wizard of Oz,” “Singing in the Rain,” “Jailhouse Rock,” “Grease,” “Thriller,” “Hairspray,” “Rent,” “Dirty Dancing,” “Moulin Rouge” and “High School Musical.”
   Tickets are just $3 and curtain time is 8 p.m. Saturday.

The boys are here
   Here’s your chance to see a Hollywood actor work with young theater buffs.
   Courtney Gains has joined Culver-Stockton College’s drama department for a staging of the light-hearted comedy “The Boys Next Door.”
   It’s at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday in Alexander Campbell Auditorium.
   Gains has taken on a variety of roles in films such as “Children of the Corn,” “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Back to the Future.”
   In addition to his extensive film roles, Gains has appeared in several guest star roles on sitcoms such as “Seinfeld,” “My Name is Earl” and “Monk.”
   In “The Boys Next Door,” he plays a burned-out social worker to four mentally challenged men.
   Tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for C-SC students and $6 for non-C-SC students.

More music
   It’s Romeo and Juliet with a modern twist.
   More than 200 Quincy High School students are participating in the presentation of the classic musical "West Side Story."
   It’s scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students.
   The musical tells the story of two people from different backgrounds who fall in love amid gang violence in New York City.

Heads up
   Get your rest.
   We’re going to the grandma of all gift shows, courtesy of the Quincy Service League.
   Check back next Saturday and I’ll have the sleigh ready.