This week’s holiday happenings in Kansas City: Holiday Boutique, ‘Christmas in Song,’ Christmas on the River, Legendary Tree Lighting Ceremony and more

Dedicated shoppers know all too well that the multitude of specialty shops, department stores, big-box retailers and Internet outlets can’t sate their voracious cravings for new goods. For these enthusiasts, events like the Holiday Boutique at the Overland Park Convention Center represent the capitalist equivalent of manna from heaven. More than 200 vendors ranging from Dillard’s to small startups like Western-themed merchant Crooked Creek Ranch will offer wares in categories including toys, apparel, beauty, food and art. On-site “relaxation lounges” will provide refuge for weary shoppers. The “festival of trees,” a silent auction of donated holiday decorations, adds a charitable component to the Holiday Boutique.

10 a.m. - 9 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20, 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 22. Overland Park Convention Center. 816-931-4686. kcholidayboutique.com. $12. Children 12 and under are free.

Holiday lights often brighten the moods of passersby. Seasonal food and drinks enliven festive occasions. The songs associated with Christmas, however, can have an even more profound impact. Music touches the soul and evokes vivid memories of past holidays. As pianist and host of the Quality Hill Playhouse’s production of “Christmas in Song,” J. Kent Barnhart will combine his talent with vocalists LaTeesha McDonald Jackson, Lindsey McKee and Vigthor Zophoniasson. Barnhart has a proven track record of pleasing audiences. His latest show should be no exception. The program will include gospel, classical and pop selections in addition to familiar carols.

Thursday, Nov. 19 - Thursday, Dec. 24. Quality Hill Playhouse. 816-421-1700. qualityhillplayhouse.com. $36 and $33 for students and seniors 60 and older.

Parkville may be more capable of evoking an earlier era than any other locale in the Kansas City area. People who squint their eyes during the quaint city’s Christmas on the River celebration will be able to imagine that they’ve been transported to a happy scene from Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” The pleasingly disorienting sensation should be particularly powerful on riverside hayrides in English Landing Park. Children are invited to visit with Santa Claus and play in an “activity village.” “Songsters, prancers and music makers” are among the entertainers on Friday. Fireworks commence at 8:30 p.m. Visitors are encouraged to bring canned goods to donate to Harvesters — The Community Food Network.

6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20. Parkville. 816-505-2227. parkvillemo.org. Free.

A concert by the Vienna Boys Choir is a consummately charming and exceedingly cosmopolitan way to enter the holiday season. The history of the internationally beloved institution dates to 1498. Long associated with songs of Christmas, the Vienna Boys Choir has recorded at least a dozen holiday albums. The ensemble of angelic-voiced boys between the ages of 9 and 14 will perform seasonal songs that range from divine antiquities to playful contemporary material. Serene compositions by the likes of George Frederick Handel are among the sophisticated selections on the program. Renditions of “Winter Wonderland,” “Jingle Bells” and José Feliciano’s “Feliz Navidad” will elicit smiles from the audience.

7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20. Folly Theater. 816-415-5025. hjseries.org. $30-80.

Don’t tell Charlie Brown about the Instagram contest at Legends Outlets Kansas City. The comic strip character created by Charles M. Schulz who famously decried a “lights and display contest” in the animated special “A Charlie Brown Christmas” would almost certainly be appalled by the shopping center’s clever utilization of social media. Visitors who post pictures of themselves in front of the Legends’ 45-foot Christmas tree using the #LegendsHoliday hashtag are automatically entered in a contest. The grand prize is a $500 gift card. Saturday’s lighting ceremony will be hosted by television news personalities Rhiannon Ally and Mike Marusarz.

6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21. Legends Outlets. 913-788-3700. legendsshopping.com. Free.

The 28th season of Christmas in the Park features the “300,000 glistening lights and 175 colorfully animated holiday scenes” that have made driving through the festive panorama a holiday tradition for generations of families. The sprawling setting allows for an expansive display that even the most ambitious efforts of neighbors in residential areas are unable to replicate. Bicyclists will be able to enjoy the scenery during the Trip the Light Fantastic! event from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday (Nov. 24). Christmas in the Park officially opens with the Christmas in the Sky fireworks display on Wednesday (Nov. 25). Representatives of Monica’s School of Dance will entertain visitors prior to a 20-minute fireworks display.

Christmas in the Park: Wednesday, Nov. 25 - Thursday, Dec. 31. Longview Lake Campground, Lee’s Summit. 816-503-4800. jacksongov.org. Free, charitable donations accepted.

Christmas in the Sky: gates open at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 25. Free.

Trip the Light Fantastic!: 6 - 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 24. $5 per cyclist.

Even jaded fans of horror films can get the willies at Kansas City Repertory Theatre’s annual productions of “A Christmas Carol.” Ebenezer Scrooge’s encounters with specters are invariably spooky. A combination of great acting, imaginative special effects and, of course, Charles Dickens’ timeless storytelling cast bone-chilling spells on audiences. The company’s willingness to inspect the darkest recesses of the human soul makes the joyous aspects of their interpretation of “A Christmas Carol” all the more inspiring. Gary Neal Johnson, Vanessa Severo and Walter Coppage are among the actors returning to the production. This season marks the 35th year that audiences will experience ghastly frights before leaving the show with an optimistic spring in their steps.

Friday, Nov. 20 - Thursday, Dec. 24. Spencer Theatre. 816-235-2700. kcrep.org. $29-$75, $35 for children and students.

Ebenezer Scrooge pledges that “I will live in the past, the present, and the future” in Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” Dickens’ great-great-grandson Gerald Dickens abides by that adage in a career that pays tribute to the immortal author. The actor, director and producer is best known for his reworking of “A Christmas Carol.” He’ll return to the Kansas City area to enact the one-hour, one-man show on Monday and Tuesday. The Mid-Continent Public Library has been hosting annual performances by Dickens since the mid-1990s. Dickens will talk about his show and conduct a meet-and-greet at the Library Lovers Holiday Reception on Wednesday.

7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 23, at the Woodneath Library Center (8900 N.E. Flintlock Road), 2 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 24, at the Raytown branch of the Mid-Continent Public Library (6131 Raytown Road), 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 24, at the Pavilion at John Knox Village, 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 25, at Belvoir Winery. 816-836-5200. mymcpl.org. Free on Monday and Tuesday. $5 on Wednesday.

Theatre for Young America has introduced many impressionable youth to theater. The organization’s classes and workshops have given scores of children their first taste of performing on a stage in front of audiences. It’s fitting, consequently, that the company’s holiday production has a similar premise. The play is based on Barbara Robinson’s 1972 book about a family of delinquent siblings who elect to compete in a town’s Christmas pageant. The unexpected lessons that the cigar-smoking, profanity-spewing clan teach their straitlaced peers provide valuable lessons that are appropriate for the season.

Tuesday, Nov. 24 - Saturday, Dec. 26. H&R Block City Stage Theater. 816-460-2083. tya.org. $10.

This story was originally published November 18, 2015 at 3:26 AM with the headline "This week’s holiday happenings in Kansas City: Holiday Boutique, ‘Christmas in Song,’ Christmas on the River, Legendary Tree Lighting Ceremony and more."