The week after Thanksgiving packs the south Alabama calendar with pow wows, holiday light shows, art markets and championship soccer. Here is a rundown of what is on tap across Mobile and Baldwin counties from Thursday, Nov. 24 through Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2016.
Holiday lights and festivals
The Poarch Band of Creek Indians hosts its 46th annual Pow Wow on Thanksgiving Day and Friday, Nov. 25, beginning at noon at 6477 Jack Springs Road in Atmore. Admission is $5 for ages 11 and up, and children 10 and under get in free.
Bellingrath Gardens and Home opens the 21st season of Magic Christmas in Lights on Friday, Nov. 25. The display runs nightly from 5 to 9 p.m. through Dec. 31.
Christmas Nights of Lights returns to Hank Aaron Stadium, 755 Bolling Brothers Blvd., running nightly at dusk until 10 p.m. through Jan. 1. Admission is $6 per person.
Riverside Ice is open at Cooper Riverside Park in downtown Mobile through Jan. 14, with skating at $10 for adults and $8 for children 12 and under.
Shopping, art and community
The Mobile Rock and Gem Society brings its annual Rock, Gem, Mineral and Jewelry Show to the Abba Shrine Center, 7701 Hitt Road, Friday from 1 to 6 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Downtown Mobile’s Sunday Funday art market returns to Cathedral Square on Nov. 27 at 1 p.m., with support from the Alabama Contemporary Art Center, Downtown Mobile Alliance and Visit Mobile.
Nov. 26 is Small Business Saturday, an opportunity to support Mobile’s independent retailers, many of them downtown with special deals and giveaways planned.
The Greater Mobile Bay Area Choral Society performs a holiday concert mixing jazz, pop, secular works and Vivaldi on Sunday, Nov. 27, at 6 p.m. at Spanish Fort Presbyterian Church.
USA Children’s & Women’s Hospital holds its sixth annual Lights of Love Winter Wonderland and tree-lighting ceremony Tuesday, Nov. 29, beginning at 4:30 p.m. at 1700 Center St. Admission is free.
From Black Friday through Cyber Monday, Best Friends Animal Society’s Home for the Pawlidayz promotion offers free pet adoptions at The Haven, 559 South St. in Fairhope.
Museums, lectures and learning
The University of South Alabama Gulf Shores campus launches its second annual Distinguished Lecture Series Tuesday, Nov. 29, at the Foley Public Library; registration is available through USA Continuing Education.
The History Museum of Mobile continues the exhibit “Filming the Camps: From Hollywood to Nuremberg” through Jan. 16, telling the story of three film directors who documented Nazi atrocities during World War II.
The Gulf Coast Exploreum features “Guitar: The Instrument That Rocked the World,” with more than 60 guitars and a hands-on gallery, through Jan. 1, plus a Little Discoveries program on creativity for children 6 and under on Dec. 1 at 10 a.m.
GulfQuest’s “Treasures of NOAA’s Ark” exhibit explores how the agency charts seas and tracks hurricanes, while the Dauphin Island Sea Lab continues its Boardwalk Talks on the first and third Wednesday of each month at 11:15 a.m.
The Mobile Museum of Art offers free admission to all visitors every Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and the Fairhope Museum of History hosts its Tea for Two lecture series Tuesdays at 2 p.m., with Rev. Larry Williams speaking Nov. 29.
Sports and fitness
The Coastal Half Marathon, 5K and one-mile fun run runs Saturday, Nov. 26, in Orange Beach. The NAIA Women’s Soccer National Championship follows Nov. 28 through Dec. 3 at the Orange Beach Sportsplex, with 16 teams from across the country competing for the title.
Palmer Pillans Middle School hosts ballroom dance, boxing and other exercise classes, beginner belly dancing runs Tuesdays through Dec. 13, and the Mobile Bridge Center offers free bridge lessons each Tuesday at 6 p.m.
Azalea Ballroom Dance Club holds dances with live music on the second and fourth Tuesdays at Via! Health, Fitness & Enrichment Center in Midtown, while the Moonlight Chasse Ballroom Dance Society meets the first and third Monday in Spanish Fort.
Giving back
United Way of Southwest Alabama’s 2-1-1 call center needs weekday volunteers; #GivingTuesday falls on Nov. 29, kicking off the season of charitable giving nationwide.