South Philly-bred entertainers Tony Sacca (right) and Cook E Jarr will perform in a televised special, "Merry Christmas Las Vegas." The show will air locally Dec. 21 at 8 p.m. on Channel 48.
Sacca is the producer and host of the program, which benefits his Youth Foundation for the Performing Arts. The lineup includes master magician Lance Burton, ventriloquist Ronn Lucas and comedian Sandy Hackett.
St. Joe’s prepped for concert
St. Joseph’s Preparatory School music director Robert Michlinsk (center) is rehearsing with local students Stephen Schaefer and Max DiMezza — and all the members of the school band — for the annual Christmas concert Sunday at the Church of the Gesu, 18th Street and Girard Avenue.
The Prep concert band and its related ensembles will play traditional Christmas music, along with compositions put together especially for this year’s winter concert.
Among the performances will be a variety of vocal presentations from the St. Joe’s Christus Choir. Admission to the 3 p.m. concert is free, and the concert band and Christus Choir parents’ club will host a reception after the show.
SEPTA giving away discounts
SEPTA is handing out Christmas presents a little earlier this year to riders traveling with December TransPasses or TrailPasses.
TransPass and TrailPass holders will be eligible to receive discounts of up to 20 percent at stores, boutiques and restaurants in Center City throughout December as part of the Philadelphia Holiday Festival. Riders also will receive a 10-percent discount at the SEPTA Transit Museum.
A list of participating merchants is available at www.septa.org and the Center City District Web site at www.centercityphila.org. Riders also can pick up a Philadelphia Holiday Festival brochure at SEPTA sales outlets.
Have a safe holiday
The Philadelphia Fire Department is offering important safety tips on how to care for and dispose of live Christmas trees.
When preparing a live tree, the Fire Department suggests the following: Make a 1-inch fresh cut at the base of the tree, place it in a stand with plenty of room for water, check the water level daily, check electrical cords for wear and outlets for overloading, keep the tree away from heat sources, portable heaters, stairs and exits and never leave a lighted tree unattended.
Before disposing of the tree or recycling it into wood chips, the Fire Department also reminds tree owners to strip the tree of its ornaments and decorations.
Brightening others’ lives
Bella Vista’s Lynn Youngman (second from left), co-chair of the Public Awareness Committee of Philadelphia Mental Retardation Services, presented Brighter Futures Awards to Dr. Judith Gay, vice president for academic affairs at Community College of Philadelphia; and Lillian Smith, West Philadelphia administrator for CCP, at a recent awards ceremony at Penn’s Landing Caterers. They were joined by Kevin Casey (left), Pennsylvania’s deputy secretary for mental retardation.
