Arts and leisure briefs: Youth ski league for St. Croix Valley is forming

The St. Croix Valley Youth Ski League begins Jan. 5 and will be held from 1-3 p.m. every Sunday for eight weeks in all weather conditions at the visitor center at William O'Brien State Park, 16821 O'Brien Trail N., Marine on St. Croix.

Skiers of all ability levels between the ages of 3 and 13 are encouraged to join with their parents. The league is a volunteer organization that offers children and their parents the opportunity to learn and enjoy cross-country skiing together.

The membership fee is $25 per child, and all participants must have their own ski equipment. For more information, contact John Dybvig at john_dybvig@yahoo.com. Ski passes, which are $6, are required for skiers 16 and older, and can be purchased at the park.

For more information, call 651-433-0500.

A holiday organ concert by Jelani Eddington with the short silent film "A Christmas Carol" will be presented at 2 p.m. Dec. 21 at the Phipps Center for the Arts, 109 Locust St. in Hudson, Wis.

This award-winning organist will perform holiday favorites and other popular standards by composers such as Gershwin, Porter, and Rodgers and Hammerstein.

The Wurlitzer console theater organ, opus 2131, is a one-of-a-kind art deco model built for the Oriental Theatre in Boston in 1930. It was donated to the center by Terry Hochmuth in 2008 in memory of Dan Stanke.

Meet at the Dock Cafe, 424 Nelson St. E., and experience a fun celebration for kids with the kickoff of the Teddy Bear Band. Then everyone marches in the parade along the St. Croix River to the Lowell Park Gazebo and the tree lighting ceremony featuring Santa's arrival on a fire truck, followed by fireworks.

Free hot chocolate, cider, cookies and twinkle lights will be provided.

"Hidden in Plain View: A Touring Photo Exhibit" will be displayed in January and February at R.H. Stafford Library, 8595 Central Park Place, Woodbury.

The photographs are the work of Amy Anderson, Michael Dvorak, Peter Latner and Tom Wik. The photographers have captured the beauty, humor and poignancy of everyday lives here in the Midwest, "hidden in plain view."

The exhibit was organized by the Metropolitan Library Service Agency and is funded with money from Minnesota's Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund. Call 651-731-1320 with questions.

Students in grades 9-12 in the White Bear and Mahtomedi school districts, as well as other students who live in these geographic areas, are invited to enter original writing in the following categories: poetry, essay, short story and one-act play. The deadline is 1 p.m. on Feb. 26. For entry information, go to http://whitebeararts.org.

Submissions will be judged in two categories: grades 9-10 and grades 11-12.

The awards ceremony is on May 1 at the White Bear Center for the Arts, 4971 Long Av., White Bear Lake. For information, call 651-407-0597.

Cottage Grove's Parks and Recreation Department is putting on a Winter Break Bash for days when there is no school on Dec. 26-27 and 30-31.

The sessions for school-age children, which cost $40, run from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Peter Thompson Park, 6327 Highlands Hills Blvd., Cottage Grove.

There will be G-rated movies to watch, and lunch and snacks. For more information, call 651-458-3400.