Lollipop concert, ‘Portrait of Aretha’ and garden planning: Things to do in January 2024

VIRGINIA BEACH

Lollipop concert

Symphonicity, the award-winning community orchestra of Virginia Beach, is getting ready for its 25th Annual Lollipop Concert for Children and Families, with guest dancers from Ballet Virginia, piano soloists Rebecca Willett and her 11-year-old student Angela Zhang, and narrator Shari Barbour.

The concert is set for Sunday at 4 p.m. at the Sandler Center for the Performing Arts, with pre-concert activities such as face painting starting at 3 p.m. Designed for children ages 5-12, the 45-minute concert features orchestra, ballet, video, narrated stories and, unusually, two pianos.

Tickets start at $19. Prorated season tickets are available by calling the office at 757-671-8611 or emailing tickets@symphonicity.org.

E-cycling at the aquarium

Upgrading your electronics this holiday? Dispose of old electronics responsibly at the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center’s E-Cycling event on Jan. 20 from 9 a.m. to noon. Rain or shine, participants can plan on recycling old, broken or expired child safety seats, used vehicle batteries, personal electronic items and more. The event will be a drive-thru in the aquarium’s east parking lot with participating vendors including AAA Tidewater Virginia, Goodwill Industries and TFC Recycling.

Items that will not be accepted during the event include prescription medicine, hazardous waste, televisions larger than 50 inches, CRT tube TVs and commercial copy machines. For a full list of accepted items and to preregister, visit virginiaaquarium.com.

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NORFOLK

Second Saturdays Art Pop-Up

Calling curious minds! Whether you are a master of stick figures or an accomplished virtuoso, visitors are invited to explore artmaking with pop-up workshops at the Chrysler Museum. Each month a teaching artist will develop activities for all ages with the first pop-up of the year Jan. 13 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event is free for members and $10 at the door. Registered visitors can join at any point in the 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. window. Activities are estimated to take 20-30 minutes. See chrysler.org for details.

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SUFFOLK

‘Portrait of Aretha’

In “Portrait of Aretha” coming to the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts on Jan. 17, CeCe Teneal honors the legacy of the queen of soul with personalized interpretations of both popular and lesser-known songs, including “Chain of Fools,” “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” “Rock Steady” and “Until You Come Back to Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do).” Aretha Franklin taught us how to “Think” and demand “Respect…” all while ridin’ on the “Freeway of Love!”

The show begins at 7 p.m. and tickets start at $35. See visitsuffolkva.com for details and tickets.

An award-winning songstress in her own right, Teneal has been nominated for four Independent Music Awards and claimed the title for 2011 Best R&B Album for “Train from Osteen,” as well as 2018 Best Soul/Funk/Fusion Song for “Danger.”

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WILLIAMSBURG

Exhibit at the winery

New artwork is on display at the Williamsburg Winery with a celebration theme to start the new year. The exhibit is on display in the Winery’s Susan Constant Hall Tasting Room, open seven days a week. All artwork is for sale, and the exhibit is open to the public and free of charge. See williamsburgwinery.com for more.

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OUTER BANKS

Fee-free days at Wright Brothers memorial

Wright Brothers National Memorial will waive its entrance fee on eight days in 2024, including Jan. 15 for Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday; April 20 for the first day of National Park Week; June 19 for Juneteenth National Independence Day; Aug. 4 for the anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act; Aug. 19 for National Aviation Day; Sept. 28 for National Public Lands Day; Nov. 11 for Veterans Day; and Dec. 17 for the 121st anniversary of the Wright brothers’ first flight.

Wright Brothers National Memorial encompasses the spot where Wilbur and Orville Wright made their world-changing first flights, the historic sand dune where they did most of their gliding and the location they lived while they were experimenting on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. See www.nps.gov/wrbr for more information.

Spring garden planning

Are you interested in gardening and searching for a way to make your winter blues go away? Start planning your spring garden now with the 2024 Winter Library Garden Series presented by the North Carolina State Extension’s Dare County Master Gardeners in conjunction with the Dare County Library.

Each of the programs within the 2024 Winter Library Garden Series will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesdays in January, February and March, and will be offered both in person at the Kill Devil Hills Library as well as virtually. Presentations will last approximately one hour, and participants can choose to attend one or all of the programs that are of interest to them.

Visit www.darenc.gov/enrichment for details.