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Dear Catalyst friends,

December delivers a list of interesting events to our collective calendar. Your inner bear wants to hide under blankets and hibernate. It wrestles with your inner social butterfly:  "To go out, or not to go out?"

To go out: This weekend we look forward to the Clean Air Fair (speakers include CATALYST garden columnist James Loomis!), Downtown Gallery Stroll, KRCL's Polar Jubilee, a slew of holiday gift markets, and two Park City heavy hitter events: Edward Snowden and Hamlet, both delivered live (albeit electronically). All next week there's more....

Not to go out: Snuggle up with a copy of the new December CATALYST: An interview with tree scientist Nalini Nadkarni; statistics that mess with the way people see guns, bacon, and universal healthcare; why Utah is the perfect place to make chocolate; and the everything-old-is-new-again craze, ukuleles. At the same time you can listen to our new winter playlist, curated by Yours Truly. Nay, this is not Greta, who wrote a beautiful column this month, but it is I, Sophie, who is sitting in the office next to Greta. These are her choices, though. She kept finding more and more good events; and so I am intervening.

To stay in or go out, that is the question: Either way, how can you go wrong?

~Sophie Silverstone
Event picks for
December 4-10

BOOKSMART @ Plan-B Theatre 
Dec. 3-6, 10-13
Th & F @ 8p, Sat @4 & 8p, Sun @ 2p.
The Rose Wagner, 138 W 300 S
$20
ALL PERFORMANCES SOLD OUT
 
World premiere. A dark comedy about working in retail during the holidays, underemployment, income inequality, job insecurity and crushing debt. Oh, and the true meaning of Christmas. Written by Rob Tennant, directed by Jerry Rapier.  (See story, November CATALYST.) 
 
 

32nd Annual SL Arts Council Holiday 
Craft Market and Gallery Stroll
 
Fri, Dec 4, 6-9pm
Continues through Dec 20: M-F 10a-7p, 
Sat. & Sun. 11a-5p.
Finch Lane Gallery
54 Finch Lane


 
One of the most unique holiday shopping spaces in Salt Lake City. We've attended for years! Ceramics, jewelry, textiles, body products, journals, clothing, decorations and artwork from 70 local artists.
 
KRCL's Annual Polar Jubilee

Friday, Dec 46-10pm
Gallivan Center, 239 S Main St
$20/15 adv.



This year's Polar Jubilee is an outdoor party with live music, fire pits, ice skating, light displays and ugly sweaters. Live music from Utah's own Fictionist, The National Parks and Two Nations. Food trucks. Photo booth. Libations. Kids welcome.
Volunteers of America will be there to accept donations of hats, gloves, scarves and warm socks. 
 
  www.krcl.org 
Holiday Market at UMFA
 
Sat, Dec 5, 11 a.m.
Utah Museum of Fine Arts
410 Campus Center Dr.

Spend the day at the UMFA and find that perfect gift for everyone on your list. Shop for jewelry, pottery, textiles and art abstracts crafted by local artists. Satisfy your sweet tooth with artisan chocolate. Free gift-wrapping. The Museum Store and Café will be open as well.
 
 
3rd Annual Clean Air Fair
Sat, Dec 5, noon-5pm
Bryant School, 40 S 800 E
Free



Over 20 booths. Speakers. Alternative energy solutions. Electric car and bike show. Re-Skilling workshops (Beeswax Candles, Calming Salve, Greeting Cards, DIY Solar Oven).  Free Lunch from Twist. Black Diamond Ski Giveaway. Live music.
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS:
12:40 - David Ezekiel Brooks - Revolution United
12:50 - Luke Garrott - Salt Lake City Council
1:40 - Julian Carr - Discrete Clothing
1:50 - Joyce Mathie - Sargent Steam
2:40 - Bobby Sakak - TZOA
2:50 - Robert Grow - Envision Utah
3:40 - Davey Davis - Salt Lake City Bicycle Collective
3:50 - James Loomis - Salacia Farms (& CATALYST Magazine garden writer!)
4:40 - Stephanie Virgen - Auric Solar
4:50 - Micheal Cundick - Artists For Local Agriculture

 
Meditation Marathon @ Two Arrows Zen
 
Dec 5, 7am-Dec 6, 7am
230 S 500 W
Donation

People from all over the world will meditate together for 24 hours. Join for any amount of time. Discover access to a fresh and surprising creativity ~  a source of inspiration and intuition that is beyond the usual patterns of the mind. This year's Marathon will provide you with clear and simple meditation instruction by accomplished teachers from various progressive and evolutionary spiritual paths around the world: Diane Musho Hamilton, Dr. Elizabeth Debold, Peter Bampton, Jeff Carreira, Annette Kaiser, and Dr. Thomas Steininger.
 
 
Winter Market

Dec 5, 10am-2pm
Rio Grande Depot, 300 S Rio Grande St

The Downtown Farmers Market moves indoors for the winter months. Once Utah's busiest transit hub, the Rio Grande Depot is an historical gem and the perfect backdrop for our winter market. More than 60 local farmers and vendors selling everything from winter produce to grass fed meats, wild and sustainable seafood, cheese, bread, honey, salsa and jam.  Shop from your favorite farms and food producers every other Saturday from November 7-April 23.
 

Corset Fashion Show and Workshop
Sat, Dec 5, 1-4pm
Kimi's Chop & Oyster House 
2155 E Highland Dr
$20 (reimbursable for gift card at Blue Boutique or Got Beauty)
 
 
 
Ever wondered how to get that perfect hourglass silhouette? Interested in the beauty of corsetry?   This workshop features a high-fashion runway show, hosted by Hoss as he presents a brand new line of high-end corsets, waist trainers, outerwear, and sexy accessories! "Guaranteed to be a gorgeous event." Appetizers and refreshments provided by Kimi's Chop and Oyster House. Sponsored by Blue Boutique, Hoss International and Got Beauty.
 
 
BlueBoutique.com
 
Live from Russia: An Evening with Edward Snowden
Sat, Dec 5, 7:30pm
Eccles Center, 1750 Kearns Blvd,
Park City
 
The former CIA, NSA and DIA intelligence officer and contractor, who leaked classified documents to expose illegal government surveillance,* comes to Park City - live from Russia - in an exclusive conversation. KUER's Doug Fabrizio moderates the interactive evening with cybersecurity genius Snowden; special guest Ben Wizner, director of the ACLU Speech, Privacy & Technology Project, will contribute to the discussion. Let the ethics debate begin.     

Tickets and information online parkcity.institute

*Of note: In 2014, The Washington Post and The Guardian shared a Pulitzer for their coverage of government surveillance based on Snowden's information.
 
Red Butte Garden Open House and
Art Fair; free Garden admission
Dec 5 & 610am-5pm
Red Butte Garden orangerie, 300 Wakara Way
   
Find unique holiday gifts made by local artists. Handcrafted jewelry, pottery, fiber art, glass, photography, more. All items sold at the Red Butte Garden Gift Shop will be marked down 10%. (See website for list of featured artists.)

Secrets of the Greatest Snow on Earth
Dec 6, 3pm
University of Utah, Marriott Library, Gould Auditorium 
A talk by the author of Secrets of the Greatest Snow on Earth: Weather, Climate Change, and Finding Deep Powder in Utah's Wasatch Mountains and around the World. Dr. Jim Steenburgh, is a professor of meteorology at the University of Utah, with meteorology degrees from Penn State and the University of Washington. 

 
First Sunday
Mindfulness Meditation
Sun, Dec 67-8:30pm
Mindful Yoga Collective, 223 S 700 E
Free; donations appreciated
Informal gathering for experienced and novice meditators alike. This week they will listen to a talk on the power of forgiveness by Michele McDonald, followed by a brief sitting and discussion. Led by Charlotte Bell and Marlena Lambert.
 MindfulYogaCollective.com

Hamlet: National Theatre Live
Sun, Dec 6, 1p (210 min. + intermission)
Jim Santy Auditorium, 1255 Park Ave,
Park City

$20/$10 students with ID
Starring Benedict Cumberbatch (BBC's Sherlock). National Theatre Live will broadcast this eagerly awaited production live to cinemas. As a country arms itself for war, a family tears itself apart. Forced to avenge his father's death but paralyzed by the task ahead, Hamlet rages against the impossibility of his predicament, threatening both his sanity and the security of the state. Wine and beer available for purchase. Presented by PC Film Series in partnership with Park City Library and Tanner Humanities Center.

The English Beat @ The State Room
Tues, Dec 8, 8p (doors @ 7) 
638 S State
$31, 21+
Formed in the working class suburbs of industrial Birmingham in England in 1978 The Beat arose at a time of high unemployment and social upheaval. From the outset the band offered messages of hope and peace  with an insight into sociopolitical topics would later alongside The Specials see them heralded as forerunners of the whole 2-Tone Ska movement.
TheStateRoom.com
 
Doctor Who: Last Christmas
Tues, Dec 8, 7pm
Salt Lake City Library, 210 E 400 S
Free
Clara is in for a Christmas Eve that she'll never forget. Reunited with the Doctor, she faces what could possibly be her last Christmas. Something sinister lurks in an arctic base at the North Pole, and it's beyond even the most terrible, nightmarish creatures the Doctor has faced before. Who ya gonna call? Santa Claus!

Post-film Q&A with Dr. Krishna Sundar, medical director of the Sleep-Wake Center at the University of Utah and associate professor of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine.
www.utahfilmcenter.org
 
Small Writing Treasures for the Holidays
Wed, Dec 9, 6-8pm
SLCC Community Writing Center, 210 E 400 S St. #8
$15 (all materials provided)
Make creative writing gifts for your beloveds. 
Register: 801.957.2182 or SLCC.edu/CWC/

 
Beyond Organic Series: Regenerative Agriculture and Urban Homesteading  
Thurs, Dec 10, 7-9:30pm
SOLD OUT!

First installment of a 15-part workshop series. Get the design tools needed to take your urban sustainability to the next level. $40 drop-in. $35 adv. $20 non-profit volunteers or work trade.
Text or email Adriane Hovey: 385.235.9347 or Playful Grateful@gmail.com
Link to FaceBook
 
The Bee: True Stories from the Hive "Revelations @ The Urban Lounge
Thurs, Dec 10 6-10pm
Urban Lounge 241 South 500 East
$10/$7 adv
Ten storytellers picked at random from a hat have five minutes each to tell a true story on the theme of the night without notes. Lovingly Competitive Storytelling. Bring your friends. Have a drink. Laugh. Cry. Bee entertained. SOLD OUT but additional tix may be made available at door.
thebeeslc.org.
 
Kate MacLeod Songbook Release Party/ Holiday Party

Thurs, Dec 10, 7-9pm
Ken Sanders Rare Books, 269 S 200 E. 7-9p
Free
Dream Garden Press and Ken Sanders Rare Books present Kate MacLeod for holiday party and book release/signing event. Come celebrate with Kate, a compilation of her original songs that span three decades of writing while living on the Wasatch Front. The collection includes songs about Utah, the Western region, some special requests, personal favorites, and the songs featured on her last two recordings.
The book is available in time for the holidays only at Ken Sanders Rare Books, and directly from Kate herself. Refreshments and wine will be served.
KenSandersBooks.com
 
Blog Updates 
 
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Catalyst Winter 2015-2016 Playlist
With the invention of good ol' Pandora and internet radio, we no longer have to search for our new music, it finds us...(read more).