WEEKENDER I SPECIAL EVENTS

Sociopolitical comedian headlines Authors! Authors!

W. Kamau Bell speaks Thursday for Authors! Authors!

Invision for Participant Media

W. Kamau Bell speaks Thursday for Authors! Authors!

Sociopolitical comedian and author W. Kamau Bell is speaking at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Stranahan Theater and Great Hall, 4645 Heatherdowns Blvd., in the latest installment of the Authors! Authors! speaker series sponsored by the Toledo Lucas County Library and presented by The Blade.

Tickets, which are $15, are available at the Stranahan box office or online at authors.toledolibrary.org.

Bell is an Emmy Award-winning host of CNN’s United Shades of America, and author of The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell: Tales of a 6' 4", African American, Heterosexual, Cisgender, Left-Leaning, Asthmatic, Black and Proud Blerd, Mama's Boy, Dad, and Stand-Up Comedian.

■ The Hoppy Holidays Brew Fest will take place Saturday at the SeaGate Centre. General admission tickets are $30 in advance ($40 day of event) and ticket holders will be admitted at 5 p.m. and will receive 18, three-ounce samples. VIP tickets are $45 ($55 day of event) and will include 25 samples, including high-end beers available at the 4 p.m. early admission. There is also an exclusive VIP ticket for $69 ($70) that will allow early admission, 25 samples, and entry into a VIP lounge, where hard-to-find beers will be available.

There will be more than 50 local and national breweries. Each brewery will have at least one seasonal beer available. A complete list of breweries and additional information can be found at hoppyholidaysbrewfest.com.

Tickets can be purchased at the Huntington Center box office, on the day of the event at the SeaGate box office, online at ticketmaster.com, or by phone at 1-800-745-3000.

■ The Greater Toledo International Youth Orchestra is performing a concert at 4 p.m. Saturday to raise money for recent victims of natural disasters, including hurricane victims in Texas and Puerto Rico.

The show will be inside the University of Toledo’s Doermann Theater, 2801 W. Bancroft St. The theater is inside University Hall. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased bit.ly/2iTbLro.

All proceeds will be donated to the American Red Cross - Disaster Relief Fund. For more information, go to gtiyo.com or the Greater Toledo International Youth Orchestra’s Facebook page.

■ The Town Center at Levis Commons is having its annual tree-lighting ceremony Saturday, beginning with horse-drawn carriage rides from 5 to 9 p.m. at a cost of $5 per person or $10 for families of four people.

Santa Claus arrives at 6 p.m. He and Mrs. Claus can be visited from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. 

At 6:10 p.m., ’90s-era rock music will be performed by Skittle Bots, a family friendly interactive show on the stage near the 50-foot tree. The tree will be lit for the season about 7 p.m. The’90s-era theme will continue with adult beverages and a disc jockey at Bar Louie at 10 p.m.

The ceremony is presented by ProMedica, with free hot cocoa provided by HiePerrysburg Levis Commons. For more information, go to bit.ly/2hx19Ca.