Every year about this time, this publication visits an often overlooked resource for holiday shopping—casino gift shops and boutiques. Amidst the souvenir dice and logo items that you would expect to find, are surprisingly cool gift giving gems…even fine clothing and bargains…that will have people wondering “where did you find that?” We’re talking high end handbags, Tommy Bahama shirts, ceramics, unique ornaments for the holiday tree….even nice bottles of wine.

The E Center at the Edgewater will be home to two separate back to back shows on Friday-Saturday, December 6-7. On Friday, you can get down with country music; on Saturday, you can get up with swinging acrobats in the rafters as the guitars get put up in their cases and trapezes get strung from the ceiling.

When tribute bands form they usually focus on one group or one artist. It’s just the way of that world. You don’t confuse things for fans of bands. They like “their guys” and that’s that. The only way around this in the past has been to form “variety shows” of stars, like the original tribute show, “Legends in Concert.” You pay tribute to a lot of different bands/artists via with short segments by each member of the cast. Something for everyone.

Sometimes the best holiday gifts don’t come from a box or a store, yet they leave more lasting memories of time spent together as a family. It doesn’t take long for those unquestionably “interesting” neckties to be relegated to the back of the closet or toys to lose their appeal. With so many specific items on everyone’s wish list, why not add that element of surprise? And that surprise might just become a tradition that gives each family member something to look forward to every year.

If you were asked to name one song that captures that Motown sound and slice of American musical history you will more than likely say, “My Girl” by the Temptations. That song had it all. A catchy melody that made the ever higher key changes; the soulful guitar strain; the upbeat lyrics that were so much a part of Motown; and the leading vocals of David Ruffin.

Fame is fleeting. At least the “on- everybody’s-lips” type of fame. And this is because everybody’s lips—and fingers with tweets—are fickle friends. They always have to move on to who and what is “cool” at the particular moment—with those moments shorter and shorter, and coming ever and ever so closer together. The lips and fingers do so to make sure that their owners remain “cool”, too.