10 Things Going on in Cleveland this Weekend (December 20-22)

When: Saturdays, 10 a.m. and Sundays, 12 p.m. Continues through Jan. 5, 2014 Price: Free with Museum admission ($12 Adults; $10 Youth, Seniors) www.cmnh.org Experience a winter event of prehistoric proportions. Celebrate the season at The Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Enjoy cool family fun indoors and out weekends November 30 through January 5. Ice Age includes live animal shows, winter activities and crafts, a special kids-only holiday shop, ice sculpting demonstrations and more. Ice Age is free with Museum admission. Visit cmnh.org for more details or call (216) 231-4600. Cleveland Museum of Natural History 1 Wade Oval Dr. EASTERN SUBURBS phone 216-231-4600 cmnh.org

Though a bit off the beaten path, downtown Willoughby features a great group of bars that easily lend themselves to an organized bar crawl. Tonight at 8, Q104 radio personality Allan Fee leads a tour that will stop at 12 of the establishments as part of the Scene-sponsored 12 Bars of Christmas. Each bar will feature a different winter beer that can be sampled for only $2. There also will be games, entertainment and a chance to win a stocking stuffer at every stop. Lure Bistro serves as the starting point. (Niesel)

The Cavaliers are on an upswing, and boy does it feel terrific. After a truly rocky November, they’re beginning to gel and buy into Mike Brown’s defense-first system. After a monster 37-point, 11-assist performance against the lowly Knicks, guard Kyrie Irving has returned as the franchise's prodigal superstar and attack dog. Andrew Bynum and Anderson Varejao are platooning the big man duties while various spark plugs off the bench — Dion Waiters, Jarrett Jack, Matthew "Delly" Dellavedova — take turns at the highlight reel. Speaking of Varejao, tonight is Anderson Varejao bobblehead night at the Q! Bring all your friends! This shit will blow up on eBay soon enough and makes great Christmas gifts for collectors. The match-up is against what passes for the Milwaukee Bucks these days so don’t expect anything like exhilarating basketball. But you’re getting a bobblehead, so quit complaining. The NBA East is a disaster area these days, so we make our own destiny in terms of the postseason. Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m., and tickets can be purchased for as little as $10. (Sam Allard)

Things started to snowball for the Lighthouse and the Whaler after the 2008 EP A Whisper, A Clamor, and a track from that record eventually showed up on a sampler CD that Paste magazine released in 2009 and helped generate national attention. The band followed the EP a year later with their self-titled debut album, which created even more buzz, but also led to some lineup changes. With the release of its latest album, last year's This Is an Adventure, an indie pop effort that still has traces of the band’s folk rock roots, the band should find its way onto the playlists of anyone who listens to acts like the Shins and the Decemberists. The band spent most of the year touring and didn't play much in town, so this special Christmas show is a real treat. (Niesel) Price: $12 ADV, $15 DOS Grog Shop 2785 Euclid Hts. Blvd. EAST SIDE/UNIVERSITY CIRCLE/LITTLE ITALY phone 216-321-5588 www.grogshop.gs

Something Dada is Ohio’s premiere short-form improv comedy company. If you’ve got relatives in for the holidays and want to take them out for a night of laughs (or if your long-term relationship feels like little more than a string of “dinner and a movie” dates) venture to the Beck Center in Lakewood Ohio at 8 p.m. tonight. Enjoy many of your favorite games from Whose Line is it Anyway and more — the entire show is based on audience suggestions and careens along at a breakneck pace. The troupe, which began as Cabaret Dada on West Sixth, has been entertaining crowds in Cleveland for the past 19 years. It’s $12 for two hours of hysterical fun, like nothing else in Cleveland. (Allard) Beck Center for the Arts 17801 Detroit Ave., Lakewood WESTERN SUBURBS phone 216-521-2540 beckcenter.org

Rock your favorite ugly holiday sweater all weekend long at TownHall. Starting tonight, the urban café hosts a marathon ugly sweater soirée, so you won’t be alone in wearing your worst/best festive gear. You’ll also get $1 off any Christmas beer on tap. Not that you really needed any extra incentive. You can check out the website to see the list of beers on tap. The party starts at 8 and the discounts are good all weekend. (Rus) TownHall 1909 West 25th St. WEST SIDE/OHIO CITY/TREMONT/DETROIT SHOREWAY phone 216-344-9400 townhallohiocity.com

A dynamic hard rock group that's hands-down one of the best bands in Cleveland, Mr. Gnome has been on the road so much throughout the year that it's hardly had a chance to play a hometown show. It did play a terrific set on the Scene stage at this year's Ingenuity Fest, but that was several months ago. Expect the abrasive duo to be in fine form for this show. And given that a new album is in the works, it's a good bet you'll hear some new tracks tonight too. (Niesel) Price: $10 ADV, $12 DOS Beachland Ballroom 15711 Waterloo Rd. EAST SIDE/UNIVERSITY CIRCLE/LITTLE ITALY phone 216-383-1124

If you've over indulged in holiday procrastination (we're guilty too), then head on over to the appropriately named Last Minute Market & Screw Factory Open Studio in Lakewood to wrap up all of your holiday shopping in one fell swoop. More than 100 jury-selected artists will be on hand selling handcraft goods ranging from jewelry and accessories to prints and fine art. It's all brought to you by Cleveland Handmade Market. In addition to the dozens of pop-up vendors, many permanent artists who work out of the Screw Factory will offer shoppers a peek into their workspaces and an opportunity to buy their work. It all takes places today from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (McConnell) The Screw Factory 13000 Athens Ave., Lakewood WESTERN SUBURBS screwfactoryartists.com

When: Fri., Dec. 20, 7:30 p.m., Sat., Dec. 21, 7:30 p.m. and Sun., Dec. 22, 2 p.m. Phone: 440-366-4040 Price: $22-$33 This holiday favorite is the wondrous story of a magical journey through a young girl's imagination. Complete with a tree that grows, battling mice, and extraordinary dancers this visual and musical production should become part of everyone's holiday tradition. Ohio Dance Theatre's colorful and fanciful production is a special treat for all ages and is especially applealing to ballet lovers who cherish the company's first-rate performance. Stocker Center 1005 North Abbe Rd., Elyria phone 440-366-4040 lorainccc.edu

When: Sun., Dec. 22, 4 p.m. Price: $10 ADV, $12 DOS Agora Ballroom 5000 Euclid Ave. DOWNTOWN/FLATS/WAREHOUSE DISTRICT phone 216-881-2221 clevelandagora.com