The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents a selection of more than 500 from the world’s premier growing regions. Celebrity chefs share their favorite recipes, while food specialists serve delicious samples. High-caliber and hard-to-find wines will be found in the VIP Reserve Room. VIP guests enjoy their wine sampling from a complimentary 18 oz. Riedel stem, along with the opportunity to savor a selection of catered foods and bid on extraordinary items. Proceeds benefit the education and community outreach programs of The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis.

Held at the Chase Park Plaza Hotel.

Admission: $45; VIP, $95; Premier, $250. Event plus one night stay packages available. See Web site for details.

The Festival of African and African American Music will present an extraordinary variety of musical events celebrating composers and artists of African descent. The four-day festival features:

• Internationally-acclaimed performers and local artists
• Concerts, lecture-recitals and discussion forums with some of the foremost African heritage scholars
• The launch of new publications by Oxford University Press by William Chapman Nyaho and Fred Onovwerosuoke

Special Guests include: Nyaho-Garcia Piano Duo; Violinist Rachel Barton Pine; Pianists Silvia Belfiore and Darryl Hollister; Oboist Althea Ifeka; Flutist Wendy Hymes; Equinox Chamber Players; Musicians of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra; the National Dance Troupe of Nigera; Winneba Youth Choir of Ghana; St. Louis Children's Choir; the Kirkwood Community College Choir.

Christmas carolers, refreshments, pictures with Santa, free carriage rides, door prizes, face painting and more await you in downtown Cape Girardeau.

Shoppers can register for a chance to win a $2,000 shopping spree.

Experience this holiday tradition at the Missouri Botanical Garden. Eight G-scale model trains traverse a mountainous landscape through detailed winter scenes in miniature. Colorful poinsettias and flowering plants highlight the seasonal display.

Closed Christmas day.

This traditional German holiday event takes place during the community Krist Kindl Market, which is held at Stone Hill Winery. The Strehly House will be decorated for Christmas, including seven styles of German Christmas trees.

German springerle cookies, heidesand, stollen, zimtsterne, pfeffernusse, chocolate lebkuchen, spekulatius, zimmerschied and other refreshments are served.