The Weekender: Downtown Holiday Parade, Rossmoor Event Center, Pearl Harbor Day Beacon

As you plan your weekend, here's some of the events going on in Walnut Creek from Thursday evening to Saturday evening.

On Thursday evening, the annual Broadway Plaza Holiday Parade of Lights will be held.

The festival is from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Broadway Plaza Street.

Santa Claus is scheduled to light the Christmas tree at 7 p.m. There will be music and other activities, too.

Also on Thursday evening, an opening reception will be held for an artistic show involving neon lights.

The "New Neon: Light, Paint and Photography" reception is from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Bedford Gallery, 1601 Civic Drive.

On Friday morning, a therapeutic garden walk will be held.

The event is from 9:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. at the Gardens at Heather Farm, 1540 Marchbanks Drive.

Garden Director Patricia Hanlon will lead the walk and discuss the beauty of winter gardens.

On Friday afternoon, a ribbon cutting will be held for the new events center in Rossmoor.

The ceremony begins at 1 p.m. at the $11 million Creekside Event Center.

The first performance will be at 7 p.m. on Saturday.

On Friday evening, a reception will be held for the Artists Market Exhibit and Sale.

The reception is from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Shadelands Art Center, 111 N. Wiget Lane.

The sales will take place from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday at the Shadelands center.

There will also be a sale from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday in Civic Park.

Also on Friday evening, there will be a celebration in Rossmoor for the Dollar Clubhouse being listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The festivities will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the clubhouse, 

Also on Friday evening, there will be a holiday concert.

The Christmas Favorites concert begins at 8 p.m. at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 1924 Trinity Ave.

On Saturday morning, a three-week class for young children on birds will begin.

The "Bring on the Birds!" class meets the next three Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Lindsay Wildlife Museum, 1931 First Ave.

The class is for children ages 2 to 5. They'll learn why beaks, feathers and feet make birds special as well as how birds make nests and feed babies.

Also on Saturday, a book sale will be held at the downtown library.

The Friends of the Walnut Creek Library Book Sale is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Oakview room of the library, 1644 N. Broadway.

Also on Saturday, the 17th annual Teddy Bear Tea will be held.

There are two seatings, one at 11:30 a.m. and one at 2 p.m. Both are at the Gardens at Heather Farm, 1540 Marchbanks Drive.

On Saturday afternoon, the Diablo Women's Chorale will perform.

The "Home for the Holidays" concert begins at 3 p.m. at the Mt. Diablo Unitarian Universalist Church, 55 Eckley Lane.

Also on Saturday afternoon, the refurbished beacon atop Mount Diablo will be lit again in honor of Pearl Harbor Day.

The ceremony is from 3:45 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Oak Room in the library of Cal State East Bay's Concord campus. It was originally scheduled for the Diablo summit building, but the cold weather prompted organizers to change the location.

The event is sponsored by Save Mount Diablo, the Sons & Daughters of Pearl Harbor Survivors Association and the California State Parks department.