Kwanzaa

Now that the wrapping paper has been ripped off all those presents and the tree is starting to look a little old, turn your attention to another celebration -- Kwanzaa.

A nonreligious culture event established by a black scholar in 1966 as a way of bringing African-Americans together at a time of racial tension, Kwanzaa celebrates African-American heritage and family through seven values: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith. It is typically celebrated Dec. 26 through Jan. 1.

Cary will host its Kwanzaa Celebration at the Herbert C. Young Community Center. The event, now in its 14th year, is co-sponsored by the town and the Ujima Group Inc., which has organized and sponsored cultural events, workshops and programs for youth since 1996. The Cary event will include African drumming and storytelling, a comedy show, music and modeling. There will be food and a vendor market.

The keynote speaker will be Bernard Alonzo Bowen Sr., who has coached, refereed and coordinated athletic events over the past 35 years, including the Holcomb Rucker Tournament, a popular street ball basketball tournament in New York.

A children's village will include arts and crafts activities such as mask making, drawing and finger painting.

A new documentary about the history of Kwanzaa, "The Black Candle," is probably best for older kids.

What: Cary Kwanzaa Celebration

When: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday

Where: Herbert C. Young Community Center, 101 Wilkinson Ave., Cary

Who goes: All ages

For more information, go to www.townofcary.org/depts/prdept/events/kwanzaa.htm or call Cary's Page-Walker Arts & History Center at 460-4963.

other highlights

n Celebrate Kwanzaa at a seven-day celebration at Durham's Hayti Heritage Center. The program begins at 7:30 p.m. today and lasts through Wednesday. On Thursday, New Year's Day, doors open at noon for a 1 p.m. screening of the documentary "The Black Candle." The nightly events are free, open to the public and include live music and performances. The KwanzaaFest Celebration is at the St. Joseph's Performance Hall at Hayti Heritage Center, 804 Old Fayetteville St., Durham. For more information, go to www.hayti.org/celebrate-kwanzaa-2009

• Ring in the New Year in Wake Forest this year. The town's very first First Light Wake Forest begins at 6 p.m. Wednesday (and runs until 12:30 a.m.) on South White Street in downtown Wake Forest. The free, nonalcoholic event includes lots of activities for kids, including inflatables and a climbing wall. There's an early countdown for kids at 8:30 p.m. There will be live music and downtown businesses will offer specials and samples. Fireworks at midnight will help ring in the new year. The event kicks off a year of events marking the town's centennial. For more information, go to www.wakeforestnc.gov/2009centennial_events.aspx.
• And there's always First Night Raleigh. The New Year's Eve celebration includes popular children's celebrations, which run from 2 to 6 p.m. Wednesday at the N.C. Museum of History, the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences and on the Bicentennial Plaza. An early countdown is at 7 p.m. The celebration includes a showcase of traditional Chinese movement, crafts and a Guitar Hero demonstration. Admission buttons are required for adults and children ages 6 and up. Tickets are $9 in advance and $10 or $12 on Wednesday. For more information, go to www.firstnightraleigh.com.