It's the final weekend for Back Home Again: A John Denver Christmas playing at St. Croix Off Broadway Dinner Theatre, but if you don't already have tickets, you're out of luck. The show is already sold out and there's a long waiting list.

The two main actors of Back Home Again are Joe Keith and Stephanie Briggs, and both are playing themselves. 

"The show was originally assembled as a one-night-only concert for a bunch of band members, so when we bought the rights for it we decided to turn each song into a different story," Briggs said. "So instead of one story there's 29 different stories, because there's 29 different songs in the whole show."

This gives Keith and Briggs a chance to both play themselves and take on the roles of different characters in certain songs.

The show has been a huge success.

"Compared to past shows I've been in,  this was the first time I'd heard of a waiting list in case tickets get canceled for people who'd want to see the last two shows. It sold like crazy. We get to perform for full houses, which is great, and keeps the whole theater warm too," Briggs said.

Briggs started performing with St. Croix Off Broadway the first year it opened with a show called Don't Hug Me, which turned into a three-part series.

"We've done each of the three at the Hudson Theatre," she said. "I also did Always...Patsy Cline in 2007. A lot of people related to Patsy Cline, so we had very generous audiences. Musical tributes get a lot of audience reaction; people come in to share the memories they have."

Briggs says the same thing is true with the John Denver Christmas Special. Before the show even starts, Joe greets the audience and hears John Denver stories left and right. Denver's first wife, Annie Martell, was from Minnesota.

"We have audience members who graduated with her and saw him at the high school reunion. That's why we've been selling so many tickets; because of who he was. He was such a laid back relatable guy; everyone has a memory of him," Briggs said. 

If you missed the chance to get tickets for this show, you'll just have to wait for Sisters of Swing: The Story of the Andrews Sisters, which opens in March.

The Flow of Music

The St. Croix Valley Honors Band and Choir Concert will be held at New Richmond High School at 4 p.m. on Saturday. The concert will feature high school musicians from Hudson, River Falls, Ellsworth, Prescott, Baldwin-Woodville, St. Croix Central and New Richmond.

Varsity Wrestling Invitational

A wrestling invitational will be held at Hudson High School's East Gym this Saturday, starting at 9:30am. Wrestling teams from Hudson, Cumberland, Ellsworth, Stillwater, Hutchinson and Plainview-Elgin-Melville will be competing. Hudson Wrestling Club President Chris Haroldson said that Ellsworth and Hudson share a rivalry, so it's always a big matchup when those two teams wrestle. This year Hudson is ranked fifth and Ellsworth is in first place, so he believes Ellsworth has a slight edge.

"I think Ellsworth looks a little bit stronger this year," he said.

Nordic Ski Lessons

The Willow River Nordic Ski Association is offering an adult ski lesson on Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon at the Willow River Nature Center in Willow River State Park. The class will teach participants how to ski in the skate style or the diagonal (classic) stride. Contact the park office at 715-386-5931 to sign up. Participants must bring their own equipment.

Music and Dancing

Dibbo's will host a live cover band playing everything from 80s glam rock to modern rock'n'roll starting Friday at 9:30 p.m. Saturday night will feature Blackout, a style rock band influenced by the Stone Temple Pilots, Ozzy Osbourne and the Black Crowes. Music starts at 9:30 p.m.

Dick's Bar and Grill will host DJs spinning dance music on Friday and Saturday night at 10 p.m.

Ellie's on Main will host DJs spinning dance music on Friday and Saturday night, starting at 10 p.m.

Seasons Tavern will feature live music on Friday night; Thirsty Camel will play its special blend of rock for the past 40 years. Saturday night will feature karaoke, starting at 9 p.m.

Shanghai Bistro will host live jazz on Friday and Saturday from 6:30-9:30 p.m.

Willow River Saloon will feature Rizer's classic rock and blues on Friday, and the Roy Rogers band will play rock classics, dance tunes, blues and country on Saturday night. Shows run from 9:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.

On the Big Screen

PG-rated family flicks showing this weekend at Hudson Theatre include Gullivers Travels, Yogi Bear, Tangled, Chronicles of Narnia (3D) and Tron Legacy (showing in both regular and 3D).

PG-13 movies include comedy films Little Fockers and How Do You Know, action movies Season of the Witch, the Tourist and True Grit, and Country Strong, a drama.

R-rated movies include Black Swan and the Fighter, both dramas.