Rachel Bowen's If I'd Known: Chance to learn more about our history

Santa's Cave at Te Manawa opens on November 19, assuming Santa gets a jab and makes it out of isolation in time. Photo / Supplied

I find myself a little hesitant this month as my natural enthusiasm and overwhelming positivity is taking a hit as the Covid restrictions rumble on.

Please get vaccinated so I can have my social life back. So, bravely nailing my colours to the mast, here are what I hope will be highlights for this month.

Our annual Local History Week begins the month and the extensive programme of activities is available on the City Library website.

This year includes a scavenger hunt to help us learn our local history. This is one for the whole family, with edible rewards included. Take your smartphone, grab a map from the second floor of Central Library and follow clues to answer a secret question. Maps are available until November 7 and rewards can be claimed up to November 9.

The usual lunchtime talks are online this year and you can register for a link by emailing heritage@pncc.govt.nz.

The cancelled, rescheduled and now, for one show only, Who Are We? finds a natural home during this week, as performers bring to life the grand artistic ladies of our history, explore flax farming, the significance of Te Marae o Hine and our diverse cultural heritage at Globe Theatre on Sunday, November 7.

Te Manawa Art Gallery also gets involved with a wonderful new exhibition, Locals, where you can discover work by artists selected by Te Manawa Art Society from its Manawatū art collections.

On Saturday, November 7, Manawatū Concert Band presents Best of British, which I'm picking aims to bring us something with a Last Night of the Proms feel. Dressing up is encouraged and the programme features a range of traditional and modern classics.

And the Manawatū Sinfonia's much rescheduled Beethoven celebration is back on, featuring local pianist and conductor Andrew Atkins who will take on both roles in this November 21 concert. Both events are at the Spiers Centre, with tickets available through Eventfinda.

Particularly noteworthy for me this month is ThorneStar Productions' Shirley Valentine, being staged at 409 Church St and opening on November 11. The story is probably familiar from the movie adaptation but, in my humble opinion, the play is better.

With the capable and talented Gael Haining Ede as Shirley and Damian Thorne directing, I expect this to be very good indeed. I'm also excited to see this heritage venue in its first outing as a theatre.

Christmas is around the corner and the Christmas big hitters open this month, with Cringeworthy (the 80s edition) at Centrepoint from November 7 (sure to be a hit with those who loved last year's 70s edition), and Legally Blonde The Musical from Act Three Productions at Wallace Development Company Theatre from November 26. Book in the largest bubble you can make to help both theatres manage their seating and increase their cashflow.

Santa's Cave at Te Manawa is a perennial favourite. For some, it's a magical trip down memory lane. Others find its kitsch-factor endearing. There are those (me) who even find it curiously creepy but it wouldn't be Christmas in Palmerston North without the cave. It is one of our region's most loved treasures and opens on November 19, assuming Santa gets a jab and makes it out of isolation in time.

• Rachel Bowen is an arts enthusiast, sometime actor and, as a Palmerston North city councillor, chairwoman of the council's Arts, Culture and Heritage Committee. The views expressed here are her own.