THE BLADE: TOLEDO, OHIO ■ MONDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2014 SECTION A, PAGE 7toledoBlade .com

Michigan International SpeedwayThe auto racing enthusiast on your list is sure to warm

up with tickets to the two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rac-es in June and August. The Quicken Loans 400 will be held on June 14 and the Pure Michigan 400, the series finale, will be held on Aug. 16. Special ticket packages include a family four pack ($99 to $119), an MIS experience with prerace access to pit row ($130), and a camping getaway ($299). Gift certificates for individual tickets also can be purchased in increments of $25. For more information, go to mispeedway.com.

The Old Road Dinner TrainThis unique ticket may appeal to those

who are the most difficult to buy for. Lo-cated in Blissfield, Mich., the train travels on a segment of the original Erie & Kalamazoo Rail-road Line along the rich farmland of southeast-ern Michigan. A special New Year’s Eve trip will run from 7:30 to 10:30. There are also Murder Mystery Dinner Train trips every Saturday from 7 to 10 p.m. Tickets start at $45.95 (group rate). For more information, go to murdermys-terytrain.com.

Lottery ticketsThe perfect stocking stuffer is a scratch-off

lottery ticket. For as little as $2 you can give anyone on your list the chance of winning big bucks. Or give them the hope of hitting the ultimate jackpot with tickets to the Ohio Lottery’s Mega Millions and Powerball drawing games. The Ohio Lottery is featur-ing a special holiday New Year’s Raffle. The $20 per ticket drawing will be held Jan. 2, and the prize fund is $5 million with a top prize of $1 million. Only 500,000 tickets will be sold. Tickets can be purchased at more than 9,000 sanctioned Ohio lottery retailers, includ-ing more than 400 in Lucas County. Game info can be found at ohiolottery.com.

Movie ticketsWith so much time being spent indoors during the winter months, these are perfect for a good

time in front of the big screen. The Cinemark Theatres movie chain has locations at Franklin Park Mall in Toledo, Levis Commons in Perrysburg, Fallen Timbers in Maumee, and Woodland Mall in Bowling Green. The movie chain offers holiday-themed cards for tickets that you can design yourself with a personal message and even send electronically. The buyer can determine the amount of the card. Go to movietickets.com.

Walleye WinterfestLand the hottest tickets to the

coolest event in town. The Win-terfest is a 10-day extravaganza of hockey festivities in downtown Toledo. The baseball diamond at Fifth Third Field will be converted into an ice rink. Tickets for two out-door Walleye games — the first in ECHL history — on Dec. 27 and Jan. 3 range from $25 to $35. The event, which will be held from Dec. 26 to Jan. 4, will include a community open skate, a college game featur-ing Bowling Green State University on Jan. 3, high school, and youth hockey games. Open skate is $7 for a one-hour session. Tickets for the BGSU game are $15. For more info

go to toledowalleye.com/winterfest.

Valentine TheatreThis beautiful downtown ven-

ue will feature a ballet of Sleeping Beauty (Jan. 8) and a family concert per-formance from the Toledo Symphony Or-chestra (Jan. 11). A children’s play called Harold and the Purple Crayon will be held on Jan. 25. Gift certificates for tickets of any amount are available at valentineth-eatre.com. Cost: $14 to $58.

Stranahan TheaterTo get out of the winter

doldrums, go inside this theater in South Toledo to see a variety of shows early next year. The early 2015 schedule in-cludes the musical Beauty and the Beast ($43 to $88). Come-dian Lewis Black is in town for standup show Jan. 11 ($39.50 to $49.50). For a complete 2015 Stranahan schedule and ticket info, go to Stranahantheater.org.

UT, BGSU men’s and women’s basketball games If basketball is a favorite past time, tickets to some great college games might be the

ticket this holiday season. Single game plans and packages are available for the Univer-sity of Toledo and Bowling Green State University men’s and women’s basketball games. The Rockets offer an $80 ultimate fan plan (includes tickets, food, parking, and fangear), season ticket package (starting at $180), premium seating (starting at $75), and individual tickets ($4 for youths up to $12). The Falcons offer season tickets (starting at $133) and individual tickets ($10 for youths up to $25). For a full schedule and ticket info go to utrockets.com or bgsufal-cons.com. 

Cedar PointGive your recipient something to scream about. Ward off

the chill of winter with thoughts of roaring down the first hill of a roller coaster on a warm summer night. Gift cards for tick-ets to the Sandusky thrill park can be purchased at cedarpoint.com. Special holiday-themed gift cards for season passes are $120. A holiday bundle includes park admission on any one day during the 2015 season, but it also includes a meal and parking for $61. Single-day tickets are $39.99 and can be used any day of the year and can be printed online. For more information, go to cedarpoint.com.

Concert ticketsCountry music fans will love to get a ticket to see Flor-

ida Georgia Line at Huntington Center on Jan. 15. The group’s hit song “Cruise” has sold more than 6.3 million down-loads. Tickets range from $45 to $295 for VIP packages. The 35th annual Country Concert will take place in Fort Loramie, Ohio, on July 9-11. Special holiday-themed tickets ($79 to $586) can be purchased at countryconcert.com. The Huntington Center also will host legendary rocker Bob Seger and his Silver Bullet Band on Jan. 20 for a stop on his “Ride Out” tour. Tickets are $75 to $100. For more information, go to ticketmaster.com.

W H A T T O B U Y

HOLIDAY COUNTDOWN

17 SHOPPING DAYS LEFT

LIVE ENTERTAINMENTThe ticket to being the hit gift giver this holiday season may just come in

the form of a ticket. We may have just the ticket to complete your holiday shopping list — tickets to the best events around. The Toledo area and re-gion offer a variety of entertainment at some outstanding venues. Whether the recipient of your present is a sports nut, a thrill seeker, a concert-goer, or fan of the theater, a ticket to see the event in person is the perfect gift. Lottery tickets also are a sure way to build anticipation — and hopefully more cele-bration. A stocking stuffed with tickets is sure to spark a smile.

— MARK MONROEBLADE STAFF WRITER

Prices and availablity subject to change.