GOINGS ON / SANTA BARBARA : Hopping Good Time : The ODC/San Francisco dance troupe will present ‘The Velveteen Rabbit’ at the Lobero Theatre.

Santa Barbara’s Lobero Theatre is getting into the swing of the holiday season.

Modern dance troupe ODC/San Francisco will visit the theater Friday through Sunday to present its version of “The Velveteen Rabbit.� This classic story by Margery Williams tells how a stuffed rabbit is brought to life by the love of the boy to whom it belongs.

Tickets are $18.50 (adults), $13.50 (students and seniors) and $9.50 (children under 12). Show times are Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.

The Lobero will continue with the holiday theme Dec. 18 to 20 with the Santa Barbara Dance Theatre production of “Nutcracker Nuevo.� The performance takes the traditional “Nutcracker� story and brings it to modern-day Santa Barbara. Tickets range from $7.50 to $12.50. Show times are Dec. 18 at 7:30 p.m., Dec. 19 at 2 and 7:30 p.m. and Dec. 20 at 2 and 4 p.m.

For tickets to either production, call the Lobero’s box office at 963-0761. The theater is located at 33 E. Canon Perdido.

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The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History is trying to make holiday travel as simple as possible. No passports, no airline hassles--just drive across the county border.

Tonight the museum will present a slide lecture titled “Alaska: The Last Frontier,� to be presented by local wildlife photographer Clayton Fogle. The show will begin at 7:30. General admission is $3.

On Sunday, the museum’s Sunday Travel Films series will continue with “We Swedes.� The movie looks at both the tourist and everyday sides of Sweden, with visits to Carl Milles Sculpture Garden and the Royal Palace. Show time is 3 p.m. General admission is $4. For more information on either event, call 682-4711. The museum is located at 2559 Puesta del Sol Road.

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Undersea explorer Jean-Michel Cousteau, son of Jacques, will be the featured guest Friday night at a fund-raising event for the Marine Mammal Center of Santa Barbara. Cousteau will discuss some of his recent expeditions, which have included trips to Australia, Vietnam and the Florida Everglades.

The program also will include presentations by Bob Talbot, a wildlife photographer, and Glen Allen, director of undersea photography at the Brooks Institute. The program will take place at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History’s Fleischmann Auditorium beginning at 7:30 p.m. The museum is located at 2559 Puesta del Sol Road. General admission is $10, and tickets are available at the door.

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Santa Barbara City College’s Concert Band will open its season Sunday with a program featuring “Imprints� by composer Timothy Mahr. The 50-piece ensemble also will perform “Gavorka� Fanfare by Jack Stamp, First Suite in E-flat by Gustav Holst, “Exultation� by James Curnow, Howard Ashman’s theme from the movie “Beauty and the Beast� and John Moss’ “Chorale and Bell Carol.� The campus is located at 721 Cliff Drive. The concert will be held in Garvin Theatre at 8 p.m. General admission is $6. Call 965-5935.

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How would one describe the musical offerings of the Santa Barbara “new music� group Headless Household? The quartet’s music combines “threads of jazz, rock, polka, folk, cabaret, improvisation, and the almighty etcetera,� or so says the announcement for the group’s third annual Christmas concert on Monday. The performance will take place at Center Stage Theater in the Paseo Nuevo Shopping Center beginning at 8 p.m. General admission is $6.50. For tickets, call 963-0408.

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Toward the other end of the musical spectrum, classical radio station KDB (93.7 FM) will hold its 12th annual “Messiah� Sing-Along Tuesday at the First Presbyterian Church in Santa Barbara. Vocalists will get a chance to warm up at 7:30 p.m., with the performance beginning at 8 p.m. The fee to sing is $5, proceeds of which will be donated to the Food Bank of Santa Barbara County. The church is located at 21 E. Constance Ave. For more information, call Bob Scott at 966-4131.

KDB will broadcast the taped event Wednesday at 10 p.m.

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If you have plans to check out comedian Jerry Seinfeld at the Arlington Theatre on Dec. 26, you had better act fast. Tickets for the 7 p.m. show sold quickly and a 10 p.m. performance was added. Tickets for the second show went on sale last Saturday. All seats are $26. Call 538-8700 or 963-4408. The Arlington is at 1317 State St.