What is entertainment?

Entertainment, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.

After all, the Romans used to feed Christians to the lions and called that entertainment. But we are more civilized now. We just watch with lurid amazement as packs of paparazzi hunt down celebrities like predators on fresh meat.

There is so much that can be defined as entertainment that it's hard to get a handle on it all. Watching live theater can be entertaining. So can sitting at home watching police video of dumb criminals.

And what about sports like skiing or golf? I'm greatly entertained when I'm enjoying fresh snow on the mountain or a sunny day on the greens, but does it qualify as entertainment? Do you have to sit down to be entertained?

While I try to figure out this quandary, you might want to try some of the following events for some weekend fun.

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With all the Christmas decorating and shopping, it's hard for my wife and I to find time to go to the movies. But there would be another problem, that is picking the movie. I'd go for the new Bond film "Quantum of Solace," while my wife would convince me to get with the holiday spirit and see "Four Christmases." I've seen good things on both movies, so you can't go wrong.

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Finding something for young children to do on weekends besides watch TV can be a challenge. Take them this Saturday to the Children's Museum of Northern Nevada, and they will put those young, idle hands to work on building gingerbread houses. "Cracker Shack" costs $5 for members and $7 for non-members, and buys all materials needed to build a gingerbread house. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Call 884-2226 for details.

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Cowboy poetry is one of those things that can be an acquired taste. It's too bad so many people don't get enough experience with the subject to acquire that taste. Perhaps "A Cowboy Holiday" could help change that. It features cowboy poetry, stories, music and sing-a-longs, done with a holiday twist. The event takes place Saturday at 209 Dayton Valley Road in Dayton, from 1-3 p.m. For more information, call, 246-4600.

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The last beer crawl I did was probably 20 years ago, and included actual crawling. But that's not the purpose for the Downtown Beer Crawl this Saturday in Carson City. The blue-collar counterpart of the monthly Wine Walk, this is a great way to spend the afternoon exploring downtown stores you may never have known about before. You can do some Christmas shopping while you're at it, and you get to drink beer all at the same time. Who could ask for more? The $10 cost gets you a mug to take home, and a variety of different beers. The beer crawl runs from 1-5 p.m. For more information, call 882-8950.

- Contact reporter Kirk Caraway at kcaraway@nevadaappeal.com or (775) 881-1261.