My hope is that in the future, Noel Night will be expanded to Noel Weekend. A four+ hour block of time to see so many great places and events is not even close to enough time for this type of event.

My wife and I made plans to see the Blind Boys of Alabama as soon as we saw them on the list of events. I checked the Noel Night web site several times over the past few weeks that they were actually free. After all, they do tour the country and are 5-time Grammy winners [[the previous night, they played a concert in Texas; the cheapest tickets were $30).

We arrived to the church by 6:30, and there were still plenty of seats available then, but by the time the flamenco group La Chispa took the stage at 7, it was standing room only.

The Blind Boys put on a entertaining, soul-lifting show, showcasing songs like "People Get Ready," "Down in the Hole" [[the theme from "The Wire), "Spirit in the Sky" and "Amazing Grace," along with material from their 2003 Christmas CD. They performed for nearly 75 minutes, causing us all to miss the carol sing-along in front of the DIA, but I doubt anyone complained since we were having a boisterous time in the sanctuary of the church. The people who came too late to get in really missed an amazing concert.