Parking Lot Potentate

MON 11/22
Joe Cahn, self-proclaimed Commissioner of Tailgating, returns in his 40-foot RV stocked with homemade jambalaya to hold a tailgating party for (and to shamelessly devour the barbecue of) Chiefs fans in the parking lot at 1 Arrowhead Drive before the Chiefs-Pats game on Monday. Call 303-665-4200. — Jason Harper

Courting KU
Don’t knock the rock chalk.

FRI 11/19
Last year, Jayhawks basketball fans eyed the season with uncertainty, fretting about whether new coach Bill Self could fill Roy Williams’ sky-blue, tar-heeled shoes. All worries were wasted, however — the team went 24-9 and advanced to the regional finals during March Madness. In 2004, the only thing the rock-chalk rabble has to fear is overconfidence. The Jayhawks top the preseason polls, and the team plays its first home game against tiny Vermont. Don’t count out the Catamounts, though — coach Tom Brennan’s squad has taken two straight America East conference titles, and the team kept it close against eventual national champions Connecticut in last year’s tournament.

Whereas the Jayhawks boast All-America contenders such as Wayne Simien, Aaron Miles, Keith Langford and J.R. Giddens, the Cantamounts rely on high-scoring forward Taylor Coppenrath, whose clean-cut appearance and lily-white name belie some serious court intensity. The road to the Final Four begins at 7 p.m. Friday at Allen Fieldhouse, 1651 Naismith Drive in Lawrence. For tickets, call 785-864-3141 or 800-344-2957.— Andrew Miller

Get Lit

WED 11/24
The folks at Jackson County Parks and Recreation appear to agree that, in the showtune words of Mame, we need a little Christmas, right this very minute. For them, November 24 is definitely not too early to start the holiday season. (In fact, we suspect that they might leave their lights up year-round.) On Thanksgiving eve at Longview Lake, they celebrate Christmas in the Sky, the precursor to the seasonlong light display Christmas in the Park. Starting at 7:30 p.m, dancers, carolers, fireworks and over 300,000 lights kick off this oh-so-festive time of year. Admission is free, but donations are accepted. Call 816-881-3064 for information. — Annie Fischer

High Hoops

11/23-11/24
Every year, the KC-based National Association of Basketball Coaches hosts the Guardians Classic, an NCAA exhibition tournament to promote the association’s goal of encouraging coaches to be positively involved in their players’ lives. Read: no cussing, chair-hurling or making the poor Nebraska farmboy center rue the day he hit the 7-foot mark in the barn doorway. Mizzou, Ohio State and Creighton host each bracket, culminating in the championship rounds at 8 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday at Municipal Auditorium (301 West 13th Street). Call 816-513-5000 for tickets. — Harper