Port Pairings @ Kendall College

Come see Kendall College's student chefs present their submissions in the school's annual recipe competition. This year's challenge? To create a dish that pairs with Cockburn's Special Reserve Port, the contest's sponsor. Cocktails and hors d'oeuvres start at 6pm in the Capitanini Family Banquet Room (900 N. North Branch); plate tastings start at 7:30pm. RSVP to CockburnsRSVP@Beamglobal.com by Friday, December 5, to attend. Guests must be 21+ and may be videotaped. Free.

Benefit Shopping Event @ Pivot

Stop by local favorite Pivot boutique (1101 W Fulton Market) to polish off that Christmas list and help an important cause. Tonight, Wednesday December 10th, Pivot will donate 15% of the evening's sales from 5:30pm until 8:30pm to the Academy for Global Citizenship (a new Chicago public contract school located on the southwest side of the city). Visit their website for more details or call 312-243-4754.

The Chicagoan @ Harold Washington Library

Neil Harris, the author of the much lauded, upcoming book The Chicagoan: A Lost Magazine of the Jazz Age, comes to the Harold Washington Library to discuss the work that went into his book. Free at 6pm, 400 S. State St. Call 312-747-4300 for more information.

Land of the Sweets: The Burlesque Nutcracker

Land of the Sweets: The Burlesque Nutcracker makes its Chicago debut yesterday and tonight at the Park West, 322 W. Armitage Ave. The show is a "full-blown professional production of the holiday classic -- rendered in 1930s burlesque cabaret style" by professional burlesque dancers. There are two shows each night, at 7:30pm and 10pm; tickets are $30 in advance. 18 and over.

Chicago Women's Alliance Group: Jane Addams and the University of Chicago's Pioneering Women

Celebrate the second annual Jane Addams Day by attending a presentation about the first American female Nobel Prize winner as well as Edith Abbott, Sophonisba Breckinridge, and Grace Abbott, who banded together and created the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago, which celebrates their 100th anniversary this year. The presentation will be led by Dean Jeanne C. Marsh and Professor George Herbert Jones. A light dinner follows. Cost is $28 a person. RSVP online by Dec. 5.

The Law Firm of Holland & Knight, LLP
131 S. Dearborn - 30th floor
5:30-6pm -- registration
6-7pm -- presentation
7-8:30pm -- dinner

CTA Holiday Train: Brown & Orange Lines

The CTA Holiday Train will be rocking the Brown and Orange lines. Passengers can start climbing aboard at 3:37pm, when the train heads north from the Midway stop on the Orange line. A southbound run from the Kimball terminal on the Brown line gets going at 5:08pm. Click here for a timetable. A schedule for the 2008 season is posted on the CTA web site here -- check it for future updates. Normal CTA fares apply. 888-YOUR-CTA (888-968-7282).