IN THE ARTS Glen Burtnick's Christmas Extravaganza will be presented at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank Saturday at 7:30 p.m. This will be the 17th anniversary of Burtnik's Xmas Xtravaganza. Born at a small club in New Jersey in the late '80s, this annual holiday concert revue of seasonal musical performances has grown larger each year, evolving into a New York-New Jersey area tradition not to be missed. It features a colorful cast of characters that changes from year to year and has included many music world luminaries. Tickets: $35-$20 at the box office, 99 Monmouth St., (732) 842-9000, or www.countbasie.org. Middletown Main Library Director Susan O'Neal (l) accepted The New Jersey Council for the Humanities 19th Annual Book Award Collection from Elizabeth Motts (r), of NJCH, in a ceremony at the library Dec. 11. "Readers of scholarly books in history and social studies will find much of interest in this distinguished collection of 36 books," said O'Neal. Dark Star Orchestra, a band devoted to paying homage to the Grateful Dead, will perform at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank Sunday at 8 p.m. The Chicago-based band performs the actual set list, in order, from over 2,500 performances that the Grateful Dead gave during their 30-year career. Song by song, using period instruments and amplifiers, and playing the same musical arrangements used by the Dead members of that time, DSO re-creates the live Grateful Dead experience through live music faithfully interpreted and performed with compelling accuracy. Tickets $42.50 - $20 at the box office, 99 Monmouth St., (732) 842- 9000, or www.countbasie.org. Six-time Grammy winner Gladys Knight will perform at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank Dec. 29 at 8 p.m. Knight's No.1 hits include "Every Beat of My Heart," and "I Heard It Through the Grapevine." Tickets $150-$48, at the box office at 99 Monmouth St., (732) 842- 9000, or www.countbasie.org. Two River Theater Company in Red Bank celebrates the holiday season with Charles Dickens' "The Ghost's Bargain, A Spirited Tale for Christmas." This family holiday show will run through Dec. 30. Adapted by Laura Eason, "The Ghost's Bargain" is a beautiful and haunting story about the importance of memory, the value of kindness and the astonishing power of compassion. An old-fashioned Christmas Carol sing-along will follow each performance Gladys Knight led by local musician George Severini at the piano. Tickets are $20 - $30 and are available by calling the box office at (732) 345 -1400, in person at or at the box office at 21 Bridge Avenue in Red Bank or online at www.trtc.org. Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes will be back at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank for another New Year's Eve, doing what they do best: - turning the Basie into a music-filled juke joint where ecstatic fans ring in yet another new year to a band blowing hot 'til the wee hours. Southside and the Jukes will perform Dec. 31 at 9 p.m. Tickets $100 - $30 at the box office, 99 Monmouth St. (732) 842-9000, or www.countbasie.org.