Country star Deana Carter will headline the 37th annual Carols by Candlelight on Friday, Dec. 11, and Saturday, Dec. 12, in Poway.

Both shows at the Poway Center for the Performing Arts begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $75 to $95, according to the San Diego Reader. Proceeds benefit Rady Children's Hospital.

Carter's signature hit "Strawberry Wine" won Song of the Year at the 1997 Country Music Association Awards and reached No. 1 on the Billboard country chart. She shares the bill with Maddie Font, one half of the country duo Maddie & Tae, known for "Girl From a Country Song" and "Die From a Broken Heart." Font released her first solo single, "Drive Me Around," on Sept. 4.

Local performers round out the lineup. Anna Vaus, Eve Selis with her band Back to the Garden, and Steve Vaus are all listed as special guests on the Poway Center's event page.

Steve Vaus co-founded the concert in 1990 with Wayne Nelson. The first show, called "Light the Night," was a free outdoor concert at Horton Plaza in downtown San Diego that drew more than 500 people, according to a 2014 San Diego Union-Tribune profile.

Growing crowds forced a move to the Poway Center after three years, and the event was renamed Carols by Candlelight.

"The idea was to bring in artists from different musical genres like country and pop and even R&B," Vaus told the Union-Tribune in December 2014. "Then when the concert was over, everyone got candles and we would all sing carols together."

The concert has traditionally closed with artists and audience members gathering in the outdoor courtyard to sing "Silent Night" by candlelight, with no instruments, amplification or electric lighting.

The benefit also features live and silent auctions, including autographed guitars and raffle prizes, according to the San Diego Reader listing.

As of the concert's 25th anniversary in 2014, the event had raised more than $1 million for charity. Rady Children's Hospital, the San Diego region's only hospital dedicated exclusively to pediatric care, has been the beneficiary for multiple years.

Tickets and more information are available at CarolsByCandlelight.com.

Upcoming community events:

  • Carols by Candlelight: Friday, Dec. 11, and Saturday, Dec. 12, 7:30 p.m., Poway Center for the Performing Arts, 15498 Espola Rd. Tickets $75–$95 at CarolsByCandlelight.com.