Friday, September 29, 2006

September 29

This evening, A Room of One’s Own Feminist Bookstore hosts an author signing with the Isthmus' Bill Lueders. He is promoting his book Cry Rape: The True Story of One Woman's Harrowing Quest for Justice. This is at the Book Store, 307 West Johnson Street, at 6. Call the Bookstore at 257-7888 or check roomofonesown.com for details.

Tonight, Orchard Ridge United Church of Christ hosts a screening of “The Great Warming” about global warming. The film will be introduced by Tony Ends of the Churches’ Center for Land and People. This is at the Church, 1501 Gilbert Road, at 7. For more information, email ccbrock@wisc.edu.

Tonight, Claude AnShin Thomas; Vietnam veteran, Zen Buddhist monk, and peace activist; speaks on healing, emotional suffering and practical guidance in using mindfulness and compassion to transform our lives. He is the author of At Hell’s Gate: A Soldier’s Journey from War to Peace. This talk is sponsored by the Madison Peace Fellowship, the Peace and Justice Committee of First Unitarian Society, Clarence Kailin, Chapter 25, and Veterans for Peace. This is free and open to the public at the First Unitarian Society, 900 University Bay Drive at 7:30. Donations to the Zaltho Foundation, which supports Claude AnShin’s work are welcome. For more information, contact Kathy Derene at 233-4118 or kathy@derene.com.

Tomorrow, the Madison Area Down Syndrome Society hosts the 5th Annual Buddy Walk to promote the acceptance and awareness for all people with Down syndrome. The Society works to include people with Down syndrome in community activities, education, and employment. This begins at Warner Park Stadium on Sherman Avenue with registration at 9:30 and the walk at 11. For more information on the event and the Society, call Anne at 206-0285 or visit madss.org.

Tomorrow, the Madison Senior Center hosts the 7th Annual Empty Bowls Dinner. Local potters create the bowls and local restaurants donate soup and bread, all of which is served by volunteers. There is a charge for the dinner and all proceeds go to the Partner Shares Program, which provides fresh food to low-income families. This is at the Madison Senior Center, 330 West Mifflin Street, from 11 to 2. For more information, call 226-0300 or check www.emptybowls.net.

Tomorrow, the April 10 Organization holds a party as part of the National Day of Action for Immigrants’ Rights. The party features a variety of music, piñata for children, cultural presentations by various groups, and educational programs about immigration. This is open to the public and is at the Madison Labor Temple Lounge, 1602 South Park Street, from noon to 5. For more information, contact Nicolás Chango at 718-810-7565 or Megan Kaseman at 446-3313.

Tomorrow afternoon, the Madison Downtown Library hosts Patricia Cervantes of Justicia Para Nuestras Hijas, an organization of women whose daughters have died on the US/Mexican border at Chihuahua/Juarez. She will give a talk entitled “Justice for Our Daughters” about her personal experiences with and knowledge of femicide on the border. This is at the Library, 201 West Mifflin Street, at 2. Check the “Speaking Tours” section of mexicosolidarity.org for further information.

Sunday, University Book Store hosts an author signing with CNN Editor John DeDakis. He is promoting his book Fast Track. This is at the University Book Store at Hilldale Shopping Center, 702 North Midvale Boulevard, at 2. Check uwbookstore.com for details.

Sunday, Mifflin Street Community Cooperative hosts a silent auction that will auction a wide array of items and services donated from local businesses in the Madison area. This includes items such as a Guatemalan Quilt; a massage; gift certificates from area restaurants; and a night's stay at the Arbor House, an Environmental Inn. This is at the Orpheum Theatre, 216 State Street, with the cocktail hour at 5 and bidding starting at 6pm. Check mifflincoop.com for details.

Thursday, September 28, 2006

September 28

This afternoon, the USDA’s Gay Lesbian Employee Advisory Council holds an open listening session on sexual orientation & diversity issues in agriculture. This is at the Red Gym, 716 Langdon Street, from 1 to 3. For more information, email william.scaggs@usda.gov.

This evening, The Center for the Humanities co-sponsors a discussion entitled “War Talk; Iraq on Campus”. Panelists include Neil Whitehead, Professor of Anthropology; Michael Bernard-Donals, Professor of English; Steve Stern, Professor of History; John Nichols, Associate Editor, The Capital Times; and Jason Moon, Iraq War Veteran. This is in L-160 of Chazen Hall, 800 University Avenue, at 5:30. Check declarationofpeace.org for details.

This evening, the Wisconsin Books to Prisoners Project holds a meeting. Books to Prisoners is for all those interested in getting educational resources to those inside the system and also educating those on the outside. This is at Escape Java Joint, 916 Williamson Street, at 5:30. Call 262-9036 for details.

Tonight, Pax Christi hosts Friar Bryan Massingale, who will give a talk entitled "Katrina, King and Catholic Social Teaching". He will explore the meaning and continuing relevance of Katrina's social consequences in light of Martin Luther King's analysis of the relationships between racism, poverty, and the pursuit of war, and the Catholic tradition of social justice. Friar Massingale is an Associate Professor at Marquette University, a member of the Board of Directors of the Catholic Theological Society of America and sits on the Executive Committee of the Black Catholic Theological Symposium. This is at the Catholic Multicultural Center, 1862 Beld Street, from 7 to 8:30. Call 233-1898 or email trudijenny@yahoo.com for details.

Tonight, the International Socialist Organization hosts a talk and discussion entitled “What’s Behind the War on Terrorism”. The event is free and open to the public at the Wilmar Center, 953 Jenifer Street, at 7:30. Call 843-3932 for details.

Tomorrow, the Madison Trust for Historic Preservation hosts two Lunchtime Tours of Mansion Hill West and King Street. The Mansion Hill tour circles several blocks of formerly single-family grand homes, plus Langdon Street fraternities and the Kennedy Manor apartment building. The King Street tour shows the beginnings of Madison. The Mansion Hill tour begins at Plaza Tavern and Grill, 319 North Henry Street, and the King Street tour meets in front of the Great Dane Brewpub, corner of King and Doty Streets. Both tours are at noon. For details, check madisontrust.org.

This weekend is the Local Democracy Convention. This year’s theme is “The Community Power Road to a Democratic Society”. The convention’s aim is for participants to learn, share, network, and strategize together about how to build the democracy movement in this country from the grassroots up. There is a sliding-scale registration fee that is waived for students and is on the UW campus. For more information and the schedule, check localdemocracy.org.

Girl Neighborhood Power is holding the “Trick or Treat so Others Can Eat” food drive. They seek individuals, youth centers, neighborhood centers, scouts, churches schools, and more to collect food for area pantries. Items can be dropped off at Dane County Human Services offices, libraries, post office buildings, police stations and other places. Girl Neighborhood Power is a YWCA after-school and evening enrichment program designed to empower girls to reach young adulthood healthy, strong, and confident by giving them the skills and the guidance to make healthy choices. To help out, contact Meme Kintner at 255-3295, 206-7633, or mkintner@ywcamadison.org. For more information, check ywcamadison.org.

Friday, September 22, 2006

September 22

Tonight, the Mifflin Street Community Cooperative holds a Pirate Party Benefit. Participants are asked to come dressed as a pirate. The party features music, dancing, treasure hunting, and eating. There is a suggested donation that benefits the Coop. This is at Ambrosia Housing Co-op, 225 East Lakelawn Place, from 9:30pm to 2:30 am. Check mifflincoop.com for details.

Tomorrow is the Taste of Mifflin St. Co-op. Participants can get a taste of what Mifflin offers with lots of free samples of the food from the store and learn ideas for easy-to-make food. This is from 1 to 5 at the Coop, 32 North Bassett Street. Check mifflincoop.com for details.

Tomorrow evening, the Alliance for Animals holds its third annual Vegan Chili Cook-Off. The Alliance for Animals is a Wisconsin-based non-profit organization advocating for the rights and human treatment of all animals. There is a ticket charge that is waved for those entering their chili. All profits benefit the Alliance for Animals. This is at the Atwood Community Center, 2425 Atwood Avenue, from 6 to 9. For more information, call 257-6333 or check www.allanimals.org.

Sunday, Mifflin Street Community Cooperative hosts a silent auction that will auction a wide array of items and services donated from local businesses in the Madison area. This includes items such as a Guatemalan Quilt; a massage; gift certificates from area restaurants; and a nights stay at the Arbor House, an Environmental Inn. This is at the Orpheum Theatre, 216 State Street, with the cocktail hour at 5 and bidding starting at 6pm. Check mifflincoop.com for details.

Beginning Sunday, the Peregrine Forum holds the first in its Fall Discussion Series “Introduction to the Palestinian Conflict”. The main reading for this course will be veteran Middle East British journalist David Hirst’s The Gun and the Olive Branch: the Roots of Violence in the Middle East. This is at Escape Java Joint, 916 Williamson Street, at 6:30. This runs on alternative Sunday evenings through December 3. There is a registration fee. To RSVP for limited seating, call 442-8399 or email dvdwilliams51@yahoo.com.

Thursday, September 21, 2006

September 21

At noon, Thomas Dubois, UW-Madison professor of Scandinavian Studies, speaks on “The Cultural Traditions of the Swedish-Speaking Finns”. Dubois teaches, writes, and researches on a variety of Nordic topics, particularly Finnish folklore and literature, Sámi culture and lyric songs in Northern Europe. This is at the Memorial Union, 800 Langdon Street, at noon. Check “Today in the Union” for the room location or call 262-5590 for details.

This afternoon, the 27-Hour Fast for Peace and in Support of the Declaration of Peace begins at Senator Kohl's Office, 14 West Mifflin at 2. Names of U.S. and Iraqi war dead will be read, along with other reflections, songs, and readings. The fast will reconvene at 9:00 at Grace Episcopal Church, 116 West Washington Avenue and return to vigil at Senator Kohl's office for Friday. All are welcome to join in any portion of the Fast. For more information, call 846-7924 or check wnpj.org.

Tonight, the Madison Downtown Workers Union holds a fall kickoff meeting. This includes free pizza and worker solidarity. The Union has launched a campaign to organize the 400 or so businesses in the downtown area. This is on the 2nd floor of 254 West Gilman Street at 7. Email madisonworkers@yahoo.com to learn more.

Tonight, the Mifflin Street Community Cooperative hosts Movies on the Mural, a night screening of short comedy films, including films by Wis-kino, and ending with Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. This is free and open to the public. This begins at sunset at the Coop at 32 North Bassett Street. Check mifflincoop.com for details.

Tomorrow, Anna Senarslan, a Fulbright scholar and Dana-Allen Dissertator Fellow at the Institute for Research in the Humanities, speaks on “Following Threads on the Silk Road: The Tapestry of Central Asian Music”. She has recently returned from Baku, Azerbaijan where she conducted research on women ashugs or minstrel poets and storytellers performing in the tradition of Azerbaijan. This is at the Memorial Union, 800 Langdon Street, at noon. Check “Today in the Union” for the room location or check www.union.wisc.edu/worldmusic for details.

This weekend, the Broom Street Theater opens the show “Just Sit Right Back and You'll Hear a Tale”, a story of myth-representations and myth-opportunities. In the play, two kids take a field trip to the Paul Bunyan Museum. While one child loves the tale, the other thinks it is ridiculous. The first learns lessons of success and the other grows up to watch too much tv. This is at the Broom Street Theater, 1119 Williamson Street, Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 8 through October 29. For more information, check broomstreet.org or call the Theater's information line at 244-8338.

Beginning in October, OutReach hosts a six-week group discussion on sexual health for gender diverse people. The six week group will cover a wide variety of topics related to gender self-expression, body imagery, discrimination issues, health care barriers and resources, and the sexual decision-making process. Sessions will be two hours in length and meet once a week on Saturday at 1pm. Food will be provided. These are at Outreach, 600 Williamson Street. For information, leave a message for Renee at 255-8582 or madcityrenee@tds.net or programs@outreachinc.com.

September 21

At noon, Thomas Dubois, UW-Madison professor of Scandinavian Studies, speaks on “The Cultural Traditions of the Swedish-Speaking Finns”. Dubois teaches, writes, and researches on a variety of Nordic topics, particularly Finnish folklore and literature, Sámi culture and lyric songs in Northern Europe. This is at the Memorial Union, 800 Langdon Street, at noon. Check “Today in the Union” for the room location or call 262-5590 for details.

This afternoon, the 27-Hour Fast for Peace and in Support of the Declaration of Peace begins at Senator Kohl's Office, 14 West Mifflin at 2. Names of U.S. and Iraqi war dead will be read, along with other reflections, songs, and readings. The fast will reconvene at 9:00 at Grace Episcopal Church, 116 West Washington Avenue and return to vigil at Senator Kohl's office for Friday. All are welcome to join in any portion of the Fast. For more information, call 846-7924 or check wnpj.org.

Tonight, the Madison Downtown Workers Union holds a fall kickoff meeting. This includes free pizza and worker solidarity. The Union has launched a campaign to organize the 400 or so businesses in the downtown area. This is on the 2nd floor of 254 West Gilman Street at 7. Email madisonworkers@yahoo.com to learn more.

Tonight, the Mifflin Street Community Cooperative hosts Movies on the Mural, a night screening of short comedy films, including films by Wis-kino, and ending with Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. This is free and open to the public. This begins at sunset at the Coop at 32 North Bassett Street. Check mifflincoop.com for details.

Tomorrow, Anna Senarslan, a Fulbright scholar and Dana-Allen Dissertator Fellow at the Institute for Research in the Humanities, speaks on “Following Threads on the Silk Road: The Tapestry of Central Asian Music”. She has recently returned from Baku, Azerbaijan where she conducted research on women ashugs (ash-SHOOGS) or minstrel poets and storytellers performing in the tradition of Azerbaijan. This is at the Memorial Union, 800 Langdon Street, at noon. Check “Today in the Union” for the room location or check www.union.wisc.edu/worldmusic for details. (forward slash)

This weekend, the Broom Street Theater opens the show “Just Sit Right Back and You'll Hear a Tale”, a story of myth-representations and myth-opportunities. In the play, two kids take a field trip to the Paul Bunyan Museum. While one child loves the tale, the other thinks it is ridiculous. The first learns lessons of success and the other grows up to watch too much tv. This is at the Broom Street Theater, 1119 Williamson Street, Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 8 through October 29. For more information, check broomstreet.org or call the Theater's information line at 244-8338.

Beginning in October, OutReach hosts a six-week group discussion on sexual health for gender diverse people. The six week group will cover a wide variety of topics related to gender self-expression, body imagery, discrimination issues, health care barriers and resources, and the sexual decision-making process. Sessions will be two hours in length and meet once a week on Saturday at 1pm. Food will be provided. These are at Outreach, 600 Williamson Street. For information, leave a message for Renee at 255-8582 or madcityrenee@tds.net or programs@outreachinc.com.

Friday, September 15, 2006

September 15

This evening, the Family Center hosts a reception for Williamson Street Art Center's exhibit ”Fabrications". The exhibit is a celebration of Madison’s one hundred and fifty years in cloth. These are Fabric Collages by Sharon Kilfoy made from artifacts collected from the Community and sewn at sewing bees in Madison. This is at the Family Center, 2120 Fordem Avenue, from 6 to 8. For information, call Sharon Kilfoy at 256-8878 or 244-5730.

Tonight, there is a Food for Thought Festival “Just Cooking” panel discussion with author activist Anna Lappe, author chef Mollie Katzen, and organic farmer Jim Goodman. This is in room 125 of Agriculture Hall, 1450 Linden Drive, at 7:30. Check reapfoodgroup.org for more information.

Tonight, Sean Michael Dargan's Power Pop Threesome opens for Ann Arbor's Tally Hall, who is the subject of MTV's "You Hear it First" this week. There is a cover charge and it is at the The Annex, 1206 Regent Street, at 9:30. For more information, check intheannex.com.

Tomorrow is the 8th Annual Food for Thought Festival. Keynote speakers include author/activist, Anna Lappe and guest chef Mollie Katzen. This features info tables, kids activities, and food. This is from 8 to 1 on Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard. Check reapfoodgroup.org for details.

Tomorrow, the Madison Area Peace Coalition hosts a peace vigil to Bring the Troops Home Now and End the War in Iraq. Participants are asked to bring signs and drums if possible. This is at the corner of East Washington and Thierer Road near East Towne from 11 to noon. For more information, call Helena White at 249-2097 or check www.madpeace.org.

Tomorrow, the MultiCultural Student Coalition hosts performances and battles featuring DJing, MCing, Breakdancing, Graffiti Art, and Knowledge. This features national guests DJ Neil Armstrong, DJ Vinroc, & DJ Klever. This is at Library Mall at 1 and at the Memorial Union Terrace at 5. This is free and open to the public. Check youthspeakwisconsin.org for details.

Tomorrow night, the EF Schwan Performing Arts Center hosts “Forever Wild 2006” This is a celebration of America’s Wild Lands, Wild Water, and Wild Lives with Walkin’ Jim Stoltz featuring photography, live music, and stories from 26,000 miles of wilderness walking. This is free and open to the public at the EF Schwan Performing Arts Center, 4400 Monona Drive, at 7:30. Check foreverwild.info for more information.

Sunday, Madison Area Urban Ministry holds a fundraiser for its Mentoring Connections Program. Activities include music by performer Stuart Stotts, an auction, and a corn maze. Mentoring Connections seeks to match children who have an incarcerated parent with a caring adult for weekly one on one time. This is at Schuster's Playtime Farm, 1326 Highway 12 & 18 in Deerfield from 2 to 5. Check emum.org or schustersplaytimefarm.com for details.

Thursday, September 14, 2006

September 14

This evening, the Dane County Lakes & Watershed Commission host county and state officials who will talk about the status of fish and sediment contamination in Monona Bay. This is in Room 309 of the City County Building, 210 Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard, at 5:15. For more information about pollution in Monona Bay, and about the Madison Fish Project, contact the Madison Environmental Justice Organization at info@mejo.us or 240-1485. Also check www.mejo.us for details.

This evening, the Wisconsin Books to Prisoners Project holds a meeting> Books to Prisoners is for all those interested in getting educational resources to those inside the system and also educating those on the outside. This is at Escape Java Joint, 916 Williamson Street, at 5:30. Call 262-9036 for details.

This evening, the UW Muslim Students' Association holds a lecture titled “Women in Islam” followed by an open discussion. The Muslim Students' Association serves as a religious, cultural, and social organization that seeks to increase deen in its members, while also maintaining a strong support structure for students. In reaching out to both Muslims and non-Muslims, the MSA is keen on increasing its visibility on campus and in the community. This is in Sellery Residence Hall from 6 to 8. For more details, check msa.rso.wisc.edu.

This evening, Isthmus Publishing examines urbanization trends in Wisconsin's two largest cities during an informal ”Pint and Policy” discussion. Speakers include Paul Soglin; Tamara Grigsby, a first-term state representative from Milwaukee; James Rowen, a journalist and former chief of staff to both Mayor Soglin and Milwaukee Mayor John Norquist; and Jennifer Alexander, the president of the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce and an advocate of a regional approach to economic and social policy. Isthmus editor Marc Eisen will moderate. This is free and open to the public at Club Majestic from 6 to 8. Check isthmus.com for details or call Isthmus Editor Marc Eisen at 251-5627 by email at eisen@isthmus.com.

WORT seeks volunteers for a few shifts at the Willy Street Fair on Sunday. For information or to volunteer, call Glen at 256-2001.

Organizers of the second annual “O-Live! O-Live!” art show and silent auction are soliciting donations of artwork to benefit Augusta Victoria Hospital, located in the West Bank of Israel. The hospital caters primarily to Palestinians. The show will open Sunday, October 22, at the Casbah Restaurant. Artists with questions on what to donate should contact Pastor Bruce Burnside at St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church at 222-1241. For more information and a donation form, visit www.oliveolive.org.

Friday, September 08, 2006

September 8

Tonight, there is a free concert entitled “Bless Our Planet”. This is a free, collaborative community concert for peace offered by musicians, artists, poets, and others from the Madison area. This is a completely volunteer, grassroots effort. The concert is on Library Mall from 5:30 to 9. For more information, check www.ariesrisingproductions.com or call 206-6219.

Tonight, Fighting Bob Fest kicks off with an event entitled “Hold the Media Accountable”. Speakers include Greg Palast, John Nichols, Dr. Robert McChesney, Matt Rothschild, John Stauber, Diane Farsetta, and Bob Garvey. There is a ticket charge and it is at the Barrymore Theater, 2090 Atwood Avenue, from 7 to 10. Call the Barrymore at 241-8864 for details.

Tomorrow, Madison Children's Museum's holds the 10th Annual Kids for Peace Day. This event features activities outside the museum and free performances by Call for Peace: the Next Generation; Suzuki Strings of Madison; singer-songwriters Clare Norelle, Stuart Stotts and Rich Baumann; and the Kids for Peace Community Choir, and more. Kids for Peace Day exemplifies Madison Children’s Museum’s mission to connect children with their families, their communities, and the world beyond by learning through play. There is a small entrance fee and is at the Children’s’ Museum, 100 State Street, from 9 to 2:30. Call Susan Buzby at 268-1231 ext 30 or email her at sbuzby@madisonchildrensmuseum.org.

Tomorrow is the first annual Northside festival “Northern Exposure”. This event features music including Que Flavor, Queenie and the Blue Cats, The Midwesterners, and Tani Diakite and Mali Blues Group; along with food, Fall Olympic Games for kids and families, a giant boat race and more. This is in Warner Park on Sherman Avenue from noon to 7. For more information contact 246-8372 or veracourtevents@hotmail.com.

Tomorrow, the Dane County SOS Senior Council hosts Doctors Gene and Linda Farley who will speak on the three health care proposals before the state legislature and explain the proposals' differences in detail. This is part of SOS's annual meeting. Registration begins at 10:30, the lunch at noon, and speakers at 1. For details, including location, or to RSVP for the lunch, call the Council's office at 256-7626.

Sunday, Madison HOURs holds its monthly pancake breakfast. The breakfast features an all organic and vegan line up of potatoes, pancakes, orange juice and fair-trade coffee. Madison HOURS seeks local commerce through local currency. This is at the Wilmar Center, 953 Jenifer Street, from 8:30 to 11. For more information, check www.madisonhours.org.

Thursday, September 07, 2006

September 7

This evening, A Room of One's Own Feminist Bookstore hosts a Fundraiser for the Rape Crisis Center and UNIDOS Against Domestic Violence with Bill Lueders. Lueders will read from his recently published “Cry Rape” about a visually impaired woman named Patty was raped by an intruder in her home in Madison. The detective assigned to her case dismissed her claims and charged her with falsely reporting a crime. She is still seeking justice. There is a ticket charge that includes a copy of the book, the reception, and reserved seating. Ten percent of proceeds from sales of the book from A Room of One's Own for the first six months will be donated to Patty, and Bill Lueders is giving half of all royalties from the first year of sales to Patty. This is at a Room of One's Own, 307 West Johnson Street, at 6. For more information, check cryrapebook.com.

This evening, the FCC Commissioners Copps and Adelstein will accept public testimony on media issues. This fall, the FCC will consider new media ownership rules that will increase the number of newspapers, radio stations and TV stations that one company is allowed to own. This is at UW Milwaukee Helen Bader Concert Hall, 2419 East Kenwood Boulevard in Milwaukee, at 6:30. Check freepress.net/future for more details.

Tonight, the UW Student Organization hosts a Halloween Town Hall Meeting. The purpose of the meeting is to announce its progress in collaborating with the City and its plans for a unified, safe and fun Halloween festival. They will unveil the new name, logo and look for Madison Halloween 2006. This is in room 180 of Science Hall, 550 North Park Street, at 7. Contact Brandon Sivret, Halloween Action Committee Co-Chair at 695-5418 or bnsivret@wisc.edu for more information.

Tomorrow morning, Church Women United-Madison begins its year of Forums and Celebrations with a Forum entitled "Highlights and Excitements from the CWU Regional Meeting at St. John's University" with a panel of members who were there. Church Women United is a racially, culturally, theologically inclusive Christian women's movement, nation-wide, celebrating unity in diversity and working for a world of peace and justice. All area women of all faiths are welcome to attend. This is begins at 9 with coffee and the forum at 10. Call Shirley Robbins at 233-3581 or Ann Sowaske at 238-7903 with any questions.

Friday, September 01, 2006

September 1

Tomorrow, there is a rally to celebrate diversity and magnify demand for more low income housing, jobs, and community safety as the mayor unveils plans to “redevelop” the Allied Drive Neighborhood. UW students will be forming a contingent on Library Mall at 10:30 to take a bus over to Allied Drive. This meets at the Boys and Girls Club, 4619 Jenewein Drive, at noon. For more information, call 274-9419 or 277-0655.

Tomorrow afternoon, Kanopy Studio holds an open house. Attendees can participate in various classes, demonstrations and enjoy mini-performances in their downtown studio and movement center. Classes and demonstrations include modern dance capoeira (kah-PO-ee-rah) karate, Middle Eastern dance flamenco (flah-MAYN-ko), African drum & dance salsa, and ballroom dance bharatanatyam (bah-rah-TAN-aht-yahm). This is at the Studio, 341 State Street, from 3:15 to 8:30. There is a small registration fee. Call Mary Thurell at 238-4642 or 255-2211 for details.

Monday is Labor Fest 2006. This celebration features food, drink, kids' activities, information tables, and live music by Phat Phunktion, Westside Andy and Mel Ford Band. This is at the Labor Temple, 1602 South Park Street, from noon to 5. Call 256-5111 for details.