THURSDAY, April 21
ART
Dramatic Art: Mark Ledbury, of the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts, presents a lecture, "Drawing as Drama in Eighteenth-Century France: Greuze and David." 6pm, Campbell Hall, Room 153.

FAMILY
Tales for Tots: The 5 and under crowd can get wacky with crazy dog stories at Barnes & Noble's preschool story time. 10:30am. Free. Barracks Road Shopping Center. 984-6598.

Carnival: The Dogwood Festival takes folks up, up, and away with amusement rides at McIntire Park. Ride all night for one price tonight. Opens at 6pm. Free parking at Charlottesville High School. dogwoodfestival.org.

Happy Earth Day: Northside Library celebrates Earth Day with activities to promote a healthy, sustainable environment for kids K and up. 4pm. Free. Registration required. Albemarle Square. 973-7893.

Not Death and Taxes: Life and Debt, a documentary film by Stephanie Black, narrated by Jamaica Sinclair, and with original music by Muta Baruka, exposes the impact of the IMF and World Bank's globalization policies on the lives of everyday Jamaicans. The lessons of Life and Debt are relevant to countries worldwide. Sliding scale admission. 7:30pm. Better than Television, 106 Goodman St., A3, behind Spudnuts. See Family feature.

PERFORMANCE
Measure for Measure: Shakespeare explores the arrogance of power in a play that hovers tantalizingly between comedy and tragedy. Isabella, a nun in training and the play's heroine, must decide whether to ransom her brother from death by giving her body to the hypocritical bureaucrat who put him in jail. 7:30pm. Blackfriars Playhouse, 10 S. Market St., Staunton. Signed performance, pay-what-you-will. Other shows $14-28. 540-851-1733.

Drood: The UVA drama department presents its season finale, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, an innovative musical comedy by Rupert Holmes, based on the final and unfinished novel of Charles Dickens. This whodunit charms theatergoers with its emphasis on audience participation, hilarious storyline, and memorable score. 8pm. Culbreth Theatre, Culbreth Road. $9-14. 924-3376. See Performance feature.

Pygmalion: Piedmont Virginia Community College presents George Bernard Shaw's brilliant comedy about a phonetics expert who wagers that he can transform a Cockney flower girl into a lady of cultured speech and pass her off in high society. V. Earl Dickinson Building. 7:30pm. Pay-what-you-will. Other shows $8-10. 961-5376.

WALKABOUT
Feds Confab: Dick Murphy, State Legislative Coordinator for VFC, speaks at the monthly meeting of the National Active & Retired Federal Employees Chapter 135. 11:30am at Golden Corral on 29 North. 293-3170.

Wine Dinner: Enjoy a four-course wine dinner prepared by Chef Alex Montiel and wine pairings presented by winemaker Michael Shaps, all in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains at King Family Vineyards. Limited seating, rain or shine. $85/person all-inclusive. 823-7800 or .

WALKABOUT AND WORDS
Antique Green: Peggy Cornett, director of Monticello's TJ Center for Historic Plants, discusses the center's horticultural collections and its efforts to identify, propagate, and save historic species of plants that Jefferson knew and loved. Her talk includes illustrations and a tour of the center's Tufton Farm nursery. 2pm. Free. Reservations required. 984-9822.

No-Nuke Future: Jon Wolfsthal, an expert on weapons of mass destruction, speaks on the worst nuclear challenges facing the U.S. today and what we should do about it. 5pm. 311 Cabell Hall. 982-2016.

Poets on the Road: Greg Donovan, Laurie Kutchin, and David Wojahn, read their poetry. 8pm. UVA Bookstore, atop the Central Grounds parking garage. 924-6675.

Genetic Debates of Decades Past: Walter H. Sokel, UVA emeritus professor of German, explores the intersection of Nazi eugenics theories and experiments and the daring philosopher Friedrich Nietschze in his talk, "The Birth of Eugenics and of Justice from the Spirit of Tragedy." 5pm. Jefferson Hall, West Range. 924-6693, .

More Than Meets the American I: Globalization isn't just McDonald's in Beijing. Things are happening in developing countries that influence America's economics and livelihood. Four visiting experts join UVA's John Echeverria-Gent to discuss "Inequality and Difference in Developing Societies: How Do Recent Trends Affect Americans?" 7:30pm. 125 Minor Hall. .

Try Not to Laugh: The Center for Christian Study presents "An Evening With Lauren Winner," Charlottesville author of Real Sex: The Naked Truth about Chastity. 7pm. 128 Chancellor St. Free. 817-1050. studycenter.net.

TUNES
Fausto Potato & the Flamencos at Atomic Burrito, 10:30pm, free.

Karaoke Night with DJ Wild Wes at Buffalo Wild Wings. Free, 9pm.

Dance Music with 5 Star D.J. Express at City Limits. No cover, 9pm.

Danny Beirne (piano-man) at Coupe DeVille's. No cover, 10pm.

Karaoke Night with Dave Heatherton of Lite Rock Z95.1 and Yellow Cab Karaoke at Damon's Sports Bar. Free, 9pm-1am.

Chicken Head Blues Band at Dürty Nelly's. $5, 9pm.

The Virginia Ramblers with Jan Smith and Rebecca Hall and Ken Anderson at Gravity Lounge. $5, 8pm.

Greg Howard with Darrell Rose and Matt Wyatt at Kokopelli's in Crozet. No cover, 8pm.

Thompson / D'earth and friends (freeform jazz) at Miller's. $4, 10pm.

Rocket Queen at Outback Lodge. $5, 10pm.

Satisfaction with Noel Sanger (18 and up dance party) at Rapture. $3/Ladies free, 10:30pm.

Guano Boys, Rogan Bros., and special guest Darrell Rose at Satellite Ballroom. $4, 9pm.

Dark Star Orchestra at Starr Hill. $20, 8pm.

Matthew Willner and Atomic 3 at Station. No cover, 10pm.

FRIDAY, April 22
WORDS
Driven to Nihilistic Distraction: Michael Ignatieff is director of Harvard's Carr Center for Human Rights, author of nine books on worldwide rights issues, an occasional BBC commentator on issues of ethnic nationalism and human rights, and, in his spare time, an acclaimed novelist. He's in town speaking on "The War on Terror and the Temptation of Nihilism." 2pm. 125 Minor Hall. 924-3681.

Avast! Ye Lubbers: UVA French professor A. James Arnold provides a scholarly rationale for the current Depp-ish obsession with pirates of the Caribbean in his illustrated talk on "His Catholic Majesty vs. Heretical Buccaneers on the Spanish Main." 3pm. 345 Cabell Hall. 924-4630.

Larry, Charlie, and Frank: What do 18th-century comic novelist Laurence Sterne, 19th-century serial novelist Charles Dickens, and 20th-century film director Frank Capra have in common? Maybe Chicago English professor James K. Chandler will answer that question in his talk "Sentimental Journeys, Vehicular States: Sterne, Dickens, Capra." 3pm. 108 Clark Hall. 924-6670, .

FAMILY
Earthy: The Virginia Discovery Museum celebrates Earth Day with a garden party. Kids can drop by and drop some dirt into custom-decorated recycled containers, plant some seeds, and take it home to watch them grow. Free. East end of the Downtown Mall. 977-1025.

Owl Moon: Do you know which owl can eat a skunk? Or that opossums don't really hang by their tails? The folks from the Wildlife Foundation share their "creatures of the night" in a unique benefit program at Ivy Creek Natural Area sponsored by Party Parade. After the presentation, participants can take a hike through the woods by the light of the full moon. Opossum punch and creature cookies are included. Bring a flashlight. Recommended for kids 5 and older. 7-8:30pm. $10, benefits the Alzheimer's Association. Call for reservations. Earlysville Road. 980-4397. avenue.org/party.

Behind the Garden Gate: Old Michie Theatre has become Misselthwaite Manor, the 1910 English country home where orphaned Mary Lennox and her sickly young cousin Colin Craven transform and are transformed by the Secret Garden. Performances of this magical production will delight children of all ages. 7pm. $7.50. 221 E. Water St. 977-3690. oldmichie.com.

Kids Read: Barnes & Noble's Young Readers Book Club meets tonight and every fourth Friday. Book lovers ages 8-12 years old will discuss Granny Torrelli Makes Soup, by Sharon Creech. Parents are welcome to enjoy the reading and discussion with their children. 7pm. Free. Barracks Road Shopping Center. 984-6598.

Earth Beat: Better that Television hosts a Drum Circle in celebration of Earth Day. All are welcome. Bring drums and percussion instruments if you have them, or just move to the beat. 8pm. Free. 106 A3 Goodman St. 295-0872.

Carnival: See Thursday, April 21.

WALKABOUT
Earth Friendly: Central Virginia celebrates Earth Week with a variety of activities today through Sunday. Visit outdoorsocial.com/earthday.htm for a complete schedule of events.

PERFORMANCE
Drood: See Thursday, April 21.

Intro to Hip-Hop: An dance workshop for adults. 6:30-8pm. $8-10. Studio 206, 206 W. Market St. 296-6250.

Twelfth Night: This Shakespeare classic creates comedy at every elevation, from low slapstick to high irony, offering a feast of language and a stage full of memorable characters such as the lovesick Viola and ale-sick Toby Belch. 7:30pm. Blackfriars Playhouse, 10 S. Market St., Staunton. $14-28. 540-851-1733.

Pybmalion: See Thursday, April 21.

Getting Lucky: Lucky Supreme crowns her successor as Miss Club 216 tonight. Pageant starts at 10pm. 218 W. Water St. Suite F. Guest fee $13.

PERFORMANCE AND TUNES
UVA Singers: The University Singers present their annual Spring Concert with works written for chorus and organ. 8pm. Old Cabell Hall. $5-10. 924-3984.

Chamber Improv: Stephen Nachmanovitch and Timothy Summers bring their improvisations on violin, viola, mezzo violin and electric violin back to the Gravity Lounge for a CD release party. 8pm. Gravity Lounge, 103 S. 1st St. $5-12. 977-5590.

TUNES
Junior Moment at Rapunzel's: Rapunzel's third place finishers at this year's Battle of the Bands concert, Turning Point, join Junior Moment for original rock n' roll songs and good times. No cover, 7:30pm.

Smashcasters (pop-punk with ex-members of The Councilors) with The Elderly at Atomic Burrito. Free, 10:30pm.

Pete and Lindsey Osborne (folk singer/songwriters) at Basic Necessities. No cover, 6:30pm.

"Virginia Honor Band" & Member of the "Hall of Fame" present their 65th Annual Spring Concert at Charlottesville High School. Free, 7:30pm.

The Ronnie Johnson Band at the Dew Drop Inn. $3, 9pm.

Tim Summers and Stephen Nachmanovitch at Gravity Lounge. $10, 8pm.

Vernon Fisher ("romantic side of jazz") at Keswick Hall. No cover, 6:30pm. (W)

Matthew Willner Trio at Miller's. $3, 10:30pm,

Scuffletown (bluesy folk and originals) at Odell's Music Pub, Main St., Gordonsville. $5, 8pm. 540-832-5300. See Tunes feature.

Sparky's Flaw at Outback Lodge. $6, 10pm.

The University Singers 2005 Spring Concert. Old Cabell Hall. $10/$5 students, 8pm.

Guitarist George Turner, Greg Nossaman, and Phil Riddle present an evening of soul jazz at Vivace. No cover, 10pm.

Western Albemarle High School Theater Company presents Oliver! at Western Albemarle High School. $5, 7pm.

SATURDAY, April 23
ART
Bid, Bid, Bid: Second Street Gallery hosts a benefit auction of contemporary art. Inspect the more than 50 works by nationally and internationally acclaimed artists at the gallery beginning April 20. Jewelry and other arty objets up for grabs tonight in a silent auction. Among the treasures are works by Lexington photographer Sally Mann and local icon Beatrix Ost as well as a relic of February's The Gates installation by Jeanne-Claude and Christo in Central Park. 6pm. $40 members/ $50 non-members. 977-7284.

WORDS
Spreading American Values: Visiting expert on human rights in the global economy, Harvard's Michael Ignatieff speaks on "The Lesser Evil: Political Ethics in an Age of Terror." Miller Center. 10:30am. 2201 Old Ivy Road. 924-3681.

WALKABOUT
Quilt Show: The Charlottesville Area Quilters Guild hosts their ninth biennial quilt show at the East Rivanna Fire Department. 10am-5pm. $5. Route 250 east. 984-1048 or avenue.org/arts/caqg. See Walkabout feature, page 40.

Stream Fest: Celebrate Earth Day with the Living Education Center for Ecology and the Arts. Activities, information, and a stream clean-up, all on the banks of Meadow Creek. 10am-4pm. Meet next to the Recycling Center on McIntire Road. Free. 825-9545.

Mystery Wine Tasting: Sharpen your sipping skills and have fun in the process. You'll get several rounds of wine-- the trick is trying to guess where the wines come from. Burnley Vineyards. 11am-4pm. $7.50. 540-832-2828 or burnletwines.com.

Wildflower Walk: A three-hour guided hike through the wildflower-filled landscape of Monticello. 9:30am. Registration required. 984-9822.

Wintergreen Anniversary: Wintergreen Winery celebrates its 12th birthday with live music, wine, and gourmet food tastings, shop specials and door prizes. Picnic foods and riverside picnic areas will be available. 10am-5pm. $5 fee. 361-2519.

Mountain Morning: Join a Wintergreen Nature Foundation naturalist for an interpretive hike through the mountains of Wintergreen. Moderate difficulty. $3 members, $6 non-members. 10am. 325-7451.

Pet Blessing: Animals of all shapes and sizes are welcome at Unity Church's non-denominational "Blessing of the Animals" ceremony. 11am at 2825 Hydraulic Road. Info: 978-1062.

Batter Banquet: Pancakes for charity (Salvation Army Child Care Center)! It's a win-win. The Kiwanis Dogwood Pancake Breakfast happens at First Presbyterian Church, 500 Park St. 7-11am. Stuffed participants then proceed over to watch the NBC 29 Dogwood Festival Parade. $5, children under 8 free. Tickets at Tuel Jewelers, Staples Barber Shop, Gitchell's Studios, University Tire, and from 964-9006.

Hot Glass Festival: Hot glass artists from around the region demonstrate and sell their art. Watch on-going glass blowing, bead making, sand casting, and other hot glass making in five demonstration areas, hear lectures on glass art history. Free. 9am-5pm today, 9am-6pm tomorrow, 9am-5pnm Sunday. . Sunspots Studios 202 S. Lewis St., Staunton. 540-885-0678. sunspots.com.

Spring Fling: It's spring, and Graves Mountain is ready to celebrate. Come enjoy two fun-filled days of live bluegrass, cloggers, food, arts and crafts, fishing, hayrides, and horseback rides, a car show, a working educational farm, and more. 10am-4:30pm. Free admission. Rt. 670 in Syria. 540-923-4231. gravesmountain.com.

FAMILY
Hometown Hoedown: Marching bands, clowns, floats, Miss Virginia, and the Dogwood Queen and her Court are just a few of the not-to-be-missed attractions in this year's Dogwood Festival Parade. This year's parade starts at the Vinegar Hill Theater and runs east on Market Street, north on 7th, west on High. Free. 10:50am. dogwoodfestival.org.

Puppy Love: Spot the cuddly preschool pup comes to Barnes & Noble to meet and greet fans today. Photo ops, stories, activities, and snack are all part of the fun. 11:30am. Free. Barracks Road Shopping Center. 984-6598.

Take only Pictures: Kids ages 7 and up can learn what it means to "Leave No Trace" at the Virginia Discovery Museum. Folks from PEAK (Promoting Environmental Awareness in Kids) lead hands-on activities and interactive games that help young environmentalists learn minimum impact skills and ethics. 3:30-4:30pm. Free, registration required. East end of the Downtown Mall. 977-1025.

Old Fashioned Fun: Staunton takes a step back in time with the annual Victorian Festival. Visitors enjoy Victorian games, talk with costumed interpreters, see special displays of art and antiques, check out the Woodrow Wilson birthplace to learn about the schoolboy's 4 R's, and help solve a Victorian mystery. Cemetery tour, concerts, grand ball, and other events require registration. Downtown Staunton. Mostly free, fees for special events. 540-332-3867. stauntondowntown.org.

Back to Basics: The Frontier Culture Museum hosts a Folk Arts Academy Spring Workshop on blacksmithing basics. 9am-5pm. $30, registration required. Rt. 250 west in Staunton. 540-332-7850.

Behind the Garden Gate: See Friday, April 22.

Carnival: See Friday, April 22. Opens at 1pm today.

PERFORMANCE
Drood: See Thursday, April 21.

Pygmalion: See Thursday, April 21.

Improv: The Improfessionals burst into spring with a bouquet of fun and tears inspired by laughter, not allergens. 8pm. Live Arts Theatre, UpStage, 123 E. Water St. $8. 977-9957.

Cinderella on Strings: The Old Michie Theatre presents a traditional marionette rendition of the Cinderella fairy tale, based on the classic French version by Charles Perrault, and adapted for the puppet stage with hand-carved marionettes from the Czech Republic, sound effects, and a flying coach. 11am, 2pm and 4pm. Old Michie Theatre, 221 E. Water St. $5. 977-3690.

Flamenco Voice Workshop: Experience El Soniquete with flamenco singer Fausto Pototo and guitarist Humberto Sales. Learn and practice flamenco palos even if your Spanish is rusty, or you're not too familiar with flamenco. Musical therapy to loosen the body and mind. 1pm. 114 Old Preston Ave., behind the Omni Hotel. $50. To register call Javier Teruel, 806-7871 or email .

She Stoops to Conquer: Playwright Oliver Goldsmith penned this thigh-slapper of the late 18th century, and now Shenandoah Shakespeare brings a comic jewel back to life, lampooning the quirks and customs of old England. 2pm. Blackfriars Playhouse, 10 S. Market St., Staunton. $14-28. 540-851-1733.

A Schocker: Gary Schocker, one of the flute world's most renowned and dynamic performers and composers, returns to Charlottesville for a solo recital. First Presbyterian Church, 500 Park St. 8pm. $5-12. More info on Schocker's visit and master classes, 297-3409.

UVA Jazz Ensemble: Trumpeter John Dearth directs Up Jumped Spring, a concert of classic and original works for big band that celebrates the season. The concert takes its title from the Freddie Hubbard tune of the same name which will be performed in a new arrangement. 8pm. Old Cabell Hall. $5-10. 924-3984.

TUNES
In-the-Round performance by Arum Rae, Gary Oxford & Grasping At Laws: Another month of SongSharing's acoustic music presentations, this time in in-the-round format. $3 (coffee & desserts available). 6:30pm. Community Center in Fork Union. Route 15 North of Fork Union. 434-979-SONG.

Eli Cook & the Red House Blues Band at Dew Drop Inn: Join Cook and his exemplary outfit for some of the best electric guitar blues in town-- the frontman is possessed of some of the finest fingers around, and his backing men are no slouches, either. $3, 9pm.

Wayne Henderson and Jeff Little at the Prism: This Appalachian guitar and piano one-two punch concludes the Prism's 2004-05 "Virginia Folklife Night" series. $18/$15 advance, 8pm.

Rites of Spring Full Moon Dance Party at Station: Just 'Cause Parties hosts a fundraiser for Bike and Build and Habitat for Humanity, the latter a well-known cause. Tickets on sale at Plan 9 and Greenberry's. $25, 8pm.

Rylo (from Norfolk, American rock) at Atomic Burrito. Free, 10:30pm.

Victor Cabas (blues) at Basic Necessities. No cover, 6:30pm.

Populist Dancing at Club Rio. $10, 9pm.

Dave Goodrich and the Soul Retrievers at the Loft, 1005 Princess Anne St., Fredericksburg. $6, 9:30pm.

Superjock JJ Dance Party at Fat Daddy's. $5, 9-12pm.

James Keelaghan at Gravity Lounge. $10, 8pm.

Vernon Fisher ("romantic side of jazz") at Keswick Hall. No cover, 6:30pm.

Porter Davis (eclectic acoustic) at Miller's. $3, 10:30pm.

Bella Morte at Outback Lodge. $6, 10pm.

Wayne Henderson and Jeff Little at the Prism. $18/$15 advance, 8pm.

Fighting Gravity (ska) at Starr Hill. $10/$8 advanced, 9pm.

Clarence Green's Chameleon Project at Wintergreen winery's 12th anniversary. $5, 3pm.

Western Albemarle High School Theater Company presents Oliver! at Western Albemarle High School. $5, 3:30pm.

SUNDAY, April 24
PERFORMANCE
Twelfth Night: See Friday, April 22. Today's show is at 2pm.

Pygmalion: See Thursday, April 21. Today's show, the final performance of the run, is at 2pm.

Baroque: UVA's Ensemble for Early Music directed by Paul Walker presents a concert of baroque masterworks. Old Cabell Hall. 3:30pm. $5-10. 924-3984.

Bedroom Auditions: Offstage Theatre is moving, naturally, from the bar to the bedroom. Auditions for this season's upcoming Bedroom Plays (10-20 minute pieces set you-know-where) held in tonight in Culbreth Theatre and tomorrow in the Living Education Center. 7-10pm. Performance runs in June.

Tourgasm: This national tour features some of the country's premiere stand-up comics, including Robert Kelly, Jay Davis, Gary Gulman and Dane Cook. They've appeared on Comedy Central's Premium Blend, Comedy Central Presents& and NBC's Last Comic Standing. 8pm. Martin Luther King Performing Arts Center. Shuttles for UVA students run from the chapel from 7-8pm. $14-28. .

FAMILY
Salvaged Chic: Young fashion designers can celebrate Earth Day and show off their stylish recycled duds by joining the Virginia Discovery Museum's Recycled Fashion Parade. Besides wearing those funky soda bottle hats and paper bag dressed, kids can bring their own drums, horns, and noise makers to make a really big show of it as they take a Sunday stroll up and down the Downtown Mall. Meet at the museum at 2pm. Free. East end of the Downtown Mall. 977-1025.

Only Natural: Ivy Creek Natural Area celebrates Earth Day with Natural History Day 2005. Local environmental organizations and clubs will be on hand in the earthy environs around ICNA's education building with hands-on fun and information about all the great opportunities available for nature lovers in this area. The Virginia Native Plant Society hosts their very popular sale of cultivated native plants. 1-3pm. Free. Earlysville Road. 973-7772.

Behind the Garden Gate: See Friday, April 22. Today's performance is at 3pm.

Carnival: See Friday, April 22. Opens at 1pm today. Ride all day for one price today.

Old Fashioned Fun: See Saturday, April 23.

WALKABOUT
Mystery Wine Tasting: See Saturday, April 23.

Wintergreen Anniversary: See Saturday, April 23.

Quilt Show: See Saturday, April 23, and Walkabout feature.

Natural History Day '05: Local environmental groups celebrate Earth Week with an afternoon of natural fun at the Ivy Creek Natural Area. Hands-on fun for the whole family, plus ample opportunity to learn about resources for nature lovers in our community. And you'll be able to purchase garden grown native wildflowers, trees, and ferns from the Jefferson Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society. 1-3pm in the Education Building. 973-7772.

Spring Fling: See Saturday, April 23. 10am-4:30pm.

Bottle Business: The name says it all-- it's the 34th annual Antique Bottle and Collectible Show and Sale, and it's being held from 9am-3pm at the Rockingham County Fairgrounds, U.S. Rt. 11 South near Harrisonburg. Fee. 540-434-1129.

Man to Man: Robert Franklin with the Virginia Department of Health discusses ways for men to help prevent sexual violence as part of National Sexual Assault Awareness Month. 7pm at the Madison Room at Jefferson Madison Regional Library. Free. 295-7273.

TUNES
The University of Virginia Ensemble for Early Music at Old Cabell Hall: Director Paul Walker presents a concert of Baroque masterworks: "The Concerto for Four Harpsichords and Strings" by Bach, mardigals by Monteverdi, and vocal and viola works. $10/$5 students, 3:30pm. 434-924-3984.

Karaoke withTammy at City Limits. No cover, 7-11pm.

Nature Boys at Gravity Lounge. $5, 2pm.

Wave at Gravity Lounge. $5, 7:30pm.=

The George Turner Trio is joined by vocalist Lori Derr (jazz, Latin, and originals) at Kokopelli's. No cover, 7pm.

Irish Music Session at Shebeen. No cover, 3-6pm.

Tony Rice Unit at Starr Hill. $20/$18, 8pm.

MONDAY, April 25
ART
Drawings: Techniques and Functions: UVA art professor Lawrence Goedde talks about that very subject today. 6pm. Campbell Hall, Room 153.

WORDS
Write On, Roxana: Roxana Robinson, author of the 2003 novel Sweetwater, has now published a book of short stories, A Perfect Stranger. She visits New Dominion Bookshop today at 5:30pm. 404 E. Main St. 295-2552.

Run, Granny, Run: The UVA Institute on Aging presents a multispeaker symposium discussing current research on the influence of exercise on healthy aging. 8:30am-noon. Jordan Hall Auditorium, UVA, 243-5695. virginia.edu/aginginstitute/news.html/.

Poets with Senioritis: Fourth-year UVA students accomplished in writing poetry read their work at the UVA Bookstore atop the Central Grounds parking garage. 6:30pm. 924-6675.

Not Just for Women Anymore: Robert Franklin, male outreach coordinator for the Virginia Department of Health, offers a presentation and discussion of ways that men can prevent sexual violence. Madison Room of the downtown Jefferson Madison Regional Library. 7pm. Market Street. 295-7273.

PERFORMANCE
Bedroom Auditions: See Sunday, April 24.

TUNES
Open Mic Night with Charles Davis at Baja Bean. No cover, signup 8:30pm/9pm.

The Rusticators at the Biltmore. No cover, 10pm.

Pool Tournament at City Limits. Free, 7pm.

Open Mic night with Bennie Dodd at City Limits. No cover, 9pm.

George Melvin (piano merriment) at South Street Brewery. No cover, 7pm.

Travis Elliott (pop) and John Figura at the Virginian. No cover, 10pm.

MONDAY, April 25
ART
Drawings: Techniques and Functions: UVA art professor Lawrence Goedde talks about that very subject today. 6pm. Campbell Hall, Room 153.

WORDS
Write On, Roxana: Roxana Robinson, author of the 2003 novel Sweetwater, has now published a book of short stories, A Perfect Stranger. She visits New Dominion Bookshop today at 5:30pm. 404 E. Main St. 295-2552.

Run, Granny, Run: The UVA Institute on Aging presents a multispeaker symposium discussing current research on the influence of exercise on healthy aging. 8:30am-noon. Jordan Hall Auditorium, UVA, 243-5695. virginia.edu/aginginstitute/news.html/.

Poets with Senioritis: Fourth-year UVA students accomplished in writing poetry read their work at the UVA Bookstore atop the Central Grounds parking garage. 6:30pm. 924-6675.

Not Just for Women Anymore: Robert Franklin, male outreach coordinator for the Virginia Department of Health, offers a presentation and discussion of ways that men can prevent sexual violence. Madison Room of the downtown Jefferson Madison Regional Library. 7pm. Market Street. 295-7273.

PERFORMANCE
Bedroom Auditions: See Sunday, April 24.

TUNES
Open Mic Night with Charles Davis at Baja Bean. No cover, signup 8:30pm/9pm.

The Rusticators at the Biltmore. No cover, 10pm.

Pool Tournament at City Limits. Free, 7pm.

Open Mic night with Bennie Dodd at City Limits. No cover, 9pm.

George Melvin (piano merriment) at South Street Brewery. No cover, 7pm.

Travis Elliott (pop) and John Figura at the Virginian. No cover, 10pm.

TUESDAY, April 26
WORDS
Poe Would Be Proud: Ann Beattie reads from her newest publication, Follies. Hints of her landscape and current stomping grounds-- she teaches at UVA-- weave through the stories. 8pm. UVA bookstore atop the Central Grounds parking garage, 924-7104.

Proof That They're Trying: Engineering scientists are doing their best to keep America's railroads alive. Hear Senior VP of Norfolk Southern Railroad, John M. Samuels, run down the details. Samuels will highlight engineering advances in railroad technology during the 1990s. 3:30pm. Rotunda Dome Room. 924-6362.

Battling White Collar Crime: Brooke Masters, New York-based legal reporter for the financial section of the Washington Post, talks about ongoing research on New York Attorney General Eliot A. Spitzer and his links to the Progressive movement of the early 20th century. 5:30pm. Miller Center. 2201 Old Ivy Road. 924-0773.

WALKABOUT
Planning Ahead: Lambert Barrett-Johnson and Associates presents a series of financial planning lectures geared to folks over 50. This week's topic: managing your retirement income. 6-7:30pm in Room C at the Senior Center. Free. 974-7756.

PERFORMANCE
Castle Trio: UVA's Tuesday Evening Concert Series closes its season with a performance by the Smithsonian Castle Trio with works by Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven. 8pm. Old Cabell Hall. $10-24; get $5 student rush tickets one hour before the concert, if available. 924-3984.

Still Going Strong: The Charlottesville Municipal Band presents its 83rd annual Spring Concert marking the beginning of Conductor James Simmons' 25th year as Music Director. Simmons has selected a program of marches, light classics, and new popular music. 8pm. Dickinson Auditorium PVCC. 295-9850.

TUNES
Travis Elliott at Atomic Burrito. Free, 10:30pm.

Karaoke Night (what you make of it) at Baja Bean. Free, 8pm.

Karaoke with Tammy at City Limits. No cover, 7-11pm.

Glen Mack (rock) at Coupe DeVille's. No cover, 10:30pm.

Bitch at Gravity Lounge. $10, 8pm.

Tom Proutt (country-folk) at Fat Daddy's. No cover, 8:30-11pm.

Banty Rooster (Americana) at Miller's. $3, 9:30pm.

William Walter Acoustic Trio at Orbit. No cover, 10:30pm.

$2 Tuesday with Big Circle at Outback Lodge. No cover, 10pm.

Kenin, The Stabones, and Badfish at Starr Hill. $10/$8, 8pm.

WEDNESDAY, April 27
WORDS
Matricidal Moment: The Hook's Words columnist Susan Tyler Hitchcock discusses the story of English Romantic Mary Lamb-- author with her brother Charles of the classic children's Tales from Shakespeare-- killed her mother and escaped imprisonment and institutionalization. The matricide occurred at a turning point in the law and psychiatry, as Hitchcock will explain at 2pm at the Senior Center, a guest of the Charlottesville Albemarle History Society. 1180 Pepsi Place. 296-2492 or 974-7756.

Poetry and Motherhood: Brenda Hillman, UVA's Visiting Writer in Poetry, has published six poetry collections and three chapbooks of her own work. She reads at UVA Bookstore at 8pm. Atop the UVA Central Grounds parking garage, 924-6675.

Decades of Caring about Care: Dr. Mary Starke Harper is the last surviving member of the research team that conducted the famous Tuskegee Syphilis Study, now considered an unethical use of human lives for the sake of medical research. She speaks today, the guest of UVA's School of Nursing and Center for Biomedical Ethics, at 3pm. Newcomb Theatre. 924-0085. See Words feature.

Lost and Found: At the age of 16, Karen McElmurray gave birth to a child whom she never held, never saw. An unwed mother not yet graduated from high school, she gave her son up for adoption. Ultimately, the two reunited. McElmurray's book, Surrendered Child, tells that story and much more. The author speaks tonight at 7:30pm in PVCC's Jessup Library Window Lounge. PVCC.

WALKABOUT
Light the Night: Celebrate and commemorate lives touched by cancer, and raise money to find a cure at the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's nationwide Light the Night Walk. 5:30pm on the Downtown Mall. Info: Morgan Green at 804-627-0400 ext. 13, or lls.org.

Copper History: Join a Wintergreen Nature Foundation guide for a pleasant early spring hike out to the site of some late-19th century copper mines on the east slope of Crawford's Knob. Bring water and a bag lunch. Moderate difficulty. $5. 10am. 325-7451.

No Needles, Please: Learn about Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) with Anne Presuel at Ivy Commons Family Chiropractic. Similar to acupuncture, EFT uses meridian points on the body to release obstructed energy without needles. 7-9pm. Free. 293-2779.

PERFORMANCE
Measure for Measure: See Thursday, April 21. Today's 10:30am show is a school matinee.

Twelfth Night: See Friday, April 22.

FAMILY
Can't Stop Dancin': Garth Fagan Dance Company presents a dance master class for intermediate level dance students ages 12 or older on the stage of the Paramount Theater. Taught by Fagan dancers, the 90-minute class includes both floor and standing stretches as well as across-the-floor movement. 10am. $10. Advance registration required. Downtown Mall. 979-1922. garthfagandance.org. theparamount.net.

More Tales for Tots: The 5 and under crowd can think spring with stories about the glories of the season at Barnes & Noble's preschool story time. 10:30am. Free. Barracks Road Shopping Center. 984-6598.

TUNES
Jim Waive & the Young Divorcees at Atomic Burrito. Free, 10:30pm.

Salsa night at Berkmar: Beginning and intermediate lessons offered from 8 to 9:15 p.m. Free, 8-10pm. 652 Rio Rd. W, 975-4611.

Cheesy Trivia with M&M Express at Buffalo Wild Wings. No cover, 8:30pm.

Karaoke with Paul Seale at City Limits. No cover, 7-11pm.

Benny Dodd (rock covers) at Coupe DeVille's. No cover, 10pm.

Open Mic Night at Dew Drop Inn. No cover, 7:30pm.

Country Dance Night (couples and line) at Fry Spring Beach Club. $7/$4 students, lessons 7-8pm, dancing 8-11pm.

Peter Markush (piano) at Gravity Lounge. Free, 12:30pm.

The Mike Rosensky Jeff Decker Quartet (jazz) at Miller's. No cover, 9:30pm.

Travis Elliott at Orbit. No cover, 10:30pm.

Stable Roots (reggae) at Outback Lodge. $5, 10pm.

Open Jam at Rapunzel's Coffee & Books. Free, 7pm.

Middle Eastern Belly Dance Class at Rapunzel's Coffee & Books. Free, 6:30pm.

Jimmy O at the South River Grill in Waynesboro. No cover, 7:30pm.

Chris Jamison (acoustic rock and blues) at the Virginian. No cover, 10pm. See Music Review, page 42.

Karaoke Night at West Main. No Cover, 10pm.

THURSDAY, April 28
ART
Location, Location, Location: Smith College art professor John Davis speaks on "Real Estate and Artistic Identity in Late 19th-century New York." 6pm. 160 Campbell Hall. UVA School of Architecture. 924-6122.

FAMILY
More Tales for Tots: See Wednesday, April 27.

PERFORMANCE
She Stoops to Conquer: See Saturday, April 23. Today's show is a signed performance at 7:30pjm. Pay what you will.

WORDS
Attitude Counts: Dr. Charles S. Bryan speaks on "Aequanimitas Redux: Competence, Compassion & Effectiveness in Medicine." 5pm. Rare Book Room, Ground Floor, Claude Moore Health Sciences Library. 924-0052.

TUNES
Red Wizard with The Freedom Haters at Atomic Burrito. No cover, 10:30pm.

Karaoke Night with DJ Wild Wes at Buffalo Wild Wings. Free, 9pm.

Dance Music with 5 Star D.J. Express at City Limits. No cover, 9pm.

Danny Beirne (piano-man) at Coupe DeVille's. No cover, 10pm.

Karaoke Night w/ Dave Heatherton of Lite Rock Z95.1 and Yellow Cab Karaoke at Damon's Sports Bar. Free, 9pm-1am.

Chicken Head Blues Band at Durty Nelly's. $5, 9pm.

Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers at Gravity Lounge. $10, 8pm.

Thompson / D'earth and friends (freeform jazz) at Miller's. $4, 10pm.

Satisfaction with Noel Sanger (18 and up dance party) at Rapture. $3/Ladies free, 10:30pm.

Sparky's Flaw CD Release Party, Josh Mayo & Modern Epic, and Graywater Stills at Starr Hill. $7/$5, 8pm.

ONGOING AND FUTURE
WORDS:
Join, Read, Opine!: The Crozet Library has a new Monday Evening Book Group whose members meet to discuss a book the first Monday of each month. Get ready for May 2 by reading Eudora Welty's prizewinning The Optimist's Daughter. Or if you really want a jump on your homework, read the selection for June 7, Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner. 823-4050.

PERFORMANCE
Improv Night: Whole World Theatre has expanded from Atlanta to Charlottesville. Catch one of the most successful improv theaters of the southeast every Thursday night. 8-10pm at the Garden of Sheba. $8. Live reggae following show. 609 E. Market St. 466-9574 or wholeworldtheatre.com.

Practice Swing: The Charlottesville Swing Dance Society hosts weekly practice sessions for beginners and intermediates Thursdays. Singles and couples welcome. DJ takes requests. 7:30-9pm. Auditorium of the Albemarle County Office Building, 401 McIntire Road. Free. 980-2744.

Country Dance: Couples and line dancing at Fry's Spring Beach Club. Dance lesson Wednesday 7-8pm, dancing 8-11pm. $7, students $4. (students $2 every fourth Wednesday). 2512 Jefferson Park Ave. 977-0491.

FAMILY
River Ramble: Call now for your tickets to join one of the James River Rambler railroad excursions happening on May 14 and 21 and June 4. This popular train ride wanders through the rolling hills and deep forests of Buckingham County from Dillwyn along the historic Buckingham Branch rail line. Choose from a 90-minute or 3.5-hour tour. Sponsored by the Old Dominion Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. Call between 10am-4pm on Saturdays, 1-4pm on Sundays: 800-451-6318. odcnrhs.org.

WALKABOUT
Personal Development: Focus Women's Resource Center serves a diverse community of women, helping them achieve purposeful living by providing access to education, training, counseling, and leadership development. 293-2222 ext. 23.

Glassy Classes: Try your hand at glass blowing with a one-day class at create a paperweight, ornament, or a hand-blown vase of your own. Class times and themes vary, as do fees. 202 S. Lewis St. in Staunton near the old train station. For details and registration information, call 540-885-0678 or email .

Deconstruct This: The Habitat Store seeks volunteers to help staff the retail store and to participate in a new deconstruction program. All proceeds from the Habitat Store benefit Habitat for Humanity of the Greater Charlottesville Area. Info: Daniel @ 293-6331.

Downtown Tours: The Albemarle-Charlottesville Historical Society offers walking tours of historic downtown Charlottesville every Saturday at 10am. Tours leave from the McIntire Building across from Lee Park and cover over 250 years of community history in one hour. $3 suggested donation. 296-1492.

Come Clean: Drug addiction can leave an individual feeling helpless and out of control, especially family members and friends of an addict. Narconon Arrowhead can help. Narconon offers free counseling, assessments and referrals to rehabilitation centers nationwide. Call 1-800-468-6933 or log onto stopaddiction.com.

Nature Spirit: Spending too much time indoors under florescent lighting? Discover the spiritual side of Nature with NatureSpirit. Explore different earth-centered traditions of spirituality, meet friends, and find meaningful new ways to connect with Nature in your busy life. Meets the first Sunday of every month at Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church. 6:30pm. , 243-6421, or naturespirit.info.

Ninja Yoga: Towards a revolution of consciousness! Free and open to the public, suitable for all levels of expertise. Mondays 9-10am, Thursdays 9-10:30am; meditation study group Wednesdays 8am, and silent meditation Thursdays 8am, all available at Better Than Television 106 Goodman st.A3, near Spudnuts. Ninja Yoga also available at Jefferson Madison Regional Library Mondays 1pm and Fridays 5pm, as well as at the Yoga Community Space 117 E. Market St. Tuesdays 1pm. Info: 295-0872.

Early Music Meeting: The Shenandoah Recorder Society meets on the third Sunday of every month to discuss the recorder and early music in general. Open to all. For more information, call 295-1395.

Woman Spirit: Become part of a community of women who rise up in the spring, create the green growth of summer, harvest autumn, and rest in winter. Explore your Spirit in magical power places in Nature with soulful, like-minded women, led by experienced healers & vision quest guides. A spring group is now forming, April-September. $225. Contact Denise Horton, PhD at 296-2930 for more information.

ART LIST
Second Street Gallery temporarily devotes its space to its annual art auction, scheduled for April 23. Call for further information. 115 Second St. SE. 977-7284.

During April, the McGuffey Art Center presents "Visual Textures x 3," an exhibition of work by Carol Grant, Janet Grahame, and Vee Osvalds in the main gallery. On view in the first floor hall gallery: photographer Fleming Lunsford's "Analogies," Polaroid emulsion lifts of natural forms and collage artist Suzanne Chitwood's "Pages from Picture Books." Upstairs enjoy the annual High School Art Show." 201 Second St. NW. 295-7973. See Art feature.

The University of Virginia Art Museum presents the much-anticipated "Masterpieces of European Drawing," an exhibition of 62 works on loan from the Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archéologie. The only presentation of this collection in the U.S., the show features pieces by Courbet, Delacroix, Rubens, and Rembrandt, among others, and runs through June 5. Also on view through May 22: "Aspects of Influence: Lincoln Perry Mines the Collection," an exhibition about artistic influence curated by painter Lincoln Perry (but not featuring his paintings). In addition, the museum whoops it up with "Punch Line: Six Centuries of the Comic and the Grotesque in Prints, Drawings, and Photographs from the Collection," on view through April 30. The museum also presents "After Collage," a show of mixed-element work by contemporary artists, including John Baldessari, Katherine Porter, and Frank Stella, which continues through August 27. 155 Rugby Road. 924-3592.

The Off Grounds Gallery displays an exhibition of painting, photography, sculpture, and an interactive installation by UVA Art Department "Distinguished Major Program" students Kim Dylla, Patrick Edmunds, Janine Polak and Sean Lennon Salyards, on view through April 23. 300 W. Main St. (entrance on Ridge St.). 924-6122.

Watercolor artist Edith Arbaugh presents a 10-painting, Lawn-celebrating exhibition, "Jefferson Legacy Series," in UVA's Rotunda Dome Room through May 19. University Ave. 924-1019.

During April, Les Yeux du Monde features "New Paintings" by UVA art professor Dean Dass. 115 S. First St. 973-5566.

The 302 features two shows during April: "Joy & Enlightenment," paintings by Nancy Jane Dodge, and "More Paintings" by Edward Thomas. 300 W. Main St. (above the UVA Off Grounds Studio). 924-5405.

The space formerly known as the Dave Moore Studio rises again in April with an exhibition of work by Dave Moore himself (how we've missed him) and Andy Acquaro. 414 E. Main St. (beneath Fusion and the Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar).

The Main Street Market Galleria displays "Collages," mixed-media work by Lora Lee Jones, during April. 416 W. Main St., 244-7800.

Monty Montgomery gets personal with "Views," his new exhibition of acrylics on windows and canvas, on show at the Mudhouse during April. 213 W. Main St. 984-6833.

Transient Crafters presents the hardwood sculptures of Alan Cleveland during the month of April. 118 E. Main St. on the Downtown Mall. 972-9500.

New Dominion Bookshop features Meg West's latest exhibition, "Paintings Out of My Head: Discovered Landscapes," on its mezzanine during April. 404 W. Main St. 295-2552.

During April, The Charlottesville Community Design Center presents an exhibition entitled "What Architects Do" that illustrates the process by which buildings and projects are conceived, developed, and realized by local architects. 101 E. Main St. 984-2232.

CODG's April show, "Recent Works," features mixed-media works and paintings by Carolyn Capps. 112 E. Main St., under the Jefferson Theater. 242-4212.

Through April, The Renaissance School shows "Steve Ingham: portraits and new works." 406 E. Main St. on the Downtown Mall. 984-1952.

The Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church presents "Palestinian Embroidery Heritage," a collection of textiles organized by Charlottesville's Holy Land Treasures Group, on display through May 8. 717 Rugby Road. 977-5411.

The C&O Gallery's April show features paintings by Eugenia Rausse. 511 E. Water St. (next to the C&O Restaurant). 971-7044.

Nature Visionary Art displays the work of Kristen Myers through June 1. 110 Fourth St. NE. 296-8482.

La Galeria currently features "Virginia Barns and Florals" by Christine Kennedy. Also on view through April 30: work by Anne Hopper, Al Rossi, Doris deSha, Nga Bui Katz, and Mary Porter. 1919 Commonwealth Drive (next to Rococo's). 293-7003.

The 5th Floor Gallery at Keller Williams is currently showing explorations of realism by painter Tom Tartaglino, paintings of Italy by Doris deSha, and photography by Candace Schoner. Ten percent of proceeds from artwork sold goes to Habitat for Humanity. Suite 500, Citizens Commonwealth Building (UVA Credit Union), 300 Preston Ave. 220-2200.

Sidetracks (formerly Spencer's 206) features Asha Greer's "Musings from the Corpus Callosum" during April. 218 W. Water St. 295-3080.

Through April, Angelo displays recent works in oils by Stanley Woodward. 220 E. Main St. 971-9256.

On April 26, the Kluge-Ruhe Collection of Aboriginal Art opens "Seeing the Other: The Human Image by Indigenous and non-Indigenous Artists," which will remain on view through August 13. 400 Worrell Drive, Peter Jefferson Place (off Route 250 East at Pantops). 244-0234..

For its April show, The Gallery @ 5th & Water offers "Nature's Textures," featuring woven tapestries by Joan Griffin and "airy" oils and acrylics by Anne Warren Holland. 107 Fifth St. 979-9825.

During April, Sage Moon Gallery presents an exhibition of photography by Bonny Bronson. 420 E. Main St. on the Downtown Mall. 977-9997.

Industry's April show features "Eggplant," drawings and paintings by Jim Callahan. 112 Second St. NE. 293-3338.

Through April, the Central Virginia Watercolor Guild presents over 50 watercolors by Central Virginia artists in the basement and on the first floor of the Albemarle County Courthouse. 501 E. Jefferson Court Sq. 296-8484.

View Katherine B. March's exhibition of oils entitled "Our Beautiful Shenandoah Valley" at Art Upstairs during April. 316 E. Main St., above The Hardware Store, on the Downtown Mall. 923-3900.

The Laughing Lion Gallery offers an April show of Terrence Pratt's graphite on paper works entitled, "Portraits of Dancers." 103 E. Water St. (above London's). 984-4000.

For the month of April, BozArt Gallery features the landscape paintings of Anne DeLatour Hopper. 211 W. Main St. 296-3919.

Belmont's Better Than Television Community Center/Infoshop displays collages by Vanthi Nguyen during April. 106 Goodman St. 295-0872

Blue Ridge Beads & Glass displays new paintings and art glass by Jerry O'Dell. 1724 Allied St. 293-2876.

L'étoile Restaurant displays paintings by local artists Barry Gordon, Malcolm Hughes, and Christian Peri. 817 W. Main St. (across from the Amtrak Station). 979-7957.

Radar

The Artisans Center of Virginia presents "New Vases, Bottles & Bowls," an exhibition of ceramics by Philip Guilfoyle, which runs through April 30. Also on view: the "Artisans Members Exhibition" through April 27. 601 Shenandoah Drive. (Exit 94 off I-64), Waynesboro. 540-946-3294.

On April 21, The Arts Center in Orange premiers "Around the World in 40 Days," an exhibition of paintings from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Poland, and Russia. The show runs through June 4. 149 E. Main St., Orange. 540-672-7311.

Through May 1, Barboursville's Nichols Gallery features "Three Views," landscape paintings by Ron Boehmer, Lindsay Nolting, and Priscilla Whitlock. 540-832-3565.

Washington and Lee University presents an exhibition of work by Anne Sherwood Pundyk through May. Lexington. 540-458-8954.

Madison's Sevenoaks Pathwork Center features "Arising from the Unconscious," watercolors by Alegria Barbara Strauss, through April 23. Beginning April 25, the Center presents "Rebellion Held in Compassion," an exhibition of pastel paintings by Cynthia Haney, which will be on display through July 13. 403 Pathwork Way, Madison. 434-295-8315.

The Barn Swallow features pottery by Janice Arone and Mary Ann Burke, plus other handcrafted artwork. Route 682 off 250W. 434-979-4884.

The Ed Jaffe Gallery features paintings and marble sculptures by Ed Jaffe, plus abstract photographs by Marc Jaffe. 108 W. Main St., Orange. 540-672-2400.

Staunton's Middlebrook Gallery offers contemporary art and fine crafts, including sculpture by Ken Smith. 5 Middlebrook Ave. 540-885-9955.

Other

The Virginia Poverty Law Center invites entries for its 2005 juried photography exhibition, "Through Different Eyes: The Faces of Poverty in Virginia." Submissions for consideration will be accepted through June 30. The kick-off for the touring public display of finalists and an awards ceremony are scheduled for October 14. Find contest rules and the entry form at pvlc.org. 700 E. Franklin St., Suite 14T1, Richmond. 804-782-9430.

Habitat for Humanity and the Charlottesville Community Design Center invite entrants for the international "Urban Habitats" competition, which asks participants to design a 72-home community of mixed-use, mixed-income units. Info: Katie Swenson, 984-2232 or .

Practice your flower arranging in anticipation of participating in The Arts Center in Orange's "Around the World in 40 Days," which will display arrangements meant to complement the paintings from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Poland, and Russia. The flowers will be on display May 5-7. Those wishing to contribute an arrangement should call 540-672-7311. 129 E. Main St., Orange.

The Scottsville Council for the Arts invites regional photographers to participate in its Photography Show, scheduled to run April 30-May15. An application form is available at the Council website: avenue.org/sca. Works should be submitted Sunday, April 24, 2-5pm in person at the Victory Hall Theatre, 401 Valley St. in Scottsville. Info: sca#avenue.org or 286-3179.

The University of Virginia Art Museum announces "Summer Arts @ the Ix," its creative programs for 4th-12th grade students. First session: July 18-22. Second Session: July 25-29. Students' art will be displayed August 16-24. Tuition: $220 for members; $255 for nonmembers. A limited number of full scholarships are available for students with financial needs. For more information, contact Lili Grabbi at 243-6830 or .

ART FEATURE
Fragile nature: Lunsford takes wing
BY LAURA PARSONS
Remember touching a moth for the first time? Maybe, like me, you recall the shock of discovering its beautifully patterned wing was suddenly a powdery smudge of color on your fingers. And perhaps your older brother, like mine, then gleefully informed you the moth could no longer fly because you had touched its wings. Tears, sobs, and regret. How could something be so fragile?

Photographer Fleming Lunsford skillfully prods such tender emotional associations in "Analogies," her exhibition of Polaroid emulsion lifts currently on view at the McGuffey Art Center. In fact, she sweetly fools us into viscerally responding to delicate moth images that, in truth, she's constructed out of leaves, flowers, shells, and other non-moth bits of nature.

She manages this mirage by first presenting a fractured view of an actual moth, consisting of eight or nine detailed close-ups-- three for each wing and two or three for the body-- placed on deckle-edged paper, with slices of empty space left between the squares. Through this visual dismemberment, the concrete moth takes on a level of abstraction.

Lunsford then follows this initial image with a series of related moth imitations, composed in the same splintered fashion. By association, viewers are momentarily tricked into reacting to arrangements of torn maple seedpods or iridescent mussel shells as if they were once-living winged beings.

But it is a gentle deception meant to evoke wonder and humor. As moths' wings often mimic nature, Lunsford causes nature to mimic moths.

Lunsford makes particularly effective use of the emulsion lift process for this project. Before shooting the Polaroid close-ups, she lights her subjects from behind to produce translucence and to illuminate veins and structural details. She then boils the resulting prints until their surfaces begin to bubble.

After soaking the photographs in cold water, Lunsford rubs the delicate membrane-like emulsions from their paper backings. She then carefully arranges and flattens them on watercolor paper.

The resulting images, tenderly creased and folded, appear as if fragile, transparent pieces of biological tissue on the page. They seem as delicate and easy to ruin as moth's wings, enhancing Lunsford's artifice.

In my favorite image, "Green Kanga Paw," Lunsford takes this fantasy to a whimsical extreme. Here ribbons of yellow-green and green-gray leaves, curling and furry with black bristles, combine to form improbably spiraling wings. It's a moth that could only fly in Lunsford's fertile imagination.

Fleming Lunsford's "Analogies: A Series of Polaroid Emulsion Lifts on Watercolor Paper" is on view at the McGuffey Art Center through the end of April. 201 Second St. NW. 295-7973.

PERFORMANCE
You pick: Audience decides who done it
BY ROBERT ARMENGOL

Remember Choose Your Own Adventure? Maybe you don't, but when I was in the third grade, I devoured at least a dozen books in that series, often reading the same ones over and over just to see how many permutations of the storyline I could follow.

I didn't have many friends.

Before the Internet age, this was interactive entertainment at its best: If you think the pirates should storm the admiral's ship and steal his booty on the high seas, turn to page 47. If you think they should slip into an inlet and lie in wait, turn to page 102. There was something utterly cheesy-- and perfectly fun-- about the whole thing.

In its latest production, the UVA drama department invites theatergoers to get interactive in real life with an innovative musical based on the novel Charles Dickens never finished as The Mystery of Edwin Drood enters its second and final weekend at the university's Culbreth Theatre.

This unique performance is framed as a play within a play, where the actors portray actors and the audience is asked to stand in for-- well, the audience. This quirky story picks up with a reenactment of Dickens's last novel by an eccentric Victorian troupe called the Music Hall Royale. Along the way, audience members are drawn into the show, shaping the action in a series of votes. Very democratic.

"There's a special challenge-- and thrill-- in the impulsiveness of this production," says stage director Erin Hall. "By the math, there are 500 possible endings. So we'll be going into each show just like the audience: excited about the unknown."

Things really get interesting when Edwin, nephew of the Music Hall's choirmaster, goes missing and you have to examine the clues to discover the murderer. Against a backdrop of Victorian vaudeville, this musical brims with colorful characters, plot twists and diverse tunes-- from upbeat group numbers to haunting ballads.

Written by Rupert Holmes and originally produced for the New York Shakespeare Theatre Festival in 1985, The Mystery of Edwin Drood achieved widespread acclaim and won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

And of course, the choose-your-own-mystery format is indulgent for the players as much as the audience. "It's rare that you actually get to play an actor on the stage," says Jane Mayer, a UVA drama student who plays Princess Puffer, one of the murder suspects. "We really get to appreciate the role of the audience and, together, enjoy the spontaneity of theater from their perspective."

The Mystery of Edwin Drood plays at 8pm, Thursday-Sunday, April 20-23. Culbreth Theatre, Culbreth Road. $9-14. 924-3376.

FAMILY
Dare ya! Turn TV off and get a life
BY LINDA KOBERT
A while back, I started getting uncomfortable with all the time my kids were spending watching television. When friends came over to play, instead of running around with a soccer ball, this group of 10-year-olds gathered in front of the television set to watch hours of prime time programming. One of my sons started reciting TV commercials as part of everyday conversation. And at the age of four, my other son would sit transfixed in front of the set, not moving, not blinking, not even aware someone else was in the room. It was scary.

Watching TV and videos and playing video and computer games can become a habit that's hard to break. More than a decade ago, a grassroots nonprofit initiated TV-Turnoff Week as a way for viewers to discover what life is like beyond the screen. This year's Turnoff happens April 25-May 1.

Jefferson-Madison Regional Library is totally behind the effort to lure kids away from the tube. No surprise there. Research shows that putting down the remote and picking up a book improves students' reading habits and their attitudes toward reading, especially among those who identify themselves as poor readers. Improving reading skills also improves kids' chances of academic success.

Families can take the turn off challenge and vow to reduce their normal TV-viewing time by picking up a pledge sheet available at any JMRL branch. Folks can choose to go cold turkey for a week or simply cut back on screen time, including videos/DVDs and video games. When the week is done, participants return the completed form by May 14 to demonstrate their success, and kids receive a free gift book as a reward.

Over in Belmont, a new group in town is trying to create community with year-round opportunities for folks to get together away from the set. This Thursday, Better than Television screens the film Life and Debt, a feature-length documentary that depicts the impact of IMF and World Bank policies on the lives of Jamaicans.

While they recognize the apparent contradiction of an anti-TV organization hosting a film event, organizers assert that the point of their project is to inspire dialog. Showing the film is just their way of starting a conversation, so it's the discussion that follows that is the main event.

Engaging in conversation, reading more, and getting up and active are the main reasons for turning off the TV. As one family who participated in last year's event discovered, it can also benefit the budget. After living without television for a week that turned into a month or two, this family decided they could live without their $60 monthly cable bill. They found they'd developed other habits.

Central Library is located at 201 E. Market Street, Downtown. 979-7151, ext. 3. jjmrl.org. Better than Television's screening of the movie Life and Debt takes place April 21 at 7:30pm. Donations will be accepted at the door at 106 A3 Goodman St. 295-0872. TV-Turnoff Network is at tvturnoff.org.

WORDS
Nursing guilt: Tuskegee Study prompts life's work
BY SUSAN TYLER HITCHCOCK
Even though she grew up in rural Alabama in the days of Jim Crow, Mary Harper knew no discrimination until she went to college. Cities had segregated housing, restrooms, and water fountains, she recently told an interviewer, but "we went to town only once a year... so that didn't bother me very much." Only at Tuskegee Institute, where she first met Northerners, did she feel the sting of prejudice.

Born in 1919, one of eight children, Harper early on devised ways to make money, chief among them raising white mice to sell as research animals.

"My mother made me use all the scientific rules," she says, "to keep them sanitary, keep them clean." Cleanliness and discipline, religion and business characterized her childhood.

After finishing the nursing program at Tuskegee, Harper wanted to pursue a higher degree, and in those days of segregation, if black colleges did not offer a particular degree program, the state of Alabama (and Virginia) paid for a black student to attend school in an integrated state. Harper enrolled at the University of Minnesota.

Harper graduated with honors and became Minnesota's first black nursing school faculty member. From Minnesota, she went to work at the Ann Arbor, Michigan, VA hospital, as part of an NAACP program to help black achievers integrate the professions. "It was like a grand parade," Harper recalls of her hospital job, "people passing by the office every day to see what I looked like."

Through her career, Harper carried the memory of a National Public Health Service project she had worked on in her Tuskegee days: the notorious multi-year Tuskegee Syphilis Study. From 1932 to 1972, doctors and nurses tracked the health of 600 black men, nearly two-thirds of them suffering from syphilis.

To study the long-term effects of the disease, officials deliberately withheld treatment from the men. Harper's memories show that caregivers as well as patients were deceived into believing that the study was ethical.

As the last surviving Tuskegee Study worker, Harper has upheld a lifelong mission on behalf of needy elderly black Americans, especially those with mental illness. Today Tuskegee University has a Mary Starke Harper Chair in geropsychiatric nursing research and a Mary Starke Harper Geropsychiatric Hospital.

Harper has advocated for minority nursing researchers around the nation, taught at five universities, and written five books and hundreds of articles. That's just the beginning of how Harper has made a difference in our world.

Mary Starke Harper speaks on "Human Experimentation: From Tuskegee 1932 to Rural Virginia 2005" on Wednesday, April 27, at 3pm in Newcomb Hall Theater. 924-0085.

WALKABOUT
Busy bees: Quilters rise to the 'challenge'
BY TIM SPRINKLE
Change is a funny thing. What was once rolling Virginia Piedmont is now a semi-urban oasis studded with condominiums, strip malls, and chain restaurants. That's change.

Thomas Jefferson's tidy little Academical Village? It's now a world-class university with a bustling enrollment and dozens of research centers. That's change, too.

But come out for the Charlottesville Area Quilters Guild's 9th biannual Jefferson Country Quilt Show this weekend and you'll see a different kind of change. Call it an evolution, really, because the time-honored Appalachian tradition of quilt making has never been more popular, more creative, and more vibrant.

Need proof? The Charlottesville group boasts 115 active members, while groups like the International Quilt Association claim thousands more around the world. Clearly, change has been good for this centuries-old art form.

This weekend's show will bring together the work of dozens of area quilters, some for display and some as part of a silent auction. Not only is it a chance to see some fine examples of the quilt maker's art, but you may just go home with a handmade Virginia wall hanging of your very own.

"It's like an art show in fabric," explains Judy Lesiak with the Quilters Guild, "a wonderful exhibit of artistic expression. People make traditional quilts from patterns that are 100-200 years old, while others try to be more innovative or creative with colors and patterns."

And the Guild is about more than just pretty fabrics and intricate details. They also provide quilts for social services and local law enforcement; a little bit of warm, snuggly security for officers to give children in bad family situations or those facing a natural disaster. Several members will be making their own "challenge quilt" during the show to donate to this program.

"Each member randomly picks a theme, and makes a quilt of that theme," Lesiak explains about the challenge quilts. "This year they're tied to storybooks, so each member goes out and gets the book and makes a quilt to go with it. After the show, they give the whole package to social services."

Quilting for charity? Change really can be good.

The 9th Jefferson Country Quilt Show happens this weekend, April 23-24, at the Rivanna Fire Department, outside Glenmore on 250 East. $5 suggested donation for admission; raffle tickets $1. Proceeds benefit the Charlottesville Free Clinic. A quilt appraiser will also be on hand. For more information about the show or the Quilters Guild, call Judy Lesiak, 984-1048, or visit the group's website, avenue.org/quilts.

TUNES
Timeless tunes: More than a day
BY MARK GRABOWSKI
Most acts, be they punk, rock, or bluegrass, have that "I'm in a band" look. It's something in the tilt of the jaw, the perfectly or precisely imperfectly composed outfit, the delightfully arranged coif.

But some groups concentrate on the music they produce rather than acquiring shoes matching their slacks, a decision that may not result in many Teen Beat covers, but with a little luck thrown into the mix can produce some great results. Local country/bluegrass outfit Scuffletown is one such act, and their two-man sound is proof positive that the more important things in life are the ones that last.

Scuffletown began in 2000 when vocalist/guitarist Marc Carraway and multi-instrumentalist John Whitlow decided to join their singular talents in a duet. Both were accomplished musicians in their own right: Carraway had toured internationally and released three albums on the Waterbound recording label, while Whitlow, known locally as something of a harmonica whiz, has been a supporting player for such regional acts as David M. Bailey and Jimmy Downing.

The duo released their first CD in 2001, an echo-laden number tilted to the country end of the dial, Live At The Speakeasy. Their latest, Roads, is a lusher product, showing a leap forward in both songwriting form and subject, as well as an impressive array of instrumentation from just two men.

Roads begins with "Barcelona, Someday," and something in the first few tempered acoustic strums signals a great tune coming. Perhaps it's Carraway's masterful picking style, his fingers providing the notes in between the song's mostly three-chord setup; perhaps it's Whitlow's shimmering and lonesome harmonica.

Whatever it is, you're soon rewarded with Carraway singing, "Well, I'd like to take you back to Barcelona / We'd time it right so we can get there in the fall." Carraway's voice is one of Scuffletown's strengths: strong without yelling, it sounds as if the singer is holding back a bit, and the constant tension makes for a great listen. Two minutes into the song, the easy-going Carraway/Whitlow harmony chorus rolls in with the tide, and as one feels that it must, it wraps up the hanging verses in a "In the midst of my frustrations, I've found an obligation to get back, back, Barcelona someday" cap.

"Window on the World" is all acoustic guitar and softly plucked banjo, a song of longing for lost times and people, where a perfectly harmonized "And you know all these people move so fast these days / You know friends and lovers could just drift away" and a perfectly composed harmonica solo are just two of the many treats the song offers.

According to Whitlow, the pair will be returning to the studio this summer to record a new album with Donnie Holcomb, best known for his work with singer/songwriter David Bailey.

"Like Live at the Speakeasy and Roads, the CD will be primarily a collection of original work, a few of our favorite standards, and one or two original tunes" Whitlow says.

With an anticipated release date this fall, we don't have long to wait for their magic to repeat itself.

Scuffletown perform April 22 at Odell's Music Pub, Main St., Gordonsville. $5, 8pm. 540-832-5300.

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