Art to help mentally ill
By TIMES STAFF
Published July 19, 2007
Today
Meet Florida's three great female naturalists: The Brooker Creek Preserve Environmental Education Center and East Lake Community Library present the Great Naturalists Reading Series from 10 a.m. to noon today at the Brooker Creek Center, 3940 Keystone Road, East Lake. Join the interactive event and discussion of the writings of Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings and Marjorie Harris Carr. Douglas became instrumental in the preservation of the Everglades through her book The Everglades: River of Grass. Rawlings provided insight about the early Florida settlers' way of life in her memoir Cross Creek and her novels South Moon Under and the Pulitzer-Prize-winning The Yearling. Carr's articles, technical reports and speeches inspired a desire to protect Florida's natural environment. Free. Call 727 453-6800.
Friday
Puppet show: The award-winning Dascaloja Puppeteers will perform at 10:30 a.m. Friday at the Clearwater Main Library, 100 N Osceola Ave. Formed in 1972, the puppeteers are a group of teenagers who perform each summer for special programs and story time audiences. Call (727) 562-4970, ext. 5236.
'Hello, Dolly!': Clearwater City Players present the award-winning Broadway musical Hello, Dolly! Friday through Sunday at Ruth Eckerd Hall, 1111 McMullen-Booth Road, Clearwater. The story chronicles the intrigues of Dolly Levi, a meddlesome widow whose mission is to bring romance into the lives of her acquaintances, as well as herself. Show times are 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $23. Call the box office at (727) 791-7400 or visit www.RuthEckerdHall.com.
Classic Shakespeare: Eight O'Clock Theatre presents Shakespeare's romantic comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream, directed by Ron Zietz, at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Largo Cultural Center, 105 Central Park Drive. Tickets are $20 adults, $15 students and $18 for groups of 10 or more. Call the box office at (727) 587-6793 or visit ticketmaster.com or www.largoarts.com.
Third Friday: Safety Harbor's Third Friday Music Series is from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday along Main Street. David Bearce will play acoustic rock at the Gazebo at John Wilson Park. Call (727) 724-1572.
Saturday
Grapes and Gavel Festival: An evening of wine tasting and dining outdoors from 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday in downtown Tarpon Springs along Tarpon Avenue and Court Street. Unlimited wine tasting is $25 a person. Events include arts and crafts exhibits, an antique car show, an auction featuring a car, antiques, gift certificates and more. Proceeds benefit the Primate Sanctuary, Tarpon Springs Historical Society and Boys and Girls Clubs. Call (727) 741-3647.
Guided Hikes: Free guided hikes through Brooker Creek Preserve's Education Center Trail from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturdays at 3940 Keystone Road, East Lake. Advance registration is required. Call (727) 453-6800.
Continuing
Andrew Lloyd Webber musical: Performances of the enduringly popular musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat are Friday, Saturday and Sunday and July 27, 28 and 29 at the Tarpon Springs Performing Arts Center, 324 Pine St., inside City Hall. Friday and Saturday shows are at 8 p.m. and Sunday matinees are at 2 p.m. Tickets are $16 and $14. Call the box office at (727) 942-5605.
Summer magic: An exhibit of Disney-themed fine art from John Coleman, Toby Bluth and John Rowe and the contemporary works of other artists through Aug. 31 at First Impressions Art Gallery, 3625 Alt. U.S. 19 N, Palm Harbor. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Call (727) 942-3955.
Whimsical and Ordered Art: An exhibit of fabricated sculptures by Esther Gentle, "Art of the Whimsical," and reverse paintings on Plexiglas panels by Roy Witlin, "Art of the Ordered," are on display through Aug. 26 at the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art at the Tarpon Springs campus of St. Petersburg College, 600 Klosterman Road. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $5 adults, $4 seniors and free to children and students with ID. Sunday is free to all and docent tours are offered at 2 p.m. Call (727) 712-5762.
Quilt exhibits: Winning works from an international competition of quilters who used the traditional Rose of Sharon block pattern and a second exhibit of local quilters who created self-portraits in fabric. The exhibits continue through Friday at the Dunedin Fine Art Center, 1143 Michigan Blvd. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday. Call (727) 298-3322 or visit www.dfac.org..
Art with a tropical theme: An exhibit of acrylic paintings in vibrant colors and tropical themes by Florida artist Shelia Blow through Sunday at Art on the Docks, 735 Dodecanese Blvd., on the Sponge Docks in Tarpon Springs. Gallery hours are 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Monday, closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Free. Call (727) 943-9298.
Plumb House Museum: Open 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. the first and third Thursday of each month through Nov. 2. The Cracker-style house was built in 1896 and includes period furnishings, vintage photos, artifacts and a scrapbook of historic documents relating to the Plumb family. The house is at 1380 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., Clearwater. Free. Call (727) 446-2676 or (727) 399-1412.
Submit items for Out & About to Nova Beall, 710 Court St., Clearwater, FL 33756. Fax to (727) 445-4119 or e-mail to northpin@sptimes.com.Special to the Times
Friday
Benefit art show and auction: Gallery O in Largo is presenting a show and silent auction of the paintings and mixed media works of Lauren Smith, Wendy Boucher, Judith Curtis and Yiota Theofanus from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday. Proceeds will benefit the National Alliance on Mental Illness. The gallery is at Clearwater-Largo Road and Ninth Avenue. Admission is free. Call (727) 216-7679.