Artifacts 4/25/03

Irish festival begins today in Carbondale

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- The Southern Illinois Irish Festival will be held today and Saturday in Carbondale.

Cathie Ryan and the McNulty Irish Dancers will perform at 7:30 tonight at SIU's Shryock Auditorium. Saturday night's performances at Mugsy McGuire's Entertainment Center will be by Jeremy Kittel with John Behling, Siucra, and the McNulty Irish Dancers.

The festival's Celtic Fair will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at Carbondale's Town Square. The fair will offer music, lectures, arts and crafts for children, and workshops on fiddle, pennywhistle, guitar, the Irish drum and Celtic vocal style.

Dogwood-Azalea Festival in Charleston

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- The 35th Dogwood-Azalea Festival continues through Sunday. The Moore House, home of the Mississippi County Historical Society, will be open for tours.

Dragon Tales Live at SIU Arena

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Dragon Tales Live's "Missing Music Mystery," the live version of the popular PBS children's TV show, will be presented today through Sunday at the SIU Arena.

Shows are at 7 p.m. today, 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday, and 1:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. Sunday. For information, phone (618) 453-5341.

First Sunday Showcase this weekend in Jackson

The first BYOC (Bring Your Own Chair) Sunday Showcase will be presented at 4 p.m. Sunday at the Jackson City Park Band Shell.

The show will feature vocal solos by Paige Englehart, Johnny Porzelt, Mallory Rhodes and Allie Birk. Also on the program are a dramatic monologue by Alisha Peats, a dance by Dance Extensions and Native American storytelling by Chief Paul White Eagle.

BYOC Sunday Showcase is a free, family-oriented entertainment event sponsored by the Jackson Area Arts Council.

In case of rain, the show will be presented at the Center For The Arts, 127 W. Main St. in Jackson.

'Greater Tuna' run canceled

ST. LOUIS -- The run of "Greater Tuna," the two-man Broadway hit scheduled for the Theatre May 8-11, has been canceled.

Tickets will be refunded at the point of purchase. For more information, phone MetroTix at (314) 534-1111 or go to www.metrotix.com.

Deadline nears for writing submissions

The deadline is Thursday to submit articles to be critiqued during a children's literature workshop to be held June 14.

The writing workshop will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the University Center at Southeast Missouri State University.

Julia Messina, an associate editor with Cricket magazine, will conduct one-on-one 10-minute critiques during the workshop.

Other speakers are Sheila Wood Foard, who has had more than 60 fiction, non-fiction and poetry works published, and Jeanie Stewart, who has written 20 children's books. Stewart is the director of the Conan Memorial Library in Hayti, Mo.

For information, log onto www.heartlandwriters.org or send a SASE to Heartland Writers Guild, P.O. Box 652, Kennett, Mo. 63857.

Klugman to perform in 'On Golden Pond'

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- TV star Jack Klugman stars in "On Golden Pond" Saturday at SIU's Shryock Auditorium.

The show begins at 7:30 p.m. Phone (681)f 453-ARTS for ticket information.

'Art Expressions 2003' this weekend

"Art Expressions 2003," a show of works from grades K-12 in the Jackson R-2 School District, will be presented Saturday and Sunday at the Jackson High School Multipurpose Building.

Face painting, jewelry making, puppets, portrait drawing, weaving, guest artists and live music will be presented.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.

Newspaper photographer has Smithsonian show

A photo essay by Melina Mara, who was a Southeast Missourian newspaper photo intern in the early 1990s, will open at the Smithsonian Institution May 22.

Titled "Changing the Face of Power: Women in the U.S. Senate," the show includes 35 black-and-white photographs of the 13 women serving in the U.S. Senate. The Smithsonian states: "These women are not only breaking into the United States' most prestigious governing body but also transforming it. Their bipartisan teamwork, compassion for social issues, coalition building, and unique tools for lawmaking are laying a foundation for a new type of politician."

The exhibition in the Arts and Industries Building continues through Sept. 7.

Mara is a contract photographer for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

MakandaFest to be held May 3-4

MAKANDA, Ill. -- The 15th annual arts, crafts and music event called MakandaFest will be held May 3 and 4 in downtown Makanda.

Styles of music scheduled include Ecuadoran, Irish, folk R&B, acoustic punk rock, jazz, classical, country and western, bluegrass, rock, ballads and blues. There also will be crafts demonstrations, an on-site painting competition, a puppet theater performance at 11 a.m. May 4 and many different kinds of foods.

The festival begins at 10 a.m. and ends at 4 p.m. both days. Parking and admission are free.

Makanda is located 8 miles south of Carbondale off U.S. 51. For more information, phone Anita at (618) 457-8508 or Jan at (618) 549-5523.

'Space Station' to begin May 3

ST. LOUIS -- THE IMAX film "Space Station" opens May 3 at the St. Louis Science Center's OMINIMAX Theater, 5050 Oakland Ave.

The film documents the on-orbit construction of the International Space Station between Dec. 1998 and July 2001. Audience members watch astronauts and cosmonauts from the U.S., Canada, Japan, Russia and Europe transform the space station into a permanently inhabited scientific research outpost.

The opening night adult-only event from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. May 3 will include music by You Can't Beat Experienced Jazz, hors d'oeuvres, a private showing of the film and parking. Phone (314) 289-4424 for reservations.

The film continues through Sept. 25. Phone (800) 456-SLSC or visit the Web site at www.slsc.org for show times and ticket information.

Bluegrass festival May 15-17

STEELVILLE, Mo. -- The 33rd annual Spring Bluegrass Festival will be held May 15-17 at Garrison's Campground in Steelville.

The performers include Bob & Sheila Everhart. David Parmley & Continental Divide, Rosa String Works Band, Waterloo Boy, Joe Dean, the Meramec Jets, Frank Ray & Cedar Hill and Bull Harman & Bull's Eye.

For information, phone (800) 235-2232 for camping and lodging information.

Folk singer in house concert

Folk singer/activist Amy Martin will perform at a house concert Thursday in Cape Girardeau.

The concert will begin at 7 p.m. Phone 334-7692 for reservations. The suggested donation is $8. Guests are welcome to bring their own beverages.

--From staff reports