Artifacts 7/16/04

'Star-Spangled Girl' comes to Port CapeThe River City Players Community Theater is bringing Neil Simon's "The Star-Spangled Girl" to Port Cape starting tonight. Set in the 1960s, this play follows the love triangle formed between Andy (Steve Rueppel) and Norman (Kyle Van Pool), who publish a protest magazine, and their all-American neighbor Sophie (Meagan Edmonds). The play runs tonight, Saturday, July 23 and 24 as part of a dinner theater. The buffet starts at 6:30 p.m. and the play gets underway at 8 p.m. On Thursday at 8 p.m. there is a performance without the dinner. For more information, call 334-0954.

Metal music on tap this weekend at Our House

Metal Mayhem was canceled, but fans get a second chance to hear loud and fast music at Saturday's Coomapalooza being held at Our House, 2 N. Main St. Local bands Knotted Fear and Elixir will be performing with St. Louis bands Shattermask and Broken Shadow. Doors open at 8 p.m. For more information, call Our House at 335-1114.

Dance skills being taught at Notre Dame

Instructors Deana Pecord and the Notre Dame Dance Team are teaching dance skills to students age six to 13 years of age at the Notre Dame Dance Camp being held Monday through July 23. Groups one and two will concentrate on dance skills that teach coordination and development, while groups three and four will focus on dance skills that transfer to dance team training. For more information or to register, call 335-6772.

Spots still available in Arts Council classesThe Arts Council of Southeast Missouri has openings for the following art classes:

Bangles, Baubles and Beads is for children ages eight to 11 and takes place 9 a.m. to noon, Aug. 2 to 6. It teaches students how to make jewelry from paper, wire, clay and found objects.

Jewelry Making with Metals if for ages 14 to adult takes place from 7 to 8:15 p.m. Aug. 2 to 5. This class focuses on forming metals using tools such as pliers, files, saws and hammers.

For more information, contact the arts council at 334-9233.

Bluegrass, gospel music heard at Wappapello In Faith, a men's quartet from Poplar Bluff, Mo., will perform at the Lake Wappapello Outdoor Theater tonight, along with the Aaron Mitchell Band. On Saturday, the gospel bluegrass band Just Us will perform at the theater. All concerts start at 6:30 p.m. at the theater, located two miles south of the Wappapello Dam on Route T. For more information, contact Shelley McClintock or John Worley at (573) 222-8083.

River Splash brings musicians to the St. Louis riverfront

St. Louis is hosting six weeks of concerts by the Mississippi Riverfront with River Splash, a free event that started Thursday and will continue at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturdays until August 21. Musicians taking part in River Splash include B.B. King, Lyle Lovett, Liz Phair and Wyclef Jean. Each evening will also feature a multi-media show projected onto a giant water screen on the Mississippi River. For more information on River Splash, visit www.celebrate2004.org.

St. Louis Science Center playing host to Moonstock

In commemoration of the 35th anniversary of Neil Armstrong's first walk on the moon, the St. Louis Science Center is hosting Moonstock from Saturday until Tuesday at the James S. McDonnell Planetarium. The event will include live music, food, drinks, activities, contests and other moon-related experiences. For more information, call (314) 289-4444, toll-free at (800)456-SLSC or visit www.slsc.org. The St. Louis Science Center is located at 5050 Oakland Ave. in St. Louis.

Broadway-lovers invited to 'Breakfast' at the Muny

"Breakfast at Tiffany's" debuts at the Muny in St. Louis on Monday and runs until July 25. Famous for the Audrey Hepburn movie and based on a Truman Capote novella, "Breakfast" is about a carefree New York City social butterfly whose life takes a turn when a literary young man moves into her apartment building. The Muny's production will feature the Johnny Mercers songs "Something's Gotta Give" and "Moon River." For more information, call (314) 361-1900 or visit www.muny.com; to charge tickets by phone, call (314) 534-1111.

Weekend of bluegrass planned at Whippoorwill Lake

The Whippoorwill Lake Bluegrass Festival will feature the music of the Larry Stephenson Band, The Cumberland Highlanders, The Bressler Brothers and Old Santa Fe, as well as a performance by the Gateway Cloggers from Walnut Ridge, Ark. The festival starts at 6 p.m. tonight and runs from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday at the Whippoorwill Lake Campground in Marble Hill, Mo. For more information, call (573) 238-3995 or visit www.whippoorwillake.com.

Nashville-based Pagetta releases new album

Nashville-based musician Joe Pagetta may be Sheryl Crowe's brother-in-law, but he is a respected singer-songwriter in his own right. Pagetta, who has played in Cape Girardeau and might make a return visit, has just released his latest album, "Joywood," a blend of pop and folk rock that steps away from his previous accoustic-centered sound and brings in electric guitars and fleshed-out band arraignments. For more information, visit www.joepagetta.com.

-- From staff reports