The Calendar

This Week's Events

By Day

Highlights:

Infamous Stringdusters: The Ark.

"Panhandle Slim & The Oklahoma Kid": Purple Rose Theatre Company.

"Music in the Park": Ann Arbor Civic Band Summer Concert Series.

Wednesday
July, 2008

10 a.m.
Children's Storytime: Waters Place Borders. Every Wednesday and Saturday. Borders staff read from picture books and books for babies, infants, and toddlers. Borders, 3140 Lohr Rd. Free. 997-8884.

11 a.m.
Kids Programs: Waterloo Recreation Area. Every Wednesday-Saturday beginning June 18. Waterloo Recreation Area park interpreter Kathy Kavanagh presents a variety of nature programs and activities TBA for kids ages 7-12 (unless otherwise noted) accompanied by an adult. This month's topics: TBA (July 9-11), "Alien Invaders" (July 12), TBA (July 16-18), "Michigan Mammals" (July 19), "Plant Prints" (July 23), "Petoskey Stone Polishing" (July 24), "Insect Safari" (July 25), "Native American Sand Art" (July 26), "What's Your Favorite Habitat" (July 30), and "PB&J Geology" (July 31). Eddy Discovery Center lower parking lot, Bush Rd. (west off Pierce Rd. from I-94 exit 157), Chelsea. Free. Space limited; preregistration required. Vehicle entrance fees: $6/day, $24/year ($6/year for seniors age 65 & over). 475-3170.

11 a.m.
"Storytime with Mr. James": Arborland Borders. Every Wednesday. Borders staffer "Mr. James" reads stories and leads a craft project for toddlers. Also, raffle. Today: John Nedwidek's Ducks Don't Wear Socks and Zhaohua Ji and Cui Xu's No! That's Wrong! Also this month: Eric Drachman's Bad Rats and Daniel Pinkwater's Bear's Picture (July 16), Timothy Young's I'm Looking for a Monster! and Meg Rosoff's Jumpy Jack & Googily (July 23), and Jez Alborough's Duck in the Truck and Alice Schertle's Little Blue Truck (July 30). Borders, 3527 Washtenaw. Free. 449-9394.

11 a.m.-noon.
"Wild Wednesdays": Ann Arbor District Library. Every Wednesday except July 16. Storytelling program for kids age 2 & up accompanied by an adult. Also, a craft activity. Siblings welcome. AADL multipurpose room (lower level), 343 S. Fifth Ave. at William. Free. 327-4560.

Noon-1 p.m.
Toastmasters General.:Every Wednesday. Members give speeches and are critiqued by their audience. Note: Different Toastmasters chapters meet every Monday & Thursday (see listings). F206 Veterans Hospital, 2215 Fuller Rd. Free to visitors. 769-7100, ext. 55678.

Noon-2 p.m.
"Music in the Park": Herb David Guitar Studio. June 1-October 31. Musical entertainment by a variety of local performers TBA. Liberty Plaza, E. Liberty at S. Division. Free. 665-8001.

Noon-12:30 p.m.
Chime Concert: Kerrytown Shops. Every Wednesday, Friday, & Saturday. All invited to play one of 100 songs, with melodies transcribed in numbers, on the 17-bell tower's numbered keys. Ambitious players can add chords. Local chimemaster Heather O'Neal demonstrates. Kerrytown. Free. 369-3107.

12:30 & 2:30 p.m.
"The Zula Patrol: Under the Weather"/"Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity": U-M Exhibit Museum Planetarium. Every Monday-Friday. The Zula Patrol (12:30 p.m.) is an animated audiovisual exploration of weather, both terrestrial and interplanetary. Black Holes (2:30 p.m.) is an animated audiovisual show that begins with the formation of the early universe and the birth and death of stars and concludes with a simulated flight to a supermassive black hole lurking at the center of the Milky Way. Followed by a brief star talk. U-M Exhibit Museum, 1109 Geddes at North University. $4.75. 764-0478.

12:45-3:45 p.m.
Social Bridge: Ann Arbor Senior Center. Every Tuesday & Wednesday (different locations). All seniors age 50 & older invited to play bridge. No partner required. Ann Arbor Senior Center, 1320 Baldwin. Free. 769-5911.

1-4 p.m.
Chess: U-M Turner Geriatrics Center. Every Wednesday. All seniors invited to play chess. Refreshments. Turner Senior Resource Center, 2401 Plymouth Rd. Free. 998-9353.

1 p.m.-after 10 p.m.
64th Annual Manchester Community Fair.:July 8-12. "Michigan's biggest little fair" includes midway rides, carnival games, concessions, tractor pulls, a petting zoo with bunnies and chicks, livestock shows with steers, pigs, and lambs, and more. Nightly entertainment TBA, and a drawing for prizes at 10 p.m. each night. Alumni Memorial Field, Vernon & Wolverine, Manchester. $5 (kids age 10 & under, free). 428-8283.

1-4 p.m.
"Drawing the Genres of Anime and Manga": Ann Arbor District Library. Studio ONY (Chicago) co-owner Shannon "Roku-chan" Townsend shows kids in grades 6-12 how to draw original anime and manga characters and stories. AADL multipurpose room (lower level), 343 S. Fifth Ave. at William. Free. 327-8301.

3 & 8 p.m.
"Panhandle Slim & The Oklahoma Kid": Purple Rose Theatre Company. Every Wednesday-Sunday, June 19-August 30 (except August 6), and July 1 and August 5 & 26. Guy Sanville directs Purple Rose founder Jeff Daniels's new comedy, the tale of a showdown between 2 Wild West archetypes - a singing cowboy a la Roy Rogers and a scoundrelly outlaw. Thrown together by unfortunate circumstances, they argue over the best way to be a cowboy, while 2 other actors portray their reminiscences. Cast: John Seibert, Tom Whalen, Phil Powers, and Jessica Garrett. 8 p.m., Purple Rose Theatre, 137 Park St., Chelsea. Tickets $25 (Sun. eves., Wed. & Thurs.), $33 (Sat. & Sun. matinees), & $38 (Fri. & Sat. eves.) in advance and at the door. 433-7673.

7-11 p.m.
Ann Arbor Bridge Club.:Every Wednesday. Each 2-person team plays 2 or 3 hands against a dozen or so other pairs during the evening. Players at all levels welcome. If you plan to come without a partner, call in advance or arrive 20 minutes early to arrange for one. Walden Hills clubhouse, 2114 Pauline at Maple. (Park on the north side of Pauline.) $3 per person. 971-7530.

7 p.m.
"Emotional Wellness": Nutritional Healing Center. Local chiropractor Darren Schmidt discusses natural remedies for depression. Nutritional Healing Center of Ann Arbor, 3610 W. Liberty. Free. Preregistration requested. 302-7575.

7-8 p.m.
"Bacon!": Zingerman's Delicatessen. Zingerman's cofounder Ari Weinzweig discusses and offers taste samples of the 10 different kinds of bacon Zingerman's carries. Zingerman's Next Door (upstairs), 422 Detroit St. $20 in advance, $25 (if available) at the door. Space limited; reservations recommended. 663-3400.

7 p.m.
Janet Kauffman: Shaman Drum Bookshop. See review, p. 47. A retiring EMU English professor, Kauffman is an acclaimed novelist and short story writer whose fiction won praise from a New York Times Book Review critic for the way "ordinary events blossom with images that seduce the reader to mysterious destinations." She reads today from Trespassing: Dirt Stories and Field Notes, her new collection of stories and essays about the impact of factory farms on the land and culture of rural Michigan. Signing. Shaman Drum, 315 S. State. Free. 662-7407.

7-9 p.m.
"Jazzy Nights": Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission . Outdoor jazz concerts by the WCC Jazz Orchestra and the WCC Top 40 Combo. Frog Island Park, Ypsilanti. 926-1762.

7:30 p.m.
Shamanic Journeys: Magical Education Council. Every Wednesday. Using special postures, participants enter a meditative state to the beat of a shaman's drum and discuss their experiences afterward. Inter-Cooperative Council Education Center, 1522 Hill (in the carriage house behind the co-op buildings). Free. 214-2755.

7:30 p.m.
History Readers Group: Motte & Bailey, Booksellers. All invited to join local nurse Ann Garvin in a discussion of Drew Faust's Mothers of Invention: Women of the Slaveholding South in the American Civil War. Motte & Bailey, 212 N. Fourth Ave. Free. 369-2499.

8-9:30 p.m.
"Introduction to Steiner's Thought": Rudolf Steiner Study Circle of Ann Arbor. Every Wednesday. All invited to discuss one of Rudolf Steiner's basic anthroposophical books, Theosophy. Rudolf Steiner House, 1923 Geddes. Free. 485-3764.

8 p.m.
"Music in the Park": Ann Arbor Civic Band Summer Concert Series. Every Wednesday June 18-July 23. A popular local outdoor summer tradition. The 69-year-old Civic Band is led by director Bob Gourley (tonight) and guest conductor Alex Sutton. Lemonade and popcorn available. Tonight: children's concert with music picked for kid appeal, including Goldman's "Children's March," Jessel's "Parade of the Wooden Soldiers," King's "Barnum & Bailey's Favorite," excerpts from Humperdinck's Haensel and Gretel, and more. The program concludes with the annual Teddy Bear Grand March (bring your bear). West Park band shell near N. Seventh and Miller. Free. 769-5911.

8 p.m.
Infamous Stringdusters: The Ark. Highly regarded young bluegrass band from Nashville that blends traditional instrumentation and vocal styling with a penchant for jam-style improvisation. It was the first band ever to win the International Bluegrass Music Association awards for Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Emerging Artist in a single year. The Ark, 316 S. Main. Tickets $15 in advance at Herb David Guitar Studio, the Michigan Union Ticket Office, and all other Ticketmaster outlets; and at the door. To charge by phone, call 763-TKTS.

9-11:30 p.m.
"Juke Box Jungle": Conor O'Neill's Irish Pub. Every Wednesday. Conor O'Neill's staff member Brian Aherne hosts a music trivia quiz. Prizes. Conor O'Neill's, 318 S. Main. $3 team fee. 665-2968.

9:30-11 p.m.
Wednesdays @ Michigan Union: Swing Ann Arbor. Every Wednesday. Swing dancing to prerecorded music. No partner needed. Bring casual or nicer shoes that stay on your feet when you're active. Preceded by beginning Lindy (6:30 p.m.), intermediate swing (7 p.m.), progressive Lindy hop (8 p.m.), and beginner East Coast (9 p.m.) lessons. Michigan Union Pendleton Room (occasionally Ballroom or U-Club). $5 (includes lessons). 945-8428.

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