THURSDAY, April 7
FAMILY
Rhymes and Rib Ticklers: April is National Poetry Month and National Humor Month, and Northside Library is celebrating both. Two-for-one festivities include wacky ways to make laughable lyrics and whimsical wordplay. 4pm. Free. Registration required. Albemarle Square. 973-7893.

Ecology 101: The Virginia Discovery Museum gets earthy with a two-day spring break mini-camp on ecology. Recycling, rainforests, and protecting and preserving the environment are the name of the game for young ecologists ages 7-10. 10am-1pm today and tomorrow. Registration required. $35 members, $40 non-members. East end of the Downtown Mall. 977-1025.

Tales for Tots: The 5 and under crowd can hear picture book favorites about best buddies at Barnes & Noble's preschool story time. 10:30am. Free. Barracks Road Shopping Center. 984-6598.

PERFORMANCE
Theater on the Ropes: Richmond's Ground Zero Dance Company presents Moment of Flight and Rope, performances of physical theater choreographed by Rob Petres. For mature audiences. 7:30pm. Live Arts DownStage. $15. 977-4177x108.

WALKABOUT
Take Back the Night: Join the women and men of UVA, Charlottesville, and Albemarle in reclaiming every woman's right to live free of violence. The annual rally begins at Lee Park, marches down Main Street, and gathers at the UVA amphitheater for a silent vigil and survivor's speak-out. Meet at 5:30pm in Lee Park. 540-819-3432.

French Conversation Luncheons: First Thursday of every month at L'etoile restaurant. 11:30am. Details, Andrée Nesbit at 971-1118 or andreen@cstone.net. Across from the Amtrak station on West Main St.

Spanish Conversation Group: La Tertulia, a Spanish conversation group, meets the first Thursday of each month in the Jefferson Room at the Central Library to brush up on studies. All levels welcome. 7pm. 979-7151 or jmrlweb@rjrl.org.

WORDS
What a Site: As part of Architecture Week, UVA architects Beth Meyer, Robin Dripps, and William Sherman talk about radical redefinitions of site in current architecture and the book Site Matters. 5:30pm. New Dominion Bookshop. 404 E. Main St. 295-2552.

Civil War Bodes the Future: Peter Onuf, UVA's Thomas Jefferson Foundation Professor of History, talks about "One Nation or Two?: The Coming of the Civil War and the Politics of the Modern World." 7pm. Old Town Events Center, 403 S. Loudoun St., Winchester. 866-882-6887.

From the Court: UVA athletics director Craig Littlepage UVA student-athletes Davon Robb (football), Kate Kreager (basketball co-captain), and Billy Campbell (basketball) about how high-profile/high-pressure college athletics changes students' lives. 5:30pm. Miller Center. 2201 Old Ivy Road. 924-7236.

TUNES
Yawo at the Prism: A member of the Ewe tribe from Tongo, West Africa, Yawo began his musical career after moving to the US to escape political turmoil, joining the cast of Up With People, a group that promotes peace around the globe. Later he helped create Doliho, an afro-pop project in the late '90s, and presently has a new album, Celebrate. $18/$15, 8pm.

Jonah D'Wail ("Avant-garde techno rock") at Atomic Burrito. Free, 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.

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

Whole World Theater presents Live Improv Comedy at Garden of Sheba. $8, 8pm.

Greg Howard and Friends featuring Jamal Milner, John D'earth , and Matt Wyatt at Atomic Burrito. $7/$5 students, 8pm.

The Atomic 3 featuring Davina Jackson (vocals), Houston Ross (bass), Matthew Willner (guitar), and Drex Weaver (drums) at Michael's Bistro. Free, 10pm.

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.

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

Derek Trucks Band with Fletcher Bridge at Starr Hill. $20/$18 advanced, 8pm.

Breakdown (southern rock) at Station. No cover, 10pm.

Local Tea Poetry Reading at Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar. Free, 7pm.

FRIDAY, April 8
ART
Meet the Photographer: The Satellite Ballroom presents "Facing Sexual Assault," an exhibition of portraits of assault survivors photographed by fifth-year UVA Aunspaugh Fellow Alice Bailey, on view through April 22. Meet Bailey today, 5-7pm. 1435 University Ave. 825-6914.

WALKABOUT
MS Benefit: The Charlottesville Moose Lodge hosts a dinner/dance to benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. 6:30pm-midnight at the Lodge, 250 East. $15/person, $25/couple. Tickets at the door.

Look to the Skies: The Charlottesville Astronomical Society convenes at Fan Mountain Observatory for their semi-monthly public viewing night. Visitors welcome. Beginner's Q&A and an observation session. 7pm. cvilleastro.org.

WORDS
Humanities in Print: Scholars and publishers explore "Humanities Journals: Present and Future," sponsored by New Literary History, an international journal at UVA. 1- 5:30pm Friday, 9am-6pm Saturday. Minor Hall. 295-1349, pepfgi@earthlink.net.

Spies without Ears: Arkady Belozovsky, Ukrainian-born expert in deafness and both Russia and American Sign Language, and third of four deaf generations in his family, presents "The Emergence of Deaf Mafia in the Former Soviet Union" as part of UVA's ASL/Deaf Culture Lectures Series. Interpreter services provided. 7pm. 402 Wilson Hall. 924-6737, bs3a@virginia.edu.

PERFORMANCE
Theater on the Ropes: See Thursday, April 7. Tonight's show is at 8pm.

Staged Reading: The Live Arts Playwrights Lab presents its third staged reading of the season. Tonight, Brad Stoller runs through his latest piece, Something Solid. On Saturday, newcomers Connie Muscenti and Connie Davis present their children's-theater piece, Welcome to America. 8pm. Rehearsal Room A, Live Arts, 123 E. Water St. Pay what you will. 977-4177x100.

FAMILY
Girls Only: Young ladies ages 8-12 who love American Girl books and dolls can join the club…the American Girl book club at Barnes & Noble. Tonight's discussion is the Mini Mysteries. Mini craft projects are part of the fun, too. 7pm. Free. Barracks Road Shopping Center. 984-6598.

Traditional Whiteoak Basketry: Before there was "paper or plastic," basket weaving was an everyday necessity. The folks from the Living Earth School revive this craft with a two-day workshop led by homesteader and master of old-time Appalachian crafts Clyde Jenkins. Starts this evening and continues tomorrow 10-4. $55. Call to register. 540-456-7339. LivingEarthVa.com.

Rainbow Swirl: Teens get a new spin on t-shirts at Central Library. Participants can create their own swirling designs with markers and rubbing alcohol in this workshop for kids grades 6-12. Bring a pre-washed, 100% cotton tee or bandanna. Other materials provided. 2-3pm. Free. Registration required. 201 E. Market St. 979-7151, ext. 3.

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. This magical production will delight children of all ages. 7pm. $7.50. 221 E. Water St. oldmichie.com or 977-3690.

TUNES
D-Jor & Rebecca (dance party DJs) at Atomic Burrito. Free, 10:30pm.

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

Sierra (country/folk covers) at City Limits. No cover, 9pm.

Jay Pun and Morwena Lasko ("funky acoustic guitar and fiddle") at Garden of Sheba. No cover, 8pm.

Rule of Thump with Chris Leva from the Guano Boys at Garden of Sheba. $5, 9:30pm.

Girl night featuring The Dirty Dishes, Las Gitanas, Morwenna Lasko, and others at Gravity Lounge. $10, 8pm.

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

Fausto Pototo (flaminco) at Miller's. $3, 10:30pm.

William Walter & Co (J. Gilmore, drums, S. Holme, bass, A. Silvers, keys, H. Jones, mandolin, T. Rogers, guitar, W. Walter, guitar/vocal - acoustic folk/rock) at Orbit. No cover, 10:30pm.

Blue Dogs at Outback Lodge. $10, 10pm.

Open Mic Night at Rapunzel's. No cover, 8pm.

Copperpot and Third String on tour at Station. No cover, 10pm.

Vulgar Bulgars (local Klezmer) at Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar. No cover, 9pm.

SATURDAY, April 9
ART
Study Stained Glass: Workshop teaches either the Tiffany method or the lead technique, and students can create a small 2D panel or a 3D object such as a box or candleholder. 10am-4pm. $60 plus materials. McGuffey Art Center. Info: Mimi Tawes, 977-7858.

Gallery Talk: Françoise Soulier-François, curator of drawings at the Musée des Beaux-Arts et d'Archeologie, Besançon, leads a tour and talk. 2pm. University of Virginia Art Museum, Rugby Road.

WALKABOUT
AIDS Walk: Hit the pavement to raise money for the AIDS/HIV Services Group and local AIDS research. 9am sign-in, 10am start at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 190 Rugby Road. For details, call 979-7714 or visit aidsservices.org. See Walkabout feature.

Encounters with the Supernatural: Open your mind by listening to a talk by supernatural guru Rabi Maharaj and enjoy a free hummus bar and live music. Open to the public. 7pm. UVA's Chemistry Auditorium. 970-1703, home.earthlink.net/~rabimaharaj

Trails Workday: Help the Rivanna Trails Foundation in its ongoing effort to build a trail network around Charlottesville, and get dirty in the process! 8:45am. Meet at the Melbourne Road trailhead. 923-9022 or rivannatrails.org.

Wine 101: Led by Cardinal Point winemaker Tim Gorman, this class focuses on the intricacies of the winemaker's art. 1pm. $40/person. Info: cardinalpointwinery.com/events/htm. 540-456-8400.

Darden Cares: Run, walk, chat, and raise money for a local charity at the first annual Darden Cares 5-K Run/Walk, hosted by Darden's Outreach Club. 8am at the school. Fee. Info, contact Stephen Dion at 773-426-7306.

First Colony Birthday: Enjoy light hors d' oeuvres, wine tastings, barrel samples, winery tours, and birthday cake at First Colony Winery's 4th birthday party. 11am-5pm. Free. 979-7105.

Say Cheese: Enjoy an assortment of special international cheeses and wine tastings. $6/person includes glass, cellar tours, and unlimited cheese. Noon-5pm at Autumn Hill Vineyards in Stanardsville. No reservations required. 985-6100 or autumnhillwine.com.

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.

Starry Nights at Veritas: Enjoy live music, dancing, and wine at this vineyard tradition. 6-10pm. Reservation accepted for tables, or the lawn always available. Fee. 540-456-8000 or veritaswines.com.

Beautify Belmont: The Belmont Carlton Neighborhood Association sponsors a community spring clean-up day to help beautify properties and common neighborhood areas that have been neglected over the winter. 9am. 977-3633.

WALKABOUT AND WORDS
Jefferson's Wildflowers: Today is the first of three weekly spring wildflower walks at Monticello. Walkers should expect to see trout lilies, Virginia blue bells, spring beauties, and more. Be prepared for a strenuous trek, uphill climbs, and a view of the wild Monticello, particularly the plant communities along the river. Reservations required, $10 fee. Walk begins at Monticello Garden Shop at 9:30am. 984-9822.

WALKABOUT, ART AND FAMILY
Housing Couture: Is That A Building On Your Head? challenges children, architecture students, designers, and community members to create remarkable hats of local landmarks, worldwide architectural icons-- even imaginary structures. Today volunteers are on hand in front of CCDC to work with children in the creation of their hats. All materials necessary for hat construction are provided at registration. Entrants may construct their hat before today, but must submit their "wearable building" for entry 10am-4pm today. Prize categories for children, architecture and art students, architects, and community members. First street on the Downtown Mall. 296-5684 or forbes@vmdo.com.

FAMILY
Flavors of Italy: Local Italian teacher and owner of Ecco Italy Christina Ball brings a tour of Italy to the Virginia Discovery Museum. Kids ages 3-8 get an introduction to the Italian language with games and songs, and get to sample some fabulous Splendora's gelato, too. Yum! 2-3pm. $3. East end of the Downtown Mall. 977-1025.

Grins and Bears: Barnes & Noble celebrates Corduroy Bear in a special story time event that includes the loveable bear's greatest adventures, activity kits, and snack. 11:30am. Free. Barracks Road Shopping Center. 984-6598.

Perfect Harmony: Songsters can learn the basics of a new (old) technique at Shape Note Singing School at the Frontier Culture Museum. 2-4pm. Free. Rt. 250 west in Staunton. 540-332-7850.

Shoot for the Stars: Amateur astronomers can travel to the outer reaches of the universe at "Science Days: Space Exploration" at the Science Museum of Virginia. All-day program includes hands-on science workshops, demonstrations, exhibits, an IMAX film, and planetarium show. Registration required. $18 per child. One adult chaperon is required for every six children. Required adults $9. Additional adults $18. 2500 W. Broad St., Richmond. 804-864-1447.

Behind the Garden Gate: See Friday, April 8.

PERFORMANCE
Theater on the Ropes: See Thursday, April 7. Tonight's show is at 8pm.

Staged Reading: See Friday, April 8.

Cinderella on Strings: Every Saturday in April, 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, and 2 and 4pm. 221 E. Water St. $5. 977-3690 or oldmichie.com.

PERFORMANCE AND TUNES
Women's Chorus: Help the Virginia's Women's Chorus celebrate its 10th anniversary as alumni return to perform and conduct old favorites, including works by Bach, Vivaldi, and Mendelssohn. 3pm. Old Cabell Hall. $10/$5 students. 924-3984.

TUNES
Bruce Davies at Barking Cherry House: Scottish singer/songwriter Bruce Davies combines a perfect baritone with storytelling, the first house concert for the Barking Cherry location. Suggested $10 donation, 7pm. Call 974-6702 before 9pm for reservations and directions.

Abbey Road at the Charlottesville Waldorf School auditorium in Crozet: A benefit concert for the school (1408 Crozet Ave), this Beatles cover band, featuring Paul Olko, Keith Winkler, Bill Jobes, Mike D'Antoni, and Barry Willard, will get you on your feet faster than you can say "woo!" $5, 7pm.

Acoustic Charlottesville featuring Paddy Dougherty, Darrel Rose, Tigerlily, and Eli Cook at the new Live Arts Upstage: The last show of the Acoustic Charlottesville season, this one is one of the best. Combining Dougherty's jazzy singing/songwriting with a piano vibe, Rose's drumming sensationalism, TigerLily's four-part harmonies, and Cook's blues guitar virtuosity, this is an evening you should not miss. $6, 7pm.

Jody Stecher and Kate Brislin at the Prism: This acoustic duo blends bluegrass, folk, and old-time country to reach international fame, most recently releasing Songs of the Carter Family. $18/$15 advance, 8pm.

Virginia Jihad at Rapunzel's: Featuring Bobby St. Hours, one of the original Hackensaws and occasional Old Crow Medicine Show member, this group of old-time musicians is just getting started performing. Be there to witness the birth of greatness. $5, 8pm.

Mark Rock & Friends with Cooter Graw at Atomic Burrito. Free, 10:30.

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

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

Sierra (country/folk covers) at City Limits. No cover, 9pm.

Andy Waldeck & the C-villians with Erin James and Alex Radus at Gravity Lounge. $5, 8pm.

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

Mamie (old time Americana) at Miller's. $3, 10:30pm.

Fountainhead (jam) at Orbit. No cover, 10:30pm.

In Tenebris at Outback Lodge. $6, 10pm.

Glen Phillips and Blue Merle at Starr Hill. $16/$14, 9pm.

Absentee and The Make-Out Twins at Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar. No cover, 9pm.

SUNDAY, April 10
PERFORMANCE
Barhoppers: Promising the best of local playwrights and plenty of beer, those gurus at Offstage Theatre present their 15th annual production of Barhoppers-- or it is the 16th? This year's lineup of one-acts includes titles like "Madeline Gets Married" by Denise Stewart, and "Scandal for Randall" by Adam Segaller. 7:30pm; doors open at 6 for food. O'Neill's Irish Pub, on the Corner. $5. 293-2029. See Performance feature.

Hypnotic Dance: UVA's student-run Virginia Dance Company presents 23 talented dancers performing 12 original pieces ranging from ballet to hip-hop. 8pm. Old Cabell Hall. $5. 924-3984.

FAMILY
Behind the Garden Gate: See Friday, April 8. Today's performance is at 3pm.

WALKABOUT
Vegetarian Extravaganza: Spend an afternoon the veggie way at the Waynesboro Seventh Day Adventist Church. Sample a variety of vegetarian dishes and learn more about the art of vege-friendly cooking. 12:30-3:30pm. $7/adult, $3.50/child (6-12), Under 5, free. RSVP by April 7. 540-256-3304.

Say Cheese: See Saturday, April 9.

Rhythm Showcase: Come out for an evening of "steppin', slammin', & drummin'" with the award-winning Ephesus Drumline. Several local step teams also perform. 4pm. $8. Monticello High School gym. 977-3045.

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.

Kites Aloft: Fly a kite for peace…or just spend a fun afternoon making one with folks from 10,000 Kites, a worldwide organization that spreads a message of friendship with kite making / flying days all over the country. 3pm at The Sojourners United Church of Christ, 1017 Elliott Ave. Materials and instruction available. $5 per kite requested. 961-6278 or charlottesvillepeace.org.

TUNES
Marc Broussard with Will Hoge & Sara Bareilles at Starr Hill: Blues and Motown are all over Broussard's new CD, Carencro, catchy numbers from a performer who can really use his voice. Not quite as impressive as Stevie Wonder, but close. $10, 9pm.

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

King Golden Banshee (traditional Irish tunes) at Fellini's No. 9. No cover, 6 - 9pm.

Peter and Debbie Hunter (traditional, original and obscure folk rock) with Tony Fischer and Bahlmann Abbot at Gravity Lounge. $5, 2pm.

Patty Larkin with Ana Egge at Gravity Lounge. $18/$15, 8pm.

Barling and Collins at Miller's. No cover, 10:30pm.

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

MONDAY, April 11
FAMILY AND PERFORMANCE
Auditions: The Ash Lawn Opera Festival seeks cast members for its summer 2005 season. Adults of all ages are needed for Puccini's Madame Butterfly and Irving Berlin's Annie Get Your Gun, as well as a 3-year-old boy and two 7-12 year-old girls. 3pm. First Presbyterian Church, Park Street. 293-4500..

PERFORMANCE
Barhoppers: See Sunday, April 10 and Performance feature.

WORDS
California Landscaping: Julie Eizenberg, principal in Santa Monica's Koning Eizenberg Architecture firm, gives a talk for the public on her firm's most recent work in architecture and landscape design. 5pm. 153 Campbell Hall, UVA School of Architecture. 982-2921.

Join In: Meet like-minded readers at Crozet Library's Monday evening book group to discuss Pulitzer Prize-winning Edward P. Jones' The Known World. 7-8:30pm. Start reading Eudora Welty's The Optimist's Daughter to be ready for next month's discussion. Free, no registration required. 7-8:30pm. In the old train station, Three Notch'd Road. 823-4050.

WALKABOUT
Go Deep: SeaDevil Divers, a local scuba diving club serving Charlottesville-Albemarle and the UVA communities, meets at Rococo's Restaurant. This month's meeting features a discussion on national marine sanctuaries with Michael T. Murphy. Everyone welcome. 6:30pm. 2001 Commonwealth Drive. 975-5570 or SeaDevilDivers.com.

Paws To Ponder: Caring For Creatures presents a free community lecture series designed to enhance your relationship with the animals in your life. 7pm. No fee except for dinner. Wild Greens Restaurant. Barracks Road. 591-6113 or caringforcreatures.com.

NAACP Meeting: The local chapter of the NAACP meets on the second Monday of each month. 7pm. Tonsler Park Community Center; Cherry Avenue near Fifth Street. 293-4044.

All Aboard: The National Railway Historical Society's Rivanna Chapter convenes at Golden Corral on U.S. 29. It's Norfolk & Western theme night, featuring two corporate films made by the railroad in the 1940s, followed by discussion. Pay-as-you-go dinner/social at 6pm, followed by the program at 7. Visitors welcome. nrhs@avenue.org.

TUNES
The Militia Group's Family Tour featuring Brandston, Cartel, Umbrellas, and Rocket Summer sweeps into the Outback Lodge, April 11. $6, 10pm. See Tunes feature.

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, 7:00p.m.

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

Matthew Willner at Miller's. No cover, 9:30pm.

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 12
WORDS
Charming Alice: Novelist Alice McDermott, UVA's Rea Visiting Writer in Fiction and author of the National Book Award&endash;winning Charming Billy and 21 other novels, including her most recent, Child of My Heart, reads from her work tonight at 8pm. UVA Bookstore, above the parking garage. 924-6675.

Elegance that Saves but does not Last: Japanese architect Shigeru Ban has earned international renown for his elegant designs of buildings of cardboard and other recyclable materials. He has produced beautiful and practical shelter for earthquake victims and now consults for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Today he gives a public lecture at 1pm. Old Cabell Hall Auditorium. 982-2921. See Words feature.

Pop Cult: Why do Americans obsess over celebrities? Three cheeky authors-- Joseph Epstein, author of Snobbery: The American Version, Golden Boys, and other books; Loren Glass, author of Authors, Inc.: Literary Celebrity in the Modern United States; and Wendy Kaminer, contributing editor to the Atlantic and author of Sleeping with Extraterrestrials: The Rise of Irrationalism and the Perils of Piety-- ponder this star-studded question in a discussion sponsored by UVA's Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture. 2pm. Reception follows. Rotunda Dome Room. 924-0998, marilyn@virginia.edu, virginia.edu/iasc/colloquia.html/.

Pop Cult Part II: UVA English professor Paul Cantor, famous for his commentaries on Worldwide Wrestling and Gilligan's Island, takes on South Park and DiCaprio as Howard Hughes in his talk, "From Cartman to the Aviator: Libertarianism in Contemporary Popular Culture." 7:30pm. 209 Maury Hall, 982-5016, liberty@virginia.edu, student.virginia.edu/~liberty/.

WALKABOUT
It's a Snap: The Charlottesville camera club meets to discuss photographic successes and swap tips, this month with a focus on photojournalism. Visitors welcome. 6:30pm. Westminster Canterbury, 250 Pantops Mountain Road. 973-4856.

On Our Own: This free, 12-week recovery class for mental health consumers begins today at 11am. Drop-in Center, 123 4th Street. 979-2440 for details and registration.

PERFORMANCE
Barhoppers: See Sunday, April 10.

FAMILY
Family Story Time: The whole family is invited to celebrate National Library Week with stories and songs about the wonders of books, reading-- and, of course libraries-- at Northside Library. 6pm. Free. Registration required. Albemarle Square. 973-7893.

Time to Talk: Teen Talk, sponsored by the Sexual Assault Resource Agency (SARA), is a group designed for female students who have experienced sexual victimization or who want to know how to help a friend who has been sexually victimized. The six-week peer support group gives teenagers a safe, comfortable way to talk about their concerns. Child advocate Megan Malia facilitates all meetings. Call for information. Tuesdays 5:30-7pm. Free. 1013 Little High St. 434-295-7273, ext. 21.

Teens and Sex: UVA's Teen Health Center offers parents of teens the chance to "chat" in a series of programs titled "The Secret Lives of Teens." Tonight's conversation, led by local expert Mary A. Sullivan, is "Everything You Want to Know about Teen Sexuality but are Afraid to Ask." 7 pm. Free. Westminster Presbyterian Church library, Rugby Road. 982-0090.

Six Easy Steps: Can it really be that easy to deal with challenging children? The folks at Children, Youth, and Family Services offer a six-week series of classes for parents of 3-12 year-olds. Individual home visits are an option for at-risk families. Six Tuesdays starting tonight. 6-7:30pm. $15 per family. Call Beth Adams for information or to register: 296-4118, ext. 224.

TUNES
Travis Elliott (acoustic originals & covers) 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.

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

Leon Russell with We're About 9 at Gravity Lounge. $35, 8pm.

Faster Than Walking at Miller's. No cover, 9:30pm.

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

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

Ari Hest with Owen Beverly and Shane Hines at Starr Hill. $12/$10 advanced, 8pm.

WEDNESDAY, April 13
WORDS
Meet Miss Julia: Ann B. Ross, author of the Miss Julia series of novels of Southern propriety, grit, and drama, visits Charlottesville to celebrate the publication of her newest, Miss Julia's School of Beauty. Ross reads and signs at New Dominion Bookshop at noon. 404 E. Main St. 295-2552.

Talk to Me, Doc: Rochester psychiatry professor Ronald Epstein and UVA's David Slawson worry over the way doctors convey information to their patients, particularly in complex situations and in cases where there is no clear medical diagnosis. Sponsored by the Koppaka Family Foundation-- whose mission is in part to improve the doctor-patient dialogue-- Epstein and Slawson speak today on "Communicating Evidence for Informed Decision Making" at the Medical Center Hour. 12:30pm. Jordan Hall Conference Center Auditorium. 924-2094. healthsystem.virginia.edu/him/mch.cfm/.

Happy 262nd, TJ: In honor of our favorite son's birthday, the annual gravesite ceremony takes place up on his little mountain. Daniel J. Meador, professor emeritus of law, speaks; the 3rd Infantry Fife and Drum Corps plas, and local, state, and national officials lay wreaths. 11:30am. Monticello. 984-9800.

Herbal Mysteries in Gordonsville: Susan Wittig Albert, author of the inventive series of herbal mysteries that rank her "in a class with lady sleuths V. I. Warshawski and Stephanie Plum," according to Publishers Weekly, visits Gordonsville to sign her latest book, Dead Man's Bones, and speak about "Mystery, Magic and Medicine: The History and Folklore of Herbs." 1-3pm. Gordonsville Fire Department. Tea served, $15, reservations accepted; book talk and signing free. Baker Street, Gordonsville. 832-0712, rhino920@yahoo.com.

WALKABOUT
Go Native: The Jefferson Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society meets to discuss the ways that native plantings can attract local wildlife. 7:30pm in the Education Center at Ivy Creek Natural Center. 293-8997.

FAMILY
Pictures in the Sand: Long ago, Navajo Indians used intricate sand pictures in their ceremonies. Kids ages 7 and up are invited to create their own images in sand at Gordon Avenue Library. 4pm. Free. Registration required. 1500 Gordon Ave. 296-5544.

Sleepy Time Stories: Central Library takes a trip into the Land of Nod with sleepy stories for 3-5 year-olds. PJ's are de rigueur. 7pm. Free. 201 E. Market St. 979-7151, ext. 3.

Tales for Tots: The 5 and under crowd can hear fairy tale favorites at Barnes & Noble's preschool story time. 10:30am. Free. Barracks Road Shopping Center. 984-6598.

TUNES
Melt Banana, An Albatros, and Grand Banks at the Satellite Ballroom: Legendary Japanese noise-core band Melt Banana is joined by An Albatros, headliners for last year's MACRoCk, and local group Grand Banks. $10, 8pm.

Jim Waive 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 Road 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.

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

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.

Vaden Cox and friends with Julie Loyd at Gravity Lounge. $5, 8pm.

Sesshin (jazz with members of Old School Freight Train plugged in) at Michael's Bistro. Free, 10pm.

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.

Jim Davies (acoustic rock and blues) at the Virginian. No cover, 10pm.

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

THURSDAY, April 14
ART
Self Awareness: University of Maryland art historian Sally M. Promey, an expert on the visual culture of the American religious experience, speaks on "Seeing the Self 'In Frame': Early New England Material Practice and Puritan Piety." 6pm. Campbell Hall, Room 160. 924-6122 or sns@virginia.edu.

FAMILY
Parents of Teens: Children, Youth, and Family Services offer a six-week class on "Surviving The Teen Years" starting tonight. 6-7:30pm. $15 for all six classes. Call to register. 296-4118, ext 257.

Figuring it Out: Albemarle's PREP/Parent Resource Center offers a parent workshop for those with special needs students called "The IEP from Start to Finish." 6:30-8:30pm. Free. Call to register. Clark Elementary School Library. 975-9400, ext. 2342.

More Tales for Tots: See Wednesday, April 13.

WALKABOUT
Terror True/False: Dr. Christopher Holstege, Director of Medical Toxicology at UVA, discusses the facts and myths surrounding chemical and biological terrorism. 7-9pm. Woodberry Forest School. Free and open to the public. virginia.edu/engagingthemind.

Bird Business: The Monticello Bird Club flocks to its monthly meeting. American Bird Conservancy president George Fenwick discusses his organization's effort to preserve wild birds and their habitats in the Americas. 7:30pm. Ivy Creek Natural Area. Open to the public. 971-9271.

Grow Slow: Advocates for a Sustainable Albemarle Population gather for their monthly meeting, featuring a discussion on state government with retiring Delegate Mitch Van Yahres. 7:30pm. Westminster Presbyterian Church library. All welcome. 974-6390 or stopgrowthasap.org.

ART AND WORDS
Insight into Site: UVA architects Beth Meyer, Robin Dripps, and William Sherman discuss their contributions to the new book Site Matters, edited by Andrea Kahn and Carol Burns, an anthology of pieces with radical takes on the meaning of site in architecture and city planning. This event forms part of Virginia Architecture Week, organized by the local chapter of AIA. Discussion begins at 5:30pm at New Dominion Bookshop. 404 E. Main St. 295-2552.

WORDS
IRIS Turns 50: That's counting by issues, not years. Check out the new issue, "Milestones," exploring American-founded beauty schools in Afghanistan, anti-diet activism, mail-order brides, and the Radical Cheerleaders, and celebrate your favorite women's magazine, published at UVA and edited primarily by students. Today is the magazine's 50th Issue Release Party, with music by the Carlisonics, Tracy Wilson, and the Order of the Dying Orchid. Free copies to every partygoer. 7-10pm. Gravity Lounge, 103 S. First St. 924-4500, iris.virginia.edu.

Strike That Global Anvil: James Mann, senior writer-in-residence at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, speaks at the Miller Center on "Rise of the Vulcans: The History of Bush's War Cabinet," based on his recent book that traces the controversies and schools of thought represented by George W's top foreign policy advisers who call themselves "the Vulcans" after the Greek god of fire and forging. A book signing follows. 5:30pm. 2201 Old Ivy Road. 924-7236.

TUNES
Las Gitanas (5-piece gypsy music ensemble) at Atomic Burrito. Free, 10:30.

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

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.

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

Iris Magazine 50th anniversary party at Gravity Lounge. $7, 7pm.

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

Fletcher Bridge at Outback Lodge. $5, 10pm.

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

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

The George Turner Trio (jazz, Latin, funk, and originals) at Zocalo. No cover, 9pm.

ONGOING AND FUTURE
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
Read Across America: Crozet Library wants folks to travel across the country by book. Readers can choose a book set in their favorite state (there's a list available). Those who complete the trip by the end of March can add their state to the Read Across America map and get a prize. In the old train station on Three Notch'd Road. 823-4050.

Boning Up: Find out what you're really made of at the Science Museum of Virginia's new exhibit, Bones: An Exhibit Inside You. Visitors can examine bone biology, find out how proper diet and exercise keep bones healthy, explore how technology helps us "see" our bones, and learn the ways bones are used as tools, jewelry, art, and musical instruments in cultures around the world. Through May 1. Included in the price of admission. 2500 W. Broad St., Richmond. 800-659-1727. smv.org.

Spelunking: The Virginia Discovery Museum goes underground with its latest Back Gallery exhibit Under the Earth: A Cave Exploration. Young children can squeeze through tiny spaces to explore caves and critters from deep inside the earth. Now through May 22. Included in the price of admission. East end of the Downtown Mall. 977-1025.

WALKABOUT
Tiptoe through the Trilliums: On three Saturday mornings in a row-- April 9, 16, and 23-- botanical experts Fran Boninti, Peggy Cornett, and Peter Hatch lead three-hour wildflower hikes through the Monticello woods and down to the Rivanna River. Walks start at 9:30am at Monticello Garden Shop. $10, reservations required. 984-9822.

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.

Got Stuff?: Donations are being accepted for the Belmont-Carlton Community Yard Sale to be held Saturday, April 16. Drop off at the corner of Carlton and Monticello Avenue. Info: Chris, 296-4232.

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. naturespirit@uucharlottesville.org, 243-6421, or naturespirit.info.

Ninja Yoga: Toward a revolution of consciousness. Bree yoga classes at 9:15am Thursdays. Bring a mat. Silent meditation 8am. Suitable for all levels of expertise. Free and open to the public at "Better than Television," 106 A3 Goodman St. 295-0872. Yoga classes also offered at the Downtown Library, Market St., at 5pm Thursday.

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.

WORDS
Book Sale in Staunton: If you just didn't get enough cheap books at Charlottesville's Friends of the Library sale, go over the mountain to Staunton, where their FOL sale starts on Wednesday, April 13, for members only and from Thursday, April 14, for the general public, running until Monday, April 18, when afternoon shoppers get to fill a bag with any books that fit and pay just $3 a bag. Books free to students, teachers, and representatives from nonprofits Wednesday afternoon, too. 1 Churchville Ave., Staunton, 540-332-3902.

ART LIST
Second Street Gallery features two shows through April 16. "Thread Through the Crowd: Stitched Drawings and Collages by Darrel Morris" provides fiber for the art diet in the main gallery; and "Skin the Rabbit: A Mixed Media Installation by Lucy O'Connell" reflects childhood memories in the Dové Gallery. 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 "Adpatation," Polaroid Emulsion lifts of natural forms, plus 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.

On April 9, the University of Virginia Art Museum opens 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 exhibition of this collection in the U.S., through June 5 the show features pieces by Courbet, Delacroix, Rubens, and Rembrandt, among others. Also on view: "Aspects of Influence: Lincoln Perry Mines the Collection," an exhibition about artistic influence curated by painter Lincoln Perry (but not featuring his paintings), up through May 22. The museum whoops it up with "Punch Line: Six Centuries of the Comic and the Grotesque in Prints, Drawings, and Photographs from the Collection" through April 30. "After Collage," a show of mixed-element work by contemporary artists, including John Baldessari, Katherine Porter, and Frank Stella, continues through August 27. 155 Rugby Road. 924-3592.

Beginning April 8, The Satellite Ballroom presents "Facing Sexual Assault," an exhibition of portraits of assault survivors photographed by fifth-year UVA Aunspaugh Fellow Alice Bailey. The show is timed to coincide with Sexual Assault Awareness Month and runs through April 22. A reception is scheduled for April 8, 5-7pm. 1435 University Ave. 825-6914.

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

The Gallery@Studio 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).

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

April 1-17, Ladd Fine Arts hosts the first American tour of work by the New English Art Club. 701 W. Main St. 977-4147.

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

Transient Crafters presents the hardwood sculptures of Alan Cleveland during 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 "What Architects Do," illustrating the process by which local architects conceive, develop, and realize buildings and projects. 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.

On April 10, the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Church opens "Palestinian Embroidery Heritage," a collection of examples organized by Charlottesville's Holy Land Treasures Group, on display through May 8. A reception is scheduled for noon, April 10. 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.

Piedmont Virginia Community College offers a show of student work that runs through April 20. V. Earl Dickinson Building. 961-5203.

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.

The Kluge-Ruhe Collection of Aboriginal Art is showing "Fibre Optics: Woven Work in Aboriginal Art." Also on view: "Small Wonders: Aboriginal Art Miniatures," both through April 16. 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," woven tapestries by Joan Griffin and "airy" oils and acrylics by Anne Warren Holland. 107 Fifth St. 979-9825.

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

Industry features "Eggplant," drawings and paintings by Jim Callahan, through April 30. 112 Second St. NE. 293-3338.

In 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 Square. 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 Londons). 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

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

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

The Arts Center in Orange offers a major show of Outsider Art, featuring over 49 national artists through April. 16149 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.

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts displays "Selections: 20th Century Latin American Art in the VMFA Collection" through April 17. 200 N. Broad St., Richmond. 804-340-1400.

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

Madison's Sevenoaks Pathwork Center features "Arising from the Unconscious," watercolors by Alegria Barbara Strauss, through April 23. 403 Pathwork Way, Madison. 434-295-8315.

Noon Whistle Pottery and Art Gallery presents work by three local landscape artists, Will Brown, Mark Collins, and Carol Weiss. Main Street, Stanardsville. 434-985-6500.

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

Staunton's Painted Thunder Studios welcomes the work of equine artist Jennet Inglis. 19 W. Beverley St. 540-851-0864.

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 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. For details and specific guidelines, contact Katie Swenson, Swenson@cvilledesign.net or 984-2232.

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. Anyone 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. For more information, contact Chris Hogger at sca@avenue.org or 434-286-3179.

ART FEATURE
Blocked: Three right angles
BY LAURA PARSONS ART@READTHEHOOK.COM
If you read this column regularly-- and I presume nothing-- then you may recall my general aversion to group shows. Themes are usually too loose. The quality of work is inconsistent. The individual pieces fail to gel as a collective. Etc., etc., etc.

None of my standard complaints, however, apply to "Visual Textures x 3," a joint exhibition of Janet Grahame's multi-media collages, Carole Grant's ceramic sculptures, and Vee Osvalds' glass constructions now on view at the McGuffey Art Center.

If anything, Grahame's, Grant's, and Osvalds' abstract pieces mesh so well that it becomes challenging to consider the artists outside their current complementary context. The three share a proclivity for right-angled elements contrasted with subtle curves or rough edges, and all experiment with variations in surface texture.

Osvalds' jewel-toned blocks of glass, set at perpendicular angles in resin, play off Grahame's small multi-colored rectangles stitched together in quilt-like collages. Likewise, the opaque gritty epoxy Osvalds uses corresponds to the stone-and-sand effects Grant creates in her sculptures, which often include shards of milky glass.

The trio's harmonic convergence is so strong that several pieces lacking right-angled components-- in particular, Grant's two bending "Square Root" sculptures and Grahame's fluid "Underwater Dance" series-- feel out of synch.

Another minor criticism is that the fine details of Grahame's elaborate two-dimensional works, incorporating bits of etchings and monotypes, get lost amid Osvalds' and Grant's blockier, more tactilely inviting pieces.

For me, Osvalds' hanging works evoke 1970s' church architecture and guitar-accompanied Good News Bible sermons, but his standing pieces are compelling. The de Stijl-like "Untitled K" intrigues with empty spaces that add a different energy to the transparent slabs of blue, yellow, red, and orange running in top-to-bottom, side-to-side, and front-to-back relationships.

In contrast to Osvalds' and Grahame's penchant for colors, Grant chooses off-white, copper-flecked clay for her sculptures, making them look pitted and sun-bleached, as if retrieved from some desert archeological dig.

Grant's "Hope" is particularly mysterious and mesmerizing, with its nine off-white squares horizontally arranged into a large three-by-three composition. Within each panel, a central right-angled cavity contains what looks like an arroyo, with bits of glass and the occasional marble half-buried at its sandy bottom. Like Grant's other pieces, "Hope" almost tricks the viewer into believing its origins are ancient and geologic.

"Visual Textures x 3" may not square with my usual perspective on group shows, but that's a new angle I welcome.

"Visual Textures x 3," an exhibition of work by Janet Grahame, Carole Grant, and Vee Osvalds, is on display in the main gallery of the McGuffey Art Center through April. 201 Second St. NW. 295-7973.

FAMILY
Shop hopping: Kids get crafty on the Mall
BY LINDA KOBERT FAMKLY@READTHEHOOK.COMI still remember the summer I learned to knit. I was 11 years old, and Mrs. Gavin was the craft teacher at our local swimming pool/playground. Every afternoon, I'd sit with her in the shade of towering sycamores getting hooked on this truly grown-up and useful craft.

Young folks around here can find lots of opportunities to develop similar useful passions in the playground of the Downtown Mall where a delightful variety of family-owned, kid-friendly craft shops beckons them to indulge.

Children as young as two can drop in and swirl their own charming patterns of colorful, non-toxic glaze on bisque-fired pottery at Glaze 'N' Blaze. Dozens of choices line the shelves-- sleepy bears and flop-eared hounds, baseball banks and jewelry boxes, and a full complement of plates, bowls, mugs, and platters-- waiting to be turned into beaux-arts. Classes aren't necessary, say owners Elizabeth and Tom Boisvert who are always available to help beginners get started. After the glazing, the pieces are fired, and artists can pick them up in about a week.

Artists as young as 3-5 years old can safely paint with glass at the new Glass Palette. Maria and Cara DiMassimo, a mother and daughter who own this interactive glass art studio, have lots of ideas and enthusiasm to help art adventurers of all ages combine colorful glass shapes into sun catchers, beads, mosaics, bowls, and other objects d'art. Those who get hooked can sign up for classes covering sandblasting, slumping, stained glass, and more. They also have a line-up of fabulous pre-fab parties to get groups of both kids and adults creating with glass.

Bobbling beads takes a bit of dexterity, so owner Terri Gable at Studio Baboo suggests parental assistance for kids ages 10-12 who want to get started in beading. Gable and her staff understand the urge to start stringing gemstones, pressed Czech beads, crystals, and pendant pieces into wearable art. They offer classes from beginner to expert, along with in-store help for beady-eyed crafters. Customers can look forward to the shop expanding into bigger digs when it moves later this month to the former SNL building.

And yes, kids can even learn to knit (and crochet and do needlepoint, too) on the Mall at The Needle Lady. Beginner classes for kids start at age 10, but with big needles and big yarn, even those as young as kindergarten age can pick it up, according to part-owner Mimi Hyde. Beyond beginners, the shop offers lots of other classes to help knitters and others unravel yarn mysteries.

Folks who drop a stitch or get stuck on a project need not fear: the Needle Lady staff is always willing to help tie up loose ends.

Glaze 'N' Blaze is open noon-6pm Tuesday-Sunday. Cost is $6/hour plus the price of the object. 421 E. Main St.. 984-5885. The Glass Palette is open 11am-6pm Tuesday-Saturday, noon-5 Sunday. There is no studio fee; payment is by the project. 110 Fifth St. NE, just off the Mall. 977-9009. Studio Baboo is open 10am-5pm Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday; 11am-7pm Thursday. Their new location as of mid-April will be 321 E. Main St. 244-2905. The Needle Lady is open 10am-5pm Monday-Saturday, second and fourth Thursdays until 9pm. 114 E. Main. St. 296-4625.

WALKABOUT
Best foot forward: AIDS walk raises awareness
BY TIM SPRINKLE WALKABOUT@READTHEHOOK.COM
I'm not sure when walking as a fundraising activity really started to take hold, but it's proven to be a tremendous boon. Take the AIDS Walk, for instance. These short local outings that began as ways to raise money for AIDS- and HIV-related research, have grown into an international community of supporters, spreading information and awareness about the epidemic to some of the most far-flung points on the globe.

Here in Charlottesville, the AIDS/HIV Services Group has been hosting a fundraiser walk for the last nine years to benefit local medical researchers and patients. AIDS Walk 2005 happens Saturday, April 9, beginning at the Westminster Presbyterian Church on Rugby Road. It's a chance to help raise money to fight HIV/AIDS in central Virginia as well as an opportunity to show support for the millions around the world who are already struggling.

"Our main focus for this year's event is to introduce or reintroduce prevention, education, and testing," says the Group's Chris Radice. "The rate of new HIV infection has not decreased. Our greatest challenge is a false sense of victory from the combination therapies"-- which are ineffective for more than half of those living with HIV/AIDS.

This year, in addition to the 2/3/5K walks, the organizers are making a day of it, with a variety of activities to appeal to the whole family. Walkers will get a free barbeque lunch, and a DJ from HOT 101.9 will be on hand to keep the mood light as prizes are handed out. There will even be an "A cappella Idol" competition featuring several local university singing groups.

"Over the years, the number of participants has grown, and the amount of money raised has greatly increased," Radice says. "The increased participation from the community has been a blessing… it's what helps ASG's doors to stay open."

And that's what every successful fundraising walk is all about: taking a little time out of your schedule, a little money out of your pocket, to help out some neighbors in need.

The 9th annual Charlottesville AIDS Walk happens Saturday, April 9, beginning at the Westminster Presbyterian Church, 190 Rugby Road. Sign-in begins at 9am, the walk starts at 10am. Info about the event, or local AIDS services in general: AIDS/HIV Services Group, 979-7714 or visit aidsservices.org.

PERFORMANCE
Surprise! See a play with your Pilsner
BY ROBERT ARMENGOL PERFORMANCE@READTHEHOOK.COM
Life, as I've often said, is one big performance. And the mission of Offstage Theater, perhaps more than any other performance company in town, is to throw that fact in our face. Allow me to rephrase: Whoever said beer and acting don't mix?

In the spirit of site-specific storytelling and ritual libation, Offstage invites partiers everywhere to its 15th annual Barhoppers series (shhh… it's really the 16th, but after so many years of barhopping, the folks at Offstage say they've lost track).

Barhoppers, to fill you in, offers a night of original skits staged-- and set-- at restaurants and bars around town. This year's venues: Gravity Lounge, O'Neill's, and Rapture. As you might guess, the crowd is never far from the action, and the action often provides a candid, if zany, slice of everyday life.

Think of it as theater for those who say they don't do theater.

"It's relaxed, informal, fun," says Offstage actor Chris Patrick. "You can eat, drink, or play pool while watching a show."

Each year Offstage, staffed entirely by volunteers, solicits scripts for the series from far and wide and offers a $50 token prize for winners. Barhoppers' 2005 submissions came from places as diverse as Canada and Italy, but, as usual, local playwrights familiar with the series won out in disproportionate numbers.

Five of eight acts came from the pens of local scribes, and seven are featured on the playbill each night.

In "Automatic Writing" by Joel Jones (The Election, 2004), two college students-- guy and gal, of course-- are stuck working on a creative writing assignment together. She pines for a love story, but he imagines his hero, Dan Skyblade, attacking killer aliens. Somehow, in the end, these star-crossed students make out.

Tim Van Dyke plays with fate in "Backing Up," where a woman shows up in a bar along with her parents and a pastor to solicit marriage from her middle-school sweetheart-- who swore they would marry each other at age 38.

Never make promises you can't keep. Barhoppers promises to amuse and surprise, especially if you're a real bar-crawler who wasn't planning to have theater intrude on your weeknight kick-back.

"A lot of people aren't expecting us, but most of them stick around anyway," Patrick says. "And they always have the best time."

Barhoppers ran at Gravity Lounge last week. This week, shows are April 10-12 at O'Neill's Irish Pub on the Corner. Doors open at 6pm; show starts at 7:30. $5. The following week, April 17-19, Barhoppers moves to Rapture on the Downtown Mall. $8. 244-8432. Info: email production@offstagetheater.org.

WORDS
House of cards: Architect prefers paper buildings
BY SUSAN TYLER HITCHCOCK WORDS@READTHEHOOK.COM

In 1987, a 30-year-old architect-- born in Japan, educated at New York's Cooper Union, and practicing in Tokyo-- was invited to build an exhibition space to display the work of Aldar Aalto, a Finnish architect who died in 1976.

Wanting to honor Aalto's use of geometry and symmetry, space and shadow, Shigeru Ban spotted a pile of discarded cardboard tubes from a previous installation. Even in those technoboom times in Japan, Ban was recycling.

"I wanted to design an Aalto-like interior for the exhibition," Ban says. "I didn't have a large budget; I couldn't use a lot of wood like Aalto used… I found the paper tube in my studio; its brown color is very much like wood. I went to the factory and found it's very inexpensive, and they can make various sizes, lengths, thicknesses, and diameters. I used it, and it was very successful."

So successful, in fact, that by 1994 the United Nations had recruited Ban to advise on Rwandan refugee housing. Then an earthquake rocked Kobe, Japan, in 1995.

"There were so many people injured or killed by the buildings themselves," Ban says. "As an architect, I felt big responsibility for the tragedy and wanted to do something."

The "something" became a community building, a church, and temporary housing for people with nothing for shelter but plastic sheeting. He perfected a quick-build temporary house that cost $2,000.

Ban's buildings today include residences and villas, office buildings, and museums. For Expo 2000 in Hanover, Germany, using only cardboard and paper, he built the prizewinning Japan Pavilion, a structural grid shell of erect cardboard tubes rising to an undulating roof line.

At first, Ban planned to use plastic sheeting for the roof, but-- after learning that it would emit dioxins-- he developed a paper membrane much like that used in traditional Japanese shoji screens. When the Expo ended, every part of the building was able to be recycled.

"I have no interest in making stronger materials," Ban says. "I'm interested in using a weak material the way it is. We sometimes need temporary buildings."

Ban, who has directed his message to Europeans and Americans, with their long history of stone construction and their assumption that buildings have to stand forever, has been named the UVA School of Architecture's 2005 Thomas Jefferson Medalist.

It will be interesting to hear what he has to say when he speaks to folks in Charlottesville, land of red brick and white stone columns.

Shigeru Ban speaks at 1pm Tuesday, April 12, in Old Cabell Hall Auditorium. His work is on display through April in the Architecture School's Elmaleh Gallery, Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm. 982-2921.

TUNES
Snippets: Emo invasion sweeps the nation
BY MARK GRABOWSKI TUNES@READTHEHOOK.COM

Most of us know rock n' roll haircuts when we see them, even if we have trouble describing their singular appearance. Sharply cut bangs a la grade school with long hair. Bangs that swoop dramatically to one side, the rest a disheveled bird's nest. The humongous white-fro look.

These descriptions don't really approach the grandeur of the thing, that singular mix of looking like you really don't spend a half an hour a morning grooming and primping. But your anthropological thirst for knowledge can be sated on April 11.

That evening the Outback Lodge will see an unprecedented influx of rock n' roll haircuts-- four different groups, having on average three members each. Because a band can't have two guys with the same haircut, there's the thrilling possibility of 12 new cuts added to Charlottesville's cool collective consciousness! And there even will be musical accompaniment!

Like the star-packed Motown bills of old, April 11 presents a concert the way I think music, or at least pop music, should be appreciated-- really short sets, one after another, so that even if you don't like Cutty Knifey and the Machete Artists, they will soon be over and another set of do's will take their place.

The Outback Lodge show is a pickup date for four bands on The Militia Group, the California label, all skewed to the pop/rock side of the spectrum. Catchy melodies and punky guitars may have you singing along, even if you don't (and you probably won't) know the words.

Cleveland's Brandston will be releasing their fourth full-length this June-- Send Us A Signal is a well-written power pop mélange of hooks, power chords, and screamed backup vocals.

"Who are you know" is all palm-mutes and staccato, sounding a bit like Sunny Day Real Estate, while "Escapist" is a slow disco number, possibly sounding like Weezer if they had made a left after Pinkerton at the crossroads of choice and wound up in New Musictown rather that a right to Retrosameoldsville.

Atlanta-based Cartel recently released The Ransom EP, another power-pop excursion, though this group would definitely fit in the Emo genre better than the last. "Honestly," a demo for the group's forthcoming album, is the best thing I've head from them, long vocal lines edging into Britney-memorable land before edging back.

Californian's Umbrellas, on the other hand, sound quite different from the previous two acts-- slow-moving and often piano-driven, with whispered melodies and over-the-top vocals filled with emotion, the group will be a nice reprieve between the distorted world of the previous two acts.

And Rocket Summer, the final act? The "group" is actually one guy, a 22-year-old who looks, sounds, and writes like he's 15. With song titles like "Cross my heart" and "Skies so blue," Rocket Summer is everything those of us who can remember music before the Emo revolution hated about the now-dying movement-- weirdly immature sappy pop/rock.

Come for the do's, stay for tunes. It rhymes, I swear. Say it slow.

The Militia Group's Family Tour featuring Brandston, Cartel, Umbrellas, and Rocket Summer sweeps into the Outback Lodge, April 11. $6, 10pm.