Come celebrate the arrival of spring at Kathy Harlow’s home on, Thursday, April 24 at 8:30 p.m. For directions or to RSVP contact kathy.harlow@mamasays.org If inspired, guests are invited to bring an appetizer or beverage (crocus-laced nachos, daffodil-scented hooch, whatever).
Learn to batik. THU 4/3 & 4/10, 6:30-9:30 p.m. This is just the thing for a busy parent in need of a creative outlet: take just a couple of evenings away from the kids and learn an art that almost always produces beautiful results. $35 for instruction; $20 materials. Make check payable to instructor Peggy Wertheim. Call to be sure the class isn’t full, or to request a brochure for next season’s courses. 216-398-8556.
Fiesta! SAT 4/5, 7 p.m., St. Colman Church, 2027 W. 65 St. Fundraiser for Columbianos Unidos. $6 admission, free for kids 12 and under.
Piano at Pilgrim. SUN 4/6, 3 p.m. As part of the Arts Renaissance Tremont series, pianist Cicilia Yudha will perform works by Beethoven, Chopin, Liebermann and Schumann. At the historic Pilgrim Congregational UCC, 2592 West 14 St., Tremont. Suggested donation $10.
Last day for free tax help. TUE 4/8, 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. Carnegie West Branch Library, 1900 Fulton Rd. Bring all tax documents, including original Social Security cards for all dependents, and a trained tax aide will help you get your forms in order. Administered by AARP. Reservation required: call 216-623-6927.
Base Cleveland Day. SAT 4/12, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Families of veterans and military personnel are invited to a special day of information-gathering and activities outside City Hall. While children are treated to entertainment, craft activities, a visit to the Rotunda and the Mayor’s Easter Egg Hunt, adults will have a chance to learn about resources available to them, and organizations that can help them during and after the time that a family member is stationed overseas. The public will also be invited to write letters to be delivered by the USO. For details, contact Sheila Corrigan at 216-664-2012.
CDC annual meetings. THU 4/24, 6 p.m. Ohio City Near West Development Corporation and the Clark Metro Development Corporation have their annual meetings on the same day, at the same time. OCNW will meet at St, Ignatius High School Student Center, and CMDC will meet at Local Union Hall 1377, 3121 W. 33, off of Clark Ave.
Experience Bliss. FRI 4/25-SUN 5/4. For the first time in the 12-year history of Cleveland Public Theatre’s Student Theatre Enrichment Program (STEP), the youth ensemble will present the results of a year-long collaborative work in a full two-week performance run at Gordon Square Theatre, W. 65 & Detroit. Bliss, a social satire, is set in a world that is only slightly in our future, where artists are created by corporations to suit the market. Tickets are just $3. Performances begin at 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and at 3 p.m. on Sundays. Call 216-631-2727 for reservations.
Let the trumpet sound! SUN 4/27, 3 p.m., Broadway United Methodist Church, 5246 Broadway Ave. Bill Grinage will present a program of trumpet music that will range from George Frideric Handel to Louis Armstrong. Be sure to look for the reproduction of “The Last Supper,” one of only two full-size copies in the United States.
Plant the seed. TUE 4/29, 4 p.m., Carnegie West Library. Brandy Cogar of OSU Extension will present a program for children called “How Does Your Garden Grow?”
A place of joyful gathering. WED 4/30, noon. Come see what Karamu House is up to this spring at Showtime at High Noon, in the Allen Theatre, Playhouse Square. Free.
Zorba begins with 2 benefits. THU 5/1 & FRI 5/2. Two great ways to support a valued neighborhood institution while enjoying quality entertainment. On Thursday, the proceeds of a special Preview Night performance of Near West Theatre’s spring production (tickets $10) will go to Interreligious Task Force on Central America. Curtain at 7:30 p.m. And then on Friday, it’s a “Big Fat Greek Opening Night” to benefit NWT itself. With your $20 ticket, you’ll get hearty hors d’oeuvres, soft drinks, belly dancing, Greek dancing and, of course, the show. Festivities start at 5:30; the show at 7:30. Call 216-621-3242 for reservations.
Trash and Pancakes. SAT 5/3, 9 a.m. - noon. Meet at Edgewater Beach pavilion for breakfast provided by Northeast Ohio Sierra Club, then stay after to collect trash during Park Beautification Day.
Fish for free. SAT 5/3 & SUN 5/4. The Ohio Wildlife Council recently voted to move Ohio’s free fishing weekend up by one month, to give novice fisherpersons a better chance of catching something and therefore becoming hooked on the sport. For this weekend only, Ohio residents can fish in any public fishing area without a licence. If you need equipment, pre-register early with naturalist Carol Ward by calling 216-881-8141, ext. 3001. She’ll be bringing a limited supply of bait and tackle to one of the locations in the Cleveland Lakefront & Headlands Beach State Parks.
Experienced Spanish and French teacher will give private lessons on the West side of Cleveland. Will teach all levels. ALSO: Experienced trilingual nanny available to care for children in the comfort of your own home. References available. For either, call Nery, 216-403-6361.