FRIDAY
Katrina benefit
DANCE|Frequent Flyers Productions, Lemon SpongeCake Contemporary Ballet, 3rd Law Dance Theatre, Lazer Vaudeville, Boulder Ballet Ensemble and many others team up for this eclectic jazz and dance concert to benefit Robert E. Lee High School in Baton Rouge, La., a school that’s pitching in to educate the thousands of school children evacuated by recent hurricanes. |8 tonight|The Dairy Center for the Arts, 2590 Walnut St., Boulder, $20, 303-440-7826 or thedairy.org.
Chamber music
MUSIC|Paquito D’Rivera, the premier Latin American saxophonist and clarinetist who recently was awarded one of the six 2005 NEA Jazz Masters Fellowships, mounts a concert with a rare chamber music ensemble composed of all African-American or Latin American musicians.|7:30 tonight|The Newman Center for the Performing Arts, corner of University and Iliff, $25-$55, 303-357-2787.
SATURDAY
Mathis with CSO
POP|Crooner extraordinaire Johnny Mathis turns 70 today. Best known for his unabashedly romantic string of late-’50s and early-’60s hits like “Chances Are” and “It’s Not for Me to Say,” Mathis’ powers as an emotional balladeer remain intact.|8:30 p.m. Saturday|Colorado Symphony opening gala, Boettcher Concert Hall, Denver Performing Arts Complex, 14th and Curtis streets, concert sold out; $350 gala tickets are available; 303-308-2495.
Crafts galore
CRAFT FAIR|Craftspeople will display their work at 300 booths at the 34th Annual Friends Craft Fair. The fair includes eight food booths. The clowning antics of Ann Lincoln, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., and the Aabra-Kadoodle Magic Shows, 1-3 p.m., will provide entertainment for children. |9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday|Ketring Park, 6000 S. Gallup St., Littleton, free, 303-795-3950.
Six-string luminary
GUITAR CONCERT|To open the Denver Classical Guitar Society’s 2005-06 season, the group has turned to one of Denver’s luminaries in the field – Ricardo Iznaola. The internationally known performer heads the guitar department at the Lamont School of Music.|7:30 p.m. Saturday|South Broadway Christian Church, 23 Lincoln St.; $15; 303-940-7097.
SUNDAY
Sax man’s birthday
JAZZ|Saxophonist Phil Urso’s name will be familiar to fans of trumpeter Chet Baker’s celebrated Pacific Jazz recordings of the ’50s. He’s been a local jazz presence for decades, and Denver musicians like pianist Jeff Jenkins and saxophonist Keith Oxman will help celebrate Urso’s 80th birthday|7 p.m. Sunday|Dazzle Restaurant and Lounge, 930 Lincoln St.; $10; 303-839-5100 for reservations.
Where Mamie lived
HOUSE TOUR|The historic home of Mamie Doud Eisenhower, 750 Lafayette St., highlights the 26th annual Dora Moore School House Tour. The future first lady grew up in the house and married Dwight D. Eisenhower in its music room on July 1, 1916. Four other houses on Lafayette Street, 600, 783, 828 and 944, and the school itself complete the tour. |11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday |Dora Moore School, 846 Corona St., $12 in advance or $15 day or tour, 303-831-7044 or doramoore.dpsk12.org.
THE WEEKEND
Cider Days
APPLE FESTIVAL|Tip a glass of apple cider to Lakewood’s Cider Days Harvest Festival, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this weekend. Visitors can buy cider by the glass or the gallon. Or they can bring their own apples and use vintage cider presses to make cider. Several children’s activities are scheduled, including climbing wall, hay wagon, bouncing castle, burro rides and carnival rides. |10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday|Lakewood’s Heritage Center, 801 S. Yarrow St., Lakewood, $3-$5, 303-987-7850 or lakewood.org.
Sights and sounds
LIGHT SHOW|SonicVision, a digital light show, features songs by such popular music acts as U2, Moby, The Flaming Lips, Coldplay, Prodigy and Queens of the Stone Age. The 38-minute show’s playlist includes 18 songs. SonicVision, which was created by the American Museum of Natural History, MTV2 and Moby, runs through Feb. 16.|7, 8, and 9 p.m. today and Saturday and 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday|Denver Museum of Nature and Science, 2001 Colorado Blvd.; $7-$10; 303-322-7009 or dmns.org.
Artists at work
STUDIO TOUR|More than 140 artists of all kinds will give visitors a chance to see where and how they work during the 11th installment of Boulder’s Open Studios. More than 4,000 people are expected to make 65,000 studio visits during the four-day event. A color guidebook is available for $15.|Noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and Oct. 8-9|Locations around Boulder; free; 303-444-1862 or openstudios.org.
THE WEEK
Clowning around
CIRCUS|Comic daredevil Bello, whom Time magazine has called “America’s best clown,” headlines this year’s edition of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus. The self-proclaimed “Greatest Show on Earth” also features animal trainer Tabayara Maluenda, who works with 11 Bengal tigers, and a second trainer, Sacha Houcke, who performs with elephants.|7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Oct. 9 and Oct. 12-16, 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. Oct. 8-9 and Oct. 15-16 and 11 a.m. Oct. 13|Denver Coliseum, 4600 Humboldt St., $11-$70, 303-830-8497 or ticketmaster.com
Audubon exhibit
ART|Few artists are more renowned in American art history than John James Audubon. Although best known for his images of birds, he traveled up the Missouri River in 1843 to study animals of all kinds native to the West. An ongoing exhibition features the series of 155 lithographs of his finds, including images of a bison, grizzly bear and pronghorn antelope.|Through Oct. 31|Tam O’Neill Fine Arts, 311 Detroit St.; free; 303-355-7711 or tamoneillfinearts.com.
