The Palette Pals, five metro women artists who meet regularly to paint and critique each other’s work, have a joint exhibit at Town Hall Arts Center’s Stanton Gallery, 2450 W. Main Street, Downtown Littleton, through June. Each is a signature member of Colorado Watercolor Society and individually belongs to other area arts organizations. Beth Narva of Littleton paints en plein air when weather permits, including alpine, desert and floral images, including “Spring Desert Blossom,” pictured. Char Davis of Elizabeth works in architectural rendering and drafting and transfers interest in architecture, landscapes and her garden to her blank sheets of watercolor paper. Merri Wicks of Littleton, a Heritage Fine Arts Guild member, works in acrylics, collage, altered books and papers as well as watercolor. Rosemary Laughlin includes her love for animals into some of her works. Darlene Maestas exhibits works in fused glass and sculpture as well as her paintings. The gallery is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and during performances. 303-794-2787.

The Highlands Ranch Concert Band will perform a free concert at 7 p.m. Saturday, June 20 at Civic Green Park, 9370 Ridgeline Blvd., Highlands Ranch (south of the library). Rob Jost is conductor. Future summer concert dates: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 15 as background to the annual Highlands Ranch Ice Cream Social; 7 p.m. Saturday, August 1; 7 p.m. Saturday August 22 featuring Swing Shift Jazz Ensemble. For information, see www.hrcb.org.

Colorado Gallery of the Arts at Arapahoe Community College calls for entries for the annual juried “Kaleidoscope” art exhibit, which will run July 16 to Aug. 6. Submissions of actual artwork are due 9 to 11 a.m. July 11. Jurors are gallery director Trish Sangelo and ACC art department chair Susan Goggin. (Pick-up of unaccepted work will 1 to 3 p.m. the same day. $10 per entry (exact cash please). No limit on number of entries. 2 D pieces must be wired and 3 D pieces must be stable and able to fit on a 17-inch-by-17-inch pedestal. Sculpture must be light enough for one person to lift. Colorado Gallery of the Arts, Annex Building at northeast end of building, 5900 S. Santa Fe Drive, Littleton. Questions: Trish.Sangelo@arapahoe.edu, 303-797-5700 x 6549.

“The Lady Bug and Butterfly” and “Ollie and Stanley” are short family plays about friendship, performed free at 10 a.m. each day by young actors ages 11 to 18 in five different South Suburban Park and Recreation location.

For information, call 303-730-4612.

Hudson Gardens’ annual birthday, free day (the 13th anniversary) will be June 15. The Hannah Kahn Dance Company will perform twice during the day: at 10 a.m. five dancers will present an interactive performance geared to children. At 2 p.m. 12 company members will perform five dances from the company’s repertory on the garden stage. Bring chairs or blankets. 303-795-8565.Centennial author Joyce Lohse will speak at the Highlands Ranch Historical Society’s June 15 meeting at 7 p.m., at Highlands Ranch Eastridge Recreation Center, 9568 S. University Blvd. Her topic: “Pioneer History: Truth and Mystery,” with stories from her extensive research. Lohse’s latest book, due this summer, is “General William Palmer: Railroad Pioneer, “ her fourth in the “Now You Know Bios” for young readers, from Filter Press Books of Palmer Lake, which specializes in Colorado titles. Light refreshments will be served at 6:30 p.m. prior to the free meeting. The group welcomes visitors and prospective members, and requests a reservation call so there are enough chairs ready, 720-932-6990, (Nancy Linsenbigler).“Jazz at the Mansion” featuring Grammy-winning vocalist/pianist Diane Schuur is scheduled 5 to 7 p.m. June 13 at the historic Highlands Ranch Mansion, 9900 Ranch Road, Highlands Ranch. Tickets cost $37, 303-471-8859 or at any Highlands Ranch recreation center, in advance. Beverages and desserts will be available to purchase. No outside beverages allowed and you must have a ticket to enter the mansion grounds. Open lawn seating is available. Information: HRCAonline. “Dry Bones” will be a performance by Connie Rice’s Revive Christian Dance Studio at 1 and 6 p.m. on June 20 at Pinnacle Dinner Theatre, 9136 W. Bowles Ave., Littleton. Dancers will tell a story of hope based on the book of Ezekiel. Tickets: $8, $5, free 5 and under. 303-902-6588, e-mail revivedance@msn.com.Curtis Arts and Humanities Center, at Orchard and University, will open its All Colorado Show with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. June 13. Two Littleton artists: Janet Nelson Moore and rita derjue have work selected by juror Deborah Jordy for inclusion in the usually strong exhibit. derjue’s is a 4’x 5’ watercolor called “Around Town,” painted on Arches 300 # paper with a new kind of “super bright” bottled pigments from Dr. R. H. Martin in Golden. 303-797-1779. The Littleton Fine Arts Committee will present Susiehyer, Plein Air artist in a lecture at 7 p.m. June 22 at the Littleton Museum, 6028 S. Gallup St., Littleton. She will also present a “Paint Along” workshop Monday, July 13 ($25) at the Museum and a more extensive plein air workshop on Aug. 31 ($75). Her work is in many private and public collections and is represented in the “Landscapes of Colorado” book published recently by Ann Daley of the Denver Art Museum. Lecture tickets cost $3 at the Museum. 303-795-3950.Local “mark your calendar” dates: — June 20: 24th Annual Fire Truck Parade and Muster, hosted by Littleton Fire Rescue, will include a parade from Littleton High School down Littleton Boulevard and Main Street at 9 a.m., led by Littleton’s antique 1914 Federal Chemical truck. The parade will go to the Arapahoe Community College parking lot, where fire fighting games and demos will ensue —some including lots of water! 303-738-5538. (See related story).— July 11; First Olde Town Market with antiques and art from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m; Wild on Littleton Block Party from 6 to 11 p.m. with food, music and fireworks. More later!Old Glory Antiques, moved from Main Street to a warehouse space at 5784 S. Rapp St., will stage the 23rd Annual Old Glory Country Fair on June 19 and 20 at Clement Park, Wadsworth and Bowles in Littleton. Admission to this folk art and antique show is $5, with kids under 12 free. See www.oldgloryantiquesinc.com. The warehouse is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday the first weekend of each month. Poet Robert Milo Baldwin of Highlands Ranch will read from his latest volume, “Pura Vida,“ at a benefit event for publisher Green Fuse Poetic Arts Association on June 12 at the Loveland Museum/Gallery. Baldwin’s chapbook, his sixth collection of poems, won first prize in the publisher’s contest. Visit milo-books.com.Swallow Hill Music Association offers House of Rock classes and summer camp for teens. Interested teens and parents will enjoy a performance by students who just completed an 8 week class at Moe’s (next to the Gothic Theatre) on Sunday, June 21. Michael Schenkleberg teaches the rock camps at Swallow Hill, 71 East Yale Ave., Denver. They which will run 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday June 15-20; 22-27 and July 13-18. Tuition is $325 a week. Bring your own lunch. Also offered: Kid’s Summer Music Camp for ages 6 to 12 June 15 to 26, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Cost $475, includes a ukelele. Chris McGary teaches. Call Swallow Hill for information or to register, 303-770-1003.Veteran actor/director/teacher Rick Bernstein will teach a Scene Study class at Miners Alley Playhouse in Golden from 7 to 10 p.m. on June 15 to July 20. Explore your inner actor this summer! For information, 303-935-3044, emailmtckid@earthlink.net.“Abstracting the Figure” is a juried sculpture exhibit at the Lakewood Cultural Center, 470 S Allison Parkway, Lakewood through Aug. 29. Reven Marie Swanson, who has sculpture displayed in Littleton and in Douglas County, was juror and an exhibit of her work will be in the center’s South Gallery. Free admission. 303-987-7878.“Trace (figurative)” is a new exhibit at Metropolitan State College’s handsome Center for Visual Art, 1734 Wazee St., Denver. Non-representational works of art by Nigel Poor, Denis Roussel, Heather Doyle-Maier and Jason Gimbel refer to the human body. Admission free. Hours: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays; noon to 5 p.m. Saturdays. 303-294-5207.“Mile High and Underground,” at the Byers Evans House Gallery, 1310 Bannock St., Denver, examines the art and printed word of the Bohemian/Beat scene in Denver, focusing on underground presses and bookstores in Denver 1965 to 1987. Works are gathered from artists across the country. A reading by poets Janine Pommy Vega and Andy Clausen will be presented at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 24. Free admission. Hours: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. 303-620-4933.Su Teatro and Shadow Theater will launch a collaborative year ahead with a workshop performance of Rudolfo Anaya’s “Bless Me Ultima” at Shadow’s new theater, 1468 Dayton St., Aurora, at 8:05 p.m. June 26 and 27. The production sold out seven weekends this spring at Su Teatro’s old Elyria School location on High Street. The company will move to a new, large space at 215 Santa Fe Drive, Denver and these performances are a benefit for the company. The two companies of color will cross market and perform at each other’s venues in the future. Tickets: $25, $22, 303-296-0219. Visit suteatro.org and shadowtheatre.com. Art Students League of Denver will hold its colorful Summer Art Market 2009 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on June 13 and 14 around the school at 200 Grant Street, Denver. Students, members and faculty participate and demonstrations are scheduled both days. For information about participating artists: ASLD.org.Cherokee Ranch and Castle continues its 2009 Performing Arts Series on June 14 with “Broadway at the Castle,” in the Castle Veranda Tent. Kathleen McCall will direct vocalists Christine Rowan and Jeff Roark . Next: “Celtic Echoes at the Castle” with Denver Brass and Celtic Colorado Pipes and Drums. Tickets include wine, buffet supper, castle tour, concert and dessert and coffee with the artists. $75. Limited seating. For reservations, call 303-688-4600 Monday through Friday between 9:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. or leave name and number for a return call within one business day. For complete schedule, visit www.cherokeeranch.org/performingarts. Note that there are also a series of Community Performances and an Explore and Learn program.

Auditions:“Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” children’s auditions will be held at noon June 13. Six children, ages 8 to 12, will be selected for the production, which will play Denver’s Buell Theatre July 23-26. Registration is necessary— the first 100 to contact will be called to audition: email jalexander@dcpa.org. Tickets for the show start at $20, 303-893-4100, www.denvercenter.org. For information, visit www.chittyontour.com.“Grease” auditions will be held noon to 5 p.m. June 20 at Town Hall Arts Center, 2450 W. Main St. with call backs, 6 to 10 p.m. Monday, June 22. Nick Sugar will direct, with Donna Debreceni as musical director. Production dates: Sept. 18 to Oct. 25. Rehearsals begin Aug. 9. For appointment: clambert@townhallartscenter.com.Young Voices of Colorado will audition kids who want to sing on June 18 and July 9 for the next season, which includes weekly rehearsals, semi-annual concerts, strong musical training. 303-797-SING, www.youngvoices.org, e-mail office@youngvoices.org.

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