More of today's events

Elm Park, Highland Street and Park Avenue, Worcester, MA
Sponsored by: Worcester Cultural Commission. Through Sunday, Oct 5.

College of the Holy Cross: Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Art Gallery, 1 College Street, Worcester, MA
Open M-F 10:00am-5:00pm, Sat 2-5:00pm, Closed Aug 30 & Sept 1 for Labor Day Changing Identity introduces the work of ten contemporary Vietnamese women artists who challenge the stereotypes and traditional roles of women in Vietnamese society. This exhibition is the first survey of women artists from Vietnam to tour the United States and has been shown at several university galleries. Through the use of various media, subject matters, and aesthetic sensibilities, two generations of artists share views of their country and the changing status of women. Together, their work provides a diverse view of Vietnam itself, reflecting a range of opinions and experiences. A complete listing of events assocaied witht he exhbition canbe found at www.holycross.edu/cantorartgallery/. Cost: No cost, open to the public Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, through Oct 4.

EcoTarium, 222 Harrington Way, Worcester, MA
A spectacular new space show, Cosmic Collisions, blasts into the EcoTarium on Saturday, February 16, 2008. Narrated by award-winning actor, director, and producer Robert Redford, the film will be showing in Massachusetts' only digital planetarium, the new Alden Digital Planetarium. Featuring stunning images from space and breathtaking visualizations based on cutting-edge scientific data--many seen for the first time--the dazzling new Cosmic Collisions reveals the explosive encounters that shaped our solar system. Audiences will feel the ground shake beneath them! Cost: $5 plus museum admission; $4 members Through Friday, Feb 13.

EcoTarium, 222 Harrington Way, Worcester, MA
Take a giant step back in time with this hands-on, family friendly exhibit. Step into the prehistoric footprints of the dinosaurs who once roamed New England and Eastern Canada and try out the methods scientists used to study them. Discover what might have walked in your backyard as you use a magnetic trackway to tell dinosaur stories, run as fast as a dinosaur--even run your hands over a real-life dinosaur footprint. Free with museum admission. EcoTarium, A Museum of Science & Nature, 222 Harrington Way, Worcester, MA www.ecotarium.org. Cost: Free with museum admission. Through Sunday, Nov 2.

Higgins Armory Museum, 100 Barber Avenue, Worcester, MA
Metallurgy has been among the most influential human technologies for over five thousand years. Preindustrial metalsmiths knew nothing of the material science that governs the properties of metals, yet their traditional techniques, handed down from generation to generation, allowed them to manipulate these properties to produce superior steels even without any scientific understanding of what they were doing. This exhibit uses the tools of modern metallography such as optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and electron diffusion analysis to reveal the composition and structure of a selection of artifacts from the Higgins Armory collection, ranging from a Chinese bronze blade of 1000 B.C.E. to a modern decorative sword, tracing the evolution of metals technology across the millennia. Cost: Free with Museum Admission Through Sunday, Sep 7.

Worcester Historical Museum, Booth GAllery, 30 Elm Street, Worcester, MA
Going out in style is an exhibition that celebrates the fashion and creativity of a local business, Davey's Inc., and contemporary fashion designer, Jessie Randall. Davey's: Worcester Originals takes a historical look at Davey's Inc., a major producer of handbags, belts, and other leather accessories in Worcester from 1954 to 1992. Davey's handbags were sold to fine specialty shops and all major department stores across the country. Davey's: Worcester Originals tells the stories not only of the company, but also of the people who worked in the factory for Chester Herwitz, the creative businessman who started it all. Chic & Modern: The Designs of Jessie Randall celebrates the award-winning, Worcester-born, Jessie Randall. Since the establishment of her company Loeffler Randall in 2004, Jessie Randall has had amazing success, including receiving the 2007 Accessories Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America as well as her own shoe and handbag line at Target. Her designs include shoes, handbags, and clothing and are often worn by celebrities including Cameron Diaz and Sarah Michelle Gellar. Cost: Admission is $5; members, children under 17, and Woo Card holders, free. Through Saturday, Nov 8.

Higgins Armory Museum, 100 Barber Avenue, Worcester, MA
Why celebrate just one day when you can celebrate all month long? For the month of September grandparents get in for free when they come with their grandchildren! One free grandparent admission with the purchase of an admission for their grandchild ($7.00 age 6-16 or $9.00 age 17+). You must mention this offer when purchasing your tickets. This offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other discounts and does not apply to group or special program admission. Through Tuesday, Sep 30.

Worcester Art Museum, 55 Salisbury Street, Worcester, MA
Folding screens have long offered Japanese artists a challenge to create large-scale painting compositions. These works highlight the differences between subdued Chinese-inspired ink paintings favored by samurai, monks and literati-depicting the spiritually symbolic tiger-and-dragon and idealized landscape scenes - and colorful, decorative Japanese-style paintings, commissioned by wealthy middle-class patrons - depicting pleasurable pursuits, seasonal customs and stylish kimono. Making a dramatic appearance across the expanse of a pair of folding screens, the dragon and tiger both confront and complement each other. Respectively symbolic of heavenly and earthly power, the beasts were often depicted on screens that were used as backdrops for powerful warlords and Buddhist abbots, when receiving guests in castles and temples. Cost: Free with Museum admission. Sundays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, through Oct 26.

Worcester Historical Museum, 30 Elm Street, Worcester, MA
Tells the ongoing story of the innovators, workers, and investors who made industry the story of Worcester. Reflects more than one hundred years of collecting by the Worcester Historical Museum, founded in 1875 as the Worcester Society of Antiquity. Diversity and invention have been the hallmarks of Worcester industry since the beginning of the industrial revolution in the early nineteenth century. Cost: $5 for adults; Children under 18 FREE Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, through Mar 3.

Worcester Public Library, 3 Salem Square, Worcester, MA
Cost: Free Through Tuesday, Sep 30.

Worcester Art Museum, 55 Salisbury Street, Worcester, MA
Since we are all surrounded constantly by photographic images, modern viewers relate effortlessly to photography. It is exciting to see old photographs, for the subjects' relationships to the camera are so well known to us. Glimpses of a schooner's deck, a busy street in Canton, and the deserted commons of New England towns will reveal worlds long vanished. Some of the earliest photographic landscapes of the Egyptian desert and the jungles of India will hang near views of Boston, New York, and Paris. There will be images from the Crimean front along with those of the American Civil War, the first conflict to be extensively documented in photographs. Authors were among the celebrities of the era, and the show will include portraits of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Walt Whitman. This installation of about sixty works from the Worcester Art Museum collection, created from about 1840 to 1900, will transport visitors to times gone by and exotic places. The exhibition will include many of the earliest photographic media, from daguerreotypes and paper prints from calotype negatives, to albumen prints from wet collodion negatives, the photographs that give these images their distinctive sepia hue. Cost: Free with Museum admission. Sundays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, through Nov 30.

EcoTarium, 222 Harrington Way, Worcester, MA
Enter the wonderful world of Zula! Based on the popular PBS animated children's series, The Zula Patrol, this engaging exhibit explores the strange and wild world of weather. Climb into climate tents featuring temperature extremes from very cold to steaming hot, touch a real cloud and replicate the sounds made by wind and rain using classic movie sound machines. Special opening event Saturday, June 7, 12:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. with free Zula giveaways and fun activities. Come meet the character Professor Multo! Cost: Free with museum admission. Through Sunday, Nov 30.

EcoTarium, 222 Harrington Way, Worcester, MA
The Zula Patrol invades Worcester for the New England premiere of their new space show at the Alden Digital Planetarium. Take a rollercoaster ride across the universe with the lovable, wacky cast of alien characters from the award-winning PBS series, The Zula Patrol, while learning about astronomy and weather. Ride along with the Zula Patrol as they try to save the solar system's weather from interplanetary villain Dark Truder. Encounter the strange and wild weather of planets--including ours. The Zula Patrol award-winning public television series for kids and the related exhibit and dome show were created by Zula USA, LLC. Cost: $5 plus museum admission; $4 members. Through Friday, Apr 17.

Worcester Art Museum, 55 Salisbury Street, Worcester, MA
Two Chinas: Chen Qiulin and Yun-Fei Ji considers the rapidly changing conditions in China through the lens of new acquisitions created by two young Chinese artists, Chen Qiulin (b. 1975) and Yun-Fei Ji (b. 1963). Both artists have responded to the altered landscapes and human displacement caused by flooding, which is a result of China's Three Gorges Dam project. Chen Qiulin uses video in Bie Fu (Farewell Poem), from 2003, to revisit her childhood memories and China's past amidst the rubble of Wanzhou, her hometown and one of the cities flooded by the dam project. In Yun-Fei Ji's monumental scroll-like painting, Below the 143 Meter Mark, from 2006, allusions to classical landscape painting are transformed by grim contemporary details - houses and hillsides crumbling, a ghost town littered with abandoned bundles and bicycles. Sponsored by: This exhibition is supported by the Don and Mary Melville Contemporary Art Fund, The Clayton F. & Ruth L. Hawkridge Foundation, and The Martin Salomon Morton & Gustel Schreiber Morton Foundation. Additional generous support provided by Worcester Magazine.. Cost: Free with Museum admission. Sundays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, through Sep 21.

Worcester Art Museum, 55 Salisbury Street, Worcester, MA
Known for paintings that are uniquely hybrid in nature, Alexander Ross produced a project for the Museum's Wall at WAM series that adapts his imagery and technique for the second-story setting and grand scale of the Renaissance Court. The result is a new kind of hybrid based on clay elements, photography, drawing and inkjet, which creates a frieze-like expanse activating the entire sixty-seven foot wall. For all their obvious differences, Ross' mural shares with the ancient Worcester Hunt mosaic, located below, an action and aesthetic that are notable for disorienting shifts in scale, non-illusionistic space, and moments of improvisation within a system of representation. Although separated by 1500 years, the mosaic and Ross' mural powerfully emulate human emotions, then and now, about the external world. You have to see it to believe it! Cost: Free with Museum admission. Sundays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, through Oct 5.

Worcester City Hall, 455 Main Street, Worcester, MA
In conjunction with the 10th Annual World Smile Day Celebration to be held on Friday, October 3rd the World Smile Foundation is offering individuals an opportunity to Send a Soldier a Smile - an effort to send smiles and a message of gratitude to those US soldiers overseas who serve in harm's way. Buy a box of ten Smiley Face cookies or just a single Smiley Face cookie. All will be shipped from New York City's famous Eleni's Cookies, packaged with a card of appreciation. Buy your cookies online at www.WorldSmileDay.com today! Order by September 19th to ensure delivery on World Smile Day! Sponsored by: World Smile Day Foundation, the City of Worcester, Worcester Historical Museum, Congressman James McGovern and WCRN Radio. Cost: $50 for box of 10 cookies or $5 for individual cookie Through Friday, Sep 19.

7:00 AM-9:30 AM, Mass Audubon: Broad Meadow Brook Conservation Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, 414 Massasoit Avenue, Worcester, MA
Explore the sanctuary grounds in search of birds. This program is for casual and novice birders alike. Come discover the immense variety of birdlife that exists at this large urban sanctuary. We'll teach you the basics of birding and bird identification as we walk along the trails. Bring binoculars and field guides, if you have them. Wear appropriate footwear and bring a water bottle. For more information and to register, call Broad Meadow Brook. Cost: Free to Mass Audubon Adult Members, $5.00 to Adult Non-members Through Sunday, Jan 1.

9:00 AM-3:00 PM, Tower Hill Botanic Garden, 11 French Drive, Boylston, MA
Tower Hill Botanic Garden presents the 5th annual Gardeners' Emporium. The Emporium will feature non-profit, regional plant societies, specialty nurseries, and purveyors of distinctive garden ornaments. Societies represented include the Begonia, Cactus & Succulent, Daylily, Gesneriad, Hosta, and Rock Garden. This is the only place this fall where you can find all of these Societies, with the diversity of their respective offerings, gathered in one sale. Each of these groups offer expertise on their plant specialties, as well as hard-to-find specimen plants for sale. In addition, niche nurseries and garden accessory companies will offer their unique products for sale. Participating nurseries include Broken Arrow, DeRosa Orchids, Greystone Gardens, Pope's Pots, Stonegate Farm, and more. Finally, Tower Hill's Gift Shop will provide all kinds of unique gardening supplies and books, and Twigs Café will offer delightful meals, served cafeteria-style. Fall is an excellent time for planting, and the Gardeners' Emporium is a perfect opportunity to find just the right plant, or garden statue, to fill in an empty spot in the garden. The cooler days of September and October, give new plants a chance to establish themselves before the onset of winter. September is also a great time to visit Tower Hill, as many of the annuals and perennials are still putting on a fantastic show. A portion of the proceeds from the sale support the ongoing development and maintenance of the Garden. Cost: FREE! Through Sunday, Jan 1.

10:00 AM-12:00 PM, Gene J. DeFeudis Italian American Cultural Center, 28 Mulberry Street, Worcester, MA
Language Classes - Registration for Classes will be held on Saturday, September 6 from 10:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Recreation Center, 28 Mulberry Street, Worcester, MA or by calling (508) 791-6139. There are four levels of classes offered for adults. Italian for Beginners 1, this class intended for people who have had no exposure to Italian. Beginners II will be a continuation of Beginners 1, and requires completion of that course or a similar background. An Intermediate Italian course for those that have completed Italian I and II and are not quite ready for Advanced Italian. Beginners ll,and Intermediate will be held on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 8:00 p.m. Beginner's l and Advanced Italian will be held on Thursday evenings from 6:30 8:00 p.m. This class is for people who have completed both of the previous courses, or have a similar background. All classes run 12 weeks, starting on Wednesday, Sept. 10. Cost: 100.00 - Non-Members $75.00 - Members Through Sunday, Jan 1.

10:00 AM-11:00 AM, Mass Audubon: Broad Meadow Brook Conservation Center and Wildlife Sanctuary, 414 Massasoit Avenue, Worcester, MA
If you are between the ages of 3 and 5, bring your favorite adult for a thematic hour of a story, an activity, and a naturalist-led walk. Space is limited, so register early for this popular program. Be prepared to go outside. Cost: $7.00 Adult Members, $10.00 Adult Non-members. Fee covers adult/child pair; $2 per additional child. Through Sunday, Jan 1.