theater

'Altar Boyz'

"Altar Boyz," one of the longest-running new musicals to hit New York in many years, will come to the Myrna Loy Center at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20.

"Altar Boyz" is a sweet, sassy, irreverent musical about a struggling Christian boy-band riding the wave of America's latest fascination with religion.

The "boyz" strut their street-savvy stuff hoping to save the souls of the audience, with the help of a salvation-tracking device called the Soul Sensor DX-12. This light-hearted comedy won the 2005 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Off-Broadway Musical, and is suitable for all ages-and denominations.

Tickets to "Altar Boyz" are $30 and are available at the Myrna Loy Center, 443-0287 or www.myrnaloycenter.com.

'Annie Get Your Gun'

Jefferson High School drama presents Irving Berlin's wonderful musical, "Annie Get Your Gun" 7:30 p.m. Nov. 19 and 20 at Jefferson High School.

The show is the story of real life sharp-shooting celebrities, Frank Butler and Annie Oakley.

The story follows her discovery by famed showman, Buffalo Bill Cody and her spectacular rise to international stardom.

Along the way we see the tempestuous relationship she and Frank begin until they finally admit their love for one another.

Irving Berlin wrote some of his best songs for the show, which premiered in 1948 with Ethel Merman in the lead.

Famous numbers include: "Old Fashioned Wedding," "Anything You Can Do," "You Can't Get a Man with a Gun," "Moonshine Lullabye," and the standard for all performers, "There's No Business Like Show Business."

The musical comedy provides great entertainment for all audience members and is highlighted by showy costumes, rich character parts and choreography.

The leading roles are played by veteran JHS actors/singers.

Hunter Steketee (Maria from last year's "Sound Of Music") plays Annie Oakley, Denver Jones (Oliver in the 2007 production) is Frank Butler, Ivy Taylor plays Winnie with Clint Forrette as Tommy. Brock Forrette will play Buffalo Bill Cody and Zane Rohr his rival, Pawnee Bill. Shelby Connole is Frank's acerbic assistant, Dolly, with Mike Reid as Charlie.

Tickets are $6 for adults and $4 for students and are available at the door.

For group reservations or more information contact Linda Piccolo at 225-3317 x 105.

gabfest

Great Conversations

Helena's popular Great Conversations returns on Wednesday, Nov. 18, for its seventh year of fine dining and a unique evening of conversation.

Sponsored by the Helena Education Foundation as a community celebration of public education and lifelong learning, the event includes a relaxing gourmet meal and each attendee's choice of more than 30 tables, each of which has a "conversation" topic and expert in the field to lead the discussion.

"We stress to the conversation leaders that they should lead the discussion and see where the group takes it," said Lisa Cordingley, HEF executive director.

This is an opportunity for both the conversation leader and the table guests to have an in-depth discussion with people of various points of view about a very specific topic.

"We don't always take time for those kinds of discussion any more," said Lee Harrison, president of Helena Education Foundation board.

Topics at the tables range from art and entertainment, culture, politics and government, history, education, economy, literature, nature and the outdoors, and science and technology.

Participants choose four topics when they make their reservations and are assigned a table when they arrive. Topics are removed from the registration online as they fill, so it is important to register early.

Topics and conversation leaders are selected based on discussions over six months with a committee, made up of community people from a variety of backgrounds.

Conversation leaders are coming from around the country, often sponsored by donors who are passionate about a particular topic or speaker.

Registration is required by Thursday, Nov. 12, and tickets are $60. Topic registration information can be obtained from the HEF Web site at www.hefmt.org. or by contacting the HEF office (406) 443-2545 or at hef@mt.net.

The event will again be held in conjunction with related events, in celebration of Great Conversations Week, Tuesday, Nov. 17 (limited seating available).

It will feature an afternoon of etiquette with Elton Anderson, Mr. Manners, and a panel on the future of media in conjunction with the Independent Record and Carroll College Thursday, Nov. 19.

Watch hefmt.org for more information about all events, contact Lisa Cordingley, executive director, at 443-2545 or hef@mt.net.

dance

'An Evening at the Gallery'

Allegro School of Dance presents "An Evening at the Gallery" at 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, at the Helena Middle School auditorium.

Adult tickets are $10, student and senior tickets are $8 with a $1 discount for Food Share donations or a $2 discount for a Toys for Tots donation.

Tickets are available at the door or at Allegro School of Dance, 3750 N. Montana Ave.

Contra Dance

Join the Helena Contra dancers for a Contra Dance on Saturday, Nov. 14, at the Allegro School of Dance, 3750 No. Montana.

Bozeman's Weatherwood will play fiery Celtic reels, lilting jigs, and passionate waltzes.

Musicians are Steve Marty on guitar and mandolin, Tom Robison on harp and fiddle, and Lindsay Turnquist on hammered dulcimer and bouzouki. Caller, Rab Cummings, has taught and called contras and squares for over 10 years throughout Montana and the Northwest. He's known for his efficient teaching, inclusive spirit, and joyful approach.

A half-hour beginners workshop will be held at 7:30 p.m. The dance begins at 8 p.m. All dances are taught. Beginning dancers are welcome but encouraged to come early as the dances will become more complex as the evening progresses.

No partner or experience necessary. Admission is $7 adults, $5 students and $4 kids.

For directions or information, call Amie at 495-0935

holidays

Connie's Cranberry Corner

The holiday Open House at Connie's Cranberry Corner Friday, Nov. 6, and Saturday, Nov. 7, will feature botanical art by Montanan Cheri Moss, and the unique restoration of Pacific Islander wood by artist C.J. Recker.

Hours are 10 a.m. to

5 p.m. each day at 2307 York Road, 443-7870.

Come enjoy some hot cider and get a jump start on your holiday shopping.

Winter Fair

Winter Fair sponsored by Miriam Chapter No. 1, Order of the Eastern Star, is featuring an old fashioned turkey dinner, crafts, baked goods, white elephants and more.

The fair is 10 a.m. to

2 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 7, Shrine Center, 15 N. Jackson.

Lunch prices are $12 adult, $6 children under 12. For information call Dorothy Stewart at 442-2449.

Christmas craft sale

The Helena Civic Center holds its Christmas craft sale 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays, Nov. 7 and Nov. 14, at the Helena Civic Center Ballroom. Admission is $2 at the door. Children 10 and under who are accompanied by an adult get in free.

All proceeds go to the Civic Center Improvement Fund.

For information, call Jeannie Pullin at 442-7467.

bazaars

Our Redeemer's

Celebrating the 30th year of creating crafts and food delights for the Helena community, Our Redeemer's Lutheran Church offers an assortment of chocolate, coffee, lefse, home-baked cookies, hand-crafted ornaments, quilts and a potpourri of items created for purchase.

Have a morning cup of coffee and a roll or a hot lefse, right off the grill.

Stop by the church's bazaar and luncheon on Friday, Nov. 6. Doors open at 9:30 a.m.

Buy your luncheon tickets at Leslie's Hallmark in the Capital Hill Mall. Luncheon seatings are at 11:30 a.m. or

1 p.m.

Tickets are $6.50 for a meal of ham balls, rice casserole, salad, rolls, dessert and coffee or tea. Tickets are $7.50 at the door.

Our Redeemer's Lutheran is located at 1400 Stuart. For information, call 442-7842.

East Helena

The East Helena United Methodist Church holds its Annual Fall Bazaar.

A preview to the bazaar is a chowder supper at 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6.

The bazaar will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, featuring a cookie and candy carousel along with handiwork, needle crafts, Christmas crafts, other food items, a white elephant sale and a fish pond for kids.

The lunch menu is chili, soup, hamburgers, pie and choice of beverage at a cost of $8.

The church is located at the east end of Main Street, 50 Prickly Pear, East Helena. For information, call the church office at 227-5346.

mealtime

Lutefisk dinner

Sons of Norway, Hovedstad Lodge #4-528, are having their annual Meatball and Lutefisk Dinner, noon to 3 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 8, at the Neighborhood Center.

The lodge invites the public to come enjoy Norwegian lutefisk, meatballs, potatoes, gravy, coleslaw, riskrem and cookies.

Tickets are available at the door. Cost is $12 and $6 for children under 10. Both lefse and lutefisk will be available for sale. For more information call 227-5155 or 442-9704.

talks

Matthew Kelly

Author Matthew Kelly will speak at Carroll College, Nov. 11 and 12.

Kelly, a New York Times bestselling author, is widely recognized today as a top speaker.

With his keen sense of humor and heart-warming charm, Kelly has been effortlessly elevating and energizing audiences in more than 50 countries for the past decade.

He speaks at 7 p.m. Nov. 11 and 12, at the PE Center at Carroll College.

During the two-night series, "Becoming the Best Version of Yourself," you have the opportunity to hear the message so many are searching for - "What does God want for you? What is God's dream for you?

In his book, "Perfectly Yourself: Nine Lessons for Enduring Happiness," Kelly discusses the challenges and opportunities we experience in our quest to become the-best-version-of-ourselves.

With a fresh perspective and youthful approach, Kelly brings an energizing message that springs forth from his passion for life and Catholicism.

The free event is sponsored by Carroll College Campus Ministry and OYYAM (Office for Youth and Young Adult Ministry).

For more details, call Carroll Campus Ministry at 447-4869.

music

Cherryholmes

Award-winning, hard-driving bluegrass band Cherryholmes will perform at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15, at the Myrna Loy Center.

Cherryholmes, a six-member band composed of Jere and Sandy Cherryholmes and their four musical kids, exploded onto the bluegrass scene in 2002 and in 2005 won the International Bluegrass Music Association's coveted Entertainer of the Year Award.

Tickets are $20 and are available at the Myrna Loy Center, 443-0287 or www.myrnaloycenter.com.

classes

After Hours…No Kids Allowed!

Explore, create and laugh like a kid again as ExplorationWorks opens its doors for adults only (21 and over, please) at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11, for Sweet Rita's Soap Secrets.

Rita Forsythe has been creating and selling Sweet Rita's Soap since 2004. Her weekend hobby has since evolved into a successful, small business. She now sells Sweet Rita's Soap in over 25 stores in Montana and at Helena's farmers market.

Forsythe will explain her soap-making process and participants will make a "hot process" soap from scratch. Everyone will take a bar or two of their freshly made soap with them!

Cost is $10 for nonmembers, $5 for members - includes materials fee, beverages and snacks.

Please call Amy to reserve your space

457-1800 ext. 5 or amys@explorationworks.org

For middle schoolers

ExplorationWorks offers after school activities for sixth- to eighth-grade students:

Blogging 101 with Steffen Rasile

Tuesdays 3:15-4:45 p.m. Jan. 19-Feb. 23, 2010

Cost: $67 members/$75 nonmembers

This class will look at the different options for blogging (wordpress, tumblr, blogger) and give the students a chance to build an online presence for something that they are passionate about.

Classes will cover a wide spectrum of software and give students a chance to focus on an area of media that speaks to them. They will create logos with Photoshop and Illustrator, podcasts with Garage Band, and Video Blogs with iMovie. Promotion for the blogs will take place on Twitter and Facebook, and give the students a look in the social networking world.

This is a full media spectrum class that is project driven. Students will leave this class with a clear understanding of how the Internet works, and how they can use it as a powerful tool throughout the rest of the academic career.

For more information call Kyle Hunter, 457-1800 x 4 or kyleh@explorationworks.org

art

Yvonne Kuntz

Yvonne Kuntz, a Helena artist who creates collages, drawings, paintings and altered books, will present an exhibit called "Extraction State" at the Myrna Loy Center gallery Nov. 1-30.

Kuntz will host an opening reception 6-9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6 at the Myrna Loy.

The Myrna Loy will also host a reception during the Fall Art Walk, Nov. 13.

Kuntz received a 2009 Myrna Loy Center Grants to Artists grant to produce her "Extraction State" project, a commentary on the fragility of life and memory and the universality of the human experience.

Kuntz began this body of work at the Montana Artists Refuge in Basin in 2008. She studied archives, photos and newspaper articles about Butte's mining heyday from several different perspectives: from the immigrants who left their homelands to start a new life, the mothers and children who were the backbone of the mining communities, and the men sacrificing daylight and their health for the chance at prosperity.

Kuntz likes layers - layers of meaning and layers of material. She uses wood, copper, old maps and photographs, and found objects to add dimension to her pieces.

"My work is heavily influenced by books and the printed word," she says. "I also incorporate religious text into my art as a means to explore not only my uncertain faith but the role of religion in identity."

The centerpiece of the exhibit is a handmade "tunnel-book" called Extraction State #1, the first in a series of five.

Also included in the exhibit will be "Wonder Boy," a charcoal and ink drawing of an old friend; "1st Generation," a life drawing of a young Chinese boy in Butte around the turn of the 20th century, which is made from ink, collage, and gold; and a collage piece called "Gather," made of knitted copper wire and paper from an old prayer book.

Toland talk, workshop

Helena artist, Phoebe Toland will facilitate a two-day abstract painting workshop Nov. 6 and 7 at the Holter Museum.

This workshop is a public outreach project in accordance with a Montana Arts Council innovation grant Toland received this year.

She will present a public slideshow of her work on Saturday evening, Nov. 7, at 7 p.m. at the Holter. Any and all are welcome.

An abstract painter who lives in Helena, Toland has been teaching at the Holter for 10 years. She earned an MFA at Montana State University and exhibits her work extensively around the West.

She recently received a 2009 Artists Innovation Grant from the Montana State Arts Council. As an artist in the schools in Helena and throughout Montana, she has taught students of all ages how to make and appreciate art.

Museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Sunday noon to 4 p.m. For information, call 442-6400 ext. 108; or e-mail sondra@holtermuseum.org.

birds and more

On Safari in Tanzania

Last spring Gerald Shields and his family spent three weeks on safari in Tanzania.

Their group, which traveled together in a safari vehicle, included four photographers, a guide well trained in bird identification and a field secretary.

He will share photos and stories of their trip at the next Last Chance Audubon Society meeting, 7 p.m., Monday, Nov. 16, at St. Paul's Methodist Church Choir Room.

The expedition stayed at remote camps and observed wildlife before breakfast, in the morning and late afternoon.

Every place was amazing: the Serengeti with its massive open plains and prides of lions, as well as cheetahs, hippos and rhinos; Arusha with Cape Buffalo and hyenas; Lake Manyara with giraffes and hippo pools.

They deemed Ngorongoro Crater one of the wonders of the world. In Tarangire they witnessed the birth of an elephant. And, as if this weren't enough, they recorded over 200 species of birds (many photographed) including ostrich, hamerkop, Maribou stork, secretary Bird, five species of vulture, 40 species of accipitridae, hoopoes, hornbills, go-away birds, mousebirds and many more.

Shields graduated from Carroll College and then earned degrees at Central Washington and the University of Toronto. He taught and conducted research at the Institute of Arctic Biology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks for 25 years.

He has done pioneering molecular and cellular research on the evolution of birds. Currently he is professor of biology emeritus and the James J. Manion Endowed Chair of Biology at Carroll.

The Choir Room is the first room on the left when you enter the church from Cruse Avenue.