Things to do in Centennial May 8-14

Diana Peterson plans to offer a free photography class at 4:30 p.m. Monday at the Centennial Hills Library, 6711 N. Buffalo Drive. Topics are to include composition, depth of field, leading lines, the rule of thirds, contrast, framing, balance, direction of movement, cropping and exposure. Visit lvccld.org or call 507-6100.

“Class Act,” an exhibit curated by Susanne Forestieri of drawings by University of Nevada, Las Vegas students, is scheduled is to debut during a reception from 5 to 6:30 p.m. May 15 at the Centennial Hills Library, 6711 N. Buffalo Drive. The exhibit is slated to be on display through July 15. Visit lvccld.org or call 507-6100.

The Las Vegas Valley chapter of the Society of Women Engineers plans to host Wow! That’s Engineering!, a program for girls in grades 5-8, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday at the Northwest Career and Technical Academy, 8200 W. Tropical Parkway. Admission is $5 and space is limited. To register, visit wowlasvegas.eventbrite.com. For information, email swelvvwow2012@gmail.com.

WORTH A DRIVE

The North Las Vegas Kiwanis Club plans a Kiwanis Kite Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Nature Discovery Park, 2600 Nature Park Drive. The club plans to give away 400 kites and provide refreshments. All are welcome. Visit nlvkiwanis.com or call 399-0332.

Strawberry Fest at Las Vegas Farmers Market is planned at 4 p.m. Tuesday at The Gardens Park, 10401 Garden Park Drive. Visit lasvegasfarmersmarket.com.

Richard Hampton’s tribute to Kenny Rogers is planned for 7 p.m. Saturday at the Starbright Theatre, 2215 Thomas W. Ryan Blvd. Tickets are $13 for Sun City Summerlin residents and $17 for nonresidents. Call 240-1301.

Nevada Youth Aliance’s Imagination Celebration Jazz for Peace series is set to present a free performance of jazz music from 6 to 8 Wednesday at Tivoli Village, 302 S. Rampart Blvd. Visit nevadayouthalliance.org.

Vaisakhi Mela, an Indian food, entertainment and cultural festival, is scheduled from noon to 9 p.m. Sunday at the Clark County Government Center Amphitheater, 500 S. Grand Central Parkway. Admission is free. Visit vegasdesi.com or call 807-1737.

The Las Vegas Philharmonic is scheduled to conclude its season with Beethoven’s “Consecration of the House,” Dvorak’s “New World Symphony” and Respighi’s “The Pines of Rome” at 8 p.m. Saturday at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts, 361 Symphony Park Ave. Doors are set to open at 6:30 p.m. A pre-concert conversation is scheduled at 7:15 p.m. Tickets are $38, $53 and $78. A shuttle service is provided from Sun City Summerlin’s Starbright Theatre, 2215 Thomas W. Ryan Blvd., for $15. Shuttle passes may be purchased from the box office. Visit lvphil.com or call 749-2000.

LV ARTreach plans a free community performance night at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Historic Fifth Street School, 401 S. Fourth St. Works from children 8 to 18 and their mentors are set to be auctioned off, with proceeds going toward LV ARTreach. Call 885-8650 or visit lvartreach.com.

The Charleston Heights Arts Center, 800 S. Brush St., plans to host a Mother’s Day dinner and dance at 6 p.m. Saturday, with music from the Walt Boenig Little Big Band. Tickets are $20. Call 229-6383 or visit artslasvegas.org.

The Southern Nevada Musical Arts Society plans a performance of John Rutter’s “Mass of the Children” at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas campus, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway. The concert is set to feature a 60-voice chorus, a 30-piece orchestra and the Greenspun Junior High School chorus. Tickets are $18 for adults, $12 for seniors, military personnel and disabled persons and $7 for students with a valid ID. Call 895-2787 or visit pac.unlv.edu.

The San Gennaro Feast, an Italian-American food and entertainment festival and carnival, is planned from 4 to 11 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 4 p.m. to midnight Friday, 11 a.m. to midnight Saturday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday at the Rio, 3700 W. Flamingo Road. General admission is $8. Visit sangennarofeast.com.

A preliminary round of the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest is scheduled from 8 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday on the Third Street Stage at the Fremont Street Experience. Each night’s events are set to begin with a parade of Elvi. VIP seating in front of the stage is $20. Visit legendsinconcert.com, elvisweek.com or vegasexperience.com or call 369-5111.

Enjoy art, music, yoga and kids’ activities at the Art Festival of Henderson scheduled from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Henderson Events Plaza, 200 S. Water St. Visit hendersonlive.com.

The 55-piece College of Southern Nevada Concert Band, under the baton of Richard McGee, is set to perform some of the forgotten gems by composers Alfred Reed, W. Francis McBeth and John Philip Sousa at 7:30 p.m. today in the Nicholas J. Horn Theatre at the College of Southern Nevada’s Cheyenne campus, 3200 E. Cheyenne Ave. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for students and seniors. Call 651-5483 or visit csn.edu/pac.

Celebrate the music of the swing era with the College of Southern Nevada Big Band, led by Walter Blanton, and the CSN sextet at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Nicholas J. Horn Theatre at the College of Southern Nevada’s Cheyenne campus, 3200 E. Cheyenne Ave. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for students and seniors. Call 651-5483 or visit csn.edu/pac.

The Smith Center for the Performing Arts, 361 Symphony Park Ave., has a full slate of shows planned. Las Vegas singer and Supremes co-founder Mary Wilson plans to perform “Stormy Weather: The Lena Horne Project” Friday and Saturday. Alan Safier plans to portray George Burns in “Say Goodnight Gracie” Friday and Saturday. Lily Tomlin is scheduled to perform Sunday. PSY by Seven Fingers is scheduled May 15-16. The Composers Showcase of Las Vegas is scheduled May 16. Jane Monheit is scheduled May 18-19. Buddy Guy with Quinn Sullivan is scheduled May 19. The Jewish Repertory Theatre is set to present “The Diary of Anne Frank” May 20. The musical “Mary Poppins” is scheduled May 22-27. Barbara Cook is set to sing May 24-27. The Las Vegas Contemporary Dance Theater plans a five-year anniversary concert May 29. “Desperate Housewives” actress Emily Bergl plans to perform her cabaret show “Kidding on the Square” June 8-9. Idina Menzel is scheduled to perform June 10. Call 982-7805 or visit thesmithcenter.com.

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s Hope Gala … The Art of the Cure is planned for 6 p.m. Friday at Mandalay Bay, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South. The Robert Marlon Studio plans to auction an original work titled “Making Waves” created with JDFR youth ambassadors assisting. The gala is set to feature a cocktail reception, dinner, auctions and entertainment featuring singer Clint Holmes. Tickets are $350. Visit jdrflv.org or call 732-4795.

Moms Rock, the ninth annual Mother’s Day Tea and Brunch benefiting Child Focus at St. Jude’s Ranch for Children, is planned from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Southern Highlands Spa Clubhouse, 1 Robert Trent Jones Lane. The event is set to feature entertainment, a hat parade, activities for young princesses and pirates, a silent auction and raffle and a drawing for a mother/daughter diamond pendant designed by MJ Christensen Jewelers. Tickets are $80 for adults and $40 for children younger than 12. Visit childfocusnv.org or follow @momsrock2012 on Twitter.

“The 39 Steps,” a play adapted by Patrick Barlow from the film by Alfred Hitchcock and the novel by John Buchman, is scheduled to run through May 20 on the main stage at the Las Vegas Little Theatre, 3920 Schiff Drive. Tickets are $24 for adults and $21 for seniors and students. Visit lvlt.org or call 362-7996. “Spearminted,” by local playwright Erica Griffin, is set to run through May 15 in the Fischer Black Box in the Las Vegas Little Theatre. Tickets are $15 for adults and $14 for seniors and students. Visit lvlt.org.

Earl Turner plans to perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Suncoast Showroom, 9090 Alta Drive. Tickets start at $15.95. Call 636-7075 or visit suncoastcasino.com.

The sixth Country in the Park outdoor concert and festival is scheduled from 2 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Exploration Peak Park, 9700 S. Buffalo Drive. Presented by the Mountain’s Edge master-planned community and Vegas Country 95.5 KWNR, the free event is set to feature singer/songwriter Phil Vassar, Jana Kramer and the Tony Marques Band. Visit mountainsedge.com or kwnr.com.

Come see the new Miss Atomic Bomb and celebrate 65 years of the Las Vegas News Bureau at a Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce Business Power Luncheon scheduled from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday in the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, 3150 Paradise Road. Tickets are $50 for chamber members and $65 for nonmembers in advance or $70 at the door. Onsite registration is set to begin at 11:30 a.m. Visit lvchamber.com or call 641-5822.

PLAN AHEAD

J.R. Pony Parties, an educational farm, welcomes the public to visit from 10 a.m. to noon during Open Gate Days scheduled for May 15 and 28 at 1753 Fairhaven Ave. Admission is $5, which includes pony rides, visits to the goat barn and more. Visit jrponyparties.com or call 631-4142.

A Celebration of Family is slated from 5 to 7 p.m. May 15 at Tivoli Village, 302 S. Rampart Blvd. Family-friendly entertainment, including a balloon artist, a stilt walker and a princess, is planned. Kidville’s Rockin’ Railroad plan to perform a short concert, and complimentary treats, such as popcorn and cotton candy, will be offered. Visit tivolivillagelv.com.

Teens 13 or older are invited to compare Diana Wynne Jones’ book to Hayao Miyazaki’s film during The Movie or the Book: “Howl’s Moving Castle” scheduled from 3 to 5 p.m. May 19 at the Summerlin Library, 1771 Inner Circle Drive.

A classic car show is planned from 5 to 9 p.m. May 18 at Tivoli Village, 302 S. Rampart Blvd. The Mustang & Classic Ford Club of Las Vegas plans to display a variety of makes and models while the Lucky Cheats, a rockabilly group, provides live entertainment. Admission is free. Visit tivolivillagelv.com.

“Rock Around The Clock” with Bill Haley Jr. & The Comets is planned for 7:30 p.m. May 19-20 at the Suncoast Showroom, 9090 Alta Drive. Tickets are available from $15.95. Call 636-7075 or visit suncoastcasino.com.

Rich Rizzo and the Las Vegas Follies plan to present “Vintage Vegas” at 2 p.m. May 20 at the Starbright Theatre, 2215 Thomas W. Ryan Blvd. Tickets are $15 for Sun City Summerlin residents and $17 for nonresidents. Call 240-1301 or 800-595-4849.

The exhibit “Fine Art Photography of the Great Southwest,” featuring photos by Kent A. Fevre, is slated to run May 22 through Aug. 5 at the Summerlin Library art gallery, 1771 Inner Circle Drive. An artist reception is scheduled from 5 to 6:30 p.m. May 22. Call 507-3860.

The Beach Boys plan to perform at 8 p.m. May 27 at Red Rock Resort, 11011 W. Charleston Blvd. Tickets are $29, $39, $49, $59, $79 and $125. Visit stationcasinos.com, ticketmaster.com or livenation.com.

Super Summer Theatre plans to begin its 2012 season with performances of “A Grand Night for Singing”at 7 p.m. May 18 and 19 at Spring Mountain Ranch State Park, 10 miles west of the Las Vegas Beltway on state Route 159. Parking opens at 5 p.m. and meadow seating opens at 6 p.m. Guests are encouraged to bring a blanket or rent a chair in general-admission grass seating. Advance tickets are $8 at showtix4u.com. A limited number of tickets may be available at the gate for $10. Visit supersummertheatre.org.