Pioneer life subject of museum program

Children can learn about the hardships of pioneer life and what motivated early travelers to hit the dusty trail during a Watkins Community Museum of History workshop Saturday.

The program is open to children ages 8 to 10. It runs from 10 a.m. to noon and includes a trail mix snack.

Activities will include locating routes on maps and discussing what to pack into a small wagon for a long journey. Children will have an opportunity to make their own covered wagons and a nature print of some plants the pioneers would have encountered on the trail.

Allison Miller, museum educator, will teach the workshop.

Call 841-4109 to register. A $5 donation is suggested.

Lawrence couple’s son wins strings contest

Eric Nowlin, son of Dr. Nancy Nowlin and Stewart Nowlin of Lawrence, won the prestigious Klein International Strings Competition last Saturday in San Francisco.

He played the Bartok Concerto for viola, the Brahms viola sonata and finished with a Bach violin concerto.

Eric Nowlin, 22, began his early studies in Madison, Wis., with Eugene Purdue and Katrin Talbot and continued in high school at the Interlochen Arts Academy. He completed his bachelor’s degree at the Juilliard School and is pursuing his master’s degree studying with Samuel Rhodes, violinist with the Juilliard String Quartet.

Two years ago, Nowlin won first place in the Naftzger competition in Wichita, and last year he was first in the Hellam competition in Springfield, Mo. In April, he was chosen to perform in Japan. He will attend the Marlboro Music Festival this summer.

Workshop emphasizes writing’s healing power

“Write Where You Are,” a four-week writing intensive facilitated by Lawrence writer Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg will take place from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays, July 6-27 at Southwind Health Collective, 941 Ky.

The workshop focuses on writing as a spiritual and healing practice and brings participants many opportunities to discover themselves and the world through writing stories, poems, essays and more about memories, experiences, perceptions and dreams. A fee includes all sessions and handouts.

Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg is author of three books, including “Write Where You Are: How to Use Writing to Make Sense of Your Life” and a collection of poetry, and her writing is published in more than 60 literary journals and anthologies.

For more information, please contact Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg at 843-0253, carynken@mindspring.com, or visit her Web site, www.writewhereyouare.org.

Arts center to offer African drum sessions

Julie Dosso, a West African music and dance instructor from Denton, Texas, will teach Lawrence youth and adults the heritage of West African music and dance during workshops this week at the Lawrence Arts Center, 940 N.H.

During the “Ba Deman: West African Drum and Dance Workshops,” students will learn the fundamental techniques of executing polyrhythmic music and dance using traditional percussion instruments such as the djembe, djun-djun and shekere.

Workshops for grades kindergarten through third and fourth through seventh will be Monday through Friday. A one-day workshop for teens and adults will be Saturday.

For more information on dates and cost, contact the Lawrence Arts Center, 843-2787.

HAPA event to feature Bowery Dancers

Baldwin– The Lawrence-based Bowery Dancers will perform Friday and Saturday as the third installment in Heart of America Performing Arts’ inaugural summer season.

The nine-member group will perform more than 15 numbers in a variety of genres, including tap, ballet, modern and comedic.

Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. in Rice Auditorium at Baker University in Baldwin.

In conjunction with the 2003 HAPA Dance Event, a youth acting workshop will be offered from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Friday. The fee is $10. Register by calling (785) 594-9439.

Tickets to the dance event are $7.50 for individuals or $5 for parties of four or more and are available by calling (785) 594-8438.

Naturist group sponsors playwriting contest

A foundation that promotes clothing-free living is sponsoring a playwriting competition that deals with body acceptance issues from a Naturist’s perspective.

The Lake Edun Foundation is searching for the best one-act play on the topic. The contest is open to playwrights nationally. The submission deadline is Sept. 26. Semi-finalists from which the winning entry will be selected will be performed publicly in November. Cash prizes will be awarded to the writers who place in the top three.

The Lake Edun Foundation is a nonprofit, educational foundation whose mission is to educate residents of Kansas and western Missouri about the affect of living a clothing-free lifestyle.

For more information, contact the foundation at (785) 478-2276, www.lakeedun.com or Box 1982, Topeka KS, 66601.

Artist to explain Satchel Paige tribute

Kansas City, Mo. — Internationally known contemporary artist Radcliffe Bailey, of Atlanta, will speak about his mixed-media tribute to baseball great Satchel Paige at 6 p.m. Friday at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 4525 Oak St., Kansas City, Mo.

The free talk is open to the public and sponsored by Ford Free Fridays, made possible by Ford Motor Company.

“Mound Magician,” a baseball diamond- or folding fan-shaped assemblage by Bailey, is on loan to the museum and may be viewed in Gallery 209. The artwork is a patchwork of bright colors, photographic images and text.

It honors Leroy “Satchel” Paige, 1906-1982, the first player from the Negro Leagues to be elected to the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.