Women percussionists to perform at Lied Center

Women throughout West Africa traditionally have been forbidden from playing the djembe drum, which occupies a central position in African society.

But in Amazones: The Women Master Drummers of Guinea, a program coming to the Lied Center at 7:30 p.m. Friday, women percussionists, pictured above, will take center stage with the men of West Africa’s famed Les Percussions de Guinee.

Tickets range in price from $11.50 to $28 and can be purchased by calling 864-2787.

Sports

City rivals to meet in Class 6A district

Lawrence High School will play host to Free State High School at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Haskell Stadium in a Class 6A district and Sunflower League football contest. Lawrence High won last year’s city showdown, 21-6.

Kansas University

‘Super Size Me’ director will speak today

The writer and star of the documentary “Super Size Me” will speak today at Kansas University.

Morgan Spurlock will discuss his experiences taking on McDonald’s following a screening of the film at 7 p.m. in Woodruff Auditorium in the Kansas Union.

Tickets cost $10 with a KU ID and $15 for the general public. They are available from the SUA box office in the Kansas Union, by calling 864-7469 or visiting www.suaevents.com.

Conferences

Lawrence public schools closed Thursday, Friday

The first nine weeks of school are done and that means two things — parent-teacher conferences and no school.

Lawrence public school students in kindergarten through sixth grade will have no school Thursday. No students will be in school Friday.

Eucation

Rep. Ballard to speak at leadership symposium

Kansas University’s 19th annual Black Leadership Symposium will be Thursday.

The theme of the event, at the Kansas Union, is “Brown v. Board of Education: Our Past Opening Doors to Our Future.” The keynote speaker will be state Rep. Barbara Ballard, who is also associate director for civic programming and public outreach at the Dole Institute of Politics.

To register, call 864-5823 or visit www.kuce.org/programs/bls.