As part of a four-day series of performances starting today at Theatre Lawrence, the singers and instrumentalists of Lawrence Opera Theatre will be putting on their first full-scale opera production, Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” at 7:30 p.m. Friday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are 0 for adults and 5 for students.

Walking on sunshine

High of 87. Low of 64. It’s going to be a warm day with plenty of sunshine, more like the August we used to know and less like the August we’ve been having. Get out and enjoy the last joys of summer before school starts!

Opera sampling

Lawrence Opera Theatre and Theatre Lawrence present the opera gala “Mostly Mozart…But Not Really.” You’ll hear music from more than 20 different operas and operettas. Yes, there will be plenty of Mozart, but you will also hear music from The Mikado, Madama Butterfly and LOT’s own 3 Tenors perform the famous aria “La Donna e Mobile” from Verdi’s Rigoletto. You don’t want to miss this amazing evening of singing! The show is at 7:30 p.m. at Theatre Lawrence, 4660 Bauer Farm Drive.

Thoughts on words

Writer Betty Laird and poet Peter Wright join forces to present “A Meeting of Words” at 7 p.m. at The Raven Book Store, 6 E. Seventh St. The readings, which start at 7:30 p.m., focus on Laird’s and Wright’s work, which spans decades of experience.

Yesterday’s most-read

• City asked to cut downtown employees a break on parking; talk of a downtown liquor store versus downtown grocery
• Another professor in tweet controversy
• Viral meningitis in Kansas City-area babies investigated

More Aug. 14 events

Red Dog’s Dog Days workout, 6 a.m., west side of South Park, 12th and Massachusetts streets.

Story Time for Preschoolers, 10-10:30 a.m., Prairie Park Nature Center, 2730 Harper St.

Life After Loss, 10-11 a.m., Visiting Nurses, 200 Maine St., Suite C.

Cottin’s Hardware Farmers’ Market, 4-6:30 p.m., outside store at 1832 Massachusetts St.

Red Dog’s Dog Days workout, 6 p.m., west side of South Park, 12th and Massachusetts streets.

Junkyard Jazz Band, 7 p.m., American Legion, 3408 W. Sixth St.

Free English as a Second Language class, 7-8 p.m., Plymouth Congregational Church, 925 Vermont St.

Affordable community Spanish class, 7-8 p.m., Plymouth Congregational Church, 925 Vermont St.

Lawrence Arts & Crafts group, 7-9 p.m., Merc cafe, 901 Iowa St., free.

Signs of Life Bluegrass Gospel Jam, 7-10 p.m., Signs of Life, 722 Massachusetts St.

Team trivia, 9 p.m., Johnny’s West, 721 Wakarusa Drive.

Thursday Night Karaoke, 9 p.m., Wayne & Larry’s Sports Bar & Grill, 933 Iowa St.