photo by: Contributed Photo

The Mary Conn Jazz Trio performs at S&S Artisan Pub and Coffeehouse. From left: Mary Conn, Tim O'Brien and Steven Bergdall.

This Valentine’s Day, listeners can take in four decades worth of lovey-dovey tunes during “An Evening of Love Songs” at S&S Artisan Pub & Coffeehouse.

The Mary Conn Jazz Trio — Mary Conn (vocals), Tim O’Brien (upright bass) and Steven Bergdall (keyboard) — will perform songs such as “Scotch and Soda,” “Moondance” and “Cheek to Cheek” this Friday from 8 to 10 p.m. at S&S, 2228 Iowa St.

Conn said the group decided to “bite the bullet” and mostly pick gushy love songs, with the exception being the semi-cautionary “Detour Ahead.” But she also said she hopes there’s something for everyone, whether you’re there with a special someone or a group of galentines. The set list includes classic songs from the ’30s all the way to the ’70s.

This is the first Valentine’s Day that the pub has been open, and S&S manager Adam Withers said he expects a good crowd for the jazz musicians, who have performed there a few times before. The pub will also be offering specialty drinks themed as love “antidotes” and “potions,” he said.

There is no cover charge for the show.

Science Sunday

Smash flowers, experiment with molecular building blocks and make slime this Sunday at a science event at Cottin’s Hardware & Rental.

When children see a vat of boiling, clear liquid, they expect it to be hot, University of Kansas student Eleanor Stewart-Jones said. She is president of the KU Chemistry Club, the group that will facilitate the science experiments. It’s not water in the pot, however, it’s liquid nitrogen, which has a temperature of about negative 320 degrees. When the flowers come into contact with the liquid nitrogen, they freeze — and then can be smashed before spectators’ eyes.

“(The experiment) deconstructs kids’ views about what boiling and temperature mean,” said Stewart-Jones, a senior chemistry major from Mission. “It’s also just fun to smash flowers.”

photo by: Contributed Photo

At the 2019 Science Sunday event, Cottin’s Hardware and Rental store customers engaged in science experiments with students from the University of Kansas Chemistry Club.

Linda Cottin, owner of the hardware store, said this is the fourth year in a row the store has hosted the science event. She said “science and hardware (are) two things that go hand in hand together.”

Stewart-Jones and Cottin said the event is as much for adults as it is for children.

“The kids initially come over or the parents corral the kids over,” Stewart-Jones said. “But the parents end up being really amazed by what they are seeing.”

Science Sunday is from 1 to 4 p.m. at Cottin’s Hardware & Rental, 1832 Massachusetts St.

Black Community Jam and Potluck

The Black Literature & Arts Collective of Kansas, or BLACK Lawrence, will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the death of Rick “Tiger” Dowdell during a community jam and potluck on Sunday.

Dowdell was a black KU student killed by a Lawrence police officer on July 16, 1970, during an era marked by violence and racial tensions.

Ron Washington, chairman of the Black Students Union at the University of Kansas, left, addresses a strike rally on campus in this file photo from December 1970, as an unidentified youth displays a sign in memory of Rick “Tiger” Dowdell. Dowdell was fatally shot while fleeing police on July 16, 1970.

Alex Kimball Williams, one of the speakers at the event, said Dowdell will be commemorated this Sunday through speeches. The jam session, featuring BLACK Lawrence poets and musicians, may also be dedicated to Dowdell, she said. Speakers will also discuss local black history before and after Dowdell’s death.

The event is an active observance of Black History Month, Kimball Williams said.

“The government doesn’t merely name a time period (i.e. Black History Month, Native American Heritage Month) without it meaning that corresponding component of actively engaging in the topic or person the time period is named for,” she wrote in a message to the Journal-World.

She said she hopes the event will build awareness for the community and provide a space for black residents to make their voices heard.

The event, scheduled for 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday, is free and open to the public. It is a potluck event, so bringing food is encouraged. It will be hosted at Sunrise Project, 1501 Learnard Ave.