Things to do in Southwest/Spring Valley April 24-May 1

In Your Neighborhood

A Wine & Design event is planned from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday at Mountain's Edge Information Center, 9275 S. Buffalo Drive. Nancy Conway and Layne Whitman from La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries are set to give a 7 Layers of Design seminar. The event is free and open to Mountain's Edge residents. RSVP at tinyurl.com/edgewine.

"Oleanna," one of David Mamet's most controversial plays, is set to run at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday in the LVLT Studio Theatre at the Las Vegas Little Theatre, 3920 Schiff Drive. Tickets start at $11. Visit lvlt.org.

An exhibit of traditional Chinese water color paintings by Gary Wu, a master in the Chinese brush technique, is set to run today through July 10 at the Spring Valley Library, 4280 S. Jones Blvd. Visit lvccld.org or call 507-3820.

Comedian Dennis Miller is set to perform at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at The Orleans, 4500 W. Tropicana Ave. Tickets are $49.95. Call 365-7075 or visit orleanscasino.com.

Country group the Eli Young Band is set to perform at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Veil Pavilion at the Silverton, 3333 Blue Diamond Road. Tickets start at $25. Visit silvertoncasino.com.

Worth a Drive

The Rainbow Company Youth Theater plans to present "Sleeping Beauty" at the Charleston Heights Arts Center, 800 S. Brush St. Showtimes are slated for 7 p.m. Friday, Saturday, May 4 and 5, and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 5 and 6. Tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for teens, seniors and military personnel and $3 for children 12 or younger. Call 229-6553 or 229-6383, or visit artslasvegas.org.

The Jenny Valdez Gallery inside The Arts Factory, 107 E. Charleston Blvd., plans to host a free ArtisTea Garden Party from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, featuring treats and tea cup and flower works from local artists. Visit jennyvaldez.com.

The Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, 888 W. Bonneville Ave., plans to host An Evening of Hope benefiting Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation of Nevada from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday. Tickets are $175. Call Alicia Avance at 737-1919 or visit candlelightersnv.org.

The YMCA of Southern Nevada plans to host Healthy Kids Day from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday with a free community event for kids and families at all YMCA locations: Durango Hills Community Center YMCA, 3521 N. Durango Drive; Bill & Lillie Heinrich YMCA, 4141 Meadows Lane; Centennial Hills Community Center YMCA, 6601 N. Buffalo Drive; and SkyView YMCA, 3050 E. Centennial Parkway in North Las Vegas. Families can enjoy interactive games, face painting, entertainment, wellness screenings, a vendor fair, demonstrations and more. Activities vary by location. To celebrate the day, the YMCA will waive its joining fee and include a free program for any family or individual who joins during the event. Visit lasvegasymca.org.

The University of Nevada Cooperative Extension plans to host a dinner and auction benefiting the Chefs for Kids program at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Paris Las Vegas, 3655 Las Vegas Blvd. South. Tickets are $175 per person or $1,600 for a table of 10. Call 257-5548 or visit chefsforkids.org.

Kelly Clinton plans to perform "Freckled For Life" at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Suncoast Showroom, 9090 Alta Drive. Tickets start at $15.95, plus tax and fees, and can be purchased by calling 636-7075 or visiting suncoastcasino.com.

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas Conservatory Theatre plans to present "A Funny Thing That Happened on the Way to the Forum," a play directed and choreographed by Rick and Tammy Pessagno, at at 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and at 2 p.m. Sundays Friday through May 6 at the Judy Bayley Theatre, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway. Tickets are $20 to $30. Call 895-2787 or visit pac.unlv.edu.

Signature Productions plans to present the musical comedy "Hairspray" through Saturday at the Summerlin Library and Performing Arts Center, 1771 Inner Circle Drive. Visit signatureproductions.net.

The Gilcrease Nature Sanctuary Spring Fling Arts & Crafts Festival is planned for 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at 8103 Racel St. A picnic area and children's activities are planned. For more information, call Barbara Price at 505-5127 or email gilcreasenaturesanctuary@yahoo.com.

"A Voyage Round My Father" is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday in the BackStage Theatre on the College of Southern Nevada's Cheyenne campus, 3200 E. Cheyenne Ave. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors. Call 651-5483 or visit csn.edu/pac.

The Las Vegas Gamble-Aires barbershop chorus is scheduled to perform from 2 to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Winchester Cultural Center, 3130 S. McLeod Drive. The vaudeville-style show titled "Back in the Old Routine" is set to feature songs such as "Everything Old is New Again," "I Only Have Eyes For You," "Ain't Misbehavin' " and "That's an Irish Lullaby." Tickets are $10. Visit clarkcountynv.gov or call 455-7340.

Upcoming shows scheduled at the Smith Center for the Performing Arts, 361 Symphony Park Ave., include Yo-Yo Ma with Kathryn Stott and the Assad Brothers on today, Paco de Lucia on Wednesday, David Sedaris on Thursday, Jazz Roots: A Larry Rosen Jazz Series on Friday, Spectrum in a tribute to Motown and R&B music on Saturday, the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields with Joshua Bell on Saturday and Celtic Woman on Sunday. Call 982-7805 or visit thesmithcenter.com.

The Jewish Community Center of Southern Nevada plans to celebrate Israel Independence Day from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Sands Expo and Convention Center, 201 Sands Ave. A variety of family-fun activities and entertainment are planned throughout the afternoon, including magician Seth Grabel, a scavenger hunt and Israeli rock group The Peatot Band. The Camp K'helah Amusement Park will offer balloon art and face painting, a shopping experience, dancing and story time. Also planned are youth choir performances, Israel Connection, Hisardut and a Tel Aviv kosher food promenade. Admission is free and open to all. Visit jccsn.org or call 794-0090.

The Las Vegas Area Council Boy Scouts of America invites the community to learn about scouting during the 2012 Mega Scout Expo scheduled for this weekend at Floyd Lamb Park at Tule Springs, 9200 Tule Springs Road. The Scouts plan to camp out Friday night and then welcome visitors to a free community fair, with exhibits and fun from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. A climbing wall, archery, games and more are planned for all ages. Call 736-4366.

Plan ahead

The annual Clark County Strut Your Mutt canine competition is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 5 at Desert Breeze Park, 8275 Spring Mountain Road. Admission is $2, though the fee is waived if a pet product is donated. Entry for contests is $2. Call 455-8200 or visit strutyourmuttlv.com.

The sixth Country in the Park outdoor concert and festival is scheduled from 2 to 7:30 p.m. May 12 at Exploration 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.

Comedian Bill Maher is set to bring his trademark humor back at 8 p.m. May 5 and 6 to The Orleans, 4500 W. Tropicana Ave. Tickets start at $54.95. Call 365-7075 or visit orleanscasino.com.

Indie/rock duo Middle Class Rut plans to bring its two-piece band from Sacramento to the Silverton, 3333 Blue Diamond Road, at 7 p.m. May 5. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 the day of the show. Visit silvertoncasino.com.

Comedian Rob Schneider is set to perform at 8 p.m. May 11 and 12 at The Orleans, 4500 W. Tropicana Ave. Tickets start at $39.95. Call 365-7075 or visit orleanscasino.com.

Impressionist/comedian/singer Jeff Tracta is set to perform at 7:30 p.m. May 17-20 in The Pearl at the Palms, 4321 W. Flamingo Road. Tickets are $59, $79 and $99, plus any additional service fees. Call 944-3200 or 800-745-3000 or visit ticketmaster.com.

Several comedy acts are planned at Big Al's Comedy Club at The Orleans, 4500 W. Tropicana Ave., in the coming weeks. They include: Kathleen Dunbar and Kevin Downey Jr., Wednesday through Sunday; Robert Duchaine and Jill Bryan, May 2-6; Tim O'Rourke and Lang Parker, May 9-13; Quinn Dahle and Brandt Tobler, May 16-20, and Tanya Lee Davis and Jason Harris, May 23-27. Call 365-7075 or visit orleanscasino.com.

n Ballet Folklorico Xyachimal is set to celebrate Cinco de Mayo with a re-creation of the Battle of Puebla in dance at 6 p.m. May 5 at the Winchester Cultural Center, 3130 S. McLeod Drive. The show, titled "Puebla Linda," is set to re-create the battle where Mexican forces defeated the French in a battle still celebrated every Cinco de Mayo. The performance is also set to feature folkloric dance from the Mexican states of Puebla, Nayarit, Michoacán, Yucatán, Sinaloa, Chiapas and Jalisco. Tickets are $6. Visit clarkcountynv.gov.