In a scene from “Sylvia,” the first production of the newly formed Open Book Theatre, Krista Schafer Ewbank (third from left), portraying the dog Sylvia, enthusiastically greets Phyllis (Melissa Beckwith, second from left), who is not happy about the meeting while Kate (Jan Cartwright, left) and Greg (Sean Paraventi) try to stop her. The play is a comedy about how adopting a dog affects the life of a married couple. It will be staged at 8 p.m. Sept. 26 and 27 and Oct. 2, 3 and 4, and at 2 p.m. Sept. 28 at 12219 Dix Toledo, Southgate, behind Penelope’s Venue. Tickets, $20 ($15, students) and additional information are available online at www.openbooktc.com and Penelope’s Venue. Ewbank is founder of Open Book, a professional theater company.
By EVELYN CAIRNS
The Guidance Center, based in Southgate, will host Grape Expectations for Kids, a wine tasting and dinner, Oct. 2 for the benefit of its Kids-TALK Children’s Advocacy Center.
The fundraiser is scheduled for 6 to 9 p.m. at the Colony Club, 2310 Park Ave., in Detroit.
Tickets, $125, are available online at www.guidance-center.org. The reservations deadline is Thursday. The event will include a silent auction and live entertainment.
Honorary chairs are Nancy Diehl, founder of Kids-TALK; U.S. Rep. John Dingell and Debbie Dingell; and Kari and Roberta Walker.
Committee members are Pat Andrews, Sheila Blair, Vonda Cini, Joan Hennessey, Ann Loftus, Karen Mazo, Tricia Onesian, Melanie Richards, Ronnie Ruelle, Fran Waszkiewicz and Jean Wloszek.
The Kids-TALK Children’s Advocacy Center serves children though 17 years old, providing treatment to suspected child victims of sexual or physical abuse, neglect or other forms of psychological trauma.
Services provided to children and their non-offending family members include forensic interviewing, advocacy, onsite medical evaluations and mental health, outreach and prevention services.
The mission of the Guidance Clinic is to enhance the development of and well-being of children, adults and families. According to a center spokesman, it served more than 25,000 children and adults last year.
Zemke designs to be included
The creations of Riverview fashion designer Cheryl Zemke will be among those featured at the fourth annual Fashion in Detroit extravaganza Sept. 27 at the MotorCity Casino Hotel.
A runway show featuring up-and-coming designers will start at 5:30 p.m., with designs by local and national designers to follow at 7 p.m.
An afterglow with celebrities and fashionistas will begin at 9:30 p.m.
Tickets for the fashion show are $25 to $75; for the afterglow, $20 to $50. They are available by calling Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000 or going to www.ticketmaster.com. They also are available at the MotorCity Casino Hotel box office.
The event, founded by designer Joe Faris of Project Runway, is a non-profit corporation and a charitable endeavor spotlighting metropolitan Detroit fashion and its development.
Cooking demos slated at village
Cooking demonstrations spotlighting traditional American food from farm to table are slated for Sept. 27 and 28 and Oct. 4 and 5 during Fall Flavor Weekends at Greenfield Village.
Visitors will be able to observe the preparation of 19th century dishes at several historic homes. At the Firestone Farm, cooks will make ham, noodles, southern cabbage and Irish potatoes, while at the Susquehanna Plantation, the menu will include crab gumbo, ginger biscuits and cherry pudding.
Local root products will be available for sampling, and visitors will be able observe plowing and threshing and tour apple orchards.
In conjunction with the designation of Oct. 4 as Gleaner Day at The Henry Ford, the Gleaner Life Insurance Society will host a food drive for the Gleaner Community Food Bank.
Those who donate five nonperishable items will receive a coupon for one free admission to the village with the purchase of one admission.
Admission to Fall Flavor Weekends is free with Greenfield Village admission of $24, adults; $22, seniors; and $17.50, youths. Children 4 and younger are admitted free.
Coming up . . .
Through March 29 — Exhibition, “Ordinary People by Extraordinary Artists: Works on Paper by Degas, Renoir and Friends”; no charge for residents of Wayne County.
Through Sept. 26 — Juried photography exhibit; at the James R. DeSana Center for Arts & Culture, 81 Chestnut, Wyandotte.
Sept. 27 — Performance of “Annie” as a fundraiser for the Michigan Humane Society; 7:30 p.m. at the Fisher Theatre; $10 per ticket will be donated to the MHS with the code word FRIEND; for discounted tickets, call 800-982-2787 or go to www.ticketmaster.com or www.broadwayindetroit.com.