Wayne County Community College District Downriver campus has announced a diverse schedule of programs for fall and winter, beginning with the celebration of the music of The Carpenters in “Superstar” on Sept. 29 at the Heinz C. Prechter Performing Arts Center, 21000 Northline Road in Taylor.
The performance, which begins at 8 p.m., will feature Helen Welch, internationally known singer, songwriter, actress, producer and band leader. A Grammy nominee, Welsh has had starring roles in “Hello Dolly,” “42nd Street,” “Oliver Twist,” Show Boat” and “Carousel.”
Tickets, $25, are available through the college box office at 734-374-3200, or online at https://carpenters.bpt.me.
On Oct. 4, at 7 p.m., poet M.L. Liebler and musicians Eddie Baranek, Charles Palazzola, Max Beardsley and LouDLou, will take the stage in “Beatles Forever,” a short story about Growing up in St. Clair Shores with the Beatles.
The program will feature songs and sing-alongs with Beatles music, along with memories and a film. There is no charge for the program, and refreshments will be served.
A musical tribute to John Denver, starring Ted Vigil, will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 20. Vigil has performed to sellout crowds through at the United States. Audiences say they can’t believe how much Vigil looks and sounds like John Denver. Tickets, $25, are available by calling the Performing Arts box office or going to https://countryboy.bpt.me.
“Halloween Family Fun Day” is on the agenda from noon to 4 p.m. on Oct. 27. Plans for the eighth annual event include “A Honey Pot of Pooh Stories” by the Wild Swan Theatre, face painting, workshops, trick-or-treating and an onstage costume parade.
For free tickets, call the box office or reserve them online at https://poohstories,bpt.me.
Lucas Bohn’s “Lesson Plans to Late Night,” a one-man show at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 10 is a stand-up- comedy and visual-image performance about Lucas’ transition from elementary schoolteacher to national touring comedian. For tickets, $15, call the box office or reserve them online at http://lesson.bpt.me/.
The final program in the series is a holiday gift, “Sounds of the Season,” a concert by the Michigan Philharmonic at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 8. There is no cost for the performance, sponsored by the WCCCD School of Continuing Education and Workforce Development, but tickets are required. They are available by calling the box office or reserving online at https://gift.bpt.me.
Museum sets new display
Plans are under way by the Lincoln Park Historical Museum for a new permanent exhibit in November featuring the late Lincoln Park-reared actor Lyn Osborn.
The exhibit will include items highlighting Osborn’s Hollywood career during most of the 1950s. Known as Buddy by his classmate at Lincoln Park High School, he played the flute, clarinet and piccolo in the high school band and performed in the school’s productions.
He had a fascination for space travel and was offered a co-starring role in a new science-fiction-adventure television show called “Space Patrol.” Osborn appeared in the series as Cadet Happy. The actor died in 1958 at the age of 32 after brain surgery.
Coming up . . .
Oct. 5 — Fall Festival of the Arts, the largest fall show Downriver; at the James R. DeSana Center for Arts & Culture, 81 Chestnut, Wyandotte; more than $1,000 in prizes will be awarded to the top artists in various categories; for more information, call Maureen Keast at 734-777-6109.
Oct. 11 — The Information Center Gala/Fundraiser, at Crystal Gardens Banquet Center, 16703 Fort St., Southgate; for tickets, $100 ($125 after Oct. 1), call 734-282-7171 or email LoriS@the infocenter.org.
Oct. 16-21 — Musical, “Chicago,” at The Fisher Theatre; the story of Roxie Hart, a housewife and nightclub dancer who murders her lover, and to avoid conviction hires Chicago’s slickest criminal lawyer, resulting in a barrage of sensational headlines; tickets, starting at $30 (including parking), are available online at www.broadwayindetroit.com or www.ticketmaster.com, and by phone at 800-982-2787.