Here are a selection of brief news items pertaining to arts, entertainment, culture and other fun things to do in your spare time:

Comedian Kelly Taylor to perform at UW-L

Hockey player turned comedian Kelly Taylor will perform at UW-La Crosse at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6, in the Cellar in Cartwright Center. Admission is free.

Taylor hit the comedy scene three years ago when he gave up his mediocre career in hockey for his dream of stand-up comedy. He placed second in the Just for Laughs Homegrown competition. He recently made his New York City debut at local stand-up hot spots, and has opened for comedians such as Blake Clark, Eddie Brill and Rich Hall.

Student photography featured at UW-L

UW-La Crosse advanced photography students are showing their work in conjunction with a University Art Gallery exhibition featuring the artwork of New York artist Gabe Brown.

Photos by 21 students are featured in the Study Gallery, located adjacent to the main gallery. The photographic images selected give an overview of the diverse talent among the current students, said art department faculty member Ben Stern.

The main exhibit, “Dreaming But Not Sleeping: Paintings and Works on Paper,” features oil paintings and other paper works by Brown who lives and paints in the Hudson River Valley of New York.

Both exhibits run in the University Art Gallery, on the first floor of the Center for the Arts, through Nov. 15. Regular gallery hours are noon to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, noon to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday and during events in Toland Theatre. Exhibits are free.

Latin American expert to speak at VU

Latin American expert Ramon Daubon, a Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow who is spending a week at Viterbo University, will discuss “Globalization and the Collapse of the Washington Consensus” on Tuesday, Nov. 11, at 7 p.m in the Fine Arts Center Recital Hall on campus.

“Daubon is one of the top experts on issues related to aid in Latin America,” said Jesús Jambrina, assistant professor of world languages at Viterbo University.

Daubon is the president of the Esquel Group in Washington, D.C., and an associate at the Charles Kettering Foundation.

A native of Puerto Rico, Daubon has published extensively on topics about Latin America and the Caribbean and the connection of economic and social development with democracy and the culture of civic engagement.

Earthbound plans Halloween CD party

Earthbound, an acoustic music trio featuring Holmen High School teacher Don D. Harvey, will hold a CD release party starting at 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31, at the Train Station BBQ, 601 St. Andrew St., La Crosse.

The trio is marking the release of its new 10-song CD, “Back to Normal,” with Harvey writing all the songs. In addition to Harvey, who sings and plays guitar and harmonica, Earthbound also includes bassist/vocalist Rick Brown and Art Hoffman, who sings and plays mandolin, guitar, banjo, bass and keyboards.

The CD release party will feature prizes, food, a costume contest and special guest artists.

Spooky radio show tickets now on sale

Tickets for the La Crosse Community Theatre live radio broadcast of “The Dunwich Horror” are now on sale. The production will air live at the WIZM 1410 studio at 8 p.m. on Halloween, Oct. 31. The studio is at 201 State St. in La Crosse.

Dunwich is the home of the strange Whateley family. Their conjuring and tampering with the laws of nature unleashes an unspeakable abomination upon the world. Only the brave men from Miskatonic University have a chance of saving the world from the Dunwich Horror.

Set specifically to air on Halloween, this is a tale of mysterious creatures, magic spells and other worlds. This radio adaptation of “The Dunwich Horror” brings H.P. Lovecraft’s tale of suspense to life in the style of “The War of the Worlds.”

Tickets are $7. For tickets, call the La Crosse Community Theatre box office at 784-9292 or stop in at 118 Fifth Ave. N. Box office hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and one hour before curtain time during performances.

Tickets also will be available at the radio studio door. Those in costume receive $1 off.

UW-L theater events feature student work

The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Department of Theatre Arts will showcase the talents of theater students in a variety of upcoming productions.

In November and early December, UW-L will present a staged reading of a student’s original script, an acting recital, an illusionist show and a night of scenes. All performances are free and open to the public. Tickets are not required, but seating is limited and is on a first-come basis for each event.

Ashley Lanphear will give her senior acting recital Nov. 7 at 6 p.m. in the Frederick Theatre. Seen in recent UW-L productions including “A Christmas Carol,” “As You Like It,” “bobrauschenbergamerica,” “Arabian Nights” and “The Diary of Anne Frank,” Lanphear’s performance, “Runnin’ Down a Dream,” will feature a wide selection of scenes and monologues highlighting a variety themes and stories.

John Staats is Robert Ruse, an illusionist performer who unlocks the mind and the imagination. “Might of Thought” features mind reading and mind control feats that are sure to leave the audience questioning the possibility of psychic ability and the supernatural. Mentalist Robert Ruse performs in the Frederick Theatre at 6 p.m. Nov. 14.

UW-La Crosse directing students will present their semester scene projects over the course of three performances in early December. Directing scenes will take place Sunday, Dec. 7, at 6:30 p.m.; Monday, Dec. 15, at 7 p.m.; and Tuesday, Dec. 16, at 10 a.m. The student directed and performed scenes will cover a variety of genres and motifs and scene selection will vary from performance to performance. All performances will be held in the Frederick Theatre.

Workshop looks at simpler holidays

The Southeast Minnesota chapter of the Holistic Moms Network will host a workshop on how to simplify the holidays and create an enjoyable celebration that reflects each participant’s values. It will take place on Nov. 13 at 6:30 p.m. at the Houston Nature Center, 215 W. Plum St. in Houston, Minn.

The workshop is based upon the New American Dream Web site brochure “Simplify the Holidays,” which can be found on www.newdream.org. As the brochure points out, “Too often, the holidays seem to exhaust rather than uplift us.”

Instead, the Holistic Moms Network’s workshop aims to help attendees “create holidays that instill more meaning into the season and encourage more sharing, laughter and personal renewal.”

The workshop will also present alternative gift ideas such as home-baked goods, tickets to an event or exhibit or even personal certificates for time with the children in your

The workshop is free, but an RVSP is required to reserve a seat. For more information or to reserve your space, contact Tricia Runningen at (507) 896-4752 or mtrunningen@acegroup.cc.

Holmen haunted house back for year two

The Holmen Area Fire Department’s Haunted House at Halfway Creek is back for it’s second year for a weekend of scares.

The house, which is behind the fire station at 710 S. Main St. in Holmen, will be open for two scary sessions — from 8 to 11 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31, and from 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1. A less scary session for kids and squeamish adults will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. Nov. 1.

Admission is $3 or $1 and a nonperishable food item. The youth session is $5 per family or $3 with a nonperishable food item. Proceeds will benefit the Ladies of Fire (the fire department auxiliary) and the Oak Grove Family Learning Center Food Pantry.

UW-L gallery features paintings, paper

Oil paintings and works on paper will be featured in an upcoming exhibit at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

“Dreaming But Not Sleeping: Paintings and Works on Paper” will feature the artwork of New York artist Gabe Brown. The exhibit opens with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24, in the University Art Gallery on the first floor of the Center for the Arts.

Also, Brown will give a lecture at 4 p.m. in 116 Center for the Arts. The exhibit, lecture and reception are free and open to the public.

During the exhibit, the adjacent Study Gallery will feature student photography.

The exhibit runs through Nov. 15. Regular gallery hours are noon-8 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, noon-5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and during events in Toland Theatre. Exhibits are free.

Women sought for ‘just for fun’ volleyball

Holmen area women age 30 and older are sought for a free “just for fun” women’s recreational volleyball program.

Games will be played from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays when school is in session at Viking Elementary, 500 E. Wall St. in Holmen.

For more information, call Sally at 788-3047.

Norskedalen plans lefse-making class

Norskedalen Nature and Heritage Center will host a Norwegian lefse making class and meatball dinner from 9 a.m. to noon Thursday, Nov. 6.

Cost is $30 per person, including meatball dinner

For more information on the class or to register, call Norskedalen at (608) 452-3424 or log onto www.norskedalen.org.

Scrapbooking event to benefit CMN

The 24-hour Crop ‘til You Drop Scrapbooking Marathon, a benefit for the Children’s Miracle Netwwork, will be held starting at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov 7, at the Days Inn Hotel on French Island.

Cost is $50 per person, which includes 24 hours of scrapbooking, a table, three meals, beverages and scrapbooking classes by American Scrapbook Co., Creative Memories and Stampin’ Up. A 15 percent VIP stock-up discount from American Scrapbook is also being offered to all participants.

In addition, a block of rooms is available at the Days Inn at a rate of $69 per room. Call the Days Inn at 783-1000 for reservations. For more information on this event, contact Jill Sweetman at 775-3438.