Louie Cruz Beltran at el Pedregal

SCOTTSDALE – Latin jazz artist Louie Cruz Beltran will lead his Brazilian Orchestra in a concert of salsa, Cuban, swing, upbeat jazz and rock under the stars in the el Pedregal Main Stage series on Friday, Nov. 17, 7‑9 p.m. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. For information, call (480) 595‑4663 or visit www.elpedregal.com. For tickets, call (888) 512‑7469.

Time to try out for  ‘High School Musical’

TRAMONTO – Auditions for Starlight Community Theater’s upcoming production of “High School Musical,” the stage adaptation based on the popular 2006 Disney Channel movie, will be held Nov. 15, 18 and 19 at Sunset Ridge Elementary School, 35707 N. 33rd Lane in Tramonto.

Nov. 15 auditions are for lead and feature roles and begin at 1 p.m. for Starlight members. Those auditioning should come prepared to sing specific songs from the show: “When There Was Me and You” (female roles) and “Breaking Free” (male roles). Nov. 18 auditions, at 10 a.m., are for children ages 7‑11 (singing only). Nov. 19 is reserved for call‑backs and appointments beginning at 2 p.m. The show opens Feb. 2, 2007. For further information, call (623) 594‑3832 or visit www.starlightcommunitytheater.org.

Sculpture show to be held Nov. 11

CAREFREE – Al Glann’s solo sculpture show “Those I know,” which features figures and symbolic totems in steel with cut stone, will be held at the Spanish Village Sculpture Garden through April 1.

The opening reception will be held from 2‑4:30 p.m. on Nov. 11 at the Carefree Station Grill & Bar at 7212 Ho Hum Road. For more information, call (480) 607‑3243. 

Jericho grinds acoustic at coffeehouse

TRAMONTO – If you’re walking through Tramonto Market Place at I‑17 and Carefree Highway on Sat. Nov. 11 around 7 p.m. and you hear music, most likely it will be coming from It's A Grind Coffee House which is offering it first free concert in what it hopes will be a successful music series on Friday and Saturday nights. So enjoy a cool, fall, desert evening listening to Jericho, comprised of two Boulder Creek High School students, playing contemporary acoustic guitar and keyboard on the coffeehouse’s outdoor patio at 3170 W. Carefree Highway, Ste. 1, in Phoenix. For information, call (623) 580‑0063.

Singing in the choir

CAVE CREEK – Looking for a way to celebrate Christmas with your community? How about singing with the Cave Creek Christmas Pageant Choir. Rehearsals will be Nov. 13, 20, 27 and Dec. 4 at Christ The Lord Lutheran Church in Carefree, with a dress rehearsal Dec. 8 at the amphitheater at Spur Cross where the concert will be held on Dec. 9 and 10. It’s a chance to sing the carols you know so well, plus some that may be new to you. For information, call (480) 488‑0795.

Luminaria Run bag party rescheduled

CAVE CREEK – The bag folding party for the 4th Annual Desert Advocate Luminaria Run originally planned for Nov. 4 has been rescheduled for Sunday, Nov. 19, from 2‑4 p.m. in the cafeteria of Black Mountain Elementary School, 33606 N. 60th St. (south of Carefree Highway) in Cave Creek. The event was postponed due to the unexpectedly late arrival of the luminaria bags. E‑mail mbr@luminariarun.com or call (602) 769‑0848 to R.S.V.P. Further information is available at www.luminariarun .com. Everyone is welcome to participate. Bags will be available for pickup to fold at home beginning Monday, Nov. 13, in the school office. The Luminaria Run will take place Saturday, Dec. 9.

Gingerbread habitats at Epicurean Palette

CAVE CREEK – Gear up for the holiday season this year and do your part for a good cause at the same time by attending the “Raising the Gingerbread Roof” benefit auction for Habitat for Humanity on Saturday, Nov. 18, at 6 p.m. at the Epicurean Palette in Cave Creek. Gingerbread houses decorated by local restaurants will be auctioned off in a live auction. A silent auction, food, wine, and caroling by ProMusica Arizona Chorale promise to make this quite a night. The event is sponsored by The Epicurean Palette, The Desert Advocate and Food & Wine magazine.

The Epicurean Palette, at 6137 E. Cave Creek Rd., is also offering all‑day gingerbread decorating classes Tuesday and Wednesday (Nov. 14 and 15) and a team‑decorating event on Friday evening (Nov. 17) at The Epicurean Palette. For further information, call (480) 488‑4955 or visit www.epicureanpalette.net

Art exhibition features Kiwanis scholarship recipients

CAVE CREEK – Cactus Shadows Fine Arts Center is currently presenting an art exhibit in its lobby gallery of work by winners of the Carefree Kiwanis Art Enrichment Scholarship’s juried competition in April. Cactus Shadows High School students Callie Adair, Kendra Flesner, Graham Haak, Kyle Hobratschk, Maggie Jacobson and Sara Koth have their work displayed and receive tuition to the prestigious Scottsdale Artists’ School or classes with an equally qualified mentor of their choice. The exhibition is the outcome of their focused studies over the summer.

The exhibition runs through Nov. 30. Admission is free and the gallery is open Mon.‑Fri., 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at 33606 N. 60th St. in Cave Creek. For information on the Kiwanis Art Enrichment Scholarship, contact the Kiwanis Club of Carefree at (480) 488‑8400.

Bonjour Beaujolais!

SCOTTSDALE – The Troon North Golf Club is holding a Beaujolais Wine Dinner on Thursday, Nov. 16. The reception begins at 6 p.m. followed by a five‑course dinner of the finest French cuisine and, of course, the Beaujolais. Reservations are required and space is limited. For information and reservations, call (480) 585 5300.

Gnosis gets grant for Guerrero

CAVE CREEK – Gnosis Ltd., a nonprofit organization in Cave Creek dedicated to preserving and presenting the significant contributions of individuals who have changed the world, has just received a $3,025 grant from the Arizona Humanities Council to allow its president and executive director Suzanne Johnson to continue work on the post production phase of her documentary film on Mexican American photographer Pedro Guerrero.

Her previous film, “beadlearchitecture,” an examination of the work of influential architect Al Beadle, was broadcast on PBS in 2000. Many examples of Beadle’s buildings and homes can be seen around the Valley. Her new film, “Pedro E. Guerrero: Portrait of an Image Maker,” looks at the photographer’s life and art as the chief visual interpreter for the works of Frank Lloyd Wright and Alexander Calder. Visit www.gnosisltd.org for more information.

‘The Last Five Years’

VALLEY – Tony Award winning composer Jason Robert Brown’s contemporary musical, “The Last Five Years,” about the intimate story of a marriage unraveling comes to the North Valley Playhouse Nov. 16 through Dec. 2.

This contemporary musical chronicles a young couple’s marriage in a fresh perspective: her story starts at the end of their relationship and moves to its start; his begins on the day they met and concludes at its end.

The North Valley Playhouse, 13043 N. Cave Creek Rd, Phoenix, in the Pollack Tower Center. Curtain times are Thursday‑Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 (evening) and $12 (matinee) at www.nvplayhouse.com and (602) 765‑1581.

Wild West Days offers cowpokes plenty

CAVE CREEK – Wild West Days is coming to Cave Creek and Carefree again this year Nov. 11‑12. Sample Dutch oven cooking at Big Bronco. Hear Bob Boze Bell debunk some myths about the O.K. Corral at True West magazine. Enjoy the western music and gourmet foods of the Cave Creek Coffee Company. Or get in the winning bid in the silent auction sponsored by Cowboy Legacy Gallery to benefit The Luv Shack horse rescue, and take home a custom, full‑size horse painted by Kim Powers. These are just a few activities of many that pack the fun into Wild West Days. For directions and more information, go to www.twmag.com.

Museum auctions Navajo rugs

VALLEY – Pueblo Grande Museum will host its First Annual Navajo Rug Auction Nov. 18 at 4619 E. Washington St. in Phoenix. The event will begin with a preview of approximately 300 rugs and a lecture on Navajo rugs on Friday, Nov. 17, at 7 p.m. The auction, which will be called by auctioneers Bruce Burnham and Hank Blair, starts at noon on Saturday, with a preview at 10 a.m. Proceeds benefit the Museum. Admission is free. Wine and cheese will be available on Friday night and fry bread on Saturday. For more information, call (602) 495‑0901.

Shopping Spanish at the Heard

VALLEY – Strolling mariachis and artwork by nearly 70 Hispanic artists from Arizona and New Mexico highlight Heard Museum’s Spanish Market Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 11 and 12, from10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Chat with artists as they sell a range of distinctive and unique artwork in every price range. This festive, casual and friendly annual marketplace offers buyers a wide selection of objects from different Hispanic traditions including santos, pottery, colcha embroidery, furniture making, painting, printmaking and silver and tin work. Admission is free. The Heard Museum is located at 2301 N. Central Ave. in Phoenix. For information call (602) 251‑0218 or visit www.heard.org.