It's called Art + Antics but from the description, it sounds like more antics than art. Hosted by the art gallery/performance space Parish Hall Cleveland (6205 Detroit Ave., parishhallcleveland.com) at the urging of a group of Cleveland Institute of Art types, the event, subtitled "A Night of Noise and Novelty," will feature performances by Brooklyn's "post-vaudeville" indie rockers the Lisps and an ensemble of CIA students and alum who've dubbed themselves Double Dutch Will Take You Higher (pictured; their act really does involve jumping rope — very skillfully and in bizarre costumes.). On the participatory side, there's a kissing booth, an art-trade counter, pie-eating and hula-hoop contests, tug-of-war and the always-intriguing "more." It's at 8 p.m.; admission is $5. — Anastasia Pantsios

Friday May 11

Jonathan Cohn

Polls have shown that, after the Iraq war, the main issue Americans would like to see the presidential candidates address is health care or, more specifically, how to pay for it. The New Republic senior editor Jonathan Cohn has authored a pertinent tome titled Sick: The Untold Story of America's Health Care Crisis — And the People Who Pay the Price, which draws on stories he heard from people across the country trying to deal with a health-insurance system that serves well only the healthy and the wealthy. He'll be speaking at noon at the City Club of Cleveland (850 Euclid Ave., 216.621.0082) in a forum co-sponsored by Policy Matters Ohio. It's $18 members, $30 non-members, which includes lunch. Reservations required 24 hours in advance by calling the City Club. — AP

Saturday May 12

Skate for Health

You just don't know how much fun in-line skating is until you've tried it. But if you feel guilty about just having fun, today's Skate for Health Day events focus on the fitness aspect of the sport, which is easier to learn than you might think. Sponsored by Rollerblade, the best-known manufacturer of in-line skates, skating instructors across the country will be offering people a chance to try out the sport and the equipment for free and hopefully get hooked. In Cleveland, the North Coast Skate School will be holding the free lessons from 10 a.m.-noon at the Cleveland Heights Community Center at Monticello and Mayfield roads. To sign up, go to freeskatelesson.com.

— AP

English Tea Party

No royalty will be there except in spirit, but if you've been hankering to see the exhibit Diana, A Celebration at the Western Reserve Historical Society (10825 East Blvd., 216.721.5722) and really want to wallow in the uniquely British quality of it all, the WRHS is holding a catered English Tea Party at 2 p.m. today. With the museum open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., you'll have plenty of opportunity to check out the more than 150 items relating to Princess Di's life, including 28 designer dresses and gowns and her famous, ornate wedding gown; then share your impressions with other Anglophiles over tea. Tickets: $50. The Diana exhibit runs through June 10. — AP

who's your mama? - Give birth by Sunday and get in the zoo free.

Cleveland Fashion Show

It might not rival Fashion Week in New York or Paris or Milan, but Fashion Week Cleveland, which kicked off this past weekend, seems to have taken hold. Tonight, for its gala black-tie finale, local emerging talent, including students from area design and art schools will be in the spotlight as their clothing designs are featured in a fashion show at Eton Chagrin Boulevard (28601 Chagrin Blvd.). A $95 VIP ticket lets you in at 8 p.m. for complimentary drinks and munchies, plus preferred seating; a $45 ticket gives you munchies, a cash bar and admission to the show at 9 p.m. Go to fashionweekcleveland.com for info about this and related events. — AP

treemendous Treehouses

With our collective childhoods haunted by idyllic visions of life in that sprawling Disney castaway estate in Swiss Family Robinson, hearken to a new exhibit at Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens (714 N. Portage Path, Akron): Treemendous Treehouses. It's like Tom Sawyer meets Architectural Digest, with 11 treehouse-inspired designs (gleaned from entries by some 500 Ohio architectural firms and designers) erected along a 1.5 mile walk on the historic Seiberling family estate. Layouts of the treehouses take inspiration from pirate fantasies, Piet Mondrian, natural and organic forms, and even other treehouses. Naturally there are kids' events scattered throughout the run of the exhibition, starting with treasure hunts during this opening weekend, to a closing Halloween party on October 31. All treehouses are for sale, several are wheelchair-accessible, and one will be raffled off to the public as a prize backyard hideaway for some lucky kid (or parent). It's 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m Tuesday through Saturday. For info, call 330.836.5533 or go to stanhywet.org.

— Charles Cassady Jr.

Sunday May 13

Mother's Day events

Mother's Day in Cleveland aspires to be the mother of all Mother's Days, starting at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (3900 Wildlife Way). Parenthood being a zoo, it's only fitting that all life forms who have given birth receive free admission to the zoo during regular hours, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be special exhibits on resident animal moms and their offspring and nurturing behavior in nature (hopefully somebody will stand up for the seahorses, whose males do practically all the work). There will also be a Mother's Day brunch available at a discount. Go to clemetzoo.com or call 216.661.6500 for information. The Cleveland Botanical Garden (11030 East Blvd.) will be holding Mother's Day brunches among its blooms from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. both today and tomorrow; call 216.707.2863 to reserve tickets. The Lorain County Metroparks features a 9 a.m. Mother's Day breakfast at the Carlisle Visitor's Center (12882 Diagonal Rd., LaGrange), with additional birdwatching and hiking, at the reasonable price of only $3; phone 440.458.5121. To the south, the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad has a Mother's Day run through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, with departures from Rockside Road station at 10:15 a.m. and 1 p.m.; call 800.468.4070 or log onto cvsr.com. Finally (the word is used advisedly) Cleveland's Lakeview Cemetery holds its 20th annual Mother's Day walking tour from 2-4 p.m., starting at the Garfield Monument and hosted by local author and memorial-park historian Vicki Vigil, visiting the final resting places of illustrious matrons of the Western Reserve. It costs $5, and reservations are required; phone 216.421.2665. — CC

Monday May 14

Art Quarter Showcase

Cleveland's newly dubbed "Art Quarter," comprising several artist- and gallery-heavy neighborhoods on the city's near-Northeast Side in Ward 13, is going to show off today. Ward Councilman Joe Cimperman will lead his colleagues on a tour of the neighborhood's various art attractions, including studios and galleries. They'll end the day with Mayor Frank Jackson conducting the evening's City Council meeting at the Josaphat Arts Hall (1433 E. 33rd Ave., 216.881.7838), a renovated church that now houses one of the city's most spacious and spectacular art galleries, Convivium33, as well as numerous artist studios and the office of arts magazine Angle. That's at 7 p.m. and the public is invited to see the space and our city government in action (we hope). Go to stclairsuperior.org for more info. — AP