Features

Stephens College students perform a powerful vision of women aging from the 1970s to 2007. "The Dixie Swim Club," a Warehouse Theatre production, follows the relationship among five young women throughout their lives after college. The play opens at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and runs through Saturday.

Music troupe Ensemble Galilei performed as part of the University Concert Series on Saturday night. NPR's Neal Conan was also part of the show, narrating stories and laughing with the crowd.

Sutu Forté is a renowned concert pianist who has seen the world but decided to make a home in Columbia. She will perform with the Vaude Squad on Monday at the Missouri Theatre Center for the Arts.

A group of MU students has generated thousands of hits on YouTube with their video parodies.

Traveling troupe Ensemble Galilei will perform its "Universe of Dreams" show as part of the University Concert Series on Saturday night at Jesse Auditorium. The performance includes music, images, acting by Lily Knight and a narration by NPR radio talk show host Neal Conan.

The Central Missouri Returned Peace Corps Volunteers is bringing its members' experiences to the big screen with the fourth annual Third Goal International Film Festival on Saturday. Speakers' panels and discussions with local returned volunteers will follow the screening of four documentaries.

MU senior Anthony Hernandez's original composition, "Two Roads Diverged," will be performed by the Columbia Civic Orchestra on Sunday at the Missouri Theatre Center for Arts. The piece was inspired by Robert Frost's poem, "The Road Not Taken."

Each child can choose three shirts, two pants or skirts, six pairs of socks, six pairs of underwear, one warm top and one coat. In addition to the new clothes, the kids are given "Kaboodle Kits" — personal hygiene sets that include a toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, washcloth, comb and deodorant.

Gabriella Garbero, who joined Kappa Kappa Gamma after sorority rush in August, was born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 2. Panhellenic officials believe she is the first woman at MU to participate fully in the recruitment process while managing a wheelchair.

Pat Martino, regarded as one of the best jazz musicians in the world, was at MU on Wednesday afternoon to tell his story about undergoing surgery for an arteriovenous malformation, a cluster of abnormal blood vessels and the journey through this process.

MU will host Clint Black, country music celebrity and recent television personality, as part of the University Concert Series.

Twenty years ago, Pat Martino suffered from an aneurysm that threatened to take away the musical career he created. After surgery, he recovered his abilities and will perform in Columbia this Wednesday to showcase his relearned talent.

With the number of pop icons who died this year, including Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett and Patrick Swayze, national retailers were predicting a high demand for costumes featuring the dead celebrities. However, with Halloween only one day away owners and employees of local costume shops aren't finding that to be the case.

Although Lynch has been at Stephens since June, her inauguration marks her official position as president. Formerly dean of the Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College in New York, she follows Wendy Libby, who was president for six years.

The mandala, or sand painting, is expected to be completed Thursday and destroyed ceremoniously a short time later.

In the past year, identity theft has turned to a new medium: social networking sites. The impostors hack into Facebook accounts and contact “friends," saying the person is apparently stuck overseas and in need of money.

It's known as a disease that affects older adults, but arthritis also affects thousands of young people, including some in Columbia.

Local residents gather to knit — and to make friends and conversation. More then 10 knitting groups meet weekly in Columbia.

The group — which showcases violins and lists jazz, bluegrass and classical music, as well as Led Zeppelin, among its influences — will perform Monday night.