5 things to do this weekend
Feb. 15—1. Learn about bluebirds, the official state bird of Missouri, and help provide nesting habitat for them at a Missouri Department of Conservation workshop from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the Shoal Creek Conservation Education Center, 201 Riviera Drive. Naturalist Jessie Ballard will discuss how bluebirds begin arriving at nesting sites in February, and families will build and take home a bluebird nesting box (one box per family). Boards will be provided; participants should bring an electric screwdriver or drill with a Phillips head drill bit. The event is open to all ages; register at mdc.mo.gov/events.
2. Anyone 16 and older may attend a Valentine's Day-themed improv show at 7 p.m. Friday at Joplin Avenue Coffee Co., 506 S. Joplin Ave. Joplin Improv will share stories about chocolate hangovers, bad dates and more. Admission is free and open to the public.
3. George Washington Carver National Monument will host laboratory demonstrations from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Discover how Carver used some often-overlooked plants to change the way we think about agriculture. Admission is free and open to the public.
4. The Calidore String Quartet will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the Sharon Kay Dean Recital Hall in McCray Hall at Pittsburg (Kansas) State University as part of the music department's Solo & Chamber Music Series. Tickets are free for full-time PSU students and are $10-$15 for the public. They can be picked up or purchased at the PSU ticket office in 107 Garfield Weede Building, or online at pittstate.edu/office/ticket-office, or by calling 620-235-4796.
5. The Ozark Festival Orchestra will present "Love is in the Air" at 3 p.m. Sunday at Monett High School, 1 David Sippy Drive. Hear a variety of Valentine's Day-themed music, including Tchaikovsky's "Romeo and Juliet Overture," selections from Bernstein's "West Side Story" and an arrangement of "As Time Goes By." Young artists Owen Cornell, Kate Caddy and Theo Jones will each perform a well-known piece of classical music. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for senior citizens. Children 17 and younger are admitted for free.
