African Youth Choir

3 p.m. today; Thalia Mara Hall, 255 E. Pascagoula St., Jackson; box office will open at 2 p.m.

Jackson Audubon Society

6:30 p.m. Feb. 24, chapter meeting; Clinton Community Nature Center, 617 Dunton Road; 601-956-7444 or www.jacksonaudubonsociety.org.

Lenten Fine Arts Series

Begins at noon March 6; runs each Friday during Lent at The Church of the Holy Trinity, Episcopal, 900 South St.; concerts followed by gumbo lunch; Dorothy Brasfield: 601-942-5469.

Mardi Gras Mask Workshop

3:45-5 p.m. Friday; for ages 5 and older; taught by Kathy Gibson, Vicksburg High art instructor; $10 per child; Southern Cultural Heritage Center: 601-631-2997 or info@southernculture.org.

Mardi Gras Parade

4 p.m. Saturday; sponsored by Main Street; to enter: visit office at 1413 Walnut St., call 601-634-4527 or visit www.downtownvicksburg.org.

Mardi Gras Ball

8 p.m. Saturday; sponsored by Vicksburg Foundation for Historic Preservation; tickets: $30 per person; Nancy Bell, 601-636-5010.

Rally on the River

Seeking vendors for April 18 event; deadline for vendor registration: March 15; 601-634-0557 or www.rallyontheriveratvicksburg.com.

Mary Carol Miller book-signing

5:30 p.m. March 14; Greenwood author of “Great Houses of Mississippi,” Lost Landmarks of Mississippi” and “Must See Mississippi”; books include Vicksburg sites; Lorelei Books, 1103 Washington St.; 601-634-8624 or www.loreleibooks.com

Girl Scouts cookie sales

Kroger: 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday, 8-6 Saturday, Feb. 27-28 and March 6-7; Wal-Mart: 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday and Saturday; Blockbuster: Friday-Feb. 22, time to be announced; $3 per box; info: fawnfrancis@yahoo.com.

‘Gold in the Hills’

Presented by Westside Theatre Foundation in the Coral Room at The Vicksburg on Clay Street; 8:15 p.m. Friday and Saturday, April 17-18, May 15-16, June 19-20, Aug. 14-15, Sep. 18-19, Oct. 16-17,  Nov. 7 and Dec. 18-19; $10 for adults, $5 for children; reservations: 601 636-4146.

Children’s Quilting Workshop

Taught at Southern Cultural Heritage Center by quilting professional Diane Jordan; 8:30 a.m.-noon March 18, during the Vicksburg Warren School District’s intercession week; mothers welcome, students will create charm square quilt; $65 per child, includes a quilting fabric kit; participants must bring small scissors, seam ripper, neutral thread, large zip-top bag, sewing machine; few machines for rent for $20; space limited to 12; 601-631-2997 or info@southernculture.org.

Children’s Creative Writing Class

Led by Irene Graham; 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. March 18 (during Vicksburg Warren School District’s intercession week); $35 per person for ages 10-14; bring lunch; registration required, limited to 20; Southern Cultural Heritage Center, 601-631-2997, info@southernculture.org, www.thecreativewritersworkshop.com.

Writers Conference

Led by Michael Garrett, thriller author Stephen King’s first editor; March 7-8; Southern Cultural Heritage Center; $60 SCHC and Mississippi Writers Guild members, $65 nonmembers; info and registration: 601-631-2997, info@southernculture.org.

Writing Seminars

Led by Irene Graham, founder of The Creative Writer’s Workshop; fiction writing: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. March 19-21; memoir writing: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. March 22-24; $530 for Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation members, $545 for nonmembers; space limited, reservations required; 601-631-2997 or info@southernculture.org.

Speak Up! A Communication Class for Kids

Day camp for first- through sixth-graders at Southern Cultural Heritage Center; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. March 16-17, during Vicksburg Warren School District’s intercession week; children will learn to speak confidently,  relate better to others; led by professional motivational speakers Sharonda Medina and Kim Stribling; fee: $70 per child, includes supplies, materials, snacks; bring lunch; space limited to 20, reservations required; 601-631-2997 or info@southernculture.org.

Digital Photography Basics Class

5:30 to 7 p.m. March 2; taught by professional photographer Cami Calnan; all ages welcome, limited to 10 participants; bring digital camera, batteries; reservations: Southern Cultural Heritage Center, 601-631-2997 or info@southernculture.org; $30 for SCHC members, $35 for nonmembers.

Brick Street Barbershop Quartet

7 p.m. March 12; Southern Cultural Heritage Center auditorium; $5 for SCHC members, $7 for nonmembers, $3 for children; 601-631-2997 or info@southernculture.org.

Mississippi Cultural Crossroads

7 p.m. March 7; Gold City concert; tickets, $15; Blue Barn Theatre in Port Gibson; 601-415-5077 or 601-437-4805.

Mountaintop Civil Rights Traveling Exhibit

10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday; more than 2,000 artifacts and memorabilia; $6 for adults and $5 for children 18 and younger; group tours by reservation; Southern Cultural Heritage Center: 601-631-2997 or info@southernculture.org

Mississippi Delta Tennessee Williams Festival

Will explore influences of Mississippi Delta on author Tennessee Williams with particular emphasis on his early play, “Spring Storm”; Oct. 16-17 in Clarksdale; www.coahomacc.edu/twilliams.

2009 Holly Days Arts and Crafts Show

Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation accepting applications for 2009 event, set for 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Dec. 5; vendor space limited, acceptance based on images of crafts or art; exhibit space: $40 for SCHF members, $50 for nonmembers; applications must be postmarked no later than Aug. 1; acceptance letters will be sent by Sept. 1; 601-631-2997 or www.southernculture.org.

Greenhouse Tomato Short Course

March 10-12 at Eagle Ridge Conference Center in Raymond; advance registration: $125, must be made by Feb. 25; at the door: $150; fee includes coffee, refreshments, several meals; 601-636-5442 or http://greenhousetomatosc.com.

ORAG February artist

Monroe resident Kelly Keahey; abstracts on display through Feb. 28; Ouachita River Art Gallery, 308 Trenton St., West Monroe; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; free; 318-322-2380.

LOCAL ENTERTAINMENT

Zero Echo

Variety; Ameristar’s Cabaret; 4116 Washington St.; Tuesday-Sunday; 601-638-1000.

Jason Jones

Country; Ameristar’s Bottleneck Blues Bar, 4116 Washington St.; Friday and Saturday; free; 601-638-1000.

LaNise Kirk

Variety; Ameristar’s Cabaret; 4116 Washington St.; Feb. 24-March 1; free; 601-638-1000.

Vasti Jackson

R&B, Variety; Ameristar’s Bottleneck Blues Bar, 4116 Washington St.; Feb. 27-28; free; 601-638-1000.