The Real School of Music presents an evening with pianist Steve Hunt and his jazz quintet on Friday from 7 to 9 p.m. Completing the quintet are Nick Goumas on sax, Ken Cervenka on trumpet, Bruce Gertz on bass and Jack Diefendorf on drums.   Read More >>

Now that spring has sprung, outdoor eating is a preference among most. From the opening of the decks on the Portsmouth, N.H., harbor to the seasonal patio openings in Merrimack Valley, people congregate where outdoor eating is a pleasure. Why do people love to eat outside? Gorgeous weather, fresh air, great views, a change of scenery from the drab hibernation of winters past and, of course, people watching.   Read More >>

LOWELL -- Jack Kerouac's influence has rubbed off on the city's current crop of novelists, essayists and non-fiction writers. And the Image Theater Company pays tribute to them tomorrow and Saturday with two evenings of story-telling upstairs at the Old Court, 29 Central St. "This is the second time we are doing it and it's a great way to highlight novelists and writers and give them a chance to "perform" or see their work performed in front of a live audience, giving them the great vibe that we as playwrights feel," said Image artistic director Jerry Bisantz.   Read More >>

LOWELL -- Don Ouellette focuses on the vanishing rural landscape in his art, hoping to preserve on canvas what is disappearing from the world. He showcases a variety of landscapes in 25 watercolor and oil paintings in his show Shades of Spring on view through the end of June at The Studio at 194 Middle St. Ouellette, a Lowell native, began painting in 1975 when he took watercolor classes with his father Art, who taught commercial art at the Greater Lowell Regional Vocational and Technical High School.   Read More >>

Arts, Crafts & Photography Community Open House -- Hills Memorial Library Building, Library Street, Hudson, N.H., Thurs., May 17, 6-8 p.m. Seeking artists, www.rodgerslibrary.org. Doors Open Lowell -- various Lowell galleries, Thurs.-Sat., May 17-19, reception (Boott Cotton Mills Museum, 115 John St.), Thurs., May 17, 5-7:30 p.m. www.doorsopenlowell.org Never Follow Suit -- 119 Gallery, 119 Chelmsford St.   Read More >>

Bowlathon -- Brunswick Zone, Lowell, May 17, 1 p.m. Event features small sports memorabilia auction. Event benefits Renaissance Club. Alice Giavis Memorial Art Scholarship Fundraiser -- Brush Gallery & Artists' Studios, 256 Market St., Lowell, preview, May 18, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. & May 19, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Sat., May 19, 2-5 p.m. www.thebrush.org Cat's Meow Chocolate Tasting & Silent Auction -- Indian Ridge Country Club, 73 Lovejoy Road, Andover, Fri.   Read More >>

Acton Community Chorus -- Rehearsals each Mon., 7:15 p.m., at Faith Evangelical Free Church, 54 Hosmer St., Acton. No auditions. 978-486-9065 or www.actoncommunitychorus.org Andover Choral Society -- Welcoming new members. Open to all who enjoy singing classical works. Rehearsals each Mon., 7:20 p.m. at Christ Church, Central St., Andover. 978-682-0196 Dracut Community Chorus -- Rehearsals each Wed.   Read More >>

Hats Off to Irises -- Harvey Wheeler Community Center, 1276 Main St., West Concord, Mon., May 28, 1-4 p.m. Iris Society of Massachusetts. www.massirises.org or 978-256-0720 Lowell Reads 'Great Expectations' -- Pollard Memorial Library, 401 Merrimack St., Lowell; Kick-off Event, Sat., June 2, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; BBC's Dickens in America and A&E Biography of Charles Dickens, Thurs., June 28, 6:30 p.   Read More >>

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court -- Abundant Life Christian School, 173 Church St., Wilmington, Thurs.-Fri., May 17-18, 7 p.m. Abundant Life Christian School Middle School Drama Club City Stories -- The Old Court Pub, 29 Central St., Lowell, Fri.-Sat., May 18-19, 8 p.m. Image Theater And A Nightingale Sang -- Ruth Nagel Jones Theatre, Alumnae Hall, Wellesley College, May 24-June 24.   Read More >>

Computer Workshops -- Rodgers Memorial Library, 194 Derry Road, Hudson, N.H.; Intermediate MS Word, Wed., May 16, 7 p.m.; Crazy Quilt Scrapbooking, Tues., May 22, 6:30 p.m. Register at 603-886-6030 or www.rodgerslibrary.org. Tyngsboro Public Library -- 25 Bryant Lane, Tyngsboro; Basic Computer Skills, each Tues., through May 22, 10:30-11:30 a.m.; Mindfulness Meditation, Tues., June 26, July 24 and Aug.   Read More >>

Friday Homecoming concert for Irish fiddler Kathleen Boyle (piano and accordion) and Gráinne Murphy (fiddle) LOWELL -- Two members of the band Cherish the Ladies bring traditional Irish music to The Old Court tomorrow night at 8. Hailing from Glasgow, Scotland, Kathleen Boyle plays piano and piano accordion. Joining her is Gráinne Murphy, who learned to play the fiddle in Lowell from County Clare fiddle legend Séamus Connolly.   Read More >>

LITTLETON -- Noel Coward's zany comedy Blithe Spirit takes center stage at the Cannon Theatre over the next three weekends. The play is about a successful writer who has a séance with a kooky medium named Madame Arcati. His intention is to debunk the idea of psychics being able to call up dead spirits. But it doesn't work out that way. Instead, he finds out that his deceased wife, Elvira, has been summoned and only he can see her.   Read More >>

LOWELL -- One-of-a-kind creations by one-of-a-kind artists and artisans are the focal point of The Artisan Project, a collection of photographs by John Burke. The show, which pays tribute to people who make things by hand, opens tomorrow and runs through July 31 at the Boott Cotton Mills Museum, 115 John St. Burke is a fashion and advertising photographer with a long career shooting models and "real" people.   Read More >>

LOWELL -- The year is 1919. The setting is an austere office. A single, muted spotlight shines on a woman, seated at a typewriting machine that's at the center of Ghost-Writer, by Michael Holllinger, at the Merrimack Repertory Theatre through May 13. The woman addresses an unseen observer, explaining why she has allowed him to watch her work. He is not, after all, a "yellow journalist," there just to exploit her story.   Read More >>

Art & Design Spring 2012 Senior Show -- University Gallery, 71 Wilder St., and Dugan Gallery, 833 Broadway St., South Campus, Lowell, through May 24, reception, Thurs., May 10, 5 p.m. www.uml.edu The Artisan Project: A Photography Exhibit of Craftsmen & their Work -- Boott Cotton Mills Museum, Lowell National Historical Park, 115 John St., Lowell, May 11-July 31. 978-970-5055 or www.nps.   Read More >>

Spring Gala -- Long Meadow Golf Club, 165 Havilah St., Lowell, Thurs., May 10, 6 p.m. Merrimack Valley Catholic Charities. 978-452-1421 Spring Into Auction -- UMass Lowell Inn & Conference Center, 50 Warren St., Lowell, Thurs., May 10, 6 p.m. Friends of MRT. www.MerrimackRep.org or 978-654-7552 Ron Noyes Band/Paranoid Social Club Benefit Concert -- Boston Billiard Club, 55 Northeastern Blvd.   Read More >>

Acton Community Chorus -- Rehearsals each Mon., 7:15 p.m., at Faith Evangelical Free Church, 54 Hosmer St., Acton. No auditions. 978-486-9065 or www.actoncommunitychorus.org Andover Choral Society -- Welcoming new members. Open to all who enjoy singing classical works. Rehearsals each Mon., 7:20 p.m. at Christ Church, Central St., Andover. 978-682-0196 Dracut Community Chorus -- Rehearsals each Wed.   Read More >>

Animal Rescue & Service Organization Expo -- Ayer Animal Medical Center, 196 W. Main St., Ayer, Sat., May 12, 1-5 p.m. Mad Hatter Garden Tour & Tea -- Chelmsford Garden Club, Sat., June 16, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Sun., June 17, 1-4 p.m. 978-256-5045 or marylou83@comcast.net WWE SuperShow -- Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell, 300 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Lowell, Sat., June 16, 7:30 p.m. www.   Read More >>

You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown -- Collins Center, Andover High School, Thurs.-Sat., May 10-12, 7 p.m., Sat., May 12, 2 p.m. 978-290-6423 Avenue Q -- Lyric Stage Company, 140 Clarendon St., Boston, May 11-June 9. www.lyricstage.com or 617-585-5678 Blithe Spirit -- Cannon Theatre, 410 Great Road, Littleton, each Fri-Sat., May 11-June 2, 7:30 p.m., Sat., May 26, 1 p.m., Thurs., May 31, 7:30 p.   Read More >>

Computer Workshops -- Rodgers Memorial Library, 194 Derry Road, Hudson, N.H.; Using MS PowerPoint, Tues., May 15, 3:30 p.m.; Intermediate MS Word, Wed., May 16, 7 p.m.; Crazy Quilt Scrapbooking, Tues., May 22, 6:30 p.m. Register at 603-886-6030 or www.rodgerslibrary.org. Tyngsboro Public Library -- 25 Bryant Lane, Tyngsboro; Basic Computer Skills, each Tues., through May 22, 10:30-11:30 a.m.; Mindfulness Meditation, Tues.   Read More >>

As of this writing, it's cheaper to get into Fenway Park to see the Red Sox than it is to witness the organization's Single-A farm team -- the Lowell Spinners -- take the field this summer at LeLacheur Park. A game in Lowell promises less traffic, more parking options and it's simply closer to home.   Read More >>