The evening begins with a champagne reception at 6 pm and dinner at 7 p.m., with dancing to follow. Dancing music will be provided by the Darryl Voss group.

The event includes a live and silent auction. Fabulous original art masks were specially created for this event and will be sold through a silent auction finalized during the Ball. Bids can be submitted in advance, either by calling the P.R.O. office at 541-5369, or made at the event. The masks are individually created by local artists. Materials range from rolled silk fabric to enamel, clay, metal, glass and mixed media. For photographs of the masks offered, please see Pacific Repertory Opera’s website at www.propera.org. The masks are currently on display at Borders Bookstore in Madonna Plaza, San Luis Obispo through Jan. 3, and later at the San Luis Obispo Art Center, 1010 Broad Street near the Mission in San Luis Obispo from January 4-13. The artists will hold a reception on Friday, Jan. 5, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Art Center. The public is invited to attend.

The live auction includes fabulous vacation packages and a 2-year pre-paid lease package on a 2007 Toyota Yaris 4-door sedan! The highest bidder will drive it away that evening!

Tickets to the Masked Ball include dinner and are $110 each, or tables of eight are available for $800. For more information or to purchase tickets, please see Pacific Repertory Opera’s website at www.propera.org, or call the opera office at 541-5369.

Educators, arts groups, parents and arts advocates, can discover new ways to work toward the unified goal of bringing the arts to more children through this lecture series – LEAP (Linking Educators and Parents) for the Arts sponsored by the Central Coast Center for Arts Education and supported with funds from the San Luis Obispo County Community Foundation. This program will introduce innovative ways to integrate the arts in education, community and family life. Lesson plans for teachers on integrating stories into other content areas will be available free of charge.

Ellis is the recipient of the National Storytelling Association’s Circle of Excellence Award given to storytelling artists who are recognized by their peers to be master storytellers that set the standards for excellence. Raised in the Appalachian Mountains among a family of storytellers, Ellis has been telling stories professionally for more than 20 years. She will present Folktales: The Original World Wide Web as part of the LEAP for the Arts lecture series. The San Luis Obispo County Community Foundation’s Art Inspires! Program is sponsoring the LEAP for the Arts series.

Presented by Cathy Tait, GrantServices

Training will be held at the Nonprofit Support Center, Santa Maria location at 120 E. Jones Street, Santa Maria, 93454 in the Conference Room. Fee: $45 Members; $70 Nonmembers. $10 off if paid by January 23rd. Register at www.nscsb.org

Sponsored by the Nonprofit Support Center, providing leadership to nonprofit organizations on the Central Coast through information services, training, consulting and advocacy.

Rich Warren from "The Midnight Special" and "Folkstage", WFMT Radio in Chicago says, “Jim Photoglo and Freebo perform a flawless magic act on stage. Professional accompanists and accomplished soloists, they trade instruments, vocals and mesmerizing songs with the finesse of a pair of magicians."

Música Del Río is a gathering of friends to enjoy fine acoustic music performers in our living room. With room for about 60 friends, singer-songwriters find house concerts to be a joyous way to share the art of their craft. 100% of the donations you make to attend this event go to the performers. We do this for the love of music, the love of friends to share it with and the love of opening our front door to make it happen. Donation is $15.00 (at the door) 100% goes to the musicians. Call or email to receive further information or receive an invitation.

In the morning she feels the low hum
of her body idling nowhere, a car
warming up in a snowy drive.
She wants to be a luxury model,
smooth Mercedes, royal Rolls,
but knows she's a hybrid,
a small gas-electric, so quiet
when stopped, as if stalled out,
chassis of skeleton and skin,
the heart of a hummingbird

Mary Brown and Ellen A. Kelley read at The Santa Barbara Poetry Series, Sat. Jan. 27, 7-9 pm, at the SB Contemporary Arts Forum, 653 Paseo Nuevo (upstairs). Suggested donation at the door $3 students $5 all others. Refreshments.

Open and free only to society members and one guest. Non-members may purchase an annual ($20) or life ($60) membership at the door.

Location: Warren Hall, Earl Warren Showgrounds, 3400 Calle Real, Santa Barbara. Doors open at 7PM.

Slavyanka is an a cappella men’s choir that performs music from the varied choral traditions of Russia and Eastern Europe. Their repertoire is drawn mostly from Russian sacred, folk and composed music. It includes compositions by Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov and a host of less well-known purveyors of the Slavic soul in song.

Slavyanka has toured the former USSR three times, performing in Moscow, Kiev, St. Petersburg, and Vladimir. They have also performed in Finland and Armenia. They have provided music for major motion pictures, including Robin Williams’ 1998 release, What Dreams May Come in which they performed on camera.

The concert is sponsored by SLO Vocal Arts Ensemble. Vocal Arts Director Gary Lamprecht said, “We are very excited to have a group of such high caliber performing here in San Luis Obispo. It is especially fitting because in June we will be hosting the California International Choral Festival and Competition, which will bring choruses from around the world to San Luis Obispo. This gives our local audience a chance to sample international choral music.”

Tickets for the concert are $20 and can be purchased online at www.VocalArts.org or by calling 541-6797. For more information about this concert or about the International Choral Festival, please call 542-0455, or visit our website.

Are you currently serving on a board and would like to hone your skills? Are you new to board service? Or have you been asked to join a board and are anxious to know what to expect and what will be expected of you? Here is your opportunity to review the basic roles and responsibilities of nonprofit boards and discuss why and how each of these responsibilities is essential to an effective nonprofit organization.

Training will be held at the SLO Library Community Room, 995 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo Fee: $35 Members; $50 Nonmembers. $10 off if paid by January 29th. Register online at www.nscsb.org

The Nonprofit Support Center provides leadership to nonprofit organizations on the Central Coast through information services, training, consulting and advocacy.