Arts

‘Master of Haida Art’

A new gallery in Vancouver, B.C., the Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art, 639 Hornby St., opens to the public on Saturday and includes this painting of Reid by Chris Hopkins and Bill Reid’s monumental masterpiece, “Mythic Messengers,” a 28-foot bronze frieze that until now has been relatively unknown. The exhibit also includes a new monumental pole featuring the Wasgo, or Haida Sea-Wolf, carved by James Hart and celebrating Reid, his mentor. Gallery hours are 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For details on the gallery, go to www.billreidgallery.ca. For more information on Reid and his art, go to www.billreidfoundation.org.

Chuck Pyle

Dubbed the “Zen cowboy,” the Iowa native and Colorado singer-songwriter plays finger-style guitar and sings songs about everyday people at 2 p.m. Sunday at Nancy’s Farm, 2030 E. Smith Road. Suggested donation is $15. For more information about the concert, call 966-4640 or 734-0561 or visit www.nancysfarm.com. Go to www.chuckpyle.com for more about his music.

‘Found Peace: A Mother’s Day Collection’

Bellingham actors and writers Carolyn McCarthy and Karee Wardrop present their theatrical production, which explores how mothers navigate the terrain of war and peace with their children, at 8 tonight through Saturday at the Firehouse Performing Arts Center, 1314 Harris Ave. The piece also features Western Washington University theater faculty member Rich Brown and Bellingham High School student Rachel Thomas. Saturday’s show will be interpreted in American Sign Language. Tickets are $10 in advance, $15 at the door, and are available at Village Books and the Community Food Co-op. For more on the production, go to www.carolynmcc.com or call 647-0741.

Campus

Washington Brass Ensemble

Western Washington University’s department of music presents a free concert by the Washington Brass, directed by Carla Rutschman, at 7 p.m. Sunday at WWU’s Performing Arts Center Concert Hall. Performers are Lauren Anderson and Vince Green, trumpet; Richard Reed, French horn; Keith Winkle, trombone; and Carla Rutschman, tuba, in a program of light classical and jazz selections, including works by Chabrier, Bernstein, Offenbach, Debussy and Fats Waller and three short works by student composers of WWU. For more information, call 650-3130.

Climbing Poetree

Artistic duo Alixa Garcia and Naima Penniman — poets, performers, print-makers, dancers, educators, bookmakers, muralists, designers and new-media artists with roots in Haiti and Colombia and who now live in Brooklyn — present a spoken-word performance at 7 tonight in Western Washington University’s Viking Union Multipurpose Room. They offer an “art as activism” workshop at 7 p.m. Friday in Viking Union, Room 464. Both events are free. Call 650-6120 or 650-6804, or go to lgbta.as.wwu.edu/events.php for details.

‘The Laramie Project’

Whatcom Community College’s drama club presents a production of the work by Moisés Kaufman and the fellow members of the Tectonic Theater Project based on the incident in October 1998 in which Matthew Shepard was kidnapped, beaten and left to die tied to a fence on the outskirts of Laramie, Wyo. Five weeks after the incident, Kaufman and his troupe went to Laramie and, over the course of the next year, conducted more than 200 interviews with people of the town. From these interviews they wrote the play, a chronicle of the life of the town in the year after the murder. Curtain is at 7:30 p.m. May 15-17 and 22-23 at the college’s Syre Student Center, 237 W. Kellogg Road. The May 23 performance will be interpreted in American Sign Language. Shawn Fuller directs. Tickets are $6 general, $4 students; reservations recommended. Call 647-9242 for reservations.

Casinos

‘Hey Baby, They're Playing Our Song’

The Buckinghams play “Kind of a Drag,” “Don’t You Care,” “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” and “Susan” at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Silver Reef Casino Pavilion, 4876 Haxton Way, near Ferndale. Tickets are $25. For reserva-tions, call (866) 383-0777, ext 126, or go to www.silverreefcasino.com.

‘What Kind of Love Is This?’

Canadian rock legends Kenny Shields & Streetheart perform at 8 p.m. Saturday at Cascades Casino, 20393 Fraser Highway, in Langley. B.C. The band, which formed in 1976, has six gold albums, four platinum al-bums, a gold single and a Juno Award. In 2003, the band was inducted into the Western Canadian Music Awards Hall of Fame. Advance tickets are available for $35. Go to www.cascadescasino.ca for details.

Old time rock 'n' roll

Scott Kennedy and his band, the Replayzmentz, play classic rock and blues from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday at the Northwood Casino, 9750 Northwood Road in Lynden. There’s no cover. For more information, call 734 5101 or go to www.northwood-casino.com.

Family

Global entertainment for kids

The 22nd Seattle International Children’s Festival runs Monday through May 17 at Seattle Center; and the 31st annual Vancouver (B.C.) International Children’s Festival takes place Monday through May 19 at Vanier Park. Both festivals feature world-class entertainers in music, dance, comedy, theater, acrobatics and more. Tickets for the Seattle festival are $15 adults, $19 youth and seniors, and are available through Ticketwindow. Go to www.seattleinternational.org for a schedule. Site admission for the festival in Vancouver is $8, and many events charge an additional admission fee. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster. For more information on Vancouver’s festival, visit www.childrensfestival.ca.

‘Compadres’ puppet show

Tina Bixby presents a puppet show for ages 4 and older about the clever tricks of Señor Coyote and Señor Conejo at 7 tonight at Bellingham Public Library, 210 Central Ave. For information about the free event, call 778-7200 or go to www.bellinghampubliclibrary.org.

Coming Up

‘Trust Yourself’

Juno Award-winning Canadian roots-rock band Blue Rodeo plays in support of its latest release, “Small Miracles,” at 9 p.m. May 15 at The Fairhaven Pub & Martini Bar, 1114 Harris Ave. Tickets are $25 through Ticketmaster. Luke Doucet opens. For details, call 671-6745 or go to www.fairhavenpub.com.

‘The Producers’

The Arts Club Theatre presents Mel Brooks’ Tony Award-winning musical comedy about brazen Broadway producer Max Bialystock (played by Jay Brazeau) and neurotic accountant Leo Bloom (played by Josh Epstein), who discover they can make more money with a theatrical flop than with a hit. “The Producers” runs May 15-July 13 at the Stanley Theatre, 2750 Granville St., in Vancouver, B.C. Tickets range from $33 to $67. Go to www.artsclub.com for more information or reservations.

Smokin’ Joe Kubek and Bnois King

Dallas, Texas-based Kubek and King crank out Texas roadhouse blues from their new recording, “Blood Brothers,” at 8 p.m. May 15 at the Highway 99 Blues Club, 1414 Alaskan Way, in Seattle. Cover charge is $13. For more information, call (206) 382-2171 or visit www.highwayninetynine.com.

Skagit River Poetry Festival

The biannual festival takes place May 15-17 in La Conner at Maple Hall, the Museum of Northwest Art and other locations throughout town. Featured poets include Lucille Clifton, Sam Green, Pattiann Rogers, Alice Derry, Tim McNulty, Joseph Green, Nancy Pagh, Robert Wrigley and David Wagoner. Ticket prices vary. Call (888) 290-6398 or go to www.skagitriverpoetry.org for a schedule.