“Animal Alphabet,” a collection of ceramic sculptures by Kim Dufford features a different animal for each letter of the alphabet, Feb. 6 to March 3 at Artists on Santa Fe Gallery, 747 Santa Fe Drive in the Santa Fe Arts District, Denver. Opening reception coincides with the First Friday Gallery Walk, 6-9 p.m. Feb. 6. 303-573-5903, www.artistsonsantafe.com. Macy Dorf of Littleton is gallery owner and exhibits his pottery.

David Taylor Dance Theatre and Colorado Chamber Players will combine talents for a program called “L’Amour” at 2 p.m. Feb. 14-15 at the King Center Concert Hall, Auraria Campus, 855 Lawrence Way, Denver. Tickets: $22, $18, $5 younger than 12. 303-556-2296.

The Castle Rock Arts Guild has a new display at the Art on the Street Gallery, 240 Wilcox St., Castle Rock. The gallery is owned by Mark and Linda Williams and art is displayed throughout the public spaces in the Williams Professional Building through March 21. Gallery maps are available at the reception desk and a host on duty 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. www.GCRAG.org.The Zephyr Ensemble: Allegra Wermuth, violin; Dorian Kincaid, violin; Philip Stevens, viola; Thomas Heinrich, cello; Judith McIntyre, cello will perform at 2 p.m. Feb. 14 at Hampden Hall in Englewood’s CivicCenter, 1000 Englewood Parkway. Tickets: $10, $5.

“Harvey” by Colorado’s Mary Chase, will bring the classic comedy story of Elwood P. Dowd and his 6-foot rabbit Harvey to Parker Mainstreet Center, 19650 E. Mainstreet, at 7 p.m. Feb. 6-7, 13-14. Tickets: $15, $12. Appropriate for age 6 and older. www.parkerartcouncil.org.

Interior Design Students at Arapahoe Community College will exhibit work in the Colorado Gallery of the Arts Feb. 13 through March 12. The student chapter of ASID presents the exhibit. The ACC Interior Design Department offers an Associate od Applied Science Degree and emphasizes career preparation. Admission is free. Hours: noon to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; 5-7 p.m. Tuesdays. The gallery is on the first floor of the Annex at the east end of the main campus, 5900 S. Santa Fe Drive, Littleton. 303-797-5649.Author Robert Wheeler of Highlands Ranch will appear at Borders Bookstore, Park Meadows Mall, from 2-4 p.m. Feb. 14 with his “The Daddy Book,” a humorous male perspective on love, marriage and raising children. He has recently completed his second book, “The Stress Book: How to Handle Everything.”

Two Highlands Ranch artists will exhibit work at Highlands Ranch Library, 9292 Ridgeline Blvd., in February. Rolanda Mierzwa, who lives, works and teaches art in Highlands Ranch, was a potter for 15 years and returned to painting after brain tumor surgery affected her balance and hearing. Her paintings are displayed on the first floor. Photographer Don Casper’s outdoor photographs are exhibited on the library’s second floor. He hopes the study of nature will influence the built environment. 303-303-791-READ.

Denver artist Jacquie Sunde exhibits oils, watercolors and acrylics through February at Parker Library, 10851 Crossroads Drive; 303-791-READ

The 12th annual Great Backyard Bird Count takes place everywhere: home, school, parks from Feb. 13-16. Tally the largest number of each species seen in at least 15 minutes on one or more of the count days and report. See www.birdcount.org for information on how to participate, as well as how to identify more than 500 species. In addition to your own yard, the local Audubon Nature Center is a great place to look for birds, as is Littleton’s South Platte Park. The event is sponsored nationwide by Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

The Highlands Ranch Women’s Connection has a new meeting place: Marie Callendar’s at South Broadway and Dry Creek Avenue, 51 W. Dry Creek Ave., Littleton). The group will meet from 9:30-11 a.m. Feb. 12, with a cost of $12 for brunch and program. The featured speaker, on “Chocolate Love,” is Julie Pech, the Chocolate Therapist, who will talk about the health benefits of chocolate. Sandi King will sing and talk on “Patriotism, Perfectionism and Progress.” A free nursery is available. Reservations: Claudia, 303-471-4581 or Michelle 303-791-3890 or e-mail womensconnection@yahoo.com.

“Hal Gould: His Vision of the West” an exhibit of images by the master photographer, will run from Feb. 6 through March 31 at the Byers-Evans House Gallery, 1310 Bannock St., Denver (next to the Denver Art Museum). An opening reception is planned Feb. 6 from 5-9 p.m., in conjunction with First Friday Art Walk and gallery hours are: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. www.coloradohistory.org/be, 303-620-4933. Admission to the gallery is free. RedLine Gallery, 2350 Arapahoe St., will host a companion exhibit: Hal Gould: A Retrospective,” from Feb. 19 through March 28. A public reception will be 6-9 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. 303-620-4933.

“Lucia De Lammermoor” by Gaetano Donizetti is next in the “Live in HD at the Met” series at 11 a.m. Feb. 7. Screenings of the Mary Zimmerman production star Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazon. At 11 Denver area theaters, including Highlands Ranch 24, Greenwood Plaza, Belmar. Tickets $22, $20, $18.

The Denver Classical Guitar Society presents guitarist Stephen Waechter in concert at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 7 at South Broadway Christian Church, 23 Lincoln St., Denver. Tickets: $15, www.denverclassicalguitarsociety.org or at the door. Flutist Laura Schulkind and soprano Karen Lauer-Anderson will perform with Waechter in chamber works and he will play south American works for guitar.

The eighth annual Chocolate Affair in Historic Olde Town Arvada will be 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 7. Littleton’s Julie Pech, the Chocolate Therapist will be at the D Note, 7519 Grand Ave., from 11:30 a.m. to 2:15 p.m., with her book, “The Chocolate Therapist,” to discuss the health benefits of chocolate. Several chocolatiers will have food and drink for sale. For event information, call 303-420-6100.

“Big Foot Abducted By Aliens” is next in the Colorado Homegrown Tales Series, at 4 p.m. Feb. 8 at the Byers-Evans House, 1310 Bannock St., Denver and 4 p.m. Feb. 15 at 6 p.m. Denver Book Mall, 32 Broadway, Denver. Actors will read stories by Lynn Hamilton, Laura Hendrie, Jenny Meyer. Tickets: $10, 720-233-0811. Information, www.homegrowntales.com.

The newly opened Madden Museum at Palazzo Verdi, Fiddlers Green, will hold a Valentine dinner and dessert event, with seating at 6:30 and 8 p.m. Feb. 14 in conjunction with the opening of a new exhibit, “Intimacy and Seduction.” Dinner for two: $150 per couple; dessert and champagne only for two $45 per person. 303-763-1970, heather@themadden museum.org. For general information about the museum, visit www.themaddenmuseum.org.

“Optical Delusions,” the first public show of 2009 at Theatre of Dreams, 735 Park St., Castle Rock will be at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 13-14, featuring mentalist Luke Jermay and comedy magician Ben Seidman. Tickets: $20, reservations required. 303-660-6799.

“An Evening With Kent Haruf” will presented by book club members on Feb. 13 at Littleton First Presbyterian Church, 1609 W. Littleton Blvd. at 7 p.m. Haruf (rhymes with sheriff) will talk about his writing, answer questions and autograph books. Tattered Cover will have copies for sale before and after the presentation, or he will autograph copies readers already own. The event is free, but donations will be welcomed for Sunset Home Hospice of Chaffee County, the Harufs’ favorite charity. For information, call 303-798-1389 or e-mail fpcl@fpcl.org.

“Lucia Di Lammermoor” by Donizetti will play in the Metropolitan Opera’s Live in HD screening at 11 a.m. Feb. 7 at Highlands Ranch 24, Greenwood Plaza, Belmar and other theaters in the metro area. (Mary Zimmerman’s production). Tickets: $22, $20, $15.

Mark your calendars: “The True Grit of Historic Preservation” will be explored in a pair of public forums sponsored by the Littleton Historical Preservation Board and Historic Littleton Inc. at 7-9 p.m. Feb. 12 and 26 at the Buck Recreation Center, 2004 W. Powers Ave., Littleton. Preservation and planning guru Nore Winter will speak and facilitate discussion about the future of Littleton’s “past.” Plan to attend both to combine background and future planning. For information, see www.littletongov.org or contact preservation specialist Andrea Mimnaugh, amimnaugh@littletongov.org, 303-795-3719.

Call for entries: The 2009 Lone Tree Photographic Art Show and Sale invites artists to submit up to three photos to be considered for the seventh annual Lone Tree show. Jurors: Russ Burden, Jim Cannata, Greg Cradick. Categories: Color; Special Effect Color; Monochrome; Special Effect Monochrome. $6,000 in cash awards. $25 Entry fee. Deadline Feb. 27. Download prospectus and entry form at www. cityoflonetree.com/ photoshow. Show dates: April 5 through May 2.

Call for sculptors: the Douglas County Art Program invites submissions to its Art Encounters public art sculpture program. Artists over 18 may submit designs for sculptures that are weather-resistant, to be displayed for a year at locations in Highlands Ranch, Lone Tree, Parker and Castle Rock June 2009 through June 2010. See www.douglas.co.us/ artencounters for details.

Tim McCanna of Highlands Ranch is lead singer/accordionist for the Denver based acoustic Americana band, The Hobo Nickels, which also includes upright bass, ukulele and guitar. The band will open the evening concert at 7 p.m. in Swallow Hill’s Second Annual Ukulele Fest, as well as host an open mic show in Swallow Hill’s Café from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. The all day event includes booths and ukulele workshops from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Advance concert tickets: $25, day of show $27 All-day fest pass: $80 in advance, $90 day of show. See www.swallowhillmusic.org. Swallow Hill Music Association is at 71 E. Yale Ave., Denver.