Englewood Arts Presents begins its 2010-11 Season beginning with a Colorado Symphony Orchestra String Ensemble performing Mendelssohn’s “Octet in E- flat major for Strings, Op. 20” at 2 p.m. Sept. 25 in Hampden Hall, Englewood Civic Center, 1000 Englewood Parkway. Composed when Mendelssohn was only 16, it marked his start as a composer, and remained a personal favorite. CSO violist Mary Cowell will host the concert. Tickets: $15 adults, $12 seniors, $5 under 18. www.englewoodarts.org or at the box office 45 minutes before performance. 303-806-8196.

The Littleton Symphony begins its Concert Season entitled: “Triumph of the Fifth Symphonies” (Beethoven, Mozart, Shostakovich and Mahler) at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 1, with “A Celebration of the Human Spirit,” featuring the winner of the Piano Concerto Competition, sponsored by Baker Pianos. The program, at Littleton United Methodist Church, 5894 S. Datura St., Littleton, will open with Enescu’s “Rumanian Rhapsody No. 1” and will include Dvorak’s “Slavonic Dances” and Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 5.” Tickets: $15/$12, free 21 and under. www.littletonsymphony.org, at the door. Information: 303-933-6824.

Bulbs (10,000), plants and free gardening advice will be available from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 25 on the upper level of the new Denver Botanic Gardens parking structure at 900 York St. Garden admission not needed, however those who spend $100 or more get a receipt good for one free adult admission. www.botanicgardens.org.

The Wildlife Experience offers Wild Outdoor Workshops from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 25. Included: camping basics, archery, art of not getting lost, survival and gear basics, wildlife identification. Presented in partnership with the Wildland Awareness and Educational Institute. For parents and children 6 and up. Fees: $30/$15; members $25/$10. Location: 10035 S. Peoria St. (at Lincoln Avenue), Parker. 720-488-3300, thewildlifeexperience.org.

“Aesop-A-Rebop” will be presented by Town Hall Children’s Theatre at 10 a.m. Saturdays from Sept. 25 through Oct. 16: “Tortoise and the Hare,” the Ants and the Grasshopper,” “The Fox and the Grapes,” “The Boy Who Cried Wolf.” Weekday shows run Mondays through Fridays, particularly for school field trips, but individuals can attend then too. Tickets: $7. Town Hall is at 2450 W. Main St. in Downtown Littleton. 303-797-2787 ext 5. www.townhallartscenter.com/childrenstheatre.

“Miscast” is back. Theater fans have previously enjoyed Paragon Theatre’s benefit in which noted Denver actors play and sing roles they’d probably never dream of under ordinary circumstances. One night only: at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 27 at the Aurora Fox, 9900 E. Colfax, Aurora. Cocktails and silent auction at 6:30 p.m. Tickets $35, 303-300-2210, www.paragontheatre.org, info@paragontheatre.org.

A Workshop on the Colorado Historic Preservation Income Tax Credit will be presented by the City of Littleton at 7 p.m. Sept. 30 in the Littleton Center Community Room, 2255 W. Berry Ave., Littleton. The State Historic Preservation Office and Historic Denver Inc. will present information on Colorado’s Income Tax Credit Program and how it may financially benefit owners of historically designated buildings who plan to work on their home, business or income properties. Free.

The 39th Annual Friends of the Littleton Library and Museum Craft Fair, with 300 artists, will be held Oct. 2 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Ketring Park, just north of the Littleton Museum, 6028 S. Gallup St., Littleton. Admission free. Information: 303-795-3950.

Betty and Peter Ney, longtime Littleton residents and artists (in addition to significant other careers), will celebrate their 57th wedding anniversary with a joint retrospective art exhibit Sept. 28 through Oct. 8, with a reception from 5 to 8 p.m. Oct. 2 in the Jantzen Gallery, Building 1000, in Arapahoe Community College’s Art and Design Center, 2400 W. Alamo Ave., Downtown Littleton. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. If the gallery is locked, there will be a sign with instructions on where to request that it be unlocked.

Brian Gruley, Chicago bureau chief of the Wall Street Journal, leads another life as an Edgar Award-winning mystery author. He will appear at 7 p.m. Sept. 30 at the Tattered Cover Highlands Ranch, 9315 Dorchester St. to talk about his second book in the Starvation Lake Mystery series, which takes place during a frigid Michigan winter in a small community with secrets.

Call for artists: Heritage Fine Arts Guild will accept entries via digital images for its annual “This is Colorado” exhibit through Nov. 1. Three entries, not previously shown in Arapahoe County. The show is scheduled at the Madden Museum in Greenwood Village, from Jan. 11 to March 24, 2011. (Work does not need to depict Colorado). The juror is artist/teacher Victoria Kwasinski. For prospectus, email mkstudio@comcast.net.

Auditions: “Don’t Dress for Dinner” farce by Marc Camelotti, adapted by Robin Hawdon: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 2 at Miners Alley Playhouse, 1224 Washington Ave., Golden. Director is Robert Kramer. Three men, three women, ages 25 to 45, comfortable with British and French dialects. appointment: 303-935-3044, www.minersalley.com.

District 475, a new gallery/event space opened Sept. 16. Affiliated with Red Line Gallery in Denver, it is located in Villagio at 158 Inverness Dr., at Inverness Main Street. Hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. 303-222-1325, www.district475.com.

“Nature Writing at the South Platte” will be presented by Arapahoe Community College’s Writers Studio from 8 a.m. to noon on Oct. 9 at South Platte Park. Walk the river with naturalists from the Carson Nature Center and work with two distinguished writers for workshops and readings. Dr. Eleanor Swanson’s workshop will be on “Reading Nature, Writing the World” and Reg Saner will conduct a workshop on “Creationism: the Ecotone Made of Words.” Bring a small notebook. Fee: $15/ACC students; $30 nonstudents. Information: kathryn.winograd@arapahoe.edu. SouthPlatte Park is reached from the northwest corner of the Santa Fe/Mineral Park and Ride.

Highlands Ranch High School Orchestra members will be seeking pledges for a 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 9 Playathon, planned to raise money for a spring Band/Choir/Orchestra trip to Florida’s Disney Parks. The Playathon will be a rehearsal for a 7 p.m. Oct. 12 concert. Businesses interested in supporting this effort may contact conductor Ryan Woodworth: ryan.woodworth@dcsdk12.org.

Mountain Men and Women, dressed in buckskin, will bring western history to life Sept. 25 and 26 at Tesoro Cultural Center’s 9th Annual 1830s Rendezvous and Spanish Colonial Market at the Fort Restaurant, 19192 Hwy 8, Morrison (just off Hwy 285). In addition to an encampment with teepees, storytellers and hands-on activities, a Spanish Colonial Market will bring in santos, tin crafts, encrusted straw and more. The San Isidro Farmers Market will offer fresh local produce, including roasted chilis. Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. Admission: $6/$3, free under 12. 303-839-1671, www.tesoroculturalcenter.org. The 2011 edition of “ArtScape“ ”has arrived and is available in local galleries and studios, including Garage Gallery, Sk3etchbook!, Curtis Center for Arts and Humanities, Willow, Colours Home Decor and more in the south area, plus museums and galleries in Denver and elsewhere in Colorado. Published annually by Charles Whitley of Centennial, it’s a great resource for art lovers on what’s where.Ballet Nouveau Colorado’s season opens with “Live Jazz,” dance plus a jazz band Oct. 1 to 3 (8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday) at the Performing Arts Complex at Pinnacle Charter School, 1001 W. 84th Ave. Denver. Tickets: $17 to $44, www.bndance.com, 303-466-5685.Ars Nova Singers offers a free 25th Anniversary concert at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 25 at Bethany Lutheran Church, 4500 E. Hampden Ave., Englewood. Special guests: Jake Schepps and Expedition. 303-499-3165, www.aConcert cancellation: Pianist Scott Kirby will not be able to perform on Sept. 25 for the Ragtime Society of Colorado concert scheduled at Onofrio Piano Company, according to president Colleen Vander Hoek. 303-979-4353.Participate in a Banned Books Readout 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sept. 25 at Bemis Library, to celebrate the nationally observed week Sept. 25 through Oct. 2. Sign up for a 5-10 minute slot to read a passage from a banned book at an open microphone in Sophies Place: you may select a title from a display provided by the library. Each participant’s name will be entered in a drawing for two $25 gift certificates from Amazon.com. Open to children age 8 and up, teens and adults. Sign up for a time slot in advance at the reference desk. Listeners are invited! Bemis is at 6014 S. Datura St., Littleton. 303-795-3961.Tickets are on sale at Douglas County Libraries for the Oct. 13 star chef Rick Bayless presentation at 7:30 p.m. at the Wildlife Experience. The event is a fundraiser for the Douglas County Libraries Foundation to fund literacy programs. Bayless, known for his public television series “Mexico— One Plate at a Time,” has published several cookbooks, including July 2010 “Fiesta at Ricks: Fabulous Foods for Great Times With Friends.” Tickets: $60 includes a 6 p.m. reception with Bayless, advance book sales, preferred seating; $30 for Chef Bayless’ presentation. (Doors open at 7 p.m.) See your library or douglascountylibraries.org.Auditions: “The Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” at 6:15 to 11 p.m. Sept. 27 at Town Hall Arts Center, 2450 W. Main St., Littleton. need 9 actors 18 to 45. (Six play adolescents, three adults). One minute comic monologue, 32 bar musical selection. Bring sheet music, current headshot and resume. Callbacks 7 to 11 p.m. Sept. 29. Bob Wells directs. Donna Debreceni is music director. Production dates: Jan 7 to 30, 2011. All positions paid. By appointment only, e-mail clambert@townhallartscenter.com.