Kid Pics for the week

hot stuff
Firehouse Healthy Kids Day: Ten Valley fire stations and seven others across the state will open their doors from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, October 12, for public activities such as safety and educational demonstrations, tours and immunizations. The event is co-sponsored by the Arizona Partnership for Infant Immunization and the Arizona Firefighters Association. For a participating facility near you and other information, call 266-1920.

Hall of Flame Museum of Firefighting: The traveling exhibit "Happy Birthday, Smokey," celebrating the history and future of 52-year-old fire-prevention spokesbruin Smokey Bear and providing illumination about fire and firefighting, continues through Saturday, November 30, at the museum, 6101 East Van Buren. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, noon to 4 p.m. Sundays. Admission: $5, $4 for seniors, $3 for children ages 6 to 17, free for those younger. Call 275-3473.

hello doll
"Fairy Tales Can Come True": The Valley of the Sun Doll Club hosts this show and sale, its 14th annual, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, October 12; and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, October 13, in Exhibit Hall E at Phoenix Civic Plaza, Second Street and Adams. Admission is $4, $1.50 for kids age 12 and under; entrance is free on Sunday with the donation of a new doll or stuffed animal to benefit the Salvation Army's "Christmas Angel" program. Call 262-7272 or 831-9081.

at the museum
Arizona Museum for Youth: "Face Value: The Art of Portraiture" features works by Andy Warhol, Rudy Turk, Greg Patrenos, Bill Barnhart and others. It opens Friday, October 11, and continues through Friday, January 17, 1997. The museum is located at 35 North Robson in Mesa. Hours: 1 to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays. Admission is $2, free for kids under 2. For general information, call 644-2467.

Arizona Science Center: The facility's popular, outdoor "Science Bubble Mania" event, the third annual, is slated for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, October 12; participation is free, and museum admission is two-for-one during the event. The center is located at 147 East Adams. Regular admission: $4.50, $3.50 for kids ages 4 to 12 and seniors, gratis for those age 3 and younger. Call 256-9518 or 258-7250.

Mesa Southwest Museum: The museum's curator of paleontology, Brian McClelland, speaks about "Dinosaur Trackways" at 11 a.m. and 1 and 3 p.m. Saturday, October 12, concluding the facility's lecture series about the mighty dinos. The center is located at 53 North Macdonald. Call 644-2230.

arts and minds
"Animal Crackers": Shemer Art Center, located at 5005 East Camelback, presents this hands-on exhibit, curated by Sam Mindrum-Logan and featuring "tactile art experiences for blind children" and "altered-vision experiments for sighted kids." It continues through Friday, October 18. Admission is free. For details call 262-4727.

Hans Gilsdorf: The Phoenix Zoo employee has created an exhibit of "please touch" bronze animal sculpture. The installation opens with a reception from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, October 10, at Suzanne Brown Galleries, 7160 East Main in Scottsdale. Proceeds from sales benefit the zoo. For details call 945-8475.

"I-CAN" Art Show: Mixed-media works by children ages 12 to 17 from the Oakland and University Park neighborhoods, products of the YMCA-sponsored "I-CAN" Summer Youth Job Program, continue through Tuesday, October 15, in the front windows at Stop n' Look, 1025 Grand Avenue; the pieces are viewable 24 hours per day. For details call 256-2859.

"I Can Fly": South Phoenix photographer Tarah Rider Berry snapped neighborhood children in various states of wide-eyed, rubber-boned informality--in pools, in parks, at play--for this exhibit, whose ultimate mission was "capturing the innocence, creativity and freshness of youth." It continues through Sunday, November 24, in the New Directions Gallery at Scottsdale Center for the Arts, 7380 East Second Street. Viewing is free; hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays (to 8 p.m. Thursdays), noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. For details call 994-2787.

pup stars
"Dog Care and Safety": Barbara Westermeyer, a volunteer for Maricopa County Rabies/Animal Control, presents this free program, which includes an appearance by a real, live "pound puppy," at 2 p.m. Saturday, October 12, at Velma Teague Branch Library, 7010 North 58th Avenue in Glendale; call 930-3437. The presentation's repeated at the same time Saturday, October 19, at Glendale Public Library, 5959 West Brown; call 930-3537.

fright nights
Silo X: This high-tech haunted house is billed as a faux military missile silo whose abandoned personnel have gone mad. The Silo, recommended for those age 8 and older, is located at Hardy and Elliot in Tempe, next door to Fiddlesticks Family Fun Park. The facility's open from dusk Fridays and Saturdays to 1 a.m., dusk to 11 p.m. Sundays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, through Saturday, November 2. Tickets are $12, available at Dillard's. For details call 949-4322 or 678-2222.

on the stage
Hansel and Gretel: Phoenix Theatre's Cookie Company opens its season with the Grimm fairy tale about the witch who wants to have the young title characters over for dinner--literally. The production opens Saturday, October 12, and continues through Sunday, October 20, at the company's new performance space for tykes, the Little Theatre, located at the intersection of Alvarado and Coronado streets. For dates, times, tickets and other information, call 254-2151.

You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown: Greasepaint Scottsdale Youtheatre presents the Halloween-themed work, starring the Peanuts gang and--Linus hopes--the Great Pumpkin. This week's performances are at 7:30 p.m. Friday, October 11; 2 p.m. Saturday, October 12; and 2 p.m. Sunday, October 13, at Stagebrush Theatre, 7020 East Second Street in Scottsdale. The production continues through Sunday, October 20. Tickets are $6. For reservations and details, call 990-7646.