Pic Hits for the week

thursday
october 17
Arizona State Fair: The annual corn-dog carnival opens Thursday, October 17, and continues through Sunday, November 3, at the fairgrounds, bounded by McDowell Road and Encanto Boulevard between 17th and 19th avenues. Along with the usual attractions--midway rides and games, livestock and agricultural exhibits, etc.--this year's fair includes "The Disney Fair" (see "At the Fair" in Kid Pics); a live version of Wheel of Fortune; the virtual-reality ride "Red Rock Run" at the AT&T Reactor Theater; and--not to miss--Norma D. "Duffy" Lyon's bovine butter sculpture. The usual schizophrenic mix of twangers, cutting-edge acts and has-beens takes the stage at Veterans' Memorial Coliseum, beginning with one of the former, Wynonna, at 7 p.m. Thursday (for details about the Gin Blossoms concert on Monday, October 21; and the KC and the Sunshine Band show on Wednesday, October 23, see below). Regular fair admission is $6.50, $4.50 for seniors, $3.50 for kids ages 5 to 13, free for those younger. Midway Pay-One-Price days are Tuesday, October 22; Tuesday, October 29; Thursday, October 31; and Sunday, November 3. Kiddieland Pay-One-Price day is Thursday, October 24. For a complete listing of fair info not covered here, see the At the Fair listing in Thrills. For general information, call 268-3247 or 252-6771.

Pina Bausch Tanztheater Wuppertal: Bausch, the indisputably great European choreographer and modern dancer, unveils Nur Du (Only You), her new, satirical work about the American West and us Westerners, during a rare U.S. tour that stops at Gammage Auditorium, Mill and Apache in Tempe, on Thursday, October 17; see the story on page 57. Showtime is 7 p.m. Tickets range from $19 to $32, half-price for students, available at Gammage and Dillard's. Call 965-3434 or 678-2222.

"Arizona Round-Up": Deadeye cowpokes, dastardly villains, war-painted "savages" and busty temptresses live again in this exhibit of pulp Western works on canvas and onionskin by Richard Lillis, Leslie Ross, Raphael Desoto, Walter Baumhofer and others, culled from the covers of '20s- to '40s-vintage cheapo serial rags like Ranchland Romances and Thrilling Western. The installation opens with a reception from 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday, October 17, and continues through Tuesday, December 31, at Meyer Gallery, 7173 East Main in Scottsdale; another reception is planned for the same hours Saturday, October 19. Viewing is free; regular hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays (to 9 p.m. Thursdays), 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays. Call 947-6372.

Tap Dogs: Billed as "a rough, tough . . . reinvention of tap for the '90s," this highly rhythmic and occasionally inventive show features six male hoofers from Australia who attempt to fill the void that exists between the click-heeled grace of Fred Astaire and those rock-'em/sock-'em roustabouts in Stomp. Final performances are at 6 and 9 p.m. Thursday, October 17; 8 p.m. Friday, October 18; 5 and 9 p.m. Saturday, October 19; and 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday, October 20, at Union Hall, Sixth Street and Van Buren. Tickets range from $23.50 to $33.50, available at the hall and Dillard's. Call 253-7100 or 678-2222.

friday
october 18
Voices of Light and The Passion of Joan of Arc: Composer Richard Einhorn mated his symphonic/operatic work Voices to director Carl Theodor Dreyer's 1928 silent masterpiece about Saint Joan; hauntingly, the film was thought to have been lost after two versions went up in flames, but an intact print was discovered at a Norway mental institution in 1981. Like last season's live scoring of Eisenstein's The Battleship Potemkin by Phoenix Symphony, a company comprising the Los Angeles Mozart Orchestra, the vocal quartet Anonymous 4, and the I Cantori chorus will score Joan in real time; see the story on page 63. Showtime is 8 p.m. Friday, October 18, at Gammage Auditorium, Mill and Apache in Tempe. Tickets range from $18 to $28, available at Gammage and Dillard's. Call 965-3434 or 678-2222.

Empty Bowl Projects: Separate fund raisers, both held in conjunction with World Food Day, are planned on Friday, October 18, in Phoenix and in Mesa. The event at Arizona Center, Third Street and Van Buren, is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in tents located near Lombardi's. Those who pay $10 for lunch keep the ceramic bowl it's served in and raise money for Waste Not; a silent auction is also planned (call 254-1222). The Empty Bowl lunch at Mesa Arts Center, 155 North Center, is slated for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The fee is $9, $7 with the donation of a canned good, and proceeds benefit various social-service agencies; an auction continues 'til 7 that evening (call 644-2242).

"Arizona Round-Up": See Thursday.
Arizona State Fair: See Thursday.
Tap Dogs: See Thursday.

saturday
october 19
Cowboy Artists of America Exhibit: CAA's 31st-anniversary show, featuring paintings, sculpture and other works of Western realism by the organization's active and emeritus members, opens to the public at noon Saturday, October 19, and continues through Sunday, November 24, in the Steele Current Exhibitions Gallery at the recently revamped Phoenix Art Museum, 1625 North Central. Regular hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays (to 9 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays). Special admission (to the CAA installation only): $5, $4 for seniors, $2 for students and kids age 6 and up; those younger get in free. For details call 257-1880 or 257-1222.

Don McLean: McLean's been trying to escape the long shadow of "American Pie," one of the most significant songs of the last generation, since it was released 25 years ago. But that's McLean--a wide-ranging, totally dedicated songwriter who's as humble as he is gifted. Don plays a rare Valley show at 8 p.m. Saturday, October 19, at Scottsdale Center for the Arts, 7380 East Second Street. Tickets are $18 and $22, available at the center and Ticketmaster. Call 994-2787 or 784-4444.