Calendar of events

MARCH 29

There will be an energy conservation program hosted by Winter Park on Thursday, March 29. There are two sessions: one from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. for commercial customers, and one from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. for residential customers. The event is free to Winter Park utility customers. To register, call 407-599-3285.

MARCH 30

The Breakthrough Theatre will present the Jason Robert Brown musical, "The Last 5 Years", from March 30-April 23. It is a contemporary song-cycle musical that chronicles the five-year life of a marriage. Show times are at 8 p.m. on Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and at 3 p.m. on Sundays. Call 407¬-920-4034 or visit breakthroughtheatre.com

The Chenrezig Project of Central Florida will host the third annual Florida Dharma Film Festival at the First Congregational Church of Winter Park on March 30-31. Visit chenrezigproject.org/FLharma2012.pdf or e-mail [email protected]

MARCH 31

The Festival of India, a vibrant celebration of culture, arts and cuisine, will be held from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 31, at the HSCF Community Hall and Grounds, 1994 Lake Drive, Casselberry. Entry is free and parking is $5. Call 407-699-5277.

APRIL 1

The documentary “Miss Representation” will be played from 6 to 8 p.m. on Sunday, April 1, at the First Presbyterian Church of Maitland, 31 N. Orlando Ave. The event is free. The film, shown at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, exposes how mainstream media contribute to the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence in America. Visit missrepresentation.org

The Florida International Piano Competition hots the third Annual Symphony for the Arts at 6 p.m. on Sunday, April 1, at the Grand Bohemian Hotel, 325 S. Orange Ave. in Orlando. Tickets are $100 per person. Corporate Tables are available for $850. Seating is limited. Call 407-645-2525.

The Central Florida Watercolor Society will hold its next monthly meeting at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 1, in the Marvel Building at the Maitland Art Center, 231 W. Packwood Ave. in Maitland. The program will feature a demonstration titled “Watercolor…Outside the Lines” by watercolorist Peggy Furlin. The meeting is open to all, but the society requests an admission fee of $10 of non-members due to limited space. Call 407-415-0594.

Each Saturday morning, during the month of April, the Orange Audubon Society will conduct free guided bird walks in Mead Botanical Garden. Free loaner binoculars will be available. The walks will begin at 8 a.m. and will be two to three hours long, at a very relaxed pace. Mead Botanical Garden is located at 1300 S. Denning Drive. Call Dick Smith at 407-257-7361.

APRIL 2

State Rep. Bryan Nelson (R-Apopka) will host a post-session Town Hall on Monday, April 2, from 6-7 p.m. at Maitland City Hall to meet, discuss and answer questions about the 2012 Legislative Session. Topics include the 2012 redistricting process, the fiscal year 2012-2013 state budget and the septic tank issue. Call 407-884-2023.

APRIL 3

“Charles Ritchie: Drawing the Limits of Vision” is a lecture by artist Charles Ritchie that will explore the many ways the artist investigates the limits of the visual world at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 3, at the Cornell Fine Arts Museum. Pictured is Charles Ritchie
, Lights in Three Panels, 2010-2011
, watercolor, graphite and conté crayon on Fabriano paper
sheet/image: 4 x 9 7/8", collection of the artist

The Tarflower Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 3, at Harry P. Leu Gardens, 1920 N. Forest Ave. in Orlando. Dr. Walter Taylor, author of several wildflower books, will present a program titled "Wildflower Seasons of Florida." This meeting is free and open to the public.

Mark your calendars for exciting trivial pursuit games from 7 to 8:30 p.m. April 4 and April 18 at the University Club of Winter Park. The event is free but donations are accepted. Visit universityclubwinterpark.org

On Wednesday, April 4, from 2 to 6 p.m., Centura Institute is hosting an open house. Get a VIP tour of the facilities, win door prizes and talk with faculty and current students about a career in the health care field. The campus is located at 6359 Edgewater Drive. Call 407-275-9696.

APRIL 5

The Orange County Retired Educators Association will meet at 10 a.m. on Thursday, April 5, at College Park United Methodist Church, located at 644 W. Princeton St. in Orlando. Enjoy a program by weatherman Glenn Richards. Visit ocrea-fl.org or call 407-677-0446.

ONGOING

The Winter Park Farmers’ Market is held from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday. It is located at the old train depot, at 200 W. New England Ave. For more information, visit CityofWinterPark.org

The Maitland Farmers’ Market is from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Sunday. It is located at Lake Lily Park. For more information, visit ItsMyMaitland.com or call 407-539-6268.

Food Truck Café is from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. every Wednesday at Lake Lily Park in Maitland.

The Winter Park Food Truck Stop is located at 1127 N. Orlando Ave. in Winter Park, and is open for food trucks 24/7. Follow the site on Facebook at http://tinyurl.com/FoodTruckStop

Music at the Casa is a free weekly open house from noon to 3 p.m. on Sundays, featuring live performances and tours of the historic Casa Feliz, at 656 N. Park Ave., in Winter Park. For more information, visit CasaFeliz.us or call 407-628-8200 ext. 3. Upcoming performances include: Shannon Caine of Beautiful Music on Feb. 26.

Maitland’s Culture and Cocktails takes place the second Friday of every month until April, both inside and outside of the Maitland Art Center’s Germaine Marvel Building, located at 210 W. Packwood Ave. Guests are sure to enjoy this evening of art, music, poetry, food and fun. The schedule includes artist Andrew Spear, performing 6-9 p.m. Friday, April 13. For more information, call 407-539-2181 or visit ArtandHistory.org

The second Friday of every month, local residents will have the opportunity to meet the artists, enjoy live music and performances, while experiencing art and culture at the Maitland Chamber of Commerce. For more information, contact [email protected]

Friday Nights at the Morse features free admission to the Morse Museum from 4 to 8 p.m. on Fridays through April 27. Occasional programs include live music, art demonstrations, curator tours and family tours. Visit morsemuseum.org

Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens presents “Artful Strings: Four Centuries of Harp Making” through April 15. It provides visitors with behind-the-scene access into the International Harp Museum’s collection of rare and visually striking harps from antique to contemporary pieces. The Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens, located at 633 Osceola Ave. in Winter Park, is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, and 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays. For more information, call 407-647-6294 or visit polasek.org

Self-taught and nationally recognized African-American artist Missionary Mary Proctor will speak at the opening reception for an exhibit of her highly distinctive work. The exhibit will be open through Saturday, April 21, and will be hosted at the Hannibal Square Heritage Center in Winter Park. The exhibit will showcase work from Proctor’s personal collection in Tallahassee, as well as the permanent collection from the Mennello Museum of American Art. The exhibit will culminate with the third Annual Hannibal Square Heritage Center Folk Art and Traditional Craft Festival on Saturday, April 21.

The Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center’s exhibit “BESA: A Code of Honor” will be at the Center until the end of March. It offers a glimpse into the lives of a people whose commitment to their faith requires them to act unselfishly even under the most dire circumstances.

The Art & History Museums — Maitland (A&H) proudly features the work of artist Molly Chism in the upcoming Exhibition EMERGE! Molly Chism through April 15. The exhibition is held in the Maitland Art Center Galleries, 231 W. Packwood Ave. in Maitland.

The Winter Park Public Library is partnering with AARP to provide free tax help to people of all ages this tax season every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 11:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. through April 17 in the Library’s second floor literacy training room. For more information, visit tinyurl.com/taxhelpwp

Visit wpmobserver.com/events for more details. Send submissions to [email protected]