FEATS OF COMEDY
They call it "MotionFest" -- although the part getting the most exercise will be your sense of humor. A weekend of workshops in the comic and juggling arts will culminate with a public performance at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Best Western Travel Plaza, 5652 O'Donnell St. The show will feature performers from the Cirque de Soleil and San Francisco's celebrated puppet company, Lunatic Fantastic, among others. Tickets cost $12.50 in advance and $15 at the door. Call 410-833-6777 or visit www.MotionFest.com.
An all-Gershwin program
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra artistic director Yuri Temirkanov is best known for his interpretations of Russian music. But tomorrow, he and the orchestra will communicate in a distinctively American idiom when they perform a program of George Gershwin classics. In addition to the symphonic poem An American in Paris, the program will feature pianist Fazil Say (pictured) performing Rhapsody in Blue, and the Morgan State University Choir doing excerpts from Porgy and Bess. Performances will be at 8 p.m. tomorrow and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday at Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212 Cathedral St. Tickets are $29-$78. Call 410-783-8000 or visit www.baltimoresymphony.com.
Out-of-this-world music
Blast off with the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra as it presents its annual family concert at 11 a.m. Saturday at Goucher College's Kraushaar Auditorium, 1021 Dulaney Valley Road in Towson. Titled "Blast Off! Travelogue of a Child's Journey to Outer Space," the program will feature narration by NASA astronaut Dan Brandenstein and actor Tim Marrone. Besides the title piece, Blast Off! written by Daniel Doriff, the program includes such "outer-space" music as Holst's The Planets; "Sunrise" from Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra; and music from Stars Wars by John Williams. After the concert, there will be a question-and-answer period with Brandenstein. Tickets are $8 and $12. Call 410-426-0157.
Knockout artwork
The Walters Art Museum's newest exhibit celebrates the work of Baltimore artist Joseph Sheppard. Opening Sunday, the show features 13 works (eight paintings, four sculptures and one chalk drawing). Titled Ringside: The Boxing Paintings and Sculptures of Joseph Sheppard, the exhibition highlights 50 years of achievement by the artist, who is internationally acclaimed for his technical skill, his realist style and his dedication to the Old Master traditions of draftsmanship, composition and three-dimensional form. The show runs through March 9 at the Walters, 600 N. Charles St. Admission is $5-$8. Hours vary. Call 410-547-9000.
Waterfowl Festival
Geese flying overhead, hunting paraphernalia, a decoy auction, galleries of world-class wildlife and nature art: It must be time for the 32nd annual Waterfowl Festival. Tomorrow through Sunday, the Eastern Shore town of Easton will be the site of all of the above and much more. Painting, sculpture, carvings and photography will be displayed in eight galleries. The Artist Gallery and Workshop will showcase artists at work. Visitors can shop at flea markets and a gift-shops gallery, watch the World Championship Goose Calling Contest and the Mason-Dixon Regional Duck Call Contest, and see hawk, retriever and sharpshooting demonstrations. Hours and ticket prices vary. Easton is located off U.S. 50 in Talbot County. Call 410-822-4567 or visit www.waterfowlfestival.org.
Quirky quilts
Surely some of the most charming and unexpected surprises in Japan are the elaborately decorated manhole covers featuring flowers and plants, historic events, festivals and local landmarks. Shirley MacGregor, an American quilt-maker living in Japan, became entranced with the beautifully fashioned, 100-pound discs while jogging. Not only did they inspire a quilt of her own, MacGregor began mailing manhole designs to her fellow quilters. You can see the results tomorrow through Jan. 5 at an exhibit called Treasures Underfoot: Quilts Inspired by Japanese Manhole Covers at the Baltimore Public Works Museum at Pier 7, 751 Eastern Ave. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. Admission is $2 and $2.50. Call 410-396-5565.
Doubling up on the sax
They're billing it as "Dueling Saxophones." When Vincent Herring (pictured) and Don Braden take the stage at 5 p.m. Sunday , there's sure to be plenty of drama. Herring (alto and soprano saxes) performed with Lionel Hampton's band in the 1980s, and Braden has been described as one of the most impressive players of the tenor sax of his generation. The concert, presented by the Chamber Jazz Society, will be held at the Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Drive. Tickets are $10-$25. Call 410-385-5888.