N&D Center

Basic Orienteering

ISSUES & LEARNING

Don’t know which way is north? Have you ever found yourself pricing out DPS systems out of mortal fear that you will someday get completely lost? Worry no more. Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority is offering a class called Basic Orienteering that will teach folks how to find the North Star, how to read a map and how to properly use a compass. This is an extensive course: Participants should be prepared to be indoors for an hour and a half and outdoors for approximately 40 minutes. Dress appropriately. At the Nature Center of Indian Springs Metropark (5200 Indian Trail, White Lake); call 248-625-7280 for more information; $2 per person.

If you are the type who likes the way the world looks from atop a pair Rollerblades, why not join like-minded skaters for a medium-speed trek through trendy downtown Royal Oak? Meet at the northeast corner of 13 Mile Road and Coolidge Highway (across the street from Memorial Park) at 7 p.m. and ease on down the road! Helmets are a must, safety gear is a good idea and brightly-colored Spandex tighties are discouraged (okay, maybe that’s not true, but we thought we’d try). Ages 18 and over only, call 248-549-6972 for further lowdown.

This 6-year-old indie music festival is more than the average rock ’n’ roll revue. For promoter/organizer Stephen Cramer, Summer Smash is an opportunity to raise funds for worthy causes while enjoying three full nights of the coolest indie rock to come out of the D — and elsewhere. This year, Cramer plans to donate proceeds to Alternatives for Girls, a progressive Detroit-based nonprofit that assists disadvantaged girls and young women with vocational guidance, educational support and counseling. Bands include: A Thousand Times Yes, El Boxeo, Fred Thomas, Showdown at the Equator, Ten Words for Snow, Lee Marvin Computer Arm and many more. At the Detroit Art Space (101 E. Baltimore, Detroit); call 313-664-0445 for further low down. Visit summersmash.org for lineups; tickets are $6 per night or $12 for a three-day pass.

If there’s one thing we don’t get a lot of ’round these parts, it’s good old-fashioned rodeo. In a city where the major mode of transportation is the automobile and whose green pastures have been developed into expanses of concrete, the magical experience of horsemanship is a rare treat. But this weekend, the Saline Rodeo will delight audiences with the rugged fun of bareback, saddle bronc and bull riding and the wholesome fun of some fancy barrel-racing. At the Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds (5055 Ann Arbor-Saline Road, Saline); call 734-327-2031 for more information.

Since receiving much-deserved kudos with the release of Standing in the Shadows of Motown, the legendary Funk Brothers have been filling concert halls the world over. This weekend, with an event which reunites the troupe with three of Motown’s most beloved divas — Mary Wilson, Martha Reeves and Kim Weston — the Funk Brothers will do what they do best: make some of the most important music of modern times. At Chene Park (Atwater & Chene, Detroit); call 248-645-6666 for ticket information.

Universal Animal Rescue & Gifts will be holding their 4th Annual Low Cost Vaccine and Microchip Fair. For pet owners who are not familiar with the AVID FriendChip, it is a tiny computer chip that has an identification number programmed into it. The device, which is so small that it can fit through a hypodermic needle and can be injected under the skin of your pet, provides permanent positive identification that cannot be lost, altered or intentionally removed — think of it as an internal collar. Professional vaccines and microchip implants will be provided by Parkview Animal Hospital for a very affordable price at the Universal Mall (28582 Dequindre, Warren); call 586-574-0577 for appointments.

There isn’t a culture in the world that hasn’t employed the benefits of herbal healing in their healthcare regimen. Over the years, however, modern medicine has rendered homeopathic remedies a seemingly unnecessary part of life. But Mr. Taylor, Detroit’s own Master Herbalist, disagrees with the notion that herbal healing is a thing of the past. He will be giving a walking tour and lecture, "Survival Herbs for the 21st Century," this weekend for anyone who is interested in a more natural way to stay healthy. Meet at 6323 14th Street (near Ferry Park in Detroit) at 10 a.m. Call 313-895-1013 for more information.

We here at Night & Day have had somewhat of a fascination with artist Adam Winnie. This socially conscientious dreamer — who abhors categorization and always offers up a generous helping of something extraordinary — explains that if his works must be characterized, they can be described as "sculpture of a conceptually constructivist nature which embraces an almost neo-Dadaistic approach." You can say that again! (Or can you?) At the Dreamland Theater (44 E. Cross St., Ypsilanti); call 734-838-1782 for more information. Reception will be from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Ends Sept. 19.

Post-rock music wonk and local promoter, Ben Hernandez know a good thing when he hears it. He describes the ambient noise rock of Paik: "They develop out of total silence and darkness with a steadily rising wall of sonics that lulls the listener/viewer into a trance that remains unbroken until the drummer starts thundering away on his oversized Kettle Drums. As the impossibly looped and processed screech of the guitar builds in layers over the low end rumble of voluminous bass, the sights and sounds of a Paik show develop." It’s really this good. See them at Fifth Avenue Downtown (inside Comerica Park) with P.A. Call 313-471-2555 for more information.

Explorer-artists from Canada, England, India and the U.S. set out on a long walk that traversed not solid ground, but rather, the "inner and outer lands that meet in humanity." The result, as they have described it, is "maps to anywhere, an atlas of human desires and failings composed of painting, drawing, sculpture and installation." See this multimedia art installation from the University of Michigan’s School of Art & Design at the Warren Robbins Gallery (2000 Bonisteel Blvd., Ann Arbor); call 734-936-2082 for gallery hours.