MARCH 10 THURSDAY

EAT IT UP Has your mom ever yelled at you for making a mini chair out of your meatloaf? What about for building an igloo with your mashed potatoes? Do you envision broccoli in place of trees in your yard? Perhaps you'd like to check out the Seventh Annual Incredible Edible Design Competition, a Mardi Gras-themed event where individuals and teams compete in a contest to produce either furniture or an architectural element out of food. Judges award prizes for the most clever, ingenious and outstanding designs at tonight's party; last year's winners displayed creations that included chocolate-bar sofas, sugar-cube walls and coconut papasan chairs. The event is open to the public and features a silent auction and prize drawings, in addition to the display of edible artworks. A portion of the proceeds benefits the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. 5:30-9:30 p.m. Tickets: $20 guests. Entry Fees: $15 per individual/$30 per team. A La Carte Event Pavilion, 4050 Dana Shores Drive, Tampa, 813-886-0580.

MARCH 11 FRIDAY

SPICY DIVERSIONS Raise the roof Cajun style at the Fifth Annual Cajun/Zydeco Crawfish Festival, which kicks off this evening at Vinoy Park. Feast your way through 10,000 pounds of crawfish or munch on other Cajun favorites, like chicken and sausage jambalaya, fried or grilled alligator tail, shrimp etouffee, catfish nuggets, sweet potato pecan pie and Bouillie custard. Then, dance off the excess while enjoying a rather respectable music lineup: tonight, you can see The Porchdogs (5:30-7 p.m.), and Geno DeLafose & French Rockin' Boogie (7:30-10 p.m.); tomorrow, Gene plays again (12:30-3:30 p.m.), followed by Kevin Naquin & The Ossun Playboys (4-7 p.m.), and big name headliner Beausoleil avec Michael Doucet (4:30-10 p.m.); and Sunday, there's Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys (12:30-4 p.m.), and Roy Carrier & The Night Rockers (4:30-8 p.m.). Zydeco lessons are available for the less experienced revelers. 5-10 p.m. Fri., and noon-10 p.m. Sat.-Sun., March 11-13. $10 per day or $25 for a weekend pass (children 10 and younger enter free). Fifth Avenue N.E., St. Petersburg, 727-892-5767, www.cajunconnection.org.

MARCH 12 SATURDAY

COME TOGETHER The Arts Center's latest Project Creo undertaking, Convergence: Artist Collaborations, showcases a series of modern artworks by local, national and international artists. The exhibit, which features anything from technology-based installations to multimedia performances, demonstrates how technology can bring both artists and patrons together despite linguistic or geographic barriers, and in spite of the rationale that technology encourages our society's isolationist tendencies. You can meet and speak with the artists while perusing the works and enjoying live music and performances at tonight's opening reception, which occurs from 6 to 10 p.m. Regular hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Wed.-Fri., noon-8 p.m. Sat., and noon-6 p.m. Sun. Continues through May 4. The Pier, 800 Second Ave. N.E., Third Floor, St. Petersburg, 727-898-8318.

DOG DAY OF MARCH The Humane Society of Pinellas (HSP) holds its 13th Annual Mutt Strut dog walk, encouraging area pet owners to come out and spend some quality time with their four-legged best friends while supporting an essential area animal shelter. Activities and diversions include Frisbee, obedience and first aid demonstrations, a $15 microchip clinic, displays and booths by other local pet rescue groups, and a new dog game area, which features sports like "Musical Bones," "Mutt Strut," "Duck Pond," "Wiener Dunk" and "Smell a Shoe, Pick a Shoe." The event culminates with a mile-long pet walk led by the shelter's own special needs doggie, Solomon, who's just recovered from a bout with cancer and is to be adopted by a loving family. The money raised via pledges from individuals, or from groups forming a walking "pack," goes directly to HSP and its animal protection efforts. 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Honeymoon Island State Park, 1 Causeway Blvd., Dunedin, 727-797-7722, www.HumaneSocietyofPinellas.org.

MARCH 13 SUNDAY

ART WITH A FEMININE FLAVOR Sunday in the Arts is an annual fundraiser/exhibit presented by Las Damas de Arte, a 34-year-old Tampa organization celebrating women in the arts. On display are works by more than 50 acclaimed women artists, including paintings, drawings, photographs, jewelry, ceramics and sculpture. All are available for purchase beginning tonight at the opening gala. From 5:30 to 8 p.m., guests can make bids on various goods and services at a silent auction, nibble from a selection of gourmet treats, sample assorted wines, and enjoy live entertainment by the Michael Ross Duo, Molten Mike and Dr. Good Sax. Admission is $30; proceeds from the event will be distributed by Las Damas to Hillsborough Community College, University of South Florida and University of Tampa for art scholarships and grants, as well as to other local organizations for art-related endeavors. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tue.-Fri., and 1-4 p.m., Sat. Continues through March 31. Scarfone/Hartley Gallery, R.K. Bailey Art Studios, 310 N. Boulevard, Tampa, 813-258-7241.

PARK IT Food historians hypothesize that picnics evolved (or perhaps devolved is more like it) from the elaborate traditions of moveable outdoor feasts enjoyed by the wealthy. Medieval hunting repasts, Renaissance-era country banquets and Victorian garden parties were precursors to today's more leisurely spreads. Henry B. Plant Museum invites the community to pack a lunch, grab a blanket and spend Sunday afternoon relaxing in Plant Park while experiencing an old-fashioned picnic. Sprawl out under the shade of the Desoto oak tree in Tampa Bay Hotel's old gardens; listen to strumming banjos and the vocal melodies of a barber shop quartet; marvel at strolling mannequins decked out in Victorian fashion; and compete in a range of Victorian sporting activities, like hoops and sticks, horseshoes, badminton, three-legged races, jacks and tiddly-winks. Picnickers also score free lemonade, along with samples of ice cream from Blue Bell Creameries. For folks who'd like to continue exploring Tampa's past, the museum stays open until 4 p.m. (admission is $5 for adults and $2 for children under 12). 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. 401 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, 813-258-7302.

MARCH 15 TUESDAY

ART IMITATES LIFE Imagine an art event where the exhibited works came to life, shaking loose from the confines of a painted existence to prance and dance about. This fantastic vision was made reality in February, when William Starrett premiered Off the Wall and Onto the Stage, an original creation combining the vibrant images of South Carolina artist Jonathan Green with Starrett's expert choreography. Featuring a series of vignettes drawn directly from 22 of Green's paintings, and set to music rooted in the history of the region (like gospel, jazz, folk songs and hymns), Off the Wall sounds like a wonder worth witnessing. Area folks can check out a single performance tonight at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. 7:30 p.m. $25, $40. Ferguson Hall, 1010 N. MacInnes Place, Tampa, 813-229-7827, www.dancingtheart.com.

This article appears in Mar 9-15, 2005.