Cheap Thrills

MOTIVATIONAL MUSE: Noted inspirational speaker and top musician Jana Stanfield arrives in town for a "keynote concert."

The buzzwords surrounding Stanfield are "motivating and heart-warming." She'll present a healthy dose of both tonight, with music that's good for the mind, body and soul.

Her long list of credits include songs recorded by Suzy Bogguss and Reba McEntire, and she's also in hot demand on the lecture circuit. Stanfield's keynote concerts combine humorous and empowering insights about life; they've been variously described as "sonic soup for the soul," and "heavy mental."

Jana Stanfield performs at 7:30 p.m. Friday, January 14, in the PCC Proscenium Theatre, 2202 W. Anklam Road. Tickets are $5, and available at the PCC Center for Fine Arts box office, at the door, and by calling 206-6988.

DIG IN: Fine-tune your green thumb with a demonstration hosted by the Pima County Cooperative Extension Garden Center.

Talented flora aficionados will show you the way around a root system, and the ins-and-outs of ground-level bliss.

The free workshop begins at 1 p.m. Wednesday, January 19, in the Wilmot Branch Library, 530 N. Wilmot Road. Call 626-5161 for details.

LEADING LUNAR LIGHT: Join legendary comet sleuth Dr. David Levy for a lecture and book signing hosted by The Arizona Aerospace Foundation.

You might recall Levy from his 21 books, or for the 1998 Emmy he won as part of the writing team for the Discovery Channel documentary Three Minutes to Impact.

As science editor for Parade Magazine, Levy reaches some 80 million souls. He's also a contributing editor to Sky and Telescope Magazine, and his monthly columns and features appear in the Canadian magazine Skynews.

In other words, he's a busy chap. Then again, you may simply recall him as the fascinating UA researcher who ranks as one of the most successful comet discoverers in history.

He'll discuss and sign copies of his latest books, More Things in Heaven and Earth and Ultimate Universe, at 2 p.m. Saturday, January 15, at the Pima Air and Space Museum, 6000 E. Valencia Road. Admission to the event is included with the regular museum entry of $7.50, $6.50 for seniors and active military, and $4 for children ages 7 to 12. Children under age 7 get in free. For information, call 574-0462.

PETTICOAT JUSTICE: Law and order wears a dress in Birthday Party, the latest mystery by author Mame Davis Kellogg.

The book marks the return of Wyoming Marshall Lilly Bennett, charged with chasing down whoever is killing members of a family involved in land development. Like others in this series, Birthday Party continues Kellogg's tradition of biting satire, intricate plotting, and, according to Publishers Weekly, "larger-than-life characters with huge incomes, egos, and libidos...entertainment that never flags."

Kellogg will sign copies of her book from 2 to 4 p.m. Thursday, January 13, at Clues Unlimited, 123 S. Eastbourne Ave. in Broadway Village, on the corner of Broadway Boulevard and Country Club Road. Call 326-8533 for information.