What’s happening this week: Sculptor program, theater auditions and more

Sculptor John Quincy Adams Ward will be the subject of a presentation by sculptor Mike Major at 5:30 p.m. tonight at the Champaign County Arts Council and Mike’s studio, 119 N. Main St.

Admission is free and open to the public.

Ward, known as “Quincy” to his family and friends, was born June 29, 1830, in Urbana. As a youth, he loved sculpting small animals, figures on horseback, sawmills, and completely populated villages. At age 11, he was given the run of Miles Chatfield’s pottery shop, where he learned to turn a pot and decorate it with bas-reliefs. This eventually led to an art career and his reputation as the “Dean of American Sculpture.”

Urbana Library Activities

The Champaign County Library, 1060 Scioto St., will host activities this week:

Silent Book Club will be held at 6:30 p.m. tonight at the main library.

Winter Storytime will be held today at the main library and Thursday at the North Lewisburg branch library. Register for sessions online.

Fiber Arts Group will meet from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Thursday at the main library.

Groundhog Roundup

A Groundhog Roundup will be held from 8 to 9 a.m. on Wednesday and Thursday at the Davidson Interpretive Center, 5638 Lower Valley Pike.

Celebrate Groundhog Day by searching for groundhogs representing different states and regions in the local parks.

Download the activity sheet at https://ntprd.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Groundhog.pdf. Search for the groundhogs and check them off the list when you find them. Submit your form or answers and pictures to nationaltrail@springfieldohio.gov.

Theater Auditions

Springfield Civic Theater will hold auditions for “Ain’t Misbehaving” from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday in Room 302, Krieg Hall, 632 Woodlawn Ave., on the Wittenberg campus. Callbacks will be from 4 to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 4, in the same location.

Anyone auditioning should be prepared to sing a song of their choosing, learn a movement phrase, and do a cold reading. “Ain’t Misbehaving” is a revue based on the songs of Fats Waller. Anyone trying out for the role of Fats Waller must be able to sing and play the piano.

Performances will be April 11 to 13 in the John Legend Theater. For more information, visit springfieldcivictheatre.org or contact the director, Debbie Blunden-Diggs, at dbdiggs@dcdc.org.