Thursday

Whitefish Theatre Company will present “Annie Jr.” on May 1-10 at the O’Shaughnessy. With a cast and crew of more than 40 Flathead Valley youths, “Annie Jr.” will tug at the heartstrings with its familiar songs and a story based on the popular comic strip. The cast and crew will collect non-perishable food items for the North Valley Food Bank during the entire production. They will also collect dog and cat food to donate to local animal shelters. Performance dates are May 8-9 at 7:30 p.m. and May 10 at 4 p.m. with all seats reserved. Tickets are $14 adults and $10 students and seniors. Saturday matinee on May 9 at 2 p.m. is general admission. Ticket prices are $12 adults and $8 students and seniors. To purchase tickets, call 862-5371.

The Whitefish High School’s annual talent show will take place in the Whitefish Middle School auditorium on Thursday, May 7, starting at 7 p.m. About 20 acts will make up this year’s show, highlighting student talent as well as staff members. Admission is $3 students and $5 adults.

Whitefish First Thursday Gallery Nights will start up again for the 2009 season on May 7 (tonight) from 6-9 p.m. at 14 locations around downtown Whitefish. Gallery Nights takes place on the first Thursday of each month from May to October. For more information and a map of all 14 locations, visit online at www.whitefishgallerynights.org.

Whitefish First Thursday Gallery Nights will start up again for the 2009 season on May 7 from 6-9 p.m. at 14 locations around downtown Whitefish. Gallery Nights takes place the first Thursday of each month from May to October. For more information and a map of all 14 locations, visit online at www.whitefishgallerynights.org.

Flathead Valley Community College Theatre will bid farewell to its spring season with “An Evening of Music and Dance,” featuring music, singing and dancing performances by FVCC Theatre students. Performances will take place May 7-10 at 7 p.m. at the FVCC Black Box Theatre in the Arts and Technology Building. Tickets are $10 each available in advance at the FVCC Bookstore Monday-Thursday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or by calling 756-3814. Proceeds will go to FVCC theater scholarships. A potluck social will immediately follow the May 9 show. Theater-goers are encouraged to bring a dish and meet the students. For more information, visit online at www.fvcc.edu.

The first Thursday Nights Farmers Market of the year will take place on Thursday, May 7, from 4 to 6:30 p.m. in the Pin & Cue parking lot.

Friday

A benefit concert for Hope Ranch coordinated by B.J. Lupton will take place May 8 at the Christian Center in Kalispell and May 9 at the Whitefish Middle School auditorium beginning at 7:30 p.m. Musicians from the Glacier Symphony and Chorale, BrassWerks, Swingin’ On High and the Flathead Valley Community Band volunteered their time and talent to help raise scholarship funds for families who need the services of Hope Ranch. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, Hope Ranch is a small ministry whose mission is to rescue girls from destructive lifestyles, heal them in a safe and caring Christian environment, and prepare them for healthy, productive lives. Tickets are $20 each available at Whitefish Credit Union, Montana Coffee Traders, by calling Hope Ranch at 862-7871 and at the door.

Saturday

The Whitefish Community Gardens at Wisconsin Avenue will hold a work party on Saturday, May 9, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The garden site is behind the Whitefish United Methodist Church on 1150 Wisconsin Avenue. People are asked to bring a shovel if they have one, work gloves and work clothes. Help is needed to build raised beds, prepare for fencing and other garden-related duties — including planning upcoming events. Anyone interested in having a garden plot or who just wants to lend a helping hand is encouraged to come and join in the project, a non-profit dedicated to growing gardens, food and community. Low cost and subsidized plots for families and individuals are available. For more information, call 253-0942 or 863-9758 or e-mail wfcommunitygarden@centurytel.net.

The Northwest Ballet Company’s annual Mother’s Day performance, “A Night at the Classics,” will take place at the Flathead High School auditorium on Saturday, May 9, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, May 10, at 4 p.m. Martha Obermiller will dance her farewell performance with the company as the Lilac Fairy from “Sleeping Beauty.” Debut soloists will be Keiko Sagami, dancing Kitri’s variation from “Don Quixote,” and Megan Biggs, with a fairy variation from “Sleeping Beauty.” Guest artists will be Donald Stanfield and Rodney Rickard.Reserved tickets are on sale at Books West in Kalispell, call 752-6900. Tickets are $16 adults and $12 children 12-and-under. For more information, call 755-0760.

The Flathead Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited will hold its annual fundraising banquet at Grouse Mountain Lodge on Saturday, May 9, beginning at 6 p.m. For tickets and information, call 250-5064, 260-1198, or 253-1167.

Sunday

Monday

Flathead Audubon will hold its annual potluck, silent auction and general membership meeting on Monday, May 11, in the Bethlehem Lutheran Church Basement, 603 South Main Street, in Kalispell, beginning at 5 p.m. Steve Hoffman, executive director of Montana Audubon, will give a program about Montana Audubon’s Important Bird Area Project, which establishes priorities for bird habitat conservation worldwide.

Tuesday

Annual registration for Whitefish 7th and 8th Grade Football, a privately-funded organization, will take place in the Whitefish Middle School foyer on May 12 at 3:30 p.m. Area athletes who will be in seventh- or eighth-grade for the 2009-2010 school year are eligible to play. Fees for the upcoming season are $85. Players must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at the time of registration, and all players must provide proof of current physical and health insurance prior to the start of the season. The organization is solely coached and managed by volunteers and is starting it's 11th season. For more information, call Brian or Michelle McDowell at 862-6046.

Fish, Wildlife and Parks will hold a public informational meeting on the Westslope Cutthroat Trout Conservation Project at their office on Meridian Road in Kalispell on Tuesday, May 12, from 5-9 p.m. A formal meeting will begin at 7 p.m. The purpose of the project is to conserve native westslope cutthroat trout in the South Fork of the Flathead River, which is the major stronghold for westslope cutthroat trout in Montana. Biologists will summarize last year’s treatments of Lower Big Hawk Lake and Graves Creek to remove nonnative or hybrid fish and the post-treatment monitoring and restocking of Black and Blackfoot lakes. Plans will also be discussed for the fall 2009 treatments of Clayton and Margaret lakes. For more information, call Matt Boyer at 751-4556 or e-mail mboyer@mt.gov or visit online at http://fwp.mt.gov/r1/wctproject/default.html.

Wednesday