The Art Center, operated by the Associated Artists of Butler County, will feature "ART: The Messenger" by Carlo Thertus starting Aug. 1 in the Rittelmann Gallery at the Art Center, 344 S. Main St.

Also opening Aug. 1 at the Art Center will be "Farm Markets" by Barbara Hutcheson in the Member's Gallery, and work by Charles Mintz in the Mezzanine Gallery.

These exhibits will continue through Aug. 22.

Art Center hours are noon to 6 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, noon to 9 p.m. Fridays and noon to 4 p.m. Saturdays. Admission is free. Call 724-283-6922 or visit the Web site, www.theartcenterbutlerpa.net.

MUDDY CREEK TWP — Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh will host a Star Party on Friday at Moraine State Park's North Shore bicycle rental area. At least six telescopes will be available for visitors to use.The evening will begin about 8 p.m. and run until midnight. In case of cloudy or rainy weather, the event would be canceled. To check on the Star Party's status, call 412-795-1730 before 5 p.m. Friday.For more information, visit the Web site, www.3ap.org.

NEW CASTLE — The Children's Summer Arts Festival will offer free activities and entertainment from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday at the Hoyt Institute of Fine Arts, 124 E. Leasure Ave.Kids young and old may attend the day of free activities, including a chalk drawing contest, dancing, puppet show, ventriloquist, petting zoo, crafts, and fire and safety vehicles. The day will be held rain or shine. Call 724-652-2882.

HARMONY — The Harmony Museum will present its fourth annual antique firearms show and sale on Aug. 9. As with previous shows, visitors will find an emphasis on 18th- and 19th-century guns and accouterments made in the Western Pennsylvania-Eastern Ohio region.The event's founding chairman is Richard Rosenberger, an authority on antique firearms who co-authored "The Longrifles of Western Pennsylvania — Allegheny and Westmoreland Counties."Admission to the 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. show is $5. Visitors are welcome to take items from their own collections to learn more about them and obtain informal values from exhibitors. Lunch and refreshments will be available.For more information, call 724-452-7341 or 888-821-4822.

KITTANNING — Armstrong Community Theater will stage "The Wizard of Oz" at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 7, 8 and 9 at Kittanning Senior High School's Performing Arts Center.Admission is $15 for adults and $10 for senior citizens and children age 12 and younger. Tickets will be available at the door, or call 724-763-3680.

PITTSBURGH — The Quantum Theatre will present "Cymbeline" by Shakespeare from July 31 to Aug. 24 outdoors in the Rose Garden at Mellon Park, at the corner of Fifth and Shady avenues in Shadyside.One of Shakespeare's last plays, "Cymbeline" is written in a phase of his artistic life when he broke his own rules and experimented boldly.This begins the Quantum Theatre's season that includes the world premiere of "The Museum of Desire," Nov. 6 to 23; "Yerma," Jan. 29 to Feb. 22, and "Mouth to Mouth," April 2 to 26.Tickets range from $25 to $35. Call 412-394-3353.

PITTSBURGH — "Born of Fire: The Life and Pottery of Margaret Tafoya" will open Oct. 4 at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, 4400 Forbes Ave.The first East Coast exhibit of the works of this master Pueblo potter, "Born of Fire" features more than 75 pieces created by Tafoya, with additional works by her mother and descendants, including rare early works from the Santa Clara Pueblo where she lived. Tafoya was one of the last surviving Pueblo matriarchs of the early 20th century.The exhibit will then continue until Jan. 4, 2009.The Carnegie Museum of Natural History, one of the four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursdays, and from noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. The museum also is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays until the Monday before Labor Day.Admission to both Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History is $15 for adults, $12 for senior citizens, $11 for children ages 3 to 18 and full-time students with ID, and free to children younger than 3. Call 412-622-3131 or visit the Web site, www.carnegiemnh.org.