Slayton House

Dance class African Dance Fitness class with Nlandu Kiely takes place from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through March 1 at Slayton House in the Village of Wilde Lake. Teens, adults, women and men are welcome in this aerobic and toning workout class based on African dance moves. The cost is $60 for the six-week course or $13 for a single class. For more information, call 410-730-3987. Puppet show The Kaydee Puppets perform "Little Red Hen" and "3 Little Pigs" on Friday at Slayton House in the Village of Wilde Lake.

Ski club meets The Columbia Ski Club meets at 7 p.m. Monday, May 13, at Union Jack's, 10400 Little Patuxent Parkway. New members enjoy a 50 percent reduction in fees. Light appetizers will be provided. Open to the public. Information: 410-740-5225. 'The Full Monty' Silhouette Stages presents the story of six unemployed steelworkers who decide to form a strip act. Shows at 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, May 17-18; 24-25, and 3 p.m. Sunday, May 19, at Slayton House, 10400 Cross Fox Lane in Columbia.

Slayton House Gallery on Wilde Lake Village Green is planning Artfully Wilde, a one-day sale Nov. 12 of contemporary and traditional gifts. This year's event includes wood boxes and turned bowls, glass, pottery, photography, home accessories, jewelry, notecards, fiber art, dolls, prints and journals. The sale will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Refreshments will be available. A portion of the proceeds will help support arts events at the community center. Admission to the sale is free. Information: 410-730-3987 or 301-596-4883.

Cars are a defining aspect of the American landscape in John Petro's exhibit "Parked Outside the Door" at the Bernice Kish Gallery at Slayton House. Although people are rarely seen in these color photographs, cars appear in almost every shot. A typical photo features a single car parked near a single house, as if to emphasize that ours is a mobile culture. Indeed, there's even a shot depicting a red truck parked next to a mobile home in Cloverlick, W.Va. Ironically, though, Petro often takes photos of junked old cars that aren't going anywhere.

Annual luncheon The Audrey Robbins Humanitarian Awards Luncheon, at which the Association of Community Services of Howard County honors volunteers and staff for their service to the community, will be held at noon Friday, May 3 at the Ten Oaks Ballroom, 5000 Signal Bell Lane in Clarksville. For tickets and information, go to acshoco.org. Gardening volunteers The Howard County Conservancy seeks Wednesday morning drop-in gardening volunteers, from 9:30 a.m. to noon, to help maintain its thematic and native plant gardens.

As an architect who worked for the Rouse Company for 30  years and managed the design of many buildings in Town  Center, I am concerned about the feasibility of the Inner  Arbor Plan shown last Thursday (Jan. 31) at Slayton House. I am not  opposed to the idea of building some cultural facilities in the woods, but the choice of a site, with a 55-foot change in grade elevation from top to bottom, that necessitates burying the theaters substantially underground is unrealistic. As places of public assembly it would be impossible to comply with the building code's exiting requirements in case of fire or the barrier-free accessibility requirements of the handicapped without prohibitive costs.