During the 16th century, Spanish Catholics brought paintings of saints to Mexico and incorporated them into home altars. These colorful artworks are called laminas or retablos, which means "behind the altar."

The Memorial Student Center Visual Arts Committee at Texas A&M University will host "Miracle on the Border: Mexican Retablos Symposium" from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday in the J. Wayne Stark Galleries. Admission is free.

The symposium will be held in conjunction with an exhibit of 51 Mexican retablos that will open Tuesday and run through Dec. 15 in the Stark Galleries.

At 10:15 a.m., Nadia Flores, assistant professor in A&M's sociology department, will present "Immigrant Stories Behind the Retablos." She will discuss the history of the collection and how it was acquired.

At 11:05 a.m., Gregory Cuellar, curator of the Mexican Colonial Imprint Collection of A&M's Cushing Memorial Library & Archives, will talk about his theory that these retablos were influenced by shared experience of immigration.

Stephen Vollmer, an independent curator with more than 30 years of experience in Mexican folk art, will lecture on Spanish and Mexican altar screens from the late 15th and 16th centuries to the present at 1:30 p.m.

Santa Barrazza, professor of art at Texas A&M University at Kingsville, will discuss the influence of folk art on Mexican modernists such as Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera at2:20 p.m.

Pumpkin carving

The Children's Museum of the Brazos Valley will give free pumpkin carving lessons from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday at 111 E. 27th St. in Bryan.

Carved pumpkins will be displayed Friday at the museum. The lessons are open to all ages.

At StageCenter

• Veteran Chaz Pitman headlines a fine cast in StageCenter's production of Cabin Fever, a tragicomedy about a family reunion that goes awry.

Other cast members are Amy Ressler, Amber Maler, Ashley Bertling, Nancy Woods, Srikanth Sastry and Deborah English, who also directed.

Final performances are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday at 201B W. 26th St. in Bryan. Tickets are $10 for matinees, $8 for students and senior citizens, $6 for children at the Arts Council of Brazos Valley, 2275 Dartmouth St. in College Station and at the door. All Thursday tickets are $6. For reservations, call 823-4297.

• StageCenter is taking reservations for its Evil Never Dies mystery dinner theater at 7 p.m. Oct. 26-27 at 201 B W. 26th St. in Bryan.

Tickets are $25 per person or $40 per couple by calling 823-4297. The audience will be involved in unmasking the murderer.

Juried art show

The Brazos Valley Art League will have a juried art show for members from Friday through Nov. 1 in the Texas Gallery in the P. David Romei Arts Center, 2275 Dartmouth St. in College Station.

Admission is free. Hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

Aggie Players

David Mamet's Bobby Gould in Hell and A.R. Gurney's Richard Cory are being presented by the Aggie Players in the Fallout Theater, 144 Blocker on the A&M campus.

Bobby Gould in Hell performances are at 2 this afternoon and 8 p.m. Thursday and Saturday. Richard Cory is at 8 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Oct. 21.

Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for nonstudents at the door.

Lifetime learning

The Lifetime Learning Series in Brenham is sponsoring four lectures on a variety to topics.

Dr. Dina Alsowayel, associate director of the Women's Studies Program at the University of Houston will discuss "Untangling the Mess: The Middle East Made Understandable" at 4 this afternoon and Oct. 21. Tickets are $25 for one lecture or $40 for two.

At 11:30 a.m. Oct. 23, Tina Marie Wilcox from Ozark Folk Center State Park will lecture on "Ozark Tales of Courtin' and Spoonin'." Tickets are $20 and include lunch.

Barry Greenlaw, former curator of the Bayou Bend Collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, will talk about traveling Europe in the 18th century. The lectures will be at 2 p.m. Oct. 25, Nov. 1, 8 and 15. Tickets are $75 for four, $55 for three, $40 for two and $25 for one.

The lectures will be in the student center at Blinn College in Brenham. Register online at www.brenhamcommunityed.com.

Symphony opener

The Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra opens its 2007-2008 season with "Lovers Duets" at 5 p.m. Oct. 21 at Christ United Methodist Church, 4203 Texas 6 S.

The concert will have music by Christopher Gluck, George Gershwin, Richard Wagner, Johann Strauss II and Peter Tchaikovsky.

Tickets are $25 by calling 696-6100.

Barn dance

The fourth annual Burton Cotton Gin Museum's barn dance and dinner gala will be at 6:30 p.m. Saturday in the La Bahia Hall.

Tickets are $100 for two by calling 979-289-3378. Music will be by the Gary P. Nunn Band.

Burton is located on Texas 105 west of Brenham.

Round Top concert

The International Festival-Institute at Round Top presents the 20th anniversary Houston Young Artist's concert at 3 p.m. Saturday.

Tickets are free for children and students and $15 for adults at www.festivalhill.org or by calling 979-249-3129.

Round Top is located on F.M. 237 between Brenham and La Grange.

Scholarships

The Texas Commission on the Arts is accepting applications through Nov. 15 for its Young Masters scholarship program for students in eighth through 12th grades.

The scholarships will be for summer arts programs in New York City, Aspen in Colorado, Interlochen in Michigan, Tanglewood in Massachusetts and others.

For applications, go to www.arts.state.tx.us/ym.

Shopping trip

The Brazos Valley Hospice Auxiliary is sponsoring a bus trip to the Houston Ballet's Nutcracker Market from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Nov. 8. The market at Reliant Arena is a ballet fund-raiser; the trip is a hospice fund-raiser.

Cost is $55 and includes admission, snacks and beverages. Reservations are due by Oct. 31 by calling 696-6896 or 846-0997.

• Jim Butler's e-mail address is jim.butler@theeagle.com.