Pick of the Week....

Where to enjoy BONFIRE NIGHT....

THE skies above Kendal will be lit up by a spectacular firework display on Kendal Castle tomorrow (Saturday) at 7.30pm.

LANCASTER plays host to a day of themed events celebrating the 400th anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot including, guided walks and live music culminating in a spectacular fireworks display in the grounds of Lancaster Castle tomorrow (Saturday) at 8pm. For details, call 01524-32878.

LINDETH Howe Country House Hotel and Restaurant is holding a traditional family bonfire evening tomorrow (Saturday) from 6.30pm. The evening includes pie supper, raffle, and spectacular fireworks display. For details, call 015394-45759.

LAKESIDE YMCA, near Newby Bridge, is organising a family fun day tomorrow (Saturday) from noon. The day includes Guy Fawkes competition, live music, fire eating, BBQ and fireworks. For details, call 08707-273927.

SEDBERGH Bonfire Night takes place at the People's Hall Playing Field, Howgill Lane, Sedbergh, tomorrow (Saturday) at 6.45pm. The evening includes pumpkin and Guy competitions and firework display.

BOLTON-le-Sands Bonfire Committee is holding a bonfire and firework display at the playing fields, Packet Lane, Bolton-le-Sands tomorrow (Saturday) at 6.45pm. The evening includes music and refreshments.

BLACKPOOL is counting down to three nights of spectacular firework displays over the bonfire night weekend. Today (Friday) the skies above the Promenade will be ablaze with a fireworks display signalling the end this year's 2005 Blackpool Illuminations. The display will be fired from Central Beach between the North and Central Piers.

WINDERMERE Rugby Club is holding a family bonfire tomorrow (Saturday) at 6.45pm.

POTPOURRI...

EXPAND your literary horizons at the Books at the Brewery evening, at the Brewery Arts Centre on Tuesday (November 8) at 7pm. Nigel Maxwell will give a presentation on Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell followed by a group discussion on the book and a buffet supper. For details, call 01539-725133.

BAG an early Christmas present bargain at a special quality craft sale at The Netherwood Hotel, Grange, on Sunday (Nov 6). There will be a variety of stalls selling a wide range of crafts and home-made produce including ceramics, jewellery, watercolours and chutneys.

LEIGHTON Hall, near Carnforth is hosting a Christmas Fair with a variety of trade stalls from around the country next Tuesday (Nov 8) from 10am-3pm.

LEARN how to draw at a workshop with Westmorland Gazette cartoonist Colin Shelbourne at Abbot Hall, Kendal, tomorrow (Saturday) at 10.30am and 2pm. For details, call 01539-722464.

ENJOY a classic guided Lakeland walk around Ambleside and explore the coffins, caves and crags of the Lake District on Sunday (Nov 6) at 10.30am. For details, call 015394-46601.

GET creative at a fun pottery painting drop-in session at Bolton-le Sands Community Centre on Sunday (Nov 6) from 1pm-4pm. For details, call 01524-824834.

THE Lancaster and District Horticultural Society show takes place on Sunday (Nov 6) at St Martin's College, Lancaster. There will be many categories from chrysanthemums to vegetables. The show is open to the public from 1.30pm-4pm.

THE All Saints' Patronal Weekend, featuring craft displays, stalls and refreshments, takes place in Burton-in-Lonsdale tomorrow (Saturday) and Sunday (Nov 6) from 2pm-5pm.

CONCERTS...

THE Lakeland Sinfonia Concert Society series continues with a concert by the Lakeland Sinfonia at Kendal Leisure Centre tomorrow (Saturday) at 7.30pm. Ian Brown conducts pieces by Poulenc, Haydn and Mendelssohn. For tickets, call 01539-722533.

ENJOY an evening of traditional Irish entertainment at the Coronation Hall, Ulverston, today (Friday). Cherish the Ladies will be presenting an evening of humorous stories and powerful music in celebration of the culture of the Emerald Isle. For details, call 01229-587140.

THE Brantwood Concert Series continues with a performance of classical music by the Hapham String Quartet in the Drawing Room at Brantwood, Coniston, tomorrow (Saturday) at 7pm. For details, call 015394-41396.

THE Furness Organ and Keyboard Society will be holding a concert by organist Chiho Sunamoto at the Conservative Club, Beckside Road, Dalton, on Monday (Nov 6) at 7.15pm. For details, call 01229-821978.

AUSSIE comic musician Kevin Bloody Wilson will be bringing his dry Outback wit to Forum 28, Duke Street, Barrow, on Sunday (Nov 6) at 8pm. For details, call 01229-820000.

IRISH singer songwriter Charlie Landsborough will be performing at the Preston Guild Hall on Tuesday (Nov 8) at 7.30pm. For details, call 01772-258858.

EXHIBITIONS...

A NEW exhibition of painted landscapes by Jonathan Trotman and Alison Critchlow opens at Pinfold Gallery, Bowness, tomorrow (Saturday). It runs until November 27. For details, call 015394-42929 THE Harris Museum and Art Gallery in Preston is hosting a new photographic exhibition with a 43 metre-wide photograph of Preston North End's Deepdale Stadium as it's centrepiece. Temporal Landscapes runs until November 13.

A NEW exhibition of paintings has opened at Farfield Mill, Sedbergh. Poetic Images by Jane Lewis features the paintings, inspired by the early Italian Renaissance, which have been used for the covers of Bloodaxe poetry books. Still Life by Mira Bogicevic reflects the cultural influences of Serbia on the development of the artist. It runs until November 23. For details, call 015396-21958.

ABBOT Hall is hosting a new exhibition examining the relationship between drawing and printmaking. Drawing on Copper and Stone includes a wide variety of powerful etched portraits by Freud and Auerbach alongside early iconic works by David Hockney and a selection of dark and humorous etchings from Rego. It runs until December 16. For details, call 01539-722464.

THE Lanternhouse, Ulverton, is hosting a new retrospective exhibition of paintings, ceramics and collages from artist Jeff Nuttall. The exhibition includes a wide variety of his work ranging from oil paintings to comic books. It runs until November 9. For details, call 01229-581127.

A NEW exhibition from one of Britain's leading potters, Edward de Waal, is on show at Blackwell, the Arts and Crafts House, Bowness. The exhibition was inspired by the design of Blackwell and the pieces will be exhibited throughout the house as a series of installations. The exhibition runs until December 31. For details, call 015394-46139.

VISITORS to a new exhibition at the Museum of Lancashire, Preston, will come face to face with a genuine Egyptian mummy as they explore the role played by animals in the ancient civilisation. Beasts of the Nile tells the story of animals in ancient Egypt and features a range of objects on loan from the British Museum including textiles, pottery and a 3,000-year-old mummified cat.

BARROW Dock Museum is hosting The Furness Marine Artists Exhibition, featuring the work of Tom Murphy and the Furness Marine Artists Association, until November 21. For details, call 01229-894444.

KIRKBY Lonsdale's new Finestra Gallery, Main Street, is hosting a new exhibition Where Border Meet by well-known Lake District artists such as Vivienne Pooley and Martin Greenland, It runs until November 20. Call 015242-71124 for details.

VIRIDIAN Gallery, Keswick, is hosting a new exhibition of pastel paintings by Valerie Montgomery entitled Contours of Colour. The exhibition runs until November 13. For details, call 017687-71328.

BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead is hosting British Art Show 6, one of the UK's most important exhibitions of contemporary art featuring paintings, video installations and performances from 50 artists. It runs until January 8. For details, call 0191-487-1810.

THE life and work of Dales author and historian Marie Hartley are being celebrated with a special exhibition at the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority's Dales Countryside Museum, Hawes. Marie Hartley 100 years: A Celebration runs until November 17.

SECRET artwork produced by Lancashire prisoners of war is being shown for the first time in an exhibition at the Museum of Lancashire, Stanley Street, Preston. Nor Iron Bars features more than 100 paintings and sketches produced by Japanese prisoners of war held in Korea during the Second World War. The exhibition also includes secretly drawn storyboard cartoons, charting the fall of Singapore in 1942 and the appalling work and living conditions endured by the prisoners. Nor Iron Bars runs until November 14.

KENDAL Museum is displaying its entire collection of bird taxidermy for the first time in 25 years. Rare and Beautiful: The Victorian Bird Collection includes a diverse array of specimens from around the world, including rare and extinct species. The exhibition runs until December 23.

SPORT...

Kirkby Lonsdale RUFC are in form and travel to Old Bedians, Manchester, a Celtic' rugby club, in the Powergen Vase (2.30pm kic-off). Kendal's home match with Cleckheaton has been postponed because Cleckheaton are still involved in the Powergen Trophy.

Windermere RUFC are in action in the Story Cumbria Cup with a first-round tie at home to BAE Barrow at Dawes Meadow tomorrow (Saturday) with a 2.30pm kick-off.

Kendal Town footballers have one fixture this week when away to Gresley Rovers in the Westmorland Senior Cup tomorrow (Saturday) for a 3pm kick-off.

The Westmorland FA Senior Cup progresses to its second round on Saturday and the pick of the ties locally are Ambleside v Coniston and Kirkby Lonsdale v Staveley.

Table-toppers Kendal men's hockey team have a home fixture against Morecambe at the Cinder Ovens tomorrow (Saturday) with 2.30pm pushback.

THEATRE...

THE Heron Theatre is hosting a production of Old Herbaceous, one man's reflections on the passing of the Golden Age of English gardens, featuring RADA-trained Christopher Robbie, today (Friday) and tomorrow (Saturday). For details, call 015395-62776.

MONSTER Productions presents a day of children's entertainment with Hogwash, a show featuring storytelling, comedy, catchy songs and audience participation at Forum 28, Barrow, tomorrow (Saturday) at 10.30am and 1.30pm. For details, call 01229-820000.

EXPERIENCE the bizarre goings on in the nightmarish town of Royston Vasey at the Sands Centre, Carlisle, on Monday (Nov 7). The League of Gentleman show features many of the weird and wonderful characters from the TV show. For details, call 01228-625222.

MOSCOW Ballet La Classique present a dramatic production of Tchaikovsky's timeless fairy tale ballet Swan Lake at Preston's Guild Hall on Sunday (Nov 6) at 7.30pm. For details, call 01772-258858.

STOMP will be bringing their unique combination of theatre, dance and percussion to the Grand Theatre, Blackpool, next Tuesday (Nov 8). Stomp use boots, bins, brooms and hammers to produce an explosive wall of sound. It runs until November 13. For details, call 01253-290190.

MORECAMBE Warblers present the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel, featuring songs such as You'll Never Walk Alone, at the Lancaster Grand Theatre on Tuesday (Nov 8). It runs until November 12. For details, call 01524-64695.

FANCY a laugh? Then head for Comedy at the Coro at the Coronation Hall, Ulverston, next Thursday (Nov 10) at 7.30pm. Compere for the evening will be Jonathon Mayor with performances from John Warburton and star of Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights Smug Roberts. For details, call 01229-587140.

THE Dukes autumn season continues with The Accrington Pals by Peter Whelan, the story of the importance of community and comradeship among the women left behind to cope with the First World War on the home front while the men are fighting at the Somme. The Accrington Pals runs until November 19. For details, call 01524-598500.