Boredom buster
The Internet is a fantastic place for those anxious to acquire a new skill through online learning.
For instance:
• Aspiring photographers can try www.foto-classes.com.
• App design your thing? Visit www.excelwithbusiness.com.
• Learn to play the piano with www.onlinepianist.com, or guitar with www.dangerousguitar.com.
• Hungry to learn how to cook? Visit www.smartkitchen.com.
• And there’s a place where you can go to find online classes that specialize in everything from cake decoration to quilting to paper crafts: www.craftsy.com.
Explore the outdoors
Learn about some of the plants that add color to the winter landscape during the Guided Winter Walk from 2 to 3 p.m. Monday at Secrest Arboretum in Wooster Township.
Depending on the temperature, you might get to see the spidery flowers on the rugged witch hazel, which unfurls its petals when the temperature climbs above freezing but retracts them to protect them when the mercury dips.
The walk is free and starts at Seaman Orientation Plaza in the arboretum, part of Ohio State University’s Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center. Enter OARDC at 1680 Madison Ave. and follow the signs.
More information is at 330-464-2148 or http://secrest.osu.edu.
Blacks in Massillon
Black History Month is drawing to a close, but there are still events being held to celebrate and educate folks about significant accomplishments of African-Americans such as Charisma: Contributions of Historic African-Americans Whose Roots and Influence Are of Significance to the Massillon Area at 12:20 p.m. Tuesday.
Local historian Marva Dodson will present the free talk at a brown-bag lunch at the Massillon Museum, 121 Lincoln Way E. For more information, call 330-833-4061 or go to www.massillonmuseum.org.
Singing the blues
Legendary singer Bessie Smith earned her title of “Empress of the Blues” through her fiery music and her exciting and interesting life.
Through March 10, Cleveland Play House will present Smith’s story in The Devil’s Music starring Miche Braden as the iconic singer at the Allen Theatre at PlayhouseSquare, 1407 Euclid Ave., Cleveland. Tickets are $49-$69.
Call 216-241-6000 or 866-546-1353 for more information.
A nice, hot bowl of soup
Firestone High School’s Instrumental Music Association is hosting its annual SoupFest fundraiser from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the high school, 333 Rampart Ave., Akron. Local restaurants donate soup for the event.
Tickets are available at the door for $7.50, $4 for children ages 10 and younger, and include unlimited soup, a dessert and beverage.
A grim dose of reality TV
The complaints about reality TV at times seem too sweeping (since the genre includes well-liked series such as Antiques Roadshow and The Amazing Race). But too often there are shows and personalities that make the anti-reality case and a big example is coming: Celebrity Wife Swap.
Beginning its second season on Tuesday on ABC, the show’s first episode features Kate Gosselin and Kendra Wilkinson, two people whose careers depend heavily on playing themselves on various TV shows.