Book fairs to benefit Ryan, Guyer programs

Barnes & Noble Booksellers in Denton will partner with Guyer and Ryan high schools for book fairs this week.

The bookstore begins with a fair contributing a percentage of sales made on Tuesday to Guyer High School when shoppers present a special voucher. Vouchers will be available on the Denton school district’s Web site, www.dentonisd.org, or at the Guyer main office at 7501 Teasley Lane.

The fair will help Guyer’s language arts department pay for books and special studies collections that will serve hundreds of students. The proceeds also will help teachers create a wish list of titles for the department’s special studies and audio collection. Book fair customers can choose books from an in-store wish list display to buy items for the department.

The Guyer choir will sing from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at the store, and teachers and cheerleaders will run an information table to help students find required summer reading.

At 7 p.m. Thursday, Barnes & Noble will give a percentage of every sale made with a voucher to the Ryan student council. Vouchers will be available at 5101 E. McKinney St.

Barnes & Noble is located at Golden Triangle Mall, 2201 S. Interstate 35E.

Spokesdog applications due by this Friday

The Dog Days of Denton Celebration continues its annual search for the festival’s spokesdog. The Spokesdog Pageant will be held at noon May 30 on the stage at the north end of Quakertown Park, 321 E. McKinney St. The spokesdog will receive prizes from event sponsors.

To enter your dog:

n Send a nonreturnable 4-inch-by-6-inch photo and a CD containing a digital photo of at least 300 dpi resolution of your dog in some type of costume. No people may be in the picture, and no stickers may be on the photograph. The best-quality photo usually wins. Use a simple background: light if your dog is dark, dark if your dog is light. All photos become the property of Dog Days of Denton and may be used for publicity.

* Submit a statement of up to 50 words, from your dog’s perspective, about why he or she would be the perfect spokesdog. Include the dog’s name, your name, your e-mail address and your phone number.

* Arrive by 11:30 a.m. at the stage at the Dog Days festival on May 30. Be ready with your dog in costume.

* Send your entry to: Dog Days Contest, P.O. Box 1158, Denton, TX 76202. Essays and digital photos may be e-mailed to info@dogdaysdenton.com. If e-mail is used, there is no need to send a print or CD.

* All entries must be delivered by Friday.

The winning picture will be used in promotions for the 2010 Dog Days of Denton Celebration. One spokesdog and up to three runners-up will be selected. In addition to great prizes, the winner also receives a medal to wear at personal appearances. All dogs must be on a leash and have proof of current vaccinations to participate in the festival.

Pilot Point

Downtown gallery hosts semiannual show

Farmers and Merchants Gallery in Pilot Point is hosting its semiannual art show, “Texas Art, Past and Present,” through Aug. 30.

The show emphasizes the work of early and contemporary Texas artists. It features the work of Barney Delabano, Marty Ray, Wes Miller, John Taylor, Lin Hampton, Ed Bearden, Richard Ray, Jim Rozek, Christin Humphries and Jeniffer Stapher-Thomas.

The gallery is located at 100 N. Washington St. in downtown Pilot Point. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays.

Appointments are encouraged and can be made by calling 940-686-2396. For more information, visit www.farmersandmerchantsgallery.com.  

Exhibition featuring 3-D glasses opens

Yauss Berenji’s Master of Arts exhibition opened Saturday in the West Gallery of the Texas Woman’s University Fine Arts Building.

The exhibit, “y=sin(x)+sin(z),” runs through Monday, with 3-D glasses provided for viewing the art.

The exhibition is free and open to the public.

Student’s photo wins first prize in contest

Tanner Ellison, a senior at the University of North Texas, earned first prize in a national student photo competition hosted by the Society of Publication Designers.

Organizers received more than 250 entries in the “Land/Sea/Art” contest.

Her winning photo of a slide was taken at White Rock Lake in Dallas as a project on “the absence of human interaction in public spaces at night,” she said.

“I am interested in these places because of the way that humans flock to them during the day but stray away from them at night. I just found it interesting how lonely these objects felt.”

Ellison was scheduled to graduate Saturday.