By PAM HARBAUGH

Don’t be afraid of children’s theater. It’s at the heart of it all…filled with imagination, enthusiasm and the most wonderful spirit of “pretend.” My guess is that Riverside Theatre’s children’s production of “Peter and the Starcatcher” will be well worth the drive and the ten bucks. And it’s the only thing going on area stages right now. Read below. And now that the heat is here, doesn’t a nice cool museum gallery sound good? Read below.

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Theater:

PETER AND THE STARCATCHER will be performed today and tomorrow by the Riverside Theatre summer theater students. Curtain for the 90 minute show is 1:30, 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. Friday and 1:30 and 5:30 p.m. Saturday. One hour before and after the show, children ages 12 and younger are invited to visit Riverside’s new KIDSPOT, which offers games, crafts, activities, food and snacks, character meet and greets and prizes. $10. Riverside Theatre is at 3250 Riverside Drive, Vero Beach. Call 772-231-6990, visit RiversideTheatre.com or click on their ad.

SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER will be performed this weekend by Titusville Playhouse’s Rising Stars program. Curtain is 8 p.m. tonight and Saturday and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets run $15 to $20. TPI is at 301 Julia St., Titusville. Call 321-268-1125, visit TitusvillePlayhouse.com or click on their ad.

Nightlife:

HEIDI’S JAZZ CLUB is a cool thing to do in the hot summer. The lively spot is busy this weekend with some great entertainment, a wonderful bar and a super bar menu. Steve Kirsner & Friends perform 5 to 8 p.m. Friday followed by the Ron Teixeira Trio. On Saturday, the Israeli entertainer Hella joins the trio from 8 p.m. to midnight. And Sunday is the always fun Jam Session from 7 to 11 p.m. Heidi’s is at 7 N Orlando Ave, Cocoa Beach, FL. Call 321-783-4559 or visit HeidisJazzClub.com or click on their ad.

HOWL AT THE MOON this weekend at Riverside Theatre in Vero Beach featuring dueling pianos by Ken Gustafson and Neal Kern. This fun-packed music-filled evening has shows at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The shows invite guests to come enjoy a picnic style dinner while listening to some great music, free. Tickets start at $16. Shows sell out quickly, so purchase in advance. Riverside Theatre is at 3250 Riverside Park Drive, Vero Beach, FL. Call 772-231-6990, visit RiversideTheatre.com or click on their ad.

KING CENTER lineup this weekend includes Ace Frehley 8 p.m. tonight, tickets start at $58; and Classic Albums Live: Led Zeppelin IV 8 p.m. Saturday, tickets start at $29.75. The King Center is at 3865 N. Wickham Rd., Melbourne. Call 321-242-2219, visit KingCenter.com or click on their ad.

Lectures:

ROBERT MARX, the famous underwater archeologist, will discuss two of history’s most important sea battles in a free public lecture at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 25, at Florida Institute of Technology’s Gleason Performing Arts Center. The author is known in part to be a colorful speaker and a captivating story teller.

Exhibits:

DOMINIC AGOSTINI PORTRAITS exhibition runs through Sept. 22 at the Renee Foosaner Education Center, 1520 Highland Ave, Melbourne. There will be a public reception from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. tonight during the Eau Gallie Arts District First Friday event. The works on view reveal the photographer’s keen interest in celebrating the heroic in every day people. Read more about it by clicking here. The exhibit is installed in the Frits Van Eeden Gallery. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. Admission free. Call 321-674-8923 or visit FoosanerArtMuseum.org.

PAN AMERICAN MODERNISM runs through July 29 at the Foosaner Art Museum. Organized by the University of Miami’s wonderful Lowe Museum, the exhibition comprises work by artists from 13 countries in North, South and Central American plus those living in the Caribbean between 1919 and 1979. The Foosaner Art Museum is at 1463 Highland Ave. in the Eau Gallie Arts District of Melbourne. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. Free admission. Call 321-674-8916, visit FoosanerArtMuseum.org or click on their ad.

THE STRIPES RUN THROUGH US, a one-woman show with works by Daytona Beach artist Babz Lupoli, runs through July at the Fifth Avenue Art Gallery. The works in the exhibition are richly textured and enlivened with a vivid palette create. Read more about it by clicking here. The Fifth Avenue Art Gallery is at 1470 Highland Avenue, Melbourne. Regular hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays. Call 321-259-8261, visit FifthAvenueArtGallery.com or just click on their ad.

FLORA & FIBER runs through Aug. 26 at the Ruth Funk Center for the Arts. The exhibit, culled from the Textile Center’s permanent collection, is designed to show how plants inspire hand-weaving and dyeing and how they also inspire both the design and adornment in textile art especially in Asia and later in Europe and America. Regular hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday. The center is located next to Evans Library on the Florida Tech campus, 150 W. University Blvd. in Melbourne. Admission is free. More information click here or click on their ad.

Plan Ahead:

DISNEY’S LITTLE MERMAID JR. performs July 28 and 29 at Surfside Playhouse.

SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN will be performed July 27 to 29 by the Henegar’s youth musical theater program.

THE FEARLESS IMPROV BRIGADE performs July 29 at Surfside Playhouse in Cocoa Beach.

A BOTANICAL AROMATIC JOURNEY with Doreen DeSerres-DuJardin takes place 1 to 3 p.m. Aug. 5 at the Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts. $20 and $15 for FOT members. Pre-registration required by July 28: email textiles@fit.edu or cal (321)674-6129.

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM opens Aug. 11 and runs through Sept. 17 at Melbourne Civic Theatre.

JAZZ LEGENDS will feature area jazz artists including those from “Lady Day” Aug. 19 at the Henegar Center.