Briefly: Saturday, Aug. 1

See auction art at Rockbrook Village

It’s time for the annual Music & Masterpieces public art event at Rockbrook Village.

On Thursday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., the public will get its first look at the artwork to be auctioned. On Sept. 3, people can meet the artists.

This is the fourth year for the event, in which the works of selected artists are displayed and ultimately auctioned off. This year’s oral and silent auctions are set for Sept. 17.

The Omaha Symphony Guild is the beneficiary of the auction.

Help for caregivers of special needs kids

Parents, caregivers, students, educators, administrators and health professionals are invited to an open house from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday at Parent Training and Information Nebraska.

The agency offers information and support to the families of children with disabilities or special health care needs.

PTI Nebraska is at 3135 N. 93rd St., north of 93rd and Maple Streets.

Neighborhood groups schedule gatherings

Neighborhood gatherings are on the agenda this week:

The Dahlman Neighborhood Association’s annual picnic will be at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Catholic Charities Creative Learning Center, 11th and Dorcas Streets. Besides a free meal, there will be bingo, prizes and conversation. Call 341-1880 or 341-7193 to reserve your spot.

The Country Club Neighborhood Association will meet at 7 p.m. Monday at St. Paul United Methodist Church, 5410 Corby St.

Augustana Lutheran Church, 36th Street and Lafayette Avenue, will be the site Tuesday for the Bemis Park Neighborhood Association meeting.

Nebraska City celebrates vineyards

Wine Under the Pines — a celebration of wine, craft beer, cuisine and music — takes place today at several Nebraska City venues. Most activities run from noon to 8 p.m.

Arbor Day Farm Tree Adventure admission: $6.50 for adults, $3.50 for children; free for kids age 2 and younger. No admission is charged for Apple House Market.

Kimmel Orchard & Vineyard admission: $10. Lied Lodge wine tastings and dinners have varying prices.

See the schedule and download a coupon at www.wineunderthepines.org.

Share favorite visits to national parks

To celebrate Ken Burns’ newest series, “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea,” NET Television wants to hear about your national or state park experiences and memories.

Upload vacation photos and videos and post journal entries on the Share-Your-Story section of the NET Television Web site for the series: netnebraska.org/nationalparks.

The six-part “National Parks” series will air beginning Sept. 27 on NET1 and in high definition on NET-HD.

NET Television is partnering with the National Parks Service to present a series of Nebraska preview screenings in August and September. Events are scheduled in Scottsbluff, Valentine, Grand Island, Red Cloud and Minden, as well as a daylong celebration at Homestead National Monument in Beatrice.

Free vision screenings for 3-year-olds

Parents are invited to take advantage of free vision tests for their 3-year-olds.

The Nebraska Foundation for Children’s Vision is administering the See to Learn preventive program to alert parents and educators about the signs of vision problems in children. The program offers free vision assessments for 3-year-olds and encourages professional vision tests before or during a child’s first year of school.

To locate doctors in the Eye Care Council who are participating in the free vision screenings, visit www.nechildrensvision.org or call 800-960-EYES.

Beatles tribute set for Kool-Aid Days

Billy McGuigan’s “Yesterday and Today: A Tribute to the Music of the Beatles” will headline the fourth annual Koncert Kool-Aid.

It will be Aug. 15 at Brickyard Park Amphitheatre in Hastings, Neb.

The concert is one of 30 events featured during Kool-Aid Days, Aug. 14 through 16, which celebrates the 1927 invention of Kool-Aid in Hastings by Edwin Perkins.

Details of all the events can be found at www.Kool-AidDays.com. — Compiled by Sue Story Truax