Weâre back. Summer is here, and workloads are presumably much lighter than when we last communicated before finals in the spring. So itâs time to open up the creative well and take a dip. Start tonight with the Distinguished Lecturer Series, which features internationally known dance musician Joe Cross presenting ãDance Afloat: Stepping on the Waves of Music.ä He will discuss his role as a dance musician and discuss the future of his field. He will speak about the marriage of music and dance as well as discuss the techniques and tactics he uses to perform. The lecture begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Ina Gittings Building theatre. For more information, contact the Dance Division at 621-4698.

Disability studiers are working to map out the new geographies by focusing on the role of the body, feminism, nationalism and employment ÷ and Vera Chouinard is at the forefront. She will present ãLearning from the Margins of Citizenship: Ableness, State Restructuring and the War on Disabled Women in Canadaä tomorrow at 10 a.m. in the Swede Johnson Building, Room 204. She examines recent change in disabled womenâs access to legal rights and social assistance in Canada. For more information, contact the Disability Resources Center at 621-3268.

Does Mars fascinate you? Well the red planet is the topic of much discussion at the Fred Whipple Observatory, in Amado, Ariz., Friday at 1:15 p.m. Paige Valderrama of the Arizona State University Mars Education Program will present ãExploring Mars: Hands-On.ä To get to the observatory, travel east on Canoa Road in Green Valley to the east side of Interstate 19. Turn right on the frontage road and drive three miles to Elephant Head Road. Turn left and drive until you cross the Santa Cruz River and pass the railroad tracks. About a mile past the tracks, turn right on Hopkins Road. Drive seven miles to the administrative offices and visitorâs center. For more information, call 520-670-5707 or visit the Web site at http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/flwo/visitcenter.html.

Itâs a given that your friends will ask you what you did Friday night. So letâs give them something to talk about when you go see Bonnie Raitt live at the Dodge Theatre, 400 W. Washington St., in Phoenix. The nine-time Grammy winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee will perform at 8 p.m. Special guest John Cleary opens. Tickets range from $35 to $45. For more information and tickets, call (480) 784-4444.

Ready for a huge, free concert? The 96.1 KLPX Annual X-Fest kicks off Saturday with gates opening at 1 p.m. and shows beginning at 2 p.m. Cold Shot, Led Zep Again and TNT will play and pay tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughn, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC and more. Dozens of vendors and a wide selection of food and drinks is available at the concert. Entry is free, but obtaining tickets at Zia Records is recommended. The festival takes place at the Kennedy Park fiesta area at West Ajo Way and South La Cholla Boulevard. For more information, contact Tank Murdock at 917-2513. The Davis Dominguez Gallery will host the Tenth All-Tucson Small Works Invitational from Friday until July 27. The festivities will he boosted by a reception Saturday from 6 to 8 p.m. The invitational features work from more than 60 artists in the area. The gallery is situated at 154 E Sixth St. Summer hours are Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. For more information, call 629-9759.

If you want to listen to your art, you can stop by the Readerâs Oasis, 3400 E. Speedway Blvd., at 2 p.m. to check out a live reading from popular poet Stella Pope Duarte. Duarte, author of the book ãLet Their Spirits Dance,ä will read excerpts from it and entertain with other poetry. For more information, call 319-7887.

If you have kids, know people with kids, live near kids or even saw one at the store the other day, you may wish to invite one to the Tucson Childrenâs Museum Sunday at 1:30 p.m. for some fun face painting and clowning around. The museum is located at 200 S. Sixth Ave. For more information, call 792-9985. You can also extract the child from your inner being with a puppet theatre performance at the Red Barn Theater, 948 N. Main. Every Sunday in June at 1:30 p.m. ãBasketful of Puppetsä shows with plenty of audience participation expected. Tickets cost $3 per person, $5 for two children or $2 for AHCCCS card holders or low-income bus pass holders. Call 887-5144 for more information.

Support your local minor-league baseball team. Also, check out the fun and games at the Tucson Electric Park during, before and after the game. The Tucson Sidewinders play the Sacramento River Cats Monday at 7 p.m. at the park, which is located at 2500 E. Ajo Way. For more information and ticket pricing, call 434-1111.

If you run a large computer database, chances are you have run across Microsoft Access. Stop by the Tucson Computer Societyâs Access Group from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at the Tucson Computer Society, Suite 104, 4444 E. Grant Road, to check out its exploration of the program from simple applications to complex forms and report design. For more information, visit the Web site at http://www.aztcs.org or call 325-2113.

For some artistic enjoyment, the Dinnerware Art Gallery presentation of the Tucson National Juries Exhibition isnât far away. Stop by the gallery, located at 135 E. Congress St., to see 38 pieces of art in all media from 22 artists from across the country. The exhibit is open from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. and is free. For more information, call Mauricio Toussaint at 792-4503, e-mail to dinnerware@theriver.com or visit the Web site at http://www.dinnerwarearts.com.