Celebrating spring

The acoustic show features Irish, Scottish, Acadian French, and New England-style fiddle tunes, augmented with contemporary blues, jazz, and folk. Ouellette and Whitehead, members of the band Crazy Maggy, are also known for their vocal harmonies.

Ouellette is a multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, composer, producer, and teacher. He is the source of Crazy Maggy's fiddle-driven sound and the band's principal vocalist. He also owns and operates Pine Island Music, a school and recording studio in Byfield.

Whitehead has been playing drums and guitar for some 25 years. He specializes in creating contemporary arrangements for centuries-old fiddle tunes.

FINCH, which stands for Fridays in Newburyport Coffee House, began presenting monthly concerts at the First Religious Society, Unitarian church in October.

Doors open at 7 p.m., followed by the performance at 8. Tickets are $15. Advance purchase is recommended. Call 978-465-5767 or visit www.finchcoffeehouse.com. For more on the musicians, visit www.crazymaggy.com.

LATIN DANCE PARTY: The North Shore Civic Ballet hosts its Fiesta de Baile at the Nahant Country Club Saturday.

The evening features Latin dancing, with music provided by disc jockey Antonio Ortiz. A complimentary dance lesson is available for beginners from 9-10 p.m., but all levels are welcome to dance.

The event includes hors d'oeuvres, cash bar, and silent auction. An online auction also runs through April 11 at www.ballet.cmarket.com.

The evening benefits North Shore Civic Ballet, a nonprofit dance company in Marblehead that has been providing arts education and performances for 35 years.

The fiesta runs from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Tickets are $45. Call 761-621-6262.

ARTISTS NETWORK: Like most people, artists are struggling in the tough economy. Ditto Editions, at the Enterprise Center at Salem State College, wants to help.

It hosts Salon Nights the third Wednesday of each month to guide artists in becoming successful business people.

Marketing is the subject explored Wednesday. During a round-table discussion, artists who have identified markets for selling their art share their approach and experiences.

Panel members include Carol Dearborn and Karen Harvey Cox. Dearborn discusses use of networking and other forms of promotion for seeking and developing corporate accounts and public venues for her art. Cox talks about expanding awareness of her art through etsy.com.

The evening is free and begins at 7 p.m. in Suite 570 at the Enterprise Center on Salem State's central campus.

Salon Night on April 15 features art etiquette with Suzanne Shultz.

Call 781-715-0464 or visit www.dittoeditionsblog.blogspot.com.

AUTHOR'S CORNER: Judith Colosi discusses her new book of historical fiction, "Alice Blue Gown," at the Peabody Institute Library in Peabody at 7 p.m. tomorrow. The title character is not a person, but an 100-year-old Victorian house in a New England town. After the house is renovated and four women move in, Alice follows their lives, making observations and predictions. Colosi, a retired banker, has been writing short family memoirs and poems for years. She is a member of the Red Rock Writers, based in Swampscott, and leads workshops on creative and memoir writing. . . .

Juliette Fay talks about her debut novel, "Shelter Me," at Cornerstone Books in Salem at 1 p.m. Saturday. The book is about a young widow and the year following the sudden death of her husband. Fay is a graduate of Boston College and has a master's degree in public policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. She had a career in human services before becoming an author.

IN LOCAL GALLERIES: Two Newburyport High School students have been chosen to exhibit at the Firehouse Center for the Arts in Newburyport. Jackson Potter and Shane Levi Silverstein combine their efforts in "Double Exposure," on display through March 29. A reception with the artists is from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday The show presents a new take on photographic portraits and landscapes. Potter has exhibited at the Newburyport Art Association and worked extensively with G118, a student gallery he helped organize at the high school. Levi also has exhibited at the art association. He's treasurer of the high school art gallery and has interned with local professional photographer Dawn Norris.

Items can be sent to wdkilleen@gmail.com.