Local Entertainment

It's the home of the Calgary Stampede, the financial engine for Canada's West, host of the 1988 Winter Olympics, home of the NHL Flames and CFL Stampeders, the gateway to the Rockies and so much more.

Blues at the Bow, the small-town success story that has put southeastern Alberta on the blues map, opens its season Saturday with a blues guitar showdown featuring Garrett Mason and Keith Hallett.

In today's metal scene, where the trend is for groups to label themselves by almost infinite subgenres, Naraka is a band that refuses to be defined by such rigid boundaries. Instead embrace the pure root of metal music while adding in tastes of all the twists and turns the genre has taken over the last four decades.

Every week at the Esplanade Theatre, I have the distinct privilege of witnessing artists hone their craft on stage to the delight of hundreds in the audience. This process repeats itself without fail throughout each season of shows. We offer more than 100 per year.

The Amazing Kreskin is just that . . . amazing. Kreskin has the uncanny ability to read people's thoughts along with a superb sense of intuition and a lifetime of performing his mind-mystifying craft, wowing audiences worldwide.

Performances begin at 9 a.m. and go until 5 p.m. Kaleidoscope of the Arts showcases student talent from Grade 1 to Grade 12, in art, dance, drama, multi-media, choirs, solo vocal and instrumental performances.

Showcase 2012 at Alexandra Middle School will be held Wednesday, May 16, from 7-9 p.m. at the school. The spring celebration event features a band concert by Grade 7-8 students, a stage band performance, a drama presentation, and a variety of displays.

If Mother's Day is dawning on you now and only now, allow me to offer my condolences in advance because unless you live in your Ma's basement, there's no way your card will make it to the person responsible for your upbringing.

- Karaoke, Oly's Alehouse and Eatery, Johnny with Dynamite Sound, win a $100 gift certificate, 9 p.m., 403-548-6597 - Ride the Mechanical Bull, Ralph's Texas Bar and Steakhouse, 9 p.