Easter Couture
Independent fashion designers and vintage retailers Altered Nation Designs and Flockflockflock hold the fourth Couture Community Challenge on Saturday, April 16 at The Beat Coffeehouse inside Emergency Arts. 25+ local designers showcase one-of-a-kind garments created from Easter décor, gifts and candy in a lively fashion show. Proceeds from the $5 suggested donation at the door and the $1 raffle tickets benefit Easter Seals, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people with disabilities and their families become self-sufficient. Past Couture Community Challenge events have raised funds for Children's Heart Foundation, Opportunity Village, and Blind Center of Nevada.

The event runs from 7 to 9pm. Ages 21+ are welcome; beer, wine and food are available for purchase. For more information, go to www.couturecommunitychallenge.com

Downtown Cultural Series
Internationally recognized musician Gabriel Ayala performs a free guitar concert on Friday, April 15 in the Lloyd D. George U.S. Courthouse at 333 Las Vegas Blvd. South. A member of the Yaqui people of southern Arizona, Ayala is at the forefront of a new generation of Native Americans making a career performing classical music. Ayala was the featured artist at the "Festival Internacional de la Guitarra Academica" in Venezuela with performances in Caracas, Guarenas, Guatire, and on national public television throughout Venezuela. The concert is from noon to 1pm. For more information, call (702) 229-3515.

Photo: Andrew Sea James. Easter-themed tissue and cellophane dress by Jennifer Henry of Flockflockflock, modeled by Candace Campbell