By Jason Nebel
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Going Out

Encore Linton: There are still some tickets for the Linton Chamber Music Series concert featuring former Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Alex Kerr, cellist Eric Kim, clarinetist Richie Hawley and pianist Stuart Malina performing the heart-stopping chamber work "Quartet for the End of Time" by Messaien, 7:30 p.m. today, Congregation Ohav Shalom, 8100 Cornell Road, Sycamore Township. $30. 381-6868.

Todd Parr: The whimsical and colorful children's book author-illustrator (The Mommy Book, Do's and Don'ts) is at the Blue Manatee Children's Bookstore to introduce his latest release, The Family Book, 10:30 a.m. today, 3054 Madison Road, Oakley. 731-2665.

Poetry, floetry: Know Theatre Tribe begins two nights of Verbal Sweatbox, an evening of spoken word, floetry (a jazzy mix of music, rap and song) and monologue with area performance artists Queen Abiyah, Princess Embrya and Taylore Mahogany Scott, 8 p.m. today, Gabriel's Corner, Liberty and Main streets, Over-the-Rhine. $10-$12. 300-5669.

Museum concert: The Vocal Arts Ensemble of Cincinnati performs its first subscription concert in the rotunda of Cincinnati Museum Center, 7:30 p.m. today, Union Terminal. Program includes a potent mix of African-American spirituals, works by mystical composers, pipe organ sounds and jazzy improvisations. $10-$20. 559-0000.

Aiken Release Party

CD at midnight: A local Clay Aiken fan club is staging a super-sized CD release party for the American Idol runner-up's first CD, Measure of a Man, 8 p.m.-midnight today at Media Play Western Hills, Western Hills Plaza, 6174 Glenway Ave., Westwood. Festivities include cake, continual loops of Aiken's American Idol appearances on a big screen, live concert footage from the American Idol tour, plus door prizes and CDs at midnight (official release is Tuesday). Open to the public. 481-4775.

Call for Entries

Summerfair poster: All artists, graphic designers and creative people living within a 50-mile radius of Cincinnati are invited to submit entries for the Summerfair 2004 poster which will be used in marketing and merchandise for Cincinnati's premier summer art festival. Submissions can be in any medium (pastels, oils, gouache, full-color photos, etc.) and computer-generated art will also be accepted this year. Designs should include specific information about the event and capture the flavor of the festival. Previous winners can be seen on Summerfair's Web site www.summerfair.org. Winner receives a $2,000 cash prize. Deadline for entries is Nov. 21. Entry forms: 531-0050.

Planning Ahead

24 hours out: Ensemble Theatre of Cincinnati's "Friends Night Out" starts with a happy hour/pizza-pasta buffet, 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at BarrelHouse Brewing Company (22 E. 12th St., Over-the-Rhine), followed by a 7:30 p.m. performance of the new drama Blue/Orange at ETC, 1127 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine. $20. 421-3555.

Also 24 hours out: World Wrestling Entertainment brings its troupe of angry men and women to U.S. Bank Arena for a Smackdown taping, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Expected to fight are Kurt Angle, Brock Lesnar, Undertaker, Eddie Guerrero and many more. $15-$40.

48 hours out: Hanson brings its acoustic tour to Bogart's, 8 p.m. Wednesday, 2621 Vine St., Corryville. $20. 562-4949.

72 hours out: Cincinnati Opera's Opera Raps series features artistic director Nicholas Muni talking about the 2004 season, consisting of Donizetti's The Daugher of the Regiment, The Maids/Fall of the House of Usher double bill, Mozart's Don Giovanni and Bizet's crowd-pleasing Carmen (starring Denyce Graves), 7 p.m. Thursday, Music Hall. Free. 744-3511.

---

E-mail jnebel@enquirer.com; fax: 768-8016