World Food and Music Festival Highlights Weekend Activities

In Ankeny weekend happenings include registering for Ankeny Art Center classes or heading to Ames for the Octagon Arts Festival on Sunday.

Around the Metro

Repertory Theater of Iowa presents “The Importance of Being Earnest”: Noted as one of Oscar Wilde's most enduring plays, “The Importance Of Being Earnest” is a funny, witty look at the social conventions of late Victorian England. In this farcical comedy, the two leading men maintain fictitious personae in order to escape their burdensome social obligations, but when intending to do away with their secret other selves, they find that sometimes what we create can take on a life of its own. When:7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday. Where: Des Moines Social Club – Kirkwood, 400 Walnut St.  Tickets: Adults, $25; Seniors, $19; Students, $12. More information.

The Des Moines Playhouse presents “Fiddler on the Roof”:Tevye, a poor milkman, values family, faith, love, hope and, of course, tradition! But times are changing. His daughters want to make their own matches, and the outside world is threatening Russian-Jewish life in Anatevka. This is the No. 1 show requested by Playhouse audiences. When: 7:30 p.m., Thursday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday. Where: Des Moines Playhouse, 831 42nd St., Des Moines Tickets: $20-$36, with discounts for seniors, students and groups of 15 or more. More information.

The Untamed Shrews: Sex education was never like this – and if it was no one would have cut health class. A mix of traditional stand-up, improv and music, The Untamed Shrews is a bawdy variety show with no limits that has been entertaining audiences for more than a decade. When: Friday and Saturday, 7:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. Where: Funny Bone Comedy Club and Restaurant, 560 S. Prairie Drive, West Des Moines. Tickets: $17.

World Food Festival: Iowa's top celebration of diverse food traditions and rich cultural network, with reasonably-priced food options for all to enjoy, runs Friday through Sunday in the Historic East Village. Enjoy international flavors, free live cultural entertainment, on-site cultural cooking demonstrations by local chefs, and more. When: 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Where: Historic East Village, Des Moines.Tickets: Free. More information.

Tunes on the Terrace with High Crest:  Cafe Baratta’s on the third floor open-air terrace of the State Historical Museum and the Iowa Arts Council feature local musicians over the lunch hour.When: 11:30 a.m. Friday Where: State Historical Building, 600 E. Locust St. Admission: Free, plus the cost of lunch.

Jon Anderson White Riverboat Cruises: Cruise the Des Moines River on a variety of cruises. Board at the Port of Des Moines, 799  Robert Ray Drive. When: Friday (lunch cruise at noon, cocktail cruise at 7:30 p.m.); Saturday (lunch cruise at 1 p.m., cocktail cruise at 5 p.m., dinner cruise at 7 p.m.) Tickets:$25, reservations required at (515) 883-2628 More information.