"Chili Peppers," by Kathleen Elliot, is in on display in Playing With Fire, opening today, Sept. 25, and continuing through Nov. 13 at Philabaum Glass Art, 711 S. Sixth Ave.

This is what you might want to eat this weekend. Just thought you should know.

There will also be demonstations on making ouzo cake, breads, lasagna ... the list goes on. Dancing, drinking and merriment will abound. You can even pick up a Greek fisherman hat. Hey, hats are in these days!

The Greek Festival continues through Sunday, Sept 26. More information here.

A brewing expert from Brew Your Own Brew demonstrates how to make homemade beer from 4 to 6 p.m., tomorrow, Saturday, Sept. 25, in the market at Maynards Market and Kitchen. The tasting following the demonstration will feature Lagunitas IPA, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Odell Brewing 90 Shilling. Admission is $10.

Maynards also hosts a wine-tasting benefit for Second Street School from 4 to 6 p.m. tomorrow. Wines from around the globe, paired appetizers and live music will cost you $25. This event takes place on the patio, and RSVP is requested. E-mail [email protected], or call 327-2124 to RSVP.

Visit Maynards website for more information.

Hey, Wildcats! The Chipotle at 905 E. University Blvd. is handing out free burritos, tacos, salads and bowls to anyone with a valid CatCard from 5 to 8 p.m. today, Friday, Sept. 24.

We suggest showing up early to beat the lines. College kids are like piranhas when it comes to free food. Swarming may occur.

Incidentally, if free burritos make you feel like singing, consider trying out to sing the national anthem at future UA events while you’re down there. Auditions start at 5 p.m., in Main Gate Square. More information here.

The sixth annual Raw Spirit Festival will take place today through Sunday (Sept. 24 through 26) will in Prescott.

Raw Spirit, a nonprofit international community event, celebrates "vegan-eco-peace." There will be food, music, poetry, health and environmental presentations; overall it's just a place to meet and connect with other like-minded folks. You can enjoy acoustic music areas, sharing circles, hiking, sailing, healing and massage areas, all amid the natural beauty of Watson Lake Park in Prescott.

The event costs $40 per day. See the Raw Spirit Festival website for details and directions.

And now, just to add a little excitement to the Election Season: Strange lights in our sky! Where will Gabrielle Giffords and Jesse Kelly stand on welcoming The Visitors: Friends from another world or alien overlords that plan to turn us into dinner? And how does Obama's birth certificate figure into it?

KOLD has the deets:

Witnesses that talked with KOLD's Dan Marries on the phone insisted the lights they saw were not coming from a plane.

One woman even said the traffic and street lights flickered as it flew overhead. Another said she had to re-set her satellite television after it flew past her house.

The full story, including Facebook crowdsourcing, here. Share what you know!

Lisa Sette and Terry Etherton, two internationally known photography dealers based here in Arizona, will be speaking for 20 minutes each on Wednesday, Sept. 29 at the Phoenix Art Museum about their passion for photography, and how that led to the opening of their respective galleries.

Their lecture will be followed with a discussion of, among other things, their favorite photos, the photography market, and advice for building a collection.

The event will be taking place at 7 p.m. For more info, check out the Phoenix Art Museum's website.

Tonight at Club Congress, as a part of the Optimist Club night, there will be a pre-Halloween fashion show. More than costumes from Creative Costumes will be modeled, along with hair and makeup from Images Hair Salon, and Buffalo Exchange showing formal wear. The whole event will begin at 9 p.m.

There's a candidates forum tonight at the Arizona State School for the Deaf and Blind's Berger Performing Arts Center, 1200 W. Speedway Blvd., from 5:30-8 p.m. The forum is sponsored by the Arizona Center for Disability Law, and according to their office, all candidates on the ballot were invited to participate.

Those expected to attend are gubernatorial candidate/Attorney General Terry Goddard; District 27 candidates Macario Saldate and Sally Ann Gonzales; District 28 candidate Bruce Wheeler; and District 29 candidate Linda Lopez. There will be another forum organized by the center next month, so perhaps there will be more candidates in attendance then.

Also in the world of candidate forums, The Range heard that superintendent of public instruction candidate Republican John Huppenthal had a change of heart and is going to appear with Democrat Penny Kotterman on Arizona Illustrated. Evidently, other than the Clean Elections debate, Huppenthal has refused to appear at any other forums with Kotterman. He has asked if he can show up at different times without Kotterman at some events, including two League of Women Voters' forums in Scottsdale and Tucson.

Huppenthal had cancelled the AZ Illustrated debate, but changed his mind this week. Host Bill Buckmaster told us he's pleased Huppenthal had a change of heart. The debate will tape and air on Oct. 4.

We e-mailed Huppenthal for comment about his change of heart and to see if he's planning to appear with Kotterman at future forums. If he gets back to us, we'll let you know.

In somewhat related news ... in this recent e-mail (after the jump), Huppenthal has organized an online candidates forum:

Paul Rubin of the Phoenix New Times digs into the case of Pinal County Sheriff's Deputy Louie Puroll, who said he came under fire from drug smugglers last April:

The odds that Louie Puroll is telling the truth about what happened to him on April 30 are slim.

"This is not a he-said, she-said case," says Tucson private investigator Weaver Barkman, a retired homicide sergeant for the Pima County Sheriff's Office who analyzed the Puroll case at the request of New Times. "This is about what the evidence says."

In Barkman's view, the evidence says, "Deputy Puroll's claims and versions are not supported by the physical, anecdotal, and behavioral evidence that I have reviewed. Several claims are in direct conflict with the physical evidence. There is, in my view, insufficient evidence to establish probable cause that on the afternoon of Friday, April 30, 2010, [no] person or persons, other than Deputy Puroll, were present at or in the immediate vicinity of this shooting scene."

And if the deputy is telling the truth, says Scottsdale forensic psychiatrist Steven Pitt, "You have a stunningly inept multi-jurisdictional response [on April 30] in addition to dealing with some really intelligent, athletic, and damned lucky smugglers."

Add to that a criminal investigation by Pinal County sheriff's detectives that was seemingly designed solely to clear their colleague Puroll.

"Our deputy says this happened, and there's evidence out there to support that it happened," Sergeant Hausman insists. "The facts are the facts."

But others interpret the facts quite differently from Hausman.

Dr. Michael Baden, co-director of the New York State Police Medicolegal Investigation Unit and former chief medical examiner for New York City, analyzed police photographs of Puroll's gunshot wound and concludes:

"I don't see what the problem is in calling this a close-contact wound. I don't know who did it, but the weapon was either touching this man or was within a couple of inches. It's pretty straightforward. It clearly is not a shot from a distance."

Puroll said in his May 3 interview with investigators that he was shot from about 25 yards away, not point-blank range.

Read the whole thing here.