Do it this weekend: Cavalia, live art in Tampa and St. Pete, Women of Jazz, WMNF skate bash, WineRave, FossilFest, Mutt Strut and more

Some things just go together: peanut butter and jelly, Ross and Rachel, hipsters and PBR, cirque and… horses? Hey, here’s to unexpected combos like Cavalia, where “equestrian arts are infused with magic” for a fairy tale-like stage extravaganza that blends live music, high-flying acrobatics, visual effects and a herd of 60 horses for a show unlike any I’ve ever heard of. You may have noticed the enormous white tent now nestled next to I-4 on the Fairgrounds — it just so happens to be the most ginormous touring tent in America, specially created for the panoramic projections that pay homage to the bond between humans and horses (with less nudity than, say, Equus – this is a family show). Cavalia was created by the co-founder of Cirque du Soleil, Normand Latourelle, and is giving the same facelift to equestrian performance that cirque gave to the circus. Read David Warner's review here; he didn't like everything in the show, but the horses, he says, can be "mesmerizing." (Pictured: Bungee and rider Frederic Chehu) Through March 28, 8 p.m. Weds. -Fri., 3 and 8 p.m. Sat., 2 p.m. Sun., Florida State Fairgrounds, 4800 US Hwy 301, Tampa, $34.50-$99, cavalia.net. —Franki Weddington

Events like the SHBC Bike-In Movie Night make Seminole Heights one of Tampa's friendliest, cute-but-hip neighborhoods: join in a potluck dinner, followed by a screening of The Flying Scotsman on a big screen in the back yard. Awww. Visit seminoleheightsbicycleclub.org for more info. 1203 E. Powhatan Ave., Tampa. Sat., March 20, 7 p.m. dinner, 8 p.m. movie, free.

If three’s a trend, the multimedia live art scene in Tampa Bay is a downright craze. Both sides of the Bay offer fine examples of live local art next weekend. Tampa’s Tempus Projects, housed in a former garage in Seminole Heights, offers Grey Matter, a cerebral exploration of drawing, painting, printmaking and sculpture by more than a dozen art scene staples, among them Alessandro Midulla, Deon Blackwell, Justin Nelson, Cindy Mason and Allen Hampton (whose paintings are often eerily

rendered in pig’s blood). Opening night also offers a video installation in the courtyard by Kurt Piazza and an open-air market of handcrafted goodies and artlets. The Studio@620’s Multiple Oneness: Time Released Art and Music may not be named for your noggin like the Tempus show, but boy will it have those synapses jumping. Oboist and composer Matt Sullivan and earthwork painter Ken Cro-Ken offer “reactive improvisation…a collaborative journey of expression” that includes live music and action painting. When you consider that the two couldn’t be more different — one is a composer, teacher and director of double reed at the NYU Steinhardt Department of Music, the other a self-described Jackson Pollock disciple inspired by everyone from Albert Einstein to Ralph Waldo Emerson — it should make for an interesting melding of the minds. (Pictured: “Mane” by Justin Neslon, on display at Grey Matter) Grey Matter, opening reception 7-10 p.m. Fri., March 19, on display through April 9 by appointment, Tempus Projects, 5132 Florida Ave., Tampa, free, tempus-projects.com; Multiple Oneness, 8 p.m. Fri., March 19, The Studio@620, 620 First Ave. S., St. Petersburg, pay-what-you-can admission, studio620.org. --Franki Weddington

The WMNF Skate Bash is a retro rollerskating party, but with waaaaay better music. Speedy and Hector spin Latin Jazz and Salsa; Tony Montana jumps off the Saturday Night Shutdown; and you'll hear your fave indie station plays, from from Wackie Jackie and the Polka Party to D.O.C. and Steve "Hitman" Williams of the Soul Party, to CenFlo of the House Party -- all your jams are covered (but they still can't help with your skate skills). Visit wmnf.org for more info. Sun., March 21, 5 p.m., Skate World, 7510 Paula Dr., Tampa, $5.

WineRave offers two mind-bending floors of painting, photography, sculpture and jewelry created by WTCA's resident artists, providing the perfect backdrop for an evening dedicated to imbibing and embracing the versatile flavors of the grape. Sample 50 wines paired with palate-pleasing hors d'oeuvres from Byblos Cafe while all your senses are sated by live visual and musical entertainment. Visit tampabayuncorked.com for more info. Sat., March 20, 8-11 p.m., West Tampa Center for the Arts, Tampa, $30-$35.

The City of Tampa is hosting the fourth annual Clean City Day on Saturday in conjunction with The Great American Cleanup, the nation’s largest community improvement program — and they need your help to keep this city beautiful. Volunteers are needed for cleanup sites in North, East, South, West, and New Tampa. The event concludes at Raymond James Stadium with a celebration event for volunteers, including a special thank you from Mayor Pam Iorio. This year, Clean City partners with Exide Batteries, who take in your old auto, motorcycle and marine batteries at one of the five staging sites for recycling in exchange for a coupon for free pizza. Sat., March 20, 8:30 a.m. registration, 9 a.m.-noon clean-up, 12:30-3 p.m. celebration at Raymond James Stadium, 4201 N. Dale Mabry Hwy., tampagov.net/cleancity. --Katie Machol

The shortlist of female jazz artists who’ve made their mark in music over the past several decades encompasses legendary singers like Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and

Sarah Vaughan as well as lesser-known but no less great instrumentalists, among them pianist/composer/innovator Mary Lou Williams and drummer Viola Smith, who was dubbed the “Female Gene Krupa” for her drumstick-wielding antics. The list has only grown over time, and this weekend’s Women of Jazz III concert not only commemorates Women’s History Month but introduces local jazz enthusiasts to some contemporary artists who deserve respect in their own right. The show features an all-lady lineup in a one-time revolving band. The headline players are sax virtuoso “Sweet” Sue Terry and pianist Peggy Stern, who are joined by Bay area vocalists Rose Bilal and Theo Valentine, upright bassist Anne Van Atta, drummer Sandi Grecco and guitarist Patty Sanphy. (Pictured: Sue Terry. Photo by Lourdes Delgado) Sat., March 20, 8 p.m., Palladium Theater, 253 Fifth Ave. N., St. Petersburg, $25 general/$40 VIP (includes two free CDs), 727-302-6870, mypalladium.org. --Leilani Polk

A true community project, this staged reading of Love Letters is held on the Hyde Park porch of Tom and Linda Scarritt, with proceeds to benefit Stageworks’ Rainbow Tribe Outreach Program for at Risk Youth. Shari Mezrah and Scott Shimberg play in A.R. Gurney's melancholy story of two characters who lives, hopes, dreams, disappointments, triumphs, and defeats unfold as a series of letters. Contact grahamandi@aol.com for tickets and info. Fri., March 19, 8 p.m., Backyard Theatre, 824 S. Orleans Ave., Tampa, $25 (bring your own chair); $35 (chair provided), stageworkstheatre.org.

If you're a card-carrying geek, odds are you'll be at FossilFest 2010, a weekend-long fossil extravaganza (and no, just because Indiana Jones was an archeologist, that does not make fossils cool). Say it loud and proud: you'll be surrounded by your nerdy brethren as you're "transported back in time to the land of the lost, back to Florida’s last Ice Age, when prehistoric people hunted mammoths, built pyramids along our coast, and lived in fear of the saber cat, giant lion, and wolf." Oh, and there's also educational activities; displays of gems, minerals, fossil shells, and antique bottles; seminars on Florida's fossil record and prehistoric people; and the Fossil Mine at Paleo Park, where kids can dig through a sand pit to recover actual prehistoric fossils donated by members of the Tampa Bay Fossil Club, then work with a club member to identify their finds. Visit tampabayfossilclub.com for more info. March 20-21, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Sat., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sun., Florida State Fair Grounds, Tampa, $5, free for ages 12 and younger.

The 18th annual Mutt Strut fundraiser for the Humane Society of Pinellas is a chance for your four-legged friends to get some exercise and do some good, all in the same walk. Strut your stuff along Osprey Trail at noon, followed by pet demos, contests and games. Visit humanesocietyofpinellas.org for more info. Sat., March 20, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Honeymoon Island State Park, Dunedin.

Celebrate Tampa Bay's eco-friendly strides at GreenFest, with green-formation from local nonprofits, an array of organic produce, green construction, resident arts and crafters, live music and more, all gathered at 24th Avenue and First Street on Indian Rocks Beach. Contact Christy Ward at crunchymama@live.com for more info. Sat., March 20, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

Women Want Everything -- and why shouldn’t they get it? This original play, written and directed by Rod Grant, follows four clueless friends (all men, but you will have guessed that by the “clueless” part) who set out on a journey to discover just what it is women want. Turns out the answer’s not so simple, but they have a lot of laughs along the way. Visit rqlproductions.com for more info. Sat., March 20, 7 p.m., USF College of Arts, Tampa, $20, $15 students.

Viva Mexico! is a colorful, uptempo celebration of folkloric dance, music and dress by the Spanish Lyric Theatre. Visit spanishlyrictheatre.com for more info. Sat., March 20, 7:30 p.m., Straz Center for the Performing Arts, Tampa, $30-$35.