A gracious good day to our readers. I hope the autumn is treating you well.

In 1980, when we wrote our first column, we promised that whenever the column didn’t fill our allotted space, that we would add on brief announcements of how and where it is possible to expand the arts experiences available to residents of a small town, within a reasonable drive of our community.

Because the column’s name is ”The Critical Eye,” we called these short announcements ”Winks of the Critical Eye.”

Whenever anyone expresses his opinion on a subject, inevitably it rattles someone else’s cage. Interestingly, I think we do more cage rattling with the Winks than we do with the text of the column. Some readers say that nothing from out of town should be printed until we have covered everything which is happening right here. Others say that events here in town are covered – usually extensively – in other places in the newspaper, so the Winks should share information which won’t appear elsewhere.

Some people think plays are more important than concerts, or that visual arts displays are more important than announcements of performances. Some want information about local people who have made a success on a national scale, and some think that shouldn’t take space away from opportunities for them to participate in the arts.

Some want announcements of events in Pittsburgh or Toronto, printed months in advance, so they can plan trips in order to attend, while others get angry if we don’t announce events within 10 days of their happening, so they don’t get distracted, and forget to attend.

The point is that nothing we do is going to please every reader, so we do our best to offer you chances to be part of a big, wide arts scene, while at the same time, to let people know just how big and wonderful the world of the arts can be.

When I used to take students to New York City, on field trips, many students told me they were astonished when they met people, standing outside the theaters and opera houses, begging to give the students two or three times as much as they had paid, in an attempt to buy their tickets. The students assumed that nobody really was interested in plays and operas and the like. How very wrong they were.

Young people from our area are at a disadvantage, in the big wide world, if they underestimate the crucial importance of the arts. Since our inbox is now stuffed with over 200 announcements which arts companies want us to share with you, we’re going to offer you a full page of nothing but Winks. Enjoy!

If you know someone who is always complaining that there is nothing to do in this area, just show him this column.

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Tomorrow, at 7:15 p.m., the Robert H. Jackson Center, in downtown Jamestown, will present a performance by American folk musician Tom Rush. The performance is a benefit for the Jackson Center.

Rush was an important part of the folk revival, which played such an important part of the 1960s. James Taylor has called Rush one of his heroes. Garth Brooks has listed him as a top musical influence.

Tickets for the general public cost $35. A VIP ticket, which includes a post-show meet and greet with Rush, cost $50. Purchase them in person at the Jackson Center, or by phoning 483-6646, or by computer at www.robertjackson.org.

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On Oct. 20 at 7 p.m., the James Prendergast Library invites the public to attend the annual lecture, held in memory of the library’s long time director, Murray L. Bob.

The lecture series is not an expense to the library, but is funded by an endowment, donated by admirers of the late director, to present lecturers of national prominence, on subjects which were of interest to Bob. This year’s lecturer will be Sari Feldman, who is the national president of the American Library Assn. She has also been the executive director of the Cuyahoga County Public Library System, in Cleveland and surrounding areas, since 2003.

Feldman will be the 11th speaker in the series. She will speak on the role of public libraries in the 21st Century. There is no admission charge.

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Friday at 8 p.m., Jamestown native Joshua Stafford will perform a concert on the excellent pipe organ of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, in downtown Jamestown. The concert is the first offering in the 2015-16 concert series of the Jamestown Concert Assn.

Only 27 years old, Stafford has risen to national prominence as an artist on the organ, with degrees in performance from the Curtis Institute and Yale. He has performed on the nationally syndicated public radio program ”Pipe Dreams,” and on the Wanamaker Organ House.

Tickets are $20 for the general public, $17 for senior citizens, and $7.50 for college students. Audience members age 18 or younger are admitted without charge, if accompanied by a paying adult. Individual tickets may be bought at the door.

Season tickets for the entire season of the Concert Assn. which also include the entire season of the Warren Concert Assn. may by purchased at the door, at Trinity guitars, at Germaine and Pappalardo, or by phoning 487-1522.

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In days past, we have written about the musical show ”Kitty,” about Irish revolutionary Parnell, and the woman whose love brought him down to defeat. The book of the show was written by county resident John Keating. Music and lyrics are by Sandra Lowell, also of our area.

The show will receive a staged reading on Nov. 9, at Carnegie Stage, in the Pittsburgh suburb of Carnegie. Among the readers will be the playwright’s wife, Jill Keating, who knocked Pittsburgh on its ear, last year, in the leading role of Florence Foster Jenkins, at Pittsburgh Playhouse.

Ticket prices or box office numbers are not yet available, but we wanted to give you time to plan a visit, if you’re interested. More information to follow.

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Applications are now being accepted for advanced students of voice, or of dance, to study at Chautauqua Institution, during the 2016 season.

The deadline for voice students is Nov. 10. Auditions for the program will be held Nov. 15, in New York City, Nov. 21, in Chicago, or Dec. 6, in Philadelphia. For an application form and instructions for applying, phone Chautauqua at 357-6200 or visit their website at ciweb.org.

The deadline for dance students is Feb. 1. Auditions will be held in cities around the country, throughout January. The nearest cities in which auditions will be held are Buffalo, Jan. 16, and Pittsburgh, Jan. 31. Recorded auditions also may be submitted, but only online. For more information, use the contact information given above.

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Opening Wednesday and running through Jan. 10, the Buffalo History Museum will show an exhibit of photographs of Buffalo in the 1940s and 50s. Jerome Greenberg is the photographer.

Admission to the exhibit is included in museum admission, which is $7 for the general public, and $5 for students and senior citizens. A reception at no additional charge will be offered on Wednesday at 5 p.m.

For information about the show, phone 873-9644 or send an email to info@buffalohistory.org.

The museum is located at One Museum Court, just off Elmwood Ave., in Buffalo.

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On Oct. 24, the Fredonia Wind Ensemble will perform on the campus of the State University of New York at Fredonia, at 8 p.m., in King Concert Hall. Admission is free of charge.

Guest soloist will be saxophonist Susan Fancher.

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The orchestra Mannheim Steamroller, famed for its thrilling arrangements of Christmas music, will perform in Erie on Dec. 1 at 7:30 p.m. at the Warner Theatre, on State St.

Tickets range in price from $44 to $64. Phone 814-452-4857.

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Next Saturday at 8 p.m., the Reg Lenna Center for the Arts will present a performance of the one-man show, ”An Evening with Groucho,” with Frank Ferrante.

Ticket prices for the general public range in price from $15 to $25. Student tickets range in price from $10 to $25. Purchase in person at the Reg Lenna box office, or phone 484-7070.

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Speaking of the Lenna Center, October will see them show a series of classic horror films, in preparation for Halloween. Tickets for all shows are $5. All showings begin at 7 p.m.

These include: ”A Nightmare on Elm St.,” on Wednesday; ”The Shining,” on Oct. 21; ”Friday the 13th, on Oct. 28.

Also on Oct. 28, beginning at 10 p.m. see the classic ”Rocky Horror Picture Show.”

Tomorrow, the family show ”The Goonies,” will be shown at 2 p.m.

For information on anything planned for the Reg, phone 484-7070.

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If you wanted to see the Kavinoky Theatre’s production of ”King o’ the Moon,” by Buffalo playwright Tom Dudzik, you may not have missed it. The production has been extended, to include performances this afternoon, this evening, and tomorrow afternoon.

The play, set in Buffalo, in 1969, is the third and final element in the ”Over the Tavern” trilogy. The production has been directed by the playwright, himself.

Tickets range in price from $32 to $42. Performances begin at 3:30 p.m. and 7:30p.m. today, and at 2 p.m., tomorrow. The Kavinoky company performs in their own theater, on the campus of D’Youville College on Porter Ave., in Buffalo. Purchase tickets by phoning 829-7668 or by computer at kavinokytheatre.com,

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Would you like an opportunity to meet members of the Buffalo Philharmonic, including Artistic Director JoAnn Falletta? The Recording Arts Society invites the public to a listening opportunity to segments of a new recording by the orchestra of music by Finnish composer Jan Sibelius, at the PAUSA Art House, 19 Wadsworth St., in Buffalo. The musicians will discuss the recording, in detail.

Admission is $10 for the public, $5 for students, and no charge, for members of the Recording Arts Society. The RSVP to the invitation, or to learn more about the Society, send an email to Jim Cichocki at jcichocki@bpo.org, or phone 242-7825.

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The Buffalo International Film Festival, for 2015 will open Thursday and run through Oct. 18. This year’s festival features entirely locally-made films, and all are shown at the North Park Theatre, at 1428 Hertel Ave., in Buffalo.

When a Clarence family has an important engagement, but their regular babysitter has to cancel, they hire a substitute, who turns out to be a complete surprise. See ”Emilie,” next Saturday, at 7:45 p.m.

Friday at 7:15 p.m. ”Let Them Have Their Way,” is a film about six young people who have been born into a modern utopia, but who dream of individual freedom.

Friday at 10 p.m., ”Prescient” is about a genius geneticist who is able to see death for other people, in advance of its happening, who sets out to discover the gene which will put an end to his special sight.

Oct. 18 at 3:15 p.m., see a collection of short films, called ”Buffalo Shorts.”

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Friday at 8 p.m., Dance Theatre of Harlem will perform at Shea’s Performing Arts Center, in Buffalo.

The company is now in its fifth decade of changing people’s lives through classical ballet. Tickets range in price from $25 to $45. Phone 800-745-3000 or go to ticketmaster.com. Purchase tickets in person from any ticketmaster location, including the Shea’s box office.

The theater is located at 646 Main St. in the downtown Buffalo Theatre District.

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Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and Oct. 18 at 2 p.m., for five performances only, the Department of Theater and Dance at Fredonia State University will perform a production of the Broadway musical show ”Cabaret,” with music by Kander and Ebb.

To purchase tickets, phone 673-3501 or go by computer to tickets@fredonia.edu. Tickets cost $25 for the general public, and $22 for students. Fredonia State students may buy tickets for $14. Performances are in the Marvel Theatre, in the Rockefeller Arts Center.

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Steven Osgood, the newly-announced Director of the Chautauqua Opera Company offers good news for local opera lovers, who have been reduced to only two productions per year. In 2015, the company will offer three productions:

Giuseppe Verdi’s ”La Traviata” will open the season in the Amphitheater. The opera tells the story of a lady of the evening, who agrees to part from the man she loves, because his family is being harmed by his connection with her. Hear it in the Amphitheater on July 9.

Gilbert and Sullivan’s zany ”The Mikado,” is the story of the son of the Emperor of Japan who runs away from home, rather than marry the woman his father has chosen for him. Hear it in Norton Hall, July 29 and Aug. 1.

Contemporary composer Missy Mazzoli’s creation, ”Song for the Uproar,” is based on the true story of a Swiss adventuress in the 19th Century, who left home, dressed as a man, travelled to North Africa, and joined an all-male Sufi sect, all in her twenties. The production is said to include voice, live chamber music, electronics, and film.

Catch the production on Aug. 8.

The company will also have a composer in residence, during the coming season. Jeremy Gill will be active in dealing with audiences at various sites and times, throughout the season.

When the complete season is available, we will bring you more news of the company.

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Oct. 22 through Nov. 15, Buffalo’s Jewish Repertory Theatre will perform a production of ”My Name is Asher Lev,” by Aaron Posner. Performances take place in the Jewish Community Center, 2640 N. Forest Road, in the Buffalo suburb of Getzville.

The play deals with a young artist, who finds that his need to create art, conflicts with the conservative faith in which he has been raised.

Performances are Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Saturdays at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sundays at 4 p.m. Tickets are $43 for the public, $41 for senior citizens, and $15 for students. Phone 204-2084.

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The Buffalo History Museum has had its War of 1812 Exhibit on display since September of 2013. The exhibit will be closing on Friday. If you’ve been meaning to attend, you need to make plans soon. The museum is located near the intersection of Elmwood Ave., and the Scajaquada Expressway, near the Albright-Knox Museum.

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The Jacksons, the surviving brothers of the late Michael Jackson, will perform at the Center for the Arts at the University at Buffalo, on Nov. 21 at 8 p.m. The concert is expected to include all of the hits associated with the original Jackson Five, plus a number of works associated with Michael. The concert is a benefit for the Ronald McDonald House, of Buffalo.

Tickets are now on sale, and range in price from $77 to $97. For information about the concert, phone 645-2787. To purchase tickets, phone 888-223-6000 or go by computer to ubcfa.org.

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That same contact information as in the previous Wink will get you tickets to the first concert of the season by U.B.’s famed Zodiaque Dance Company. The theme of this month’s performances is ”Justice.”

Oct. 21-25, the company will perform in the Drama Theatre, in their university’s Center for the Arts. All performances begin at 7:30 p.m., except those which take place on Sunday, which begin at 2 p.m.

Tickets are $20 for the public, and $10 for senior citizens and students at any institution.

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The Jamestown-based organization Women Create is seeking entries in their third biennial juried art exhibit. Entrants must be women, of any age, using any medium, who live in Western New York, Northwestern Pennsylvania, or Northeastern Ohio. Entries in the show must be available for sale.

The deadline for applications is Dec. 15. The exhibit will take place in the Dykemann-Young Gallery, a commercial gallery.

Works in the show will be on display from mid-April to mid-May of 2016. More information and application guidelines are available at womencreate.org.