The Baton Rouge Gallery continues its season of bringing silent movies to life with another installment of Movies and Music this Saturday night. This month's showing is the classic film The Blue Bird, with live musical accompaniment by local jazzy groovers Righteous Buddha. This Hansel and Gretel-like tale of two lost children searching for the bluebird of happiness is directed by famed silent film director Maurice Tourneur, and features breathtaking-for-the-time special effects and a heartwarming resolution. Bring some blankets and bug spray and stretch out on the City Park lawn. The event is free for members, $5 for non-members. 8 p.m. batonrougegallery.org

Bookworms, start your engines—Neil White, author of this year's One Book, One Community selection, In the Sanctuary of Outcasts, will address readers at a free, public event this Thursday at LSU's Cox Communications Academic Center for Student Athletes. Neil will speak about his compelling memoir, recounting the 18-month prison sentence he spent confined in Carville, the United State's last "leper colony." During White's stay, he found friendship among both the convicts at the minimum security prison and Carville's Hansen's Disease patients. A question and answer session and meet-and-greet with the author will follow the lecture and discussion. 7 p.m. Visit readonebook.org for more information.

Parents, book your babysitter for Friday night, as BREC's Independence Park Theatre hosts Stand-Up Dads. Professional comedians Dan St. Paul, Milt Abel and Kelly McDonald offer up lighthearted laughs as they examine the daily grind of fatherhood and suburban life. And don't worry about embarrassing your date with dirty jokes—these dads work clean. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for students and seniors. Visit theparktheatre.com for more information.

Animal adoption agencies Yelp!BR and Project Purr unite this weekend at the Mall of Louisiana for a special adoption event. Every year, Baton Rouge euthanizes thousands of adoptable animals, and these two organizations are trying to take our furry friends out of cages and put them into loving homes. All animals at this event are in good health and ready to take home—all they need is a paw up. Whether you're looking for a new fuzzy family member or just want to come out and pet a few saved shelter animals, all are welcome. Best Friends on the Boulevard will be held at the end of the mall's new outdoor shopping area, in the grassy space beside Borders. Visit projectpurrbr.org or yelpbr.com for more information.

Author and researcher Don Davis has spent years researching how diverse groups of Louisianans imprinted their respective territories with their own unique cultural values. In his lecture at the Old Governor's Mansion Thursday night, Davis will explain how each group has given our near-sea-level marshes their personality—the first comprehensive look at the settlement, occupation and environmental challenges of their respective coastal communities. Davis will also sign copies of his book Washed Away? The Invisible Peoples of Louisiana's Wetlands. Refreshments and appetizers will be provided by Calandro's Select Cellars and Fine Wines. Free for members, $10 for guests. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. Visit fhl.org for more information.