As the 50th anniversary of the desegregation of Central High School approaches, Little Rock has readied itself for the global spotlight. Commemorative events abound and will continue through November. Tickets for the Little Rock Nine Gala on Monday, and Tuesday's Commemoration Ceremony on the school's front lawn are sold out.

Thursday - Lynn Smith, fine arts chair of Central High School talks about student art exhibit "Looking Back, Looking Ahead: Commemorating 50 Years of Integration", during Third Thursday Talks, Cox Creative Center, 120 Commerce, (501) 918-3032.

Thursday - Clinton School of Public Service/Bowen Law School Central High School Forum opening reception, 5 p.m. Make reservations by e-mailing publicprograms@clintonschool.uasys.edu or calling (501) 683-5239.

Thursday - Town Hall meeting "Character and Courage: Where Have We been, Where are We Now, Where Do We Need to Be", with discussion on race and education, 7 p.m. Mosaic Church of Central Arkansas, 6420 Colonel Glenn Road, (501) 562-3336.

Friday until summer of 2008 - MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History presents "Rendezvous with Destiny: The 101st Airborne and the Central High Crisis of 1957", 503 E. Ninth St., (501) 376-4602.

Friday - Clinton School of Public Service/Bowen Law School Central High School Forum, day-long series of speakers on variety of legal topics, 9 a.m. Featured speakers include Dr. Charles J. Ogletree Jr. and Theodore M. Shaw. Make reservations by e-mailing publicprograms@clintonschool.uasys.edu or calling (501) 683-5239.

Friday - Faith in Film series at Quapaw Quarter United Methodist Church presents To Kill a Mockingbird as part of the church's celebration of Central High's desegregation, 7-9 p.m., free to attend, free sodas and popcorn. www.qqumc.org.

Friday and Saturday - Worldfest "The World is Watching Us! From Civil Rights to Human Rights: Celebrating Our Diversity" will include a World Rhythm Stage, Cultural Fair and Global Village. 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. MacArthur Park, 9th and Commerce streets, www.rcdcworldfest.org.

Saturday until spring of 2008 - The Museum of Discovery will display a special exhibit on Dunbar High School entitled "Little Rock's Other High School". 500 President Clinton Ave. (501) 396-7050

Saturday - "Looking Back, Looking Ahead: Commemorating 50 Years of Integration", an art show presented by the Central High School Visual Arts Department, reception 1-3 p.m., show runs until Oct. 27, Cox Creative Center, 120 Commerce, (501) 918-3032.

Saturday through Tuesday - Emancipation Proclamation on display at the Clinton Presidential Center, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Call (501) 244-2856 to reserve a space to see the document.

Sunday - Unity in the Community will bury a 50-year time capsule, 2 p.m., Bullock Temple CME Church, 1513 S. Park St., (501) 375-1581.

Sunday - Central High School's 50th Anniversary Concert Honoring the Little Rock Nine. Artists scheduled to appear include Morris Day and The Time, Cameo, Little Rock's own Nicky Parirsh, and others, doors open at 3 p.m. and show starts at 4 p.m., Riverfest Amphitheatre. Tickets $30-60. www.ticketmaster.com.

Sunday - Ecumenical Service, Robinson Center Music Hall, 3 p.m.

Sunday - The National Association of Black Journalists will hold a media symposium titled "Little Rock Nine Remembered" at the Heifer International Headquarters, 6 p.m., 1 World Avenue. www.arkansasglobecoming.com.

Monday - Dedication Ceremony, Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site Visitor Center. Keynote speakers include Congressman John Lewis and the Little Rock Nine, 10 a.m. 2125 Daisy L. Gatson Bates Drive, (501) 374-1957.

Monday - Clinton School of Public Service, former U.S. congressman Harold Ford Jr. will speak about civil rights and the Central High commemoration as part of the "Faces of the Future" lecture series in partnership with the Little Rock Political Animals Club. 2 p.m. at Robinson Center, Barry L. Travis Exhibition Hall. Free. Make reservations by e-mailing publicprograms@clintonschool.uasys.edu or calling (501) 683-5239.

Tuesday - Daisy Bates: In Her Own Words book release, museum tour and lunch at the L.C. and Daisy Bates Museum, 1207 W. 28th St. Museum tour noon to 5 p.m., free and open to the public. Lunch, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., free with advance book purchase. Author Deborah Robinson to speak. http://www.daisy-bates.com/.

Tuesday - Screening of Journey to Little Rock, a documentary about life of Minnijean Brown Trickey, 3:30 p.m., free. Reserved seating for schools and invitees. Limited first-come, first-served seating for the public. M. L. Harris Auditorium, Philander Smith College. Call the Clinton Museum Store at (501) 748-0400 for tickets.

Sept. 27 - Read with the Rep book club discussion of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings in conjunction with It Happened in Little Rock, 7 p.m. (501) 378-0445 ext. 204 or http://www.therep.org/.

Sept. 28 - Faith in Film series at Quapaw Quarter United Methodist Church presents Almost Normal as part of the church's celebration of Central High's desegregation, 7-9 p.m., free to attend, free sodas and popcorn. www.qqumc.org.

Sept. 29 - Betty McCoy Anderson will present Out of One Blood at Pyramid Gallery at 1 p.m. The piece chronicles her experiences as a student integrating the junior and senior high schools in Little Rock from 1962 to 1967. 500 President Clinton Avenue, Ste. 110, (501) 372-5824.

Oct. 4 - "When Faith Deceives When Faith Sustains: The Religious Response to the Central High School Crisis Of 1957". Among those participating will be Elizabeth Eckford, Minnijean Brown Trickey, Chris Mercer and Craig Rains. Bethel A.M.E., 815 W. 16th St., (501) 374-2891 or http://bethel-littlerock.tripod.com/.

Oct. 5 - Faith in Film series at Quapaw Quarter United Methodist Church presents Happy Feet as part of the church's celebration of Central High's desegregation, 7-9 p.m., free to attend, free sodas and popcorn. www.qqumc.org.

Oct. 11 - Interfaith Worship Service Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the City-wide Day of Prayer on Oct. 12, 1957. 6:30 p.m., address delivered by Naomi Tutu. Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, 310 W. 17th St., (501) 372-0294, www.trinitycathedral-lr.org/.

Oct. 11 - Bless the Mic Lecture Series featuring National Public Radio senior correspondent Juan Williams, 7 p.m. M.L. Harris Auditorium, Philander Smith College, http://www.philander.edu/.

Oct. 12 - Faith in Film series at Quapaw Quarter United Methodist Church presents The Lost Year as part of the church's celebration of Central High's desegregation, 7-9 p.m., free to attend but church is taking donations, free sodas and popcorn. www.qqumc.org.

Oct. 26 - Arkansas Psychological Association will feature guest speaker Bertha Holliday, Ph.D., senior director of the group's Office of Ethnic Minority Affairs at their Diversity Luncheon during their annual fall conference. http://www.arpapsych.org/.

Oct. 27 - Arkansas Black Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Banquet, 7:30 p.m., Wally Allen Ballroom, Statehouse Convention Center. Sponsorships are available and individual tickets can be purchased for $125. For tickets call (501) 377-1950. www.arblackhalloffame.org.

Now through Sept. 30 - The Legacy Project: It Happened in Little Rock celebrates the 50th anniversary of the 1957 desegregation of Little Rock Central High. Arkansas Repertory Theatre, call (501) 378-0405 or visit www.therep.org.

Now to Oct. 8 - Hearne Fine Art presents "Pictures Tell the Story: Full Circle Reflections of History", featuring works by mixed-media artist Rex Deloney and civil rights photographer Ernest C. Withers. 500 President Clinton Ave., (501) 372-6822.

Now through Nov. 4 - "Documenting a Not So Distant Past", an exhibit at the Arkansas Arts Center featuring three suites of photographs that document racial segregation, efforts to integrate and the Civil Rights movement. On loan from the Spencer Museum of Art at the University of Kansas, the photographs by Marion Palfi document the "Jim Crow" laws that sought to separate races. Photographs by Will Counts, from the Arkansas Arts Center Foundation Collection, show the events that developed during the 1957 Little Rock Central High School integration crisis. The "I Am A Man" portfolio of Ernest Withers, on loan from the Toledo Museum of Art, documents Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rev. Ralph Abernathy and others as they participated in significant Civil Rights movement events. Call (501) 372-4000 or visit www.arkarts.com.

Now through Nov. 4 - "Taking Possession," an exhibit spotlighting figurative works by contemporary black artists, UALR Galleries I, II and III. Visit www.ualr.edu or www.arkansasglobecoming.com for more information.

Now through May 18 - "The Long Struggle: Presidential Actions and African-American Civil Rights", an exhibit on decisions, laws and acts signed by U.S. Presidents that examines how these actions impacted the lives of the average black citizen, Clinton Presidential Center, (501) 374-4242.