Do This!

Animal planet

The intriguing exhibit Tweak of Nature takes a unique look at the world's creatures (including, um, us) in photo-based constructions, whimsical sculpture, large-scale paintings, and site-specific installation by artists Seunghwui Koo, Tasha Lewis, and Kate Stewart. The show, which runs through April 21, opens with a talk by the artists and a reception at the Main Line Art Center, 746 Panmure Rd., in Haverford. Time: 5:30 p.m. Admission is free. Information: 610-525-0272 or www.mainlineart.org.

Machine age

One hundred years ago, cartoonist Rube Goldberg gained fame for his drawings of overly complicated devices to perform simple tasks in convoluted ways, such as an automatic napkin that required a parrot and a firecracker to operate. His achievement lives on in, you guessed it, our TV remotes. Oh, and also the Rube Goldberg Machine Contest. The first annual Philadelphia event - in which middle- and high-school students from the region compete to build a complex contraption to erase a chalkboard - goes on at Friends' Central, 1101 City Ave. Time: 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free for spectators. Information: 215-906-1832 or http://www.rubegoldberg philly.com.

Slasher fest

Hey, if we can have Christmas in July, why not Halloween in March? We already have the chills. The great ghouls at Exhumed Films provide the thrills with a terrifying trio of scary movies featuring 1988's Hack-O-Lantern (in its U.S. premiere!), starring the distinctive Hy Pyke as a grandpa trying to make sure his progeny follow in the family faith . . . of Satanism! Rounding out the triple bill: Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, also from 1988 (about . . . well, read the title), and 1981's Don't Go in the Woods (about campers who didn't read the title). The films screen at International House, 3701 Chestnut St. Time: 7 p.m. Tickets: $20. Information: 215-387-5125 or http://ihousephilly.org.

Here's to the ladies

Actress and singer Linda Purl pays tribute to singers including Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, and Rosemary Clooney in her cabaret show at the Rrazz Room in the Ramada, 6426 Lower York Rd., New Hope. Tickets: $35. Time: 8 p.m. Information: 888-596-1027 or www.therrazzroom.com.

Get your Irish up

John Wayne is sensational as a Yank in Ireland, and Maureen O'Hara shines as the lass he loves, in John Ford's 1952 classic The Quiet Man (Victor McLaglen is pretty good, too). The film screens at the Colonial Theatre, 227 Bridge St., Phoenixville. Time: 2 p.m. Tickets: $9; $7 seniors; $5 students. Information: 610-917-1228 or www.the colonialtheatre.com.