John Robinson

Events for this column must be submitted to the Advocate by noon Tuesday to be in the Thursday newspaper. Call (859) 236-2551, ext. 135, with complete information, including hours and admission price; or e-mail advocatearts@gmail.com. To submit to the online calendar, log on to www.amnews.com. VISUAL ART Sunday Painters Open Studio, 1-5 p.m. every Sunday, Grand Hall, Community Arts Center. Cost: $5; open to the community. Information: (859) 236-4054. Web site: www.communityartscenter.

4,300. This is the number of people in the commonwealth who currently suffer from kidney disease or kidney failure and rely on dialysis machines to stay alive. Kidney failure is a result of when kidneys lose most of their ability to remove waste and maintain fluid and chemical balances in the body. Patients who are faced with kidney failure have but two choices: undergo regular dialysis or have a kidney transplant. These choices aren't optional - without one or the other, patients like me, with kidney failure, will die. For those of you who are unfamiliar with dialysis, let me tell you what I go through.

FILM December 1: "Turistas," "The Nativity Store," "Van Wilder Deux: The Rise of Taj" 8: "Blood Diamond," "DOA: Dead or Alive," "The Holiday," "Apocalypto," "Unaccompanied Minors" 15: "Eragon," "The Pursuit of Happyness," "Indigenes," "Brooklyn Rules" 20: "Charlotte's Web" 22: "The Good Shepherd," "Rocky Balboa," "Night at the Museum," "We Are Marshall" 25: "Dreamgirls," "Black Christmas," "Children of Men"...

Art imitates art imitating life in "Lords of Dogtown," the fictionalized version of the award-winning documentary "Dogtown and Z-Boys," about the Southern California dudes who revolutionized skateboarding in the 1970s. This may sound redundant. Or needless. Or self-congratulatory. It's all of the above, as Stacy Peralta - one of the original Z-Boys, who directed and co-wrote the 2002 documentary - gets to relive his glory days once again. Not only did he write this script, as well, but he filled in as a last-minute stunt double when the young actor playing him (towheaded John Robinson from Gus Van Sant's "Elephant")

EXHIBITS "Great Escapes," by The Escape Artists from London and Somerset , through December, Vinyard Room, Old Crow Inn. Hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Also on exhibit: Works by David Farmer, in the tasting room. Information: (859) 236-1808. New watercolors by Jim Underwood , through December, Boyle County Library. Sponsored by Gathering Artists. Open to the public during regular business hours. Free. Paintings by Diane Reed and Jackie Zimmerman, photography by John Robinson , through Jan. 9, Commonwealth Cancer Center, Danville bypass.

Another record crowd of veterans from four counties turned out for the third annual Veterans Appreciation Day luncheon Thursday at the National Guard Armory. Organizer Sharon Martin said the event, which is planned by the 12-person Heritage Hospice Veterans Committee, said attendance exceeded the 1,000 people who showed up last year. “We are just really pleased with the way veterans continue to respond to this,” Martin said. “We are staying right around capacity the entire time here.