Dowagiac Dogwood Fine Arts Festival hosts Lake Effect Winds on Saturday, May 8, at 2 p.m. at Beckwith Theatre, 100 New York Ave.

Toast ‘n’ Jam is an interactive introduction to the wonderful world of music for children ages 3-12.

Lake Effect Winds, a woodwind quintet, is based in the St. Joseph area.

The quintet performs a wide variety of music, ranging from baroque and classical to 20th century styles such as show tunes, ragtime and patriotic.

Since its formation in 1997, the group has performed for numerous civic and social events, including the WAUS Second Sunday Series at Fernwood Botanical Gardens, the Riverfront Concert Series in South Haven and the Niles Concert Series at Riverfront Park.

Members of Lake Effect Winds all live in southwest Michigan.

Jan Street of Berrien Springs plays flute; Ruthann Adams of Edwardsburg plays oboe; Delain Bomer of St. Joseph plays French horn; Melody Prather of St. Joseph plays clarinet; and Lisa Bubar  of Stevensville plays bassoon.

All quintet members perform as soloists and most teach private music lessons.

Dogwood’s Toast ‘n’ Jam for Kids is free but due to limited seating, reservations are suggested.

Midwest Energy continues its commitment to the arts in southwest Michigan as a sponsor of this unique children’s event.

The Dogwood Fine Arts Festival. a non-profit arts and education organization, is made possible by sponsorships from the St. Denys Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs.

For tickets or more information, about this and other Dogwood Festival events call (269) 782-1115, (866) 490-2847 or visit www.dogwoodfinearts.org. Other free Dogwood events include:

• Up Front Art Walk, May 3-17. Original works from area artists displayed 24/7 in merchant windows, downtown Dowagiac.

• Youth Fine Arts Night, 6 p.m., Thursday, May, 13, Union High.

• Sculpture dedication, noon, Monday, May 10, Borgess-Lee Memorial Hospital, and Tuck Langland’s lecture at 7:30 p.m. at SMC.