Special Event: How much would you pay for your favorite local baked goods? How much more would you pay if those treats could have an international impact? Indulge for a good cause at the Flour City Dessert Auction, from 7 to 10 p.m. at Smokestack Cowork (429 State St.). Local bakeries will be auctioning homemade desserts, and proceeds will be donated to Love 146, which fights against human trafficking. Tickets are $5 through flourcitydessertauction.wordpress.com and $8 at the door.
Film: If you’re the kind of person who watches hockey only for the occasional bursts of fighting and violence, you can skip right to the good bits with “American Gladiator,” the new documentary from Alex Gibney, the Oscar-nominated director of “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room.” The film focuses on the career of Charles “Knuckles” Nilan, who risked life, love and limb – and also struggled with drug addiction – while helping his team, the Montreal Canadiens [CQ], to (sometimes literally) fight their way to a Stanley Cup championship. The film screens at the Little Theatre (240 East Ave.) at 7 p.m. Tickets are $7. thelittle.org
Music: Will Rochester’s Greatest Fat Tuesday Party Ever at Water Street Music Hall (204 N. Water St.) live up to its name? We can’t say, but here’s what we know: The baby charity March of Dimes has put together a Fat Tuesday party for the last 12 years, and this year’s fundraiser has a strong lineup of local bands, including Mochester, Different Every Time, Atlas and Wild Horses. The venue will be decorated for Mardi Gras, beads will be sold throughout the night and bands will play on two stages. Doors open at 5 p.m. Tickets are $15 at any area Wegmans, $10 through a Fat Tuesday planning committee member or at March of Dimes’ regional office (3445 Winton Place) or $20 at the door. waterstreetmusic.com.
Music: If you’re looking for a more low-key way to mark Fat Tuesday, mellow out to the smooth sounds of blues guitarist Steve Grills, who will play with his band, the Roadmasters, for the Fat Tuesday party at Lovin’ Cup (300 Park Point Drive, Suite 101). The show is free and starts at 8 p.m. lovincup.com
Lecture: Jerome Nathanial, a recent University of Rochester graduate and Americorps Vista member who serves as the hunger advocate for Foodlink, will share his stories of fighting hunger in the Rochester region in the lecture Foodlink Responds to Hunger in Our Community, at the Central Library (115 South Ave.). Nathaniel will be joined by local residents who will also share their experiences with fighting hunger in our community. The free lecture runs from 12:12 to 12:52 p.m. Go to www3.libraryweb.org for more library events.
Music: Pianist Kirill Gerstein performs Brahms, Stravinsky, and more as the latest guest of the Eastman School of Music’s Kilbourn Concert Series. His concert runs from 8 to 10 p.m. in Eastman’s Kilbourn Hall (26 Gibbs St.). Tickets are $10-$20. rochester.edu/eastman
Theater: The Greece Historical Society brings you back to the boom days of the Erie Canal with “Annie and Al on the Erie Canal,” a performance that mixes comedy, storytelling, history, and minstrel music. The show, which starts at 7 p.m. at the Greece Community and Senior Center (3 Vince Tofany Blvd.), stars Fran Carlisi-Paxson and Allen Hopkins. It is free and open to the public, and $2 minimum donations are recommended. Greecehistoricalsociety.net.
