Local artist Karen Moriarty has opened an art gallery downtown on The Landing.

Flowers and local landscapes dominate Moriarty's work, a sample of which can be viewed at www.karenmoriarty.com.

Moriarty is having a grand-opening reception, “Oil Paintings by Karen Moriarty,” from 5 to 9 p.m. April 18 at her gallery on The Landing at 123 W. Columbia St. The gallery's regular hours are 1-6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday.

An elite runner, Jordan Fife, will be at Three Rivers Running Company, 4227 N. Clinton St., from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday. He recently became only the fourth Indiana native to break 4 minutes in the mile. In conjunction with Fife, Brooks representatives will be at the store, allowing customers to try on new-release shoes, including the Brooks Defyance, which will be on hand for test jogs. All Brooks gear will be 15 percent off retail during the event.

Local companies Megasound, the Wedding Place and the Monogram Shoppe are hosting a Bridal Academy on April 24. The hour-long session is for brides and grooms and their mothers.

The 15-minute presentations include “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Wedding Attire,” by Dawn Quick of The Wedding Place; “Top 10 Tips to Having a Great Reception,” by June Hoffman of Megasound; and “Gifts, Gifts, and More Gifts for the Wedding Party,” by Sara Keltsch of the Monogram Shoppe. The last 15 minutes are for general questions and answers.

The event is limited to 25 attendees, with refreshments following. Each attendee will receive a goody bag of information and products. It is scheduled for 7-8 p.m. April 24 at The Monogram Shoppe, 6410 W. Jefferson Blvd. in Covington Plaza.

Call The Wedding Place at 482-1250 to register.

Meijer has debuted an environmentally friendly selection of linens and towels. The store is selling bath towels, hand towels and sheet sets made with 100 percent organically grown cotton — meaning the cotton is grown without chemicals, and the colors are made from nonallergenic and non-polluting dyes. The towels come in four colors — earth, leaf, stone and water. Bath towels are $8.99, hand towels $6.99 and washcloths $5.99.

Twin sheet sets, 275-thread count, sell for $29.99 and come in earth, stone, leaf, shell and water.

As part of its ongoing spruce-up of its home department, Meijer also has recently debuted its Grand Gourmet line of small kitchen appliances, cookware and kitchen gadgets. The line features products ranging from coffee makers and cutting boards to lemon zesters and garlic presses. Meijer stores in Fort Wayne are located at 5909 Illinois Road, 10301 Maysville Road and 6309 Lima Road.