• While she hasn’t had time to explore Jacksonville, “Hot Lips Houlihan” Loretta Swit, the current Alhambra Theatre & Dining star, wants to find an area to walk. That’s one of the ways she exercises. She hasn’t determined where that would be yet (or when she would have time), but she mentioned Monday that she was considering Downtown or another central area. “I need to get Downtown to walk,” she said.
• Speaking of the Alhambra, auditions for Gilbert & Sullivan’s “The Pirates of Penzance” will take place at 7 p.m. Aug. 23 at the theater. Auditioning performers must have a headshot and resume and be prepared to sing 32 bars of music from a Broadway show. For more information, call 641-1212. The musical theatre production takes place Oct. 1-3 with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra and members of the Alhambra Theatre in Jacoby Symphony Hall at the Times-Union Center.
• And also at the Alhambra, the International Council of Shopping Centers will present “Food for Thought,” an ICSC Jacksonville Next Generation event, on Sept. 7. Panelists from Five Guys, Al’s Pizza, Matthew’s, Taco Lu and Salt Life are on the agenda. It’ll be 6 p.m. Info: www.icsc.org.
• Heart on display: The 2011 Heart Ball, an annual fundraising event of the local American Heart Association to raise research dollars, has a chair and a recognizable face. Nelson Cuba, Fraternal Order of Police president, will lead the March 19 endeavor.
• Gas prices continue rising in Jacksonville, reports www.JacksonvilleGasPrices.com. It said Monday that average retail gasoline prices rose 6.4 cents per gallon the prior week, averaging $2.70 a gallon on Sunday. The national average rose 2.8 cents per gallon to $2.78. Jacksonville prices were 16.3 cents per gallon higher than the same day a year ago and 11 cents per gallon higher than a month ago.