BY BARBARA PALMER

IT WAS PURE COINCIDENCE THAT THE "BLUE Monday" celebration on the front lawn at Harmony House fell on April 15, tax deadline day. But the lunch-hour celebration, an annual event highlighting African American performing arts on campus, was a sure cure for the blues. WILLIAM HEATH, an employee at the Center for Professional Development, sang a cappella versions of music recorded by Sly Stone and the Box Tops, and KIM FOWLER, program and development coordinator for the Committee for Black Performing Arts, sang a jazzy version of John Prine's "Angel from Montgomery." With the 40 members of the Stanford Gospel Choir harmonizing, impromptu dancing to vintage Al Green tunes plus free fried chicken, it was enough to make everyone forget their 1040s for a while.

• VIDEO: Stanford Gospel Choir sings at 'Blue Monday'

A BLOOM ALERT COMES COURTESY OF SUNNY TOY, an undergraduate assistant in Religious Studies: The four Chinese fringe trees in the Geology Courtyard behind Building 320 are in full -- and spectacular -- flower. Along with the fringe trees, 19 other flowering plants are expected to blossom this month (compared to three in May and six in June). The Grounds department has assembled an online "Plants in Flower" calendar, which lists the botanical and common names of flowering plants on campus and where and when to find them in bloom. View the calendar at http://grounds.stanford.edu/topics/plantsinflower.html.

ROSA GONZALEZ, DIRECTOR OF THE DIVERSITY and Access Office, is putting out a call for staff members who'd like to perform or display arts or crafts at the eighth annual Multicultural Springfest, scheduled for Thursday, May 23, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Ford Center Plaza. The hours of the staff picnic and celebration have been extended this year to make sure staff members from all over campus have plenty of time to attend, Gonzalez said. That means more stage time -- and a bigger audience. Gonzalez expects 4,000 to attend. Contact KAREN LAURITSEN at 725-0326 or klauritsen.stanford.edu if you'd like to participate as an artist or performer.

HINA AZAM, A VISITING PROFESSOR IN THE Department of Religious Studies who teaches courses about Islam, and Rabbi PATRICIA KARLIN-NEUMANN and the Rev. JOANNE SANDERS, deans for religious life, will participate in "A Spiritual Celebration of Unity" at 10 a.m. Sunday, April 21, in Memorial Church. Music by the women's vocal ensemble Vocolot also is planned and a luncheon with Azam as speaker will follow the service, said KIM WARREN, a member of the campus group Women's Soul Matters, which organized the event. All are welcome. RSVP to kim.warren@stanford.edu if you plan to attend the lunch.

Write to Barbara Palmer at barbara.palmer@stanford.edu or mail code 2245 or call her at 724-6184.

Barbara Palmer