thursday 5|29

Miserable Kisses For Your Buddy

THEATER OPENINGS Tonight The Buddy Holly Story, a rockin' and rollin' tale of that cut-down-too-young music legend begins a week of previews at the Golden Bough Playhouse, courtesy of Pacific Repertory Theater. The songs alone are reason enough to check it out. On Friday, the Western Stage opens Prelude To A Kiss, a modern fairy tale about body-swapping and a really, really open-minded husband. Also on Friday, more than 100 high school students from three counties tackle Les Miserables, the Broadway musical hit running for three weekends at the Outdoor Forest Theater. And it's only the beginning of a summer filled with thee-ah-tuh. [SF]

Tonight through Sunday, in Carmel and Salinas. See theater listings pg. 47 for complete schedule and details.

friday 5|30

Food, Wine And Fish

COOKING FOR SOLUTIONS Visitors to the Monterey Bay Aquarium this weekend will find a few extra treats aside from the penguins, jellyfish and sharks. At the Aquarium's two-day event, called Cooking For Solutions 2003, celebrity chefs will create tasty dishes, lead tours of sustainable farms and vineyards, and come together at a VIP banquet honoring Diana Kennedy, the preeminent champ of regional Mexican cuisine and environmentally sustainable living. A festive gala on Friday night features sustainable seafood dishes prepared with organic ingredients, and organic, sustainable wines.

Saturday highlights include tours of organic farms, wineries and ag operations in the Monterey Bay area, and an on-site cooking demonstration by famed TV host and author Martin Yan, of Yan Can Cook fame. Don't worry. He won't serve up any fresh Yellow Fin. The Aquarium's marine life is safe. Yan will, however, sign copies of his cookbooks. On both days, visitors will also be able to taste sustainable Alaskan salmon and seafood dishes made by local celebrity chefs. [JL]

10am-6pm. Monterey Bay Aquarium, 886 Cannery Row, Monterey. Fair free with Aquarium admission. Tours cost $165 general/$145 members. Limit 20 per tour. 644-7561.

Shake a Leg

MONTEREY DANCE WEEK Top-notch dancers--plus very talented locals--strut their stuff in the 4th annual dance festival organized by SpectorDance maestra Fran Spector Atkins. Friday night features new works choreographed by Lawrence Pech (formerly with the San Francisco Ballet), two original pieces by Spector Atkins inspired by John Steinbeck and the ugly trend of school violence, and dances by the Bay Area's Moving Arts Company. Saturday evening continues the fun with original dances by the Moving Arts troupe, and Sunday afternoon gives rising dance stars a spotlight in the Emerging Choreographers Showcase. Name a dance style and it's probably represented this weekend: classical ballet, hip-hop, modern and jazz--all showcased at SpectorDance's state-of-the-art studio. [CC]

Fri. and Sat. 8pm, Sun. 4pm. 3343 Paul Davis Dr., Marina. $15/advance, $20/door. 384-1050.

saturday 5|31

Latin Lineup

ERNIE G'S PICANTE COMEDY FIESTA His credits range from Sabrina, the Teenage Witch to Bobcat's Big Ass Show, and he's been on just about every single comedy network, both English and Spanish, plus he's got a bestselling comedy CD, Mama's Boy! Tonight he hosts a comedy festival with the stars of Que Locos!: Johnny Sanchez, Sheila Rivera, and Luke Torres--entertainers with hits under their belt like In Living Color. It's laughs, baby, and there isn't anything else this funny going on Saturday night. [BW]

8pm. Sherwood Hall, 940 N. Main St., Salinas. $20-$25. 758-7477 for tickets or www.tickets.com.

Horse Heaven

HORSE SHOWS Horse lovers (and non-horse people, too) can think of it as a preview to full-fledged horse fever, sure to hit hard this summer once Seabiscuit opens in the theaters. On Saturday, the Monterey National Horse Show comes to the Monterey County Fair, and runs through June 8. A few highlights include draft horseplay day on Saturday (in which big, strong burly horses like Clydesdales pull buggies around the arena) as well as a BBQ, and cattle cutting and team pinning on Sunday.

On Sunday, the Equestrian Center in Pebble Beach hosts the 12th annual Kernes Memorial Benefit Horse Show, a hunter jumper show for kids and adults. The highlight here (aside from the pretty horses leaping over high fences in a single bound) is the awarding of the Kernes Memorial Pool dedication cup, dedicated each year to someone "whose life is a special inspiration to all of what the human spirit can achieve." This year, it goes to Beth Cunningham, who, after completing her first year at Monterey College of Law, was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer. [JL]

Monterey National Horse Show, Monterey County Fair Grounds, Fairground Road, Monterey. Free entry through Gate 6. Call 769-9255 for complete schedule of events.

Kernes Memorial Benefit Horse Show, Equestrian Center, Pebble Beach. 8am-5pm. Free. 372-1240.

Melting Pot

INTERNATIONAL EXTRAVAGANZA It's pretty much a given that mixing great rock and blues bands with carnival rides, a hot rod show, and tasty foods from every corner of our globe, results in a guaranteed party. The Seaside City Hall lawn is the place to be this weekend to hear free music by blues greats Joe Louis Walker and the Boss Talkers, Monterey Pop Festival participants Canned Heat, local favorites Red Beans and Rice, and others. For two days, the cuisine of Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Mexico and Greece--along with American hot dogs and ice cream--can be consumed in great quantities while browsing the international crafts booths and watching international dances. [CC]

11am-10pm Sat. and Sun. Near Laguna Grande Park, Canyon Del Rey Boulevard, Seaside. 899-6805.

Hot, Hot, Hot

ORQUESTA GITANO

Find out why the rest of California is dancing, when the Grammy-nominated salsa group Orquesta Gitano comes to Sly McFly's for the first time. This ten-piece band, led by multi-Latin percussionist Bosco El Gitano, plays traditional and innovative high-energy salsa music. Powerhouse vocalists Mario "Rumbero" Perez and Eduardo "Sabroso" Herrera sing over a tight rhythm section and a three-piece brass section augmented by guitar, violin, bass and piano. Their recordings and exciting live shows have made them one of the most popular bands on the California salsa circuit. [ST]

9pm. Sly McFly's, 700 Cannery Row, Monterey. Cover charge. 372-3225.

Surreal Music

BIG SUR EXPERIMENTAL MUSIC FESTIVAL Even the format of this two-day festival is experimental. Each day will feature an eight-hour piece created from around 100 musicians who have never played together before. With a list of "instruments" including a short-wave, a television, a bamboo saxophone, and something called a shakuhachi; there is no doubt that this improvised jam will be interesting. Bring a blanket, sit under the towering redwoods and get ready for an afternoon of mind-bending music. (See story, pg. 26.) [ST]

Noon-8pm, Today and Sunday. Henry Miller Library, Big Sur. $10/day, $15/both days. 667-2574.

Plain Talk

JOSEPH MCNEILLY READS What kind of poetry would a man write if he'd grown up a strict Roman Catholic in an Indiana Amish community? Joseph McNeilly escaped the soils of the Midwest in his 20s, ran off to the City by the Bay, and now teaches at Cabrillo College whenever he's not wowing the poetry world with his direct, take-no-prisoners verse. His first book of poetry, Out Here (2001), was called "so brilliant that it almost defies description" and "not for the timid." Battling a severe illness, he continues to speak his truth. Check him out tonight, at the monthly Whitney Latham Lechich Reading Series. [SF]

7pm. Bookworks, 667 Lighthouse Ave., Pacific Grove. Free. 372-2242.

Fetching. Quite Fetching.

ALL-BREED DOG AGILITY TRIALS There might be a few things cooler than athletic dogs. Not many things. York Peppermint Patties come to mind, but that's about it. Dogs are amazing, majestic animals to begin with, but when they soar to catch a Frisbee or do what ever tricks they love to do, they're even better. You can see the joy. You can see they just love to be alive. Bring a snack and beach chair, and watch dogs with fur flying, in their element, at the AKC-Sanctioned All-Breed Dog Agility Trials, Saturday and Sunday. Watch them soar, jump, weave, climb and scurry. Every dog has his day and for these dogs, it's their big day. And they know it. [AS]

Starting at 8am both days. Toro County Park, Highway 68, Salinas. Free admission, parking/$5. 333-9032 or www.akc.org.

Round 'Em Up

CALIFORNIA COWBOY SHOW Giddy on down to the 11th annual California Cowboy show for wine and a complimentary glass, hors d'oeuvres, a silent auction, and entertainment by the award-winning cowboy western band, Sons of the San Joaquin, Belinda Gail, described as a "modern treasure of western music," and cowboy poet Fred Engel. Put on by the Carmel Valley Historical Society, the event hopes to raise funds to build a museum in the Carmel Valley Community Park. The Historical Society is looking to showcase Carmel Valley memorabilia such as newspapers dating back to '40s, Indian artifacts, a pear wagon from back when farmers used to raise pears in the Valley, and farm equipment, among other things. [BW]

6pm. Hidden Valley Music Seminars, Carmel Valley and Ford Roads, Carmel Valley. $35. 624-9611.

sunday 6|1

Local Flavor

EVERYONE'S HARVEST One of the biggest midweek social events and best chances to get fresh produce in Monterey is the Tuesday evening Farmers' Market. Now Marina has one too. This will be a certified farmers' market featuring organic and Asian produce, flowers, bread and crafts. Promoters hope funds raised will support neighbors in creating community-run organic gardens of their own. Besides a good chance to get pesticide-free food for your bowl, it's nice for the youngsters to learn that food doesn't grow under the fluorescent light of a supermarket. [AS]

Grand Opening 10am to 2pm. Marina Transit Station at 280 Reservation Road, across from the Marina Post Office. 402-4869.