KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The Kelseyville Pear Festival has special plans for children this year.

Always the last Saturday in September, the festival team plans something for everyone to enjoy.

Kids’ Town is just for kids. Located on Main Street, next to the Saw Shop Gallery and Bistro, the area is contained and has lots of action.

High energy activities include the ever-popular giant water slide and bounce house. Cuddles and cuteness can be found at Big Valley 4-H Club area.

They are bringing the most adorable animals found around the barnyard. A face painting artist returns to create all sorts of silly or serious looks just for kids.

The new and extra special activity this year is for all young artists. Volunteers from Lake County Rural Arts Initiative will be on site to facilitate the creation of a children’s collaborative mural.

Each child will receive a square block designed by prominent Lake County artists. The finished blocks will be added to the mural board and will then become a travelling art display all around the county.

This is a free project for children. All paint and art supplies will be provided.

Volunteers of the Lake County Rural Arts Initiative will guide artists, but a parent or guardian must also be present

The Lake County Rural Arts Initiative is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is a proponent of art education and supporting economic success by making Lake County an “arts destination.”

Make Kids’ Town part of your Pear Festival day on Saturday, Sept. 29, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – If you are a fan of Baroque music who never gets enough, you’re in luck!

The Lake County Symphony’s Chamber Orchestra will present a unique Baroque concert at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 30, at the Soper Reese Theatre.

It is a special concert with open seating and a lower admission fee of $10 (under 18 are free) and is not part of the Symphony’s main concert season.

Additionally, there will not be a full dress rehearsal performance for this concert, as is the norm.

Baroque music got its name from its beginnings during the Baroque era (1600-1750), when a small group of musicians would frequently perform in home concerts.

The harpsichord was used before the pianoforte and modern piano were invented; it was quieter because the strings were plucked, making it more appropriate for those smaller concerts. It should be a treat to hear this unique instrument since it is not often seen in large concerts in our era.

There are four talented musicians performing in this concert. Tom Aiken, well known keyboard player from Kelseyville, will be performing on his harpsichord for the whole concert, and also featured as soloist, playing the J. S. Bach Harpsichord Concerto No. 4 in A major.

Beth Aiken, oboe player extraordinaire, will be playing the Albinoni Oboe Concerto in B flat. Beth is also from Kelseyville and well known in many orchestras in northern California.

An additional treat is the inclusion of mandolins as they are not often seen playing with a symphony orchestra. Two members of the regular symphony, David Garelick and Gail Sharpsteen, (they usually play violin and cello) will perform the Vivaldi Double Mandolin Concerto in G.

The last selection, played by the whole orchestra is the Sinfonia in G minor, a delightful chamber work by Johann Christian Bach, the son of Johann Sebastian Bach.

Debra Fredrickson is a volunteer with the Lake County Symphony.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – On Saturday, Sept. 22, the Middletown Art Center is hosting a West African drumming and dance workshop with master teacher Alhassane Camara.

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LAKEPORT, Calif. – The 1967 drama, “To Sir, With Love,” starring Sidney Poitier, Christian Roberts and Judy Geeson, screens at the Soper Reese Theatre on Tuesday, Sept. 25, at 1 and 6 p.m.

Entry to the film is by donation.

A strong cast and unforgettable title song make this an undeniable classic, with Sidney Poitier as the struggling teacher who wins over his rowdy Cockney pupils.

The film addresses issues of race and class and offers a window into London in the mid-1960s.

The production design is marvelous and, along with the fine cinematography, captures the desolate nature of the rundown East End.

The movie is sponsored by The California Retired Teachers Association CalRTA Div. 35. Not rated. Run time is 1 hour and 45 minutes.

The Soper Reese Theatre is located at 275 S. Main St., Lakeport, 707-263-0577, www.soperreesetheatre.com.

UKIAH, Calif. – Friday, Sept. 21, is International Day of Peace.

In order to honor the day and celebrate the many cultures of our community and beyond, Mendocino College and Rotary Club of Ukiah have partnered to host an inaugural International Day of Peace concert and performance featuring Cascada de Flores, dancers from the local SPACE Theatre, and Ballet Folklorico of Petaluma.

The event will take place on Sept. 21 in the Mendocino College Center Theatre, Ukiah campus, and doors will open at 5:30 p.m.

Cascada de Flores is a professional ensemble that presents concerts as a duet to a sextet, bringing the nostalgic song and traditions of Mexico and its neighbors into simple and beautiful arrangements that allow space for both improvisation and pure expression.

Cascada de Flores has recorded now four albums, collaborated in numerous projects, including theater and cinema and toured several areas of the United States.

In Mexico they have been delightfully received in venues such as The Central Plaza in Mexico City with Jorge Saldaña, la Tasca in Jalapa, and lately in the beautiful Biblioteca Henestrosa in Oaxaca City and the main festival of Tezoatlán, Oaxaca.

They even traveled to study with the trovadores of Santiago de Cuba. Cascada de Flores is now a phenomenon, cherished by the Latinos that hear them, and opening the minds of its non-Latino fans. Opening minds and hearts to the real stories of Mexico and Latin America has become this group's unofficial mission.

For more information about Cascada de Flores visit http://www.cascadadeflores.com/.

A cash bar with beer, wine, and refreshments will be available and proceeds from the event will support Rotary Club of Ukiah activities and scholarships for students.

Tickets for the event are: $15 for adults, $5 for children 12 and under, and free for Mendocino College students.

To purchase tickets visit https://bpt.me/3602118 or call 707-467-1008.

The Mendocino College Ukiah campus is located at 1000 Hensley Creek Road, Ukiah.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Back Porch Project from Mendocino County comes to the Soper Reese Theatre at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 21.

This lively group combines the diverse musical backgrounds of folk, blues, classic rock, jam band, and alt country to create their own brand of easy listening “folkgrass.”

The sweet blend of vocal harmonies and tasteful instrumentation sounds of The Back Porch Project will put everyone in just the right mood.

Rodney Grisanti (mandolin), Sid Bishop (guitar and harmonica), Steve Hahm (guitar and vocals), Roseanne Wetzel (vocals), Ken Ingels (percussion), and Steven Keith (bass) have been playing together in different groups and combinations in the Ukiah Valley for years.

When they first came together on a hot July night on Steve’s back porch to do some pickin’, they were pretty sure they had something special.

Sid Bishop has been playing guitar and harmonica for almost 40 years. His greatest musical influences are Jerry Garcia, The Beatles, Neil Young, Bob Dylan and Motown.

Steven Keith is a tie-dye slingin' Texan from Las Vegas who lives in Hopland and plays a mean bass. His wife can sing too, and the two are known to perform rock and roll acoustic covers at a few local haunts under the name "Steve & Shug."

Rodney Grisanti began making noise and recording it in Memphis, Tennessee in the early 1980s. Currently, Rodney makes noise and records it on a daily basis in and around Ukiah.

Ken Ingels is the owner of the recording studio, Russian River Studio, and is also a master rhythm keeper.

Stephen Hahm plays acoustic guitar and banjo. His musical tastes range from folk to classic rock, lounge crooners to indie or anything else that has a good melody and groove.

Roseanne Wetzel has been performing since she was a young child in a variety of fields ranging from jazz bands, funk bands, choirs, symphony events, musicals and operas. Most recently, you may have seen her grace the stage as part of the Funky Dozen or with the Ukiah Symphony's concert, “Kick off Your Shoes! Tribute to the Big Band Dance.”

All seats are $15 each, open seating. Dance floor open. To purchase tickets go online at www.SoperReeseTheatre.com, or to The Travel Center, 1265 S. Main, Lakeport, Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

For more information call 707-263-0577.