Arts & Entertainment

Larkspur-Corte Madera Weekend Planner: Sept. 23-26

There's so much going on this weekend. See if there's something you want to do.

Friday:

Exploring and illuminating one of America's most fabled regions, Gallery Bergelli is pleased to present Iconic Marin: Paintings by Bryn Craig.  Only a handful of counties in America enjoy name recognition, evoking a landscape, a history, or a way of life that goes beyond its borders. Northern California's Marin County is one of them, and longtime Marin resident Bryn Craig never has to look far for inspiration. Yet while most artists gravitate to Marin's pastoral, sun-dappled hills, Craig's eye for detail stretches from the marquee of a Larkspur movie theater, to a tree shrouded view of Bolinas Lagoon.

If you go: This exhibition opens tonight with a gallery reception from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at , 483 Magnolia Avenue in Larkspur. The exhibition continues through October 9.

Find out what's happening in Larkspur-Corte Maderawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Friday:

The 18th annual Spirit of Marin Awards luncheon hosted by Bank of Marin recognizes the philanthropic leadership and volunteerism of Marin business leaders, nominated by the twelve participating Marin County-based Chambers of Commerce. Keynote speakers include David Coon, Superintendent/President of College of Marin and Dr. Mary Marcy, President of Dominican University of California. 

Find out what's happening in Larkspur-Corte Maderawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

If you go: Lunch reservations are required and are $60.  Tickets can be bought by clicking here. The event begins at 11:30 a.m. at St. Vincent School for Boys, 1 Saint Vincent Drive in San Rafael. For a list of the 2011 Marin County Chambers of Commerce Honorees click here.

Saturday and Sunday:

 Old Mill Park is the setting for the 55th annual Mill Valley Fall Arts Festival, a widely acclaimed weekend-long event that for generations has served as the town's farewell to summer.The juried works include a wide array of prints, paintings, woodwork, photography and sculpture, and the quality is lofty enough to have gotten the festival rated one of the top 10 fine arts and crafts shows in the Northwest.

The Children’s Grove hosts entertainment and interactive activities for youngsters all day. Kids love the Fratello Marionettes, magic acts and live music.  Stellar local music talent provides full line up of entertainment on the main stage. This year, be sure to catch the world folk music of The Palm Wine Boys and reggae sounds of Lumanation on Saturday and the old timey jazz of Miss Emily Anne and the Gypsy Jazz of Lou-Lou & the Gypsy Jivers on Sunday. Good food and drinks are provided by and benefit local non-profits. Best of all is the setting itself: a fragrant redwood forest at the close of summer, shaded by its mountain.

If you go: General admission is $10, $5 Seniors/Students and Free for kids under 14. The festival is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Old Mill Park, Throckmorton Ave & Old Mill Street in Mill Valley.

Saturday:

Join friends and family at the first annual celebration of fun, healthy living, recovery and community in Marin.  An “only in Marin” event for the entire family hosted by local celebrity, Jan Wahl, “It Happens” has a little something for everyone, including live music featuring Bay Area notables: The Cole Tate Band and Dustin Saylor Duo. Kids activities include; a 1K kids run around the lagoon, caricature artist, face painting, balloon making, hair feathers, jump houses, and more! There will be a silent auction benefiting The Marin Recovery Project, and a community picnic featuring live music for the whole family.

If you go: Admission is free of charge with a free t-shirt to the first 500 guests.  The event runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Marin County Fairgrounds, 10 Avenue of the Flags in San Rafael.

Friday-Sunday:

Held at Mill Valley's Harbor Point Tennis Club, The Esurance Tennis Classic allows tennis fans to enjoy an up close view of pros mixing it up with amateurs and collegiate players in a variety of formats. The event benefits To Celebrate Life Breast Cancer Foundation and Youth Tennis Advantage. Joining the Bryans at this year's event are: 17-time Grand Slam Doubles winner and 2010 Hall of Fame Inductee Gigi Fernandez, two-time U.S. Open winner Tracy Austin*, current ATP superstar and 2010 AEGON Championships winner Sam Querrey* (Querrey is appearing in place of the injured John McEnroe),French Open Doubles winner Murphy Jensen, the Stanford men's tennis team, which joins the women's team for the first time to compete in the World Team Tennis Shoot-Out and more.

If you go: Tickets are $35-$50 and can be bought by clicking here or by calling 415-383-6114. Harbor Point Tennis and Swim Club is at 475 E Strawberry Drive in Mill Valley.

Sunday:

This is a moderated panel of authors and publishing professionals that includes April Eberhardt, literary agent; Judith Marshall, author of Husbands May Come and Go But Friends Are Forever; Holly Payne, author of Kingdom of Simplicity, The Sound of Blue and The Virgin's Knot, and founder of Skywriter Books; and Wendy Nelson Tokunaga, author of Love in Translation, Midori by Moonlight, and Marriage in Translation: Foreign Wife, Japanese Husband.  The panel is driven by questions from the audience.

If you go: The cost is $5 for members of Marin branch of the California Writers Club and $10 for non-members. The panel runs from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at , 51 Tamal Vista blvd. in Corte Madera. To keep the conversation flowing, all questions must be written on index cards and submitted to the monitor before and during the panel. Index cards will be available at the meeting, or you can write your questions on cards in advance at home. For more information click here.

Sunday:

Actress Jane Lynch, host of this year's Emmys will make an appearance in Angelico Hall at Dominican University of California as a speaker in Dominican’s Leadership Lecture Series. The Emmy and Golden Globe-award winning actress from the hit FOX television show “Glee” will discuss her memoir, "Happy Accidents,” as part of the 2011 Institute for Leadership Studies’ Fall Lecture Series, a cooperative effort between Dominican’s ILS and independent book store Book Passage. In Lynch’s book, “Happy Accidents,” she reflects upon the successes of her recent past and her earlier personal and professional struggles.

If you go: Tickets are $35 per person and include a copy of "Happy Accidents."  Tickets can be bought by calling Book Passage at 415-927-0960 or at www.bookpassage.com. The event begins at 7 p.m. and doors open at 6 p.m. Angelico Hall in Dominican University is at 50 Acacia Avenue in San Rafael.

Sunday:

Announcing another venue for LGBT people to meet and mingle in Marin. The staff at Max's of Corte Madera is warmly reaching out to LGBT people and their community of friends with a weekly "happy hour".  They have a lovely cocktail lounge which is separate from their main dining room. It will be a great venue to listen to the David's ensemble, The Rainbows and Rockets Band, schmooze with locals and enjoy Max's delicious deli foods and drinks. Celebrate our Premiere September 25 with complimentary appetizers.

If you go: The meet and mingle is from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at , 60 Madera Blvd. in Corte Madera.

Do you have a weekend event we didn't list? Go ahead and add it in the comments to let everyone know other cool stuff going on in the community. Is your event not in our calendar? You can add your own events quick, easy and for free just by clicking here.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here