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Save the Date Our short list of those perennial happenings you want to attend By Bohemian Staff Sausalito Art Festival Sept. 3-6. Juried art festival pairs great visuals with Bob Weir, Taj Mahal and John Hiatt. Bay Model, Sausalito. $5-$20. 415.331.3757. Symphony on the River Festival Sept. 5. Napa Valley Symphony and Friends of the Napa River team up for local's favorite fest. Veteran's Park at Third Street, Napa. Free. 707.254.8520. Art for Life Auction Sept. 9-12. Proceeds from art sales benefit Face to Face/Sonoma County AIDS Network. Friedman Center, 4676 Mayette Ave., Santa Rosa. Free, previews. $50, auction, Sept. 12. 707.544.1581. Habitat for Humanity Benefit Concert Sept. 9. Violin and vocal concert sponsored by Napa Chapter of Solano Habitat for Humanity. V. Sattui Winery, 1111 White Lane, St. Helena. $35 (includes wine intermission). 707.252.1714 or 707.944.0477. Heirloom Tomato Festival Sept. 11. See red--and every other color of the rainbow--as 175 different varieties of tomato go on display. Kendall-Jackson Wine Center, 5007 Fulton Road, Fulton. $45-$55. 800.769.3649. 31st Annual Trade Feast Celebration Sept. 11-12. Celebrate the acorn harvest, or the Big Time, as local Native Americans call it. Miwok Park, Novato. 415.897.4064. Napa Valley Open Studios Sept. 11-12 and 18-19. Artists throughout the valley open their doors to the public. Sponsored by the Napa Valley Arts Council. Various locations. 707.257.2117. San Francisco Comedy Competition Various dates. Comedians square off for a shot at the title. Sept. 16, SSU, Evert B. Person Theatre, 1801 E. Cotati Ave., Rohnert Park. $10; students, free. 707.664.2382. Sept. 17, Marin Center, Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael. $25. 415.499.6800. Sept. 18, Sept. 25 and Oct. 8. Napa Valley Opera House, 1030 Main St., Napa. $25-$35. 707.226.7372. Oct. 1, LBC, 50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa. $35. 707.546.3600. Napa Valley Harvest Festival Sept. 18. Benefits Kiwanis Club of Napa. Charles Krug Winery, 2800 Main St., St. Helena. $40-$50. 707.253.2276. Hands across the Valley Sept. 18. Hollywood celebrities, local politicos and national sports figures raise big bucks for safety-net food programs. Niebaum-Coppola Estate Winery, 1991 St. Helena Hwy., Rutherford. $125. 707.226.6136. Sonoma County Book Fair Sept. 18. Fifth annual book fair features outstanding area authors and pays tribute to the late Charles M. Schulz. Old Courthouse Square, Santa Rosa. Free. 707.544.5913. Glendi International Food Festival Sept. 18-19. All about the food. Glendi is Greek for "party." Need we say more? Protection of the Holy Virgin Orthodox Church, 90 Mountain View Ave., Santa Rosa. $8; under 12 free. 707.584.9491. Mill Valley Fall Arts Festival Sept. 18-19. Music, art and fun for the whole family. Throckmorton Avenue at Cascade Drive, Mill Valley. $7; under 12 free. 415.383.7955. Sebastopol Celtic Music Festival Sept. 23-26. World's greatest Celtic musicians do more than just fiddle around. Sebastopol Community Center, 390 Morris St., Sebastopol. $10-$96. 707.823.1511. Jarvis Puppet Workshop & Festival Sept. 24-25. This year's performances include The Singing Turtle and The Bathtub Pirates. Jarvis Conservatory, 1711 Main St., Napa. $10-$20. 707.255.5445. Petaluma Downtown Antique Faire Sept. 26. Hundreds of vendors, thousands of bargains. Downtown Petaluma. Free. 707.762.9348. Petaluma Progressive Festival Sept. 26. Music, Tom Hayden, Peter Coyote and the San Francisco Mime Troupe come together out in left field. Walnut Park, Sixth Street and Petaluma Boulevard North, Petaluma. Free. 707.763.8184. Russian River Food & Winefest Sept. 26. All-day taste-fest includes wine, baked goods, cheese, guest chefs and authors in celebration of river-area bounty. Fife's Guest Ranch, 16467 Hwy. 116, Guerneville. $15-$25. 707.869.9474. 18th Annual Fall Music Festival & Celebrity Golf Classic Oct.1-2. Party on with the Doobie Brothers, David Mason and the Ford Brothers with Robben Ford while raising money for Valley of the Moon Children's Foundation. Chardonnay Golf Club, Napa; B.R. Cohn Winery, 15000 Sonoma Hwy., Glen Ellen. $60-$200. 800.330.4064. Sonoma County Harvest Fair Oct. 1-3. Enjoy the bounty of the county along with the World Championship Grape Stomp competition. Sonoma County Fairgrounds, Bennett Valley Road, Santa Rosa. $2-$6. 707.545.4203. North Bay EcoFest Oct. 2-4. Features workshops, lectures and exhibits on creating an ideal world. Sebastopol Community Center, 390 Morris St., Sebastopol. Free. 707.829.7153. Calabash Oct. 3. Bay Area artists go gonzo with gourds to benefit AIDS food bank. Food for Thought, 6550 Railroad Ave., Forestville. $25-$30. 707.887.1647. Sausalito Floating Homes Tour Oct. 3. Self-guided tour of 15 of the world's most unique homes. Kappas Marina, Sausalito. $30 (reservations recommended). 415.332.1916. Mill Valley Film Festival Oct. 7-17. Cutting-edge cinema hits the North Bay for 27th consecutive year. Various venues. Tickets on sale Sept. 15. 415.383.5256. Calistoga Jazz & Blues Festival Oct. 8-10. Calistoga gets the blues, big time. Calistoga, various Napa Valley locations. $40-$110. 707.942.6333. ARTrails Oct. 9-10 and 16-17. Best exercise in artistic populism, as various Sonoma County artists open studios to public. Free. 707.579.2788. Bioneers Conference Oct. 15-16. The preeminent gathering of environmental visionaries brings together practical solutions for social and environmental challenges. Marin Center, Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael. $96-$355. 877.246.6337. Wine & Food Affair Nov. 6-7. Russian River Wine Road, association of more than 100 local vintners, throws annual bash. Various locations in Alexander, Dry Creek and Russian River valleys. $15-$40. 707.723.6366. North Bay Veterans Day Parade Nov. 11. Support the troops, past, present and future. Downtown Petaluma. Free. 707.763.6688. Festival of Harps Nov. 13. World-class virtuosos play to this year's theme: the harp as part of a music ensemble. Spreckels Performing Arts Center, 5409 Snyder Lane, Rohnert Park. $21-$24. 707.588.3430. But wait! There's more! Novelist Lynn Freed (The Mirror) reads from her newest, The Curse of the Appropriate Man, Sept. 7 at Book Passage (415.927.0960). . . . The original opera, Sara's Diary, 9/11, with libretto by Sonoma County writer Leroy Aarons, premieres Sept. 8 at the Spreckels Performing Arts Center (707.588.3400). . . . Political satirist Will Durst performs Sept. 9 at SSU (707.664.2382). . . . Political pundit Molly Ivins surely shakes the shrubbery Sept. 23 in discussion at Osher Marin JCC (415.444.8000). . . . Movie Lovers Festival launches Oct. 9 at the LBC with San Francisco Chronicle critic Mick LaSalle (707.546.3600). . . . Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is in conversation with former Clinton Labor Secretary Robert Reich Oct. 16 at the LBC (707.546.3600). . . . General Tommy Franks appears Oct. 18 and former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno Nov. 29 at the Marin Speakers Series at the Marin Center (415.499.6800). . . . Israeli author Amos Oz in conversation Dec. 5 at Osher Marin JCC (415.444.8000). . . . [ North Bay | Metroactive Central | Archives ]