Concert
Sept. 5
Features the music of Falling Moon. 9:45 p.m. $7 presale/$10 at the door. Blue Café, 210 Promenade, The Promenade, Long Beach, Calif. Information: www.fallingmoonmusic.com or (562) 983-7111.
Festival of Children
Sept. 6-28
Festival of Children celebrates its seventh anniversary, bringing together more than 60 children’s charities under one roof to showcase the work they’re doing in the community. Hundreds of cultural performances will take the stage to entertain and inspire children and their families.
Weekends throughout September. South Coast Plaza, Costa Mesa, Calif. For additional information and detailed schedule: www.festivalofchildren.org or (877) 492-5437.
National Treasures:
Showcasing
the Jewels
Sept. 6-Oct. 25
Features the works of Quang-Tu?n Luong, who has traveled throughout the U.S. for 15 years, documenting all 58 U.S. national parks with his 5x7 large-format camera. Doing so, he has kayaked through iceberg-laden waters, canoed down wild rivers, scuba-dived tropical seas, climbed to the summit of Mt. McKinley and trekked the trail-less terrain of the backcountry while lugging his 75-pound backpack of photo gear and camping equipment. Special artist’s reception on Sept. 6, 5-8 p.m. Regular gallery hours: Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Terra Galleria Artworks at Bergamot Station, 2525 Michigan Ave., T-1B, Santa Monica, Calif. Information: (310) 453-5104 or www.tgartworks.com
Cooking Class
Sept. 7
A Dragon Dinners cooking class. On the menu: three-cup chicken (soy sauce, basil, ginger, rice cooking wine), stewed pork belly over yam, Chinese chive egg rolls and "dry-fried" Szechuan string beans with Bulgarini gelato for dessert. $50, includes aprons and equipment. 2-5 p.m. Bulgarini Gelato, 749 E. Altadena Drive, Altadena, Calif. RSVP: By Sept. 5 to Ivy Ñaøi at dai.ivy@gmail.com
Children’s
Moon Festival
Sept. 13
Festival aims to share the rich cultural facets of the Vietnamese tradition with the greater Bay Area community, as well as to serve as an enrichment opportunity for youth and their families. Ethnic dances, talent and karaoke contests, lion dances, martial-arts demonstrations, traditional arts and crafts, and bilingual story time, culminating in a night-time lantern procession. On stage entertainment including magic show. Face painting, balloon animals and contests. Free admission. 2-10 p.m. Plaza de Cesar Chavez, (Market Street between San Fernando and San Carlos streets), San Jose. Information: (408) 489-5249.
Mid-Autumn
Moon Festival
Sept. 13
Chinatown will host the Southland’s oldest annual Mid-Autumn Moon Festival. Acrobats, cultural performances, children’s activities and traditional food will be featured. Phoenix Bakery, Chinatown’s oldest bakery, will demonstrate how moon cakes are made mixing red bean, lotus seeds and egg yolks in this traditional treat; complimentary samples will be handed out later in the evening. The harvest moon will be easily viewed with on-site telescopes provided for the occasion. Festival accessed via Metro Gold Line rail from the Chinatown Station. 5-11 p.m. Free. Central Plaza, 943-951 N. Broadway, Los Angeles. For information: www.chinatownla.com or (213) 680-0243.
ICAN Fundraiser
Sept. 13
Wine and Food Pairings Fundraising Dinner hosted by wine aficionado Phi Anh to raise fund for ICAN projects. Phi Anh and his wine aficionado partners Richard H?, Th?o Ð?ng and Thiên Bùi are planning to make available very exquisite and hard-to-find wine for this event, drawing from their cellars of more than 10,000 bottles. The wine will be paired with a lavish dinner menu. A perfect bottle of 2005 Bordeaux, rounds of golf at Stanford Golf Course and limited-availability wines are among the items available for auction. Music by vocalist Nguy?t Ánh, singer and keyboard artist Nh?t Trung and violinist Khác Quân. 5:30-9:30 p.m. Tickets: $100 per person. Dinner located in Milpitas, Calif. Reservations: (408) 509-1958 or http://community.icanucan.org/signup
‘Peanuts At Bat’
Through Sept. 14
A tribute to Charles M. Schulz, the creator of the comic strip Peanuts. Features examples of Peanuts strips, selected Peanuts collectibles and some of Schulz’s most memorable baseball-themed comic strips. Museum closed Mondays. Riverside Metropolitan Museum, 3580 Mission Inn Ave., Riverside, Calif. Information: www.riversideca.gov/museum or (951) 826-5273.
Radio Show
Sept. 14
Listener call-in show: '"Are You Ready"'? Lê Phuong-Th?y and Nguy?n Minh Tu?n participate in a radio program to discuss parent readiness. Speakers will be taking live calls on-air throughout the program to answer questions. 8 - 8:45 p.m. on Radio 1500 AM in Orange County, Calif.
Chinese Moon Festival
Sept. 15
An evening of Chinese storytelling, calligraphy, chopstick training, lantern-making crafts, cooking demonstration and viewing the full moon. 6-8 p.m. Free. Riverside Metropolitan Museum, Heritage House, 8193 Magnolia Ave., Riverside, Calif.
For more information: www.riversideca.gov/museum or (951) 826-5273.
Dog House Auction
Sept. 16
First Canine Cribs Dog House Auction, a fundraiser by the Garden Grove Community Foundation. Doghouses were built by community groups and agencies in the city. 6-8 p.m. Tickets: $10 and include hors d’oeuvres and raffle prizes for pet-related prizes. Embassy Suites Hotel, 11767 Harbor Blvd., Garden Grove, Calif. Information: (714) 741-5280 or visit www.ggcf.com
Taste & Tour
of Little Saigon
Sept. 18
An elegant evening discovering the delights of Little Saigon. Reception, including Vietnamese entertainment and refreshments, from 5-7 p.m., followed by a limousine tour of Little Saigon and a full-course meal from one of Little Saigon’s finest restaurants. Begins at Asian Garden Mall, 9200 Bolsa Ave., Westminster, Calif. To be placed on invitation list or for more information: (714) 898-9648.
Lobster Festival
Sept. 19-21
Port of Los Angeles Lobster Festival features craft booths, up-and-coming bands. games and rides, arts and crafts as well as 1.25-pound Maine lobster meal for $17. Hours: Friday, 5-11 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; and Sunday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Adults $8; children 12 and under free. Ports O’Call Village, San Pedro, Calif. Free parking at Miner and East 22