Top Tickets: September 2-8

Diablo's picks for the can't-miss events of the coming week: Lafayette’s first farmers market, synchro swimmers The Aquanuts, Center REP’s All Shook Up, Berkeley Rep and Green Day, Moonlight on the Mountain, the Scottish Gathering and Games, Livermore Valley Harvest Wine Celebration, and a Maurice Sendak exhibit.

The Bay Bridge may be closed over Labor Day Weekend (for details on that, click here), but there is no shortage of incredible things to do in the East Bay.  I really don’t know how you’ll choose!  Here are your Top Tickets…

September 3: Lafayette Farmers Market
Lafayette’s first-ever farmers market opens this week and runs three consecutive Thursday evenings (September 3, 10, and 17). Shop for fresh produce grown within 150 miles of the city and enjoy music, art, and community and nonprofit booths. Lafayette Plaza Park, at Mt. Diablo Boulevard and Moraga Road, Lafayette, 4–8 p.m., free, (925) 431-8351, cccfm.org.

September 3–6: The Aquanuts
The Aquanuts, Walnut Creek’s renowned synchronized swimming team, presents a Bollywood-themed show. You’ll be wowed by the artistry of Olympians Kim Probst, Annabelle Orme, Tammy McGregor, and Tammy Crow, and the rest of the 65-athelete organization. Read Diablo’s coverage of the Aquanuts training for the Beijing Olympics here. Clarke Memorial Swim Center, Heather Farm Park, 1750 Heather Dr., Walnut Creek, 8 p.m., $10–$20, (925) 934-4792, aquanuts.org.

September 3–October 10: All Shook Up
Center REP opens its 2009–10 season with the hit 2005 Broadway musical based loosely on the plot of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and told through the songs of Elvis Presley. You’ll be singing “Heartbreak Hotel” and, of course, “All Shook Up” all the way home. Lesher Center for the Arts, 1601 Civic Dr., Walnut Creek, $29–$41, (925) 943-7469, lesherartscenter.org.

September 4–October 11: American Idiot
“Don’t wanna be an American idiot…” Who hasn’t heard the title track of East Bay punk band Green Day’s multiplatinum album? Berkeley Rep brings the album to life onstage with an ambitious world-premiere adaptation penned and directed by Tony Award–winner Michael Mayer. Learn more in Diablo’s September story here. Roda Theatre, 2025 Addison St., Berkeley, $32–$86, (510) 647-2949, berkeleyrep.org.

September 5: Moonlight on the Mountain
At Save Mount Diablo’s annual fundraiser, enjoy drinks, hors d’oeuvres, live music, silent and live auctions, and an elegant sit-down dinner next to the dramatic rock formations of Mount Diablo’s China Wall. Mount Diablo State Park, shuttle available from Macedo Ranch parking lot, Alamo, 4 p.m., $250, (925) 947-3535, savemountdiablo.org.

September 5–6: Scottish Gathering and Games
Kilt-clad families descend on Pleasanton for the world’s largest Celtic festival, hosted annually by the Caledonian Club of San Francisco. Check out highland dancing, sports such as the caber toss and stone putt, live music, sheep dog trials, and myriad pipe bands, including the Scots Guards direct from Buckingham Palace. Alameda County Fairgrounds, 4501 Pleasanton Ave., Pleasanton, 9 a.m.–6 p.m., $10–$17, (800) 713-3160, caledonian.org.

September 6–7: Livermore Valley Harvest Wine Celebration
More than 20 Livermore Valley wineries will pour their best at Robertson Park, along with live music, arts and crafts, and food. Another 20 wineries will pour at their vineyard and tasting room locations. On Sunday only, a complimentary shuttle will run between each participating winery. Learn more in Diablo's September story here. Livermore Valley Wine Country and Robertson Park, Livermore, 12–5 p.m., two-day ticket $50–$75, one-day ticket $40–$45, non-drinking ticket $10, (925) 447-9463, lvwine.org.

September 8–January 19: There’s a Mystery There: Sendak on Sendak
Where the Wild Things Are is white-hot right now, thanks to a film adaptation, by writer and longtime Berkeley resident Dave Eggars and director Spike Jonze, due out October 16. Go inside the world of Maurice Sendak, the author/illustrator of the 1963 children’s book, at this major retrospective exhibit featuring more than 100 watercolors, drawings, and never-before-seen working materials. Contemporary Jewish Museum, 736 Mission St., San Francisco, $5–$10, (415) 655-7800, thecjm.org.

For even more events happening this week, browse the complete listings on Diablo’s Community Calendar.

Follow Diablo on Twitter or Facebook (links below), and you'll be notified as soon as Top Tickets posts each Wednesday afternoon.

Posted at 02:34 PM in Best Of Editor Picks | Permalink