Summer's end: What a drag!
We've always said summer just isn't the same without a few queens, a bucket of weaves and some falsies. Thank goodness for VIVA LAS DIVAS DRAG CABARET 2009--not your average hometown revue but an audacious and star-studded lineup of music, glamour and comedy (and might we add, beauty?) to benefit the youth counseling and outreach services of Spectrum, an LGBT center serving Marin and Sonoma counties. Hosted by Marin's own Latin diva, Karla Montiel, Viva las Divas features no less than 10 of the Bay Area's most beloved entertainers including Chertreuse, our local Cher impersonator. (Because really, what county doesn't have one?) Tickets and info: 415/457-1115, ext. 333. 6:30pm Aug. 23 at Osher Marin Jewish Community Center, Hoytt Theater, 200 N. San Pedro, San Rafael.

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Hawaiian stargazing in Marin
Some of Hawaii's brightest stars don't only come out at night--in fact, they tend to show up at a midday "Barbeque on the Lawn" at Rancho Nicasio every now and then! OK, so it's a luau, but if you squint your eyes and look real close, that imposing man on stage crooning with the grace of an angel while shredding his Stratocaster--or acoustic 12-string, slack key, ukulele or whatever axe he's deciding to wield that day--like the devil himself, you're staring straight at the celestial musical constellation known as the WILLIE K, an astronomical virtuoso of Hawaiian traditional, blues, country and contemporary rock. Look closer and you also might see the Latin supernova known as JOE CANO, a renowned musician of salsa, flamenco, smooth jazz and Hawaiian styles. Put the two together--it's a virtual Big Bang! Sunday, Aug. 23; gate opens at 3pm, music at 4. Info or tickets: call 415/662-2219 or visit www.ranchonicasio.com.

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But have you ever heard opera...on the grass?
We think doing anything on the grass makes it better somehow. That's probably why we adore the annual SAN FRANCISCO OPERA IN THE PARK--listening to tenor Marco Berti (along with Adler Fellows Leah Crocetto, Daveda Karanas, Heidi Melton and Tamara Wapinsky) belt out selections from Tosca, Turandot and Un Ballo in Maschera live, while we sip and nibble our favorites from home on our fuzziest blanket, camped out on the greens of Golden Gate Park, looking up at the sky and sighing blissfully. Yeah, that's what we mean. Oh, and possibly the best part--it's free. 2pm Aug. 23 at Sigmund Stern Grove, 19th Avenue and Sloat, San Francisco. For info, visit sfopera.com.

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