The sun is shining, throngs of blues lovers are roaming the downtown streets and our fingers are sticky--but not too sticky to hold the frosty cup of microbrew that'll wash down the smoky, saucy, savory-sweet scrumptiousness of some of the best barbeque in the Bay Area at the 4th annual GREAT AMERICAN BLUES & BARBEQUE FESTIVAL.

The last days of summer are upon us, and therefore we bid adieu to that leisurely season with a meaty rack of American roots music from Delta Wires, the JC Smith Band, Austin deLone's R&B-B-Q Review with Sugar Pie DeSanto and the legendary Charlie Musselwhite. And as autumn rolls in and temps cool down, we warm our spirits with pulled pork and sweet potato pie, beef brisket, tri-tip and chili, while slurping up tasty samples and cheering on our favorites in the "King of the Que" awards, or while learning how to make meat rubs, injections and marinades in a hands-on BBQ 101 Pit Master Class.

11am-6pm Sept. 12, downtown San Rafael. Info: call 415/383-3470 or visit www.teamproevent.com.

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