Here they are, nine necessary know-abouts for the week ahead. It\u2019s the It\u2019s-Labor-Day-already?!? B9:<\/p>\n \u27a4 An often-overlooked but stalwart tradition of the Santa Cruz music has returned. On Friday<\/a>, Scottish fiddle virtuoso Alasdair Fraser<\/strong> brings back the Valley of the Moon Fiddle and Dance Extravaganza after a five-year hiatus to the Santa Cruz Civic. This showcase of Celtic dance is the culmination of the Valley of the Moon Scottish Fiddling School, which takes place each summer at Camp Campbell, in the redwoods north of Boulder Creek. For those who love folk dancing (or are merely folkdance-curious), this big splashing evening features a variety of styles, from New England contra dancing, to Scottish ceilidh, to Hot Club swing. Half of the show is getting people out of their seats to learn folk dance steps, and half is sitting back and enjoying the standout musical performances from Fraser, his longtime musical partner cellist Natalie Haas<\/strong>, the great jazz group the Hot Club of San Francisco<\/strong> and, straight from Maine, the sprightly fiddle-tune vibe of Pine Tree Flyers<\/strong>. After five years dark, imagine what that energy is going to be like.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u27a4 Technically, there\u2019s still time to head up to the beautiful Quarry Amphitheater on the campus of UC Santa Cruz. On Thursday<\/a> (that\u2019s tonight!), you\u2019ll encounter, live and in person, the legendary hip-hop ensemble The Roots<\/strong>. For 30 years now, these guys have been making creative explorations into a wide variety of American musical expressions, proving there are unfathomable depths to the group that backs up Jimmy Fallon on late-night TV. Opening is the New Orleans band Soul Rebels. But make your move, time\u2019s a-wastin\u2019.<\/p>\n \u27a4 It\u2019s a long, long way from a hardscrabble upbringing in Rapid City, South Dakota, to the highest reaches of professional dance. But novelist Paula Saunders<\/strong> tells exactly that story in her new book, \u201cStarting From Here.\u201d Saunders really raised her profile with her first novel, \u201cThe Distance Home.\u201d And she comes to Bookshop Santa Cruz next Thursday, Sept. 4<\/a>, to chat with homegrown novelist Karen Joy Fowler<\/strong> on her latest journey.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u27a4 A new era in local theater, perhaps? The Colligan Theater at the Tannery is the site for a new production of \u201cSpring Awakening<\/strong>,\u201d<\/strong> the off-Broadway coming-of-age hit musical from the 2000s (winning the Tony for Best Musical). The new musical is the first adult production from All About Theatre at the Colligan<\/a>, and it\u2019s bold and edgy choice for a first show. It opens this weekend<\/a>, running through Sept. 14. Here\u2019s hoping theater audiences discover a great new choice on the Santa Cruz calendar.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u27a4 Saturday<\/a> night in Felton could be verrrry interesting. Felton Music Hall is hosting a show, sponsored by Collective Santa Cruz & Far West Fungi, titled \u201cGlow Hard: Mushroom Magic<\/strong>.\u201d<\/strong> It features art and food and drinks and music, and it\u2019s all themed on bioluminescent fungi. Kind of a Santa Cruz signature idea, don\u2019t you think?<\/p>\n \u27a4 Jazz pianist and blues singer Charles Brown<\/strong> merged into the infinite way back in 1999, but his influence is still recognized and his style is still remembered as a key element in the development of American rhythm & blues. Brown, obviously, won\u2019t be visiting the Kuumbwa Jazz Center on Sept. 4<\/a>, but an astonishing band of musicians \u2014 including some of the great man\u2019s former bandmates \u2014 will visit the stage of Kuumbwa to honor one of America\u2019s great musical giants.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u27a4 Did someone say \u201cburlesque\u201d? Yes, the theatrical style combining humor and eroticism is still alive and well, and it\u2019s about to scandalize audiences at Actors\u2019 Theatre. On Saturday<\/a>, Best Coast Burlesque presents a show it\u2019s calling \u201cBawdy Heat,\u201d<\/strong> featuring a one-of-a-kind panoply of performers including Babraham Lincoln, Maria Von Thirst Trap and the evening\u2019s host, Alotta Boutt\u00e9 (c\u2019mon, would I make that up?). They\u2019ll all be taking a swipe at the 1996 film \u201cRomeo + Juliet.\u201d Don\u2019t worry, there\u2019s two shows.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u27a4 The Watsonville airport is the site for the annual \u201cFire in the Sky\u201d<\/strong> show featuring thrilling flyovers, vintage airplanes on display, live music and plenty of aircraft-related fun and games for the family. The good stuff gets started at around 4:30 p.m. Saturday<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u27a4 Adieu, Billy Shakes. This weekend Santa Cruz Shakespeare<\/strong> ramps up for a big finale on its two Shakespeare productions at the Audrey Stanley Grove: \u201cPericles\u201d is closing Saturday<\/a> night, followed on Sunday<\/a> evening by \u201cA Midsummer Night\u2019s Dream.\u201d Yet, the good news is that Sondheim\u2019s \u201cInto the Woods\u201d will linger on another week, and there\u2019s a new production just pulling into port. Athol Fugard\u2019s \u201c\u2018Master Harold\u2019 \u2026 and the Boys\u201d opens Sept. 5.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lookout.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/valley-of-the-moon.jpg?resize=780%2C492&ssl=1\")
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