WEEK AHEAD

LATINO CULTURE

Cal Lutheran will host an array of Latino cultural events during its Festival de Encuentros ’96. The festival will commence Monday with a Pearson Library art exhibit by Maria Velasco and other local artists. Other festival events include:

* 7:30 p.m. Tuesday: “Mi Familia,” about 60 years in the life of a Mexican American family, will show in the Student Union Building.

* Wednesday: The Rev. Michael Gutierrez of L.A.’s Sacred Heart Catholic Church will lead a 10:10 a.m. worship service in Samuelson Chapel. “La Cultura de Amor,” poetry and other entertainment, will be held from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Student Union Building.

* 7-9 p.m. April 11: Danza Azteca performs in the Pavilion.

* April 12: Flamenco and folklorico dancers will perform 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Kingsmen Park. The 20-piece orchestra Sabor Latino will perform at 8 p.m. in the gym/auditorium following a dinner at 6 p.m. ($10).

All events are free except for the Sabor Latino concert. Call 493-3302.

SATURDAY

MUSICAL TREAT

If your tastes run to the eclectic and you don’t mind forking over $8 to hear some of the area’s most dynamic composers-improvisers, head to the Santa Barbara Contemporary Arts Forum for a new music experience.

Five musicians from Santa Barbara and Ventura--including Los Angeles Times freelance critic Joseph Woodard, Dick Dunlap, Jim Connolly, Tom McBride and Jeff Kaiser--will stage “The End of Standard Time.” They will be pushing the musical and artistic envelope--performing all original music and “sound works” at the 8 p.m. Saturday show. The Forum is at 653 Paseo Nuevo St. Call 966-5373.

SUNDAY

RADIO DEBUT

“Ventura County Curtain Call,” a long-overdue radio show highlighting the performing arts in Ventura County, premieres at 11 a.m. on KCLU 88.3 FM. The brainchild of KCLU staff and program host Stu Levin, the show will feature guest artists, a performing arts calendar, reviews of local performances and occasional samples of those performances.

The Sunday program’s first guest will be Shelley Berman, veteran comedian and USC comedy instructor, discussing whether America has lost its sense of humor. Submissions for the calendar section of the show should be sent to: Stephanie Angelini, Gold Coast Performing Arts Assn., 60 Ranch Road, Suite 1, Thousand Oaks, CA 91362. Fax number: 497-8609.

UP THE COAST

* Noel Coward’s frothy comedy “Hay Fever” will be presented by the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts at Allan Hancock College’s Severson Theatre in Santa Maria. The eccentric Bliss family indulges itself in outrageous fun at the expense of their straight-laced weekend house guests. The show opens Saturday and continue through April 28. Show times: 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets: $12-$18. Information: (800) 727-2123.

* An “EGGstravaganza,” Santa Barbara Botanic Garden-style, will be held Saturday with treasure hunts at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. Children of all ages will scavenge the garden’s grounds using clues from plants and animals to hunt for goodies. The seventh annual event also includes crafts, storytelling, refreshments and more. Tickets: $12 per child, $30 for entire family. Preregistration is required. Call 682-4726, Ext. 102.

* Remember back in ’94 when the pygmy mammoth skeleton was discovered on Santa Rosa Island? You may be interested in hearing the latest regarding that trove. Paleontologist Larry Agenbroad will present the lecture “Latest News on Old Bones: Interaction Between Humans and Mammoths” at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. Agenbroad directed the Santa Rosa Island excavation. He is leading a six-month expedition in search of more pygmy remains and hopes to explain whether a changing climate destroyed the 5-foot creatures or Native Americans hunted them into extinction. The lecture is free. Call 682-4711.