WEEKEND: Sky ShowThis is no weather forecast,...

WEEKEND: Sky Show

This is no weather forecast, but you can expect plenty of thunder and lightning to fill the skies over the weekend at Point Mugu Naval Air Weapons Station.

It’s the Point Mugu Air Show, and this year the annual event will also serve as a 50th anniversary celebration marking the Navy’s arrival in 1946. Once again, aviation enthusiasts can enjoy some of the fastest and finest the Navy has to offer, plus acrobatic teams and unique flying craft.

Featured attractions include the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, Black Sheep Show Team, VX-9 Weapons Test Squadron, HCS-5 Tomcats, Vintage War Birds, Bill Cornick Aerobatics, an Air Force F-16 “Falcon” and many others.

Gates open at 8 a.m. and continuous flying is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free and visitors are invited to bring blankets and lawn chairs. Also available: five-star seating, $5; box seats, $20; flight deck club seating, $35. Ear plugs are optional. For more information, call 271-1273.

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SATURDAY: Crafty Ideas

Here’s a freebie just for the kids: the Children’s Festival of the Arts in Thousand Oaks. Planned from noon to 3 p.m at Conejo Creek North park, the festival will give children the chance to do everything from wood-scrap collages to stitching.

This annual wingding draws about 800 people, mostly kids, who are advised to wear clothes for messy fun. About 13 hands-on craft activities will be set up in the park, situated at Janss Road and California 23.

Entertainment will be provided, including a performance by a bagpipe band. The event is sponsored by Conejo Recreation and Park District and the Conejo Valley Chapter of the National Charity League. Call 495-6471.

MONDAY: Crow on Stage

Sheryl Crow, whose 1993 release “Tuesday Night Music Club” has gone platinum and generated enough cash to fund several small countries, brings her pop songs to Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. Besides cuts from her new self-titled album, it’s a safe bet she’ll play smash hits “All I Wanna Do” and “Leaving Las Vegas.”

The quote on one of her bio sheets is classic Crow: “A guy came up to me in Minneapolis after we played and said he hadn’t felt like going to a club in 10 years until he heard my record, which felt really great. When he called me again from the hotel lobby at 2 in the morning, it felt less great. So I explained to him that he’d better be careful or I’d make a bad example of him in a future song.”

Opening will be Pete Droge, author of the mother of all bad-advice songs, “If You Don’t Love Me (I’ll Kill Myself).” Tickets for the 8 p.m. show are $41, $31 or $24. The venue is at 2100 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd. Call 449-2787.

UP THE COAST

Celebrating that tropical fruit with the big pit, Carpinteria will play host to the 10th annual California Avocado Festival. The event will kick off Friday and continue through Sunday with entertainment, activities and, yes, avocado-laced foods--including ice cream, brownies and pizza. Did we mention the world’s largest bowl of guacamole?

The festival is held along the city’s downtown Linden Avenue. Hours: 4-9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday. To get to the festival from the Ventura Freeway, exit at Casitas Pass Road and follow signs to the parking area. From there, shuttle buses will pick up fair-goers. Shuttle service is $1. Admission is free. For more information, call 684-0038 or 684-5479.

GLANCE AHEAD

The popular Ojai Studio Artists Tour returns Oct. 12 and 13, inviting visitors to peruse the inner worlds of 31 artists. Participants include Christine Brennan, Bert Collins, Otto Heino, Marta Nelson, Elaine Rogers, and Jeffrey and Katrina Seaton.

Tour-goers will receive maps. Tickets: advance $12, $15 after Oct. 11, good for both days. For information, call 646-8126.