Labor Day

Labor Day doesn’t have to mean only department store sales and backyard barbecues. Take advantage of the long weekend with these diversions.

For Those With Green Thumbs

Gardening classes, presentations and competitions fill the three-day weekend at the Hortus Nursery’s second annual Garden Fair & Harvest Festival, where garden lecturer Maggie Lamb will give slide tours of French and Italian gardens and a lecture about great female gardeners. Other classes will teach how to make herbed vinegars, how to dry flowers and how to use found objects in your garden. There also will be flower-arranging competitions, a best scarecrow contest, garden basket contests and a “largest zucchini” contest. Entries due Saturday morning. Call for class times and reservations. No admission charge. 284 E. Orange Grove Blvd., Pasadena. (626) 792-8255.

Strike Up the Band

Stock up on gourmet goodies and head to the South Coast Botanic Garden for the annual Labor Day Picnic & Concert, where you can relax and listen to the Palos Verdes Symphonic Band perform on the beautiful upper meadow. Concert gate opens Monday at 5 p.m. Band begins at 6 p.m. Garden will close at 7:30 p.m. 26300 Crenshaw Blvd., Palos Verdes. Admission to the garden is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors and students, $1 for children ages 5-12. Additional fee to attend concert, $4; children under 12 free. (310) 544-1948.

With the Horses

Before the concert, you may want to stop by the 41st Portuguese Bend National Horse Show, also in Palos Verdes. The show features equestrian events in grass and sand rings and the Pacific Coast Horse Shows Assn. medal finals. Other offerings are food booths, performances by the Bob Baker Marionettes and a children’s carnival. Proceeds will benefit Childrens Hospital in Los Angeles. Ernie Howlett Park, 25851 Hawthorne Blvd., Rolling Hills Estates. Gates open at 7:30 a.m. Saturday-Monday. General seating: adults, $4; children ages 4-12, $2; children 3 and under, free. Reserved seating: $10. Reserved tables also available. Parking and shuttle service to site free. (310) 544-1047.

Music, Music

The Theatricum Botanicum provides a tranquil setting for the third annual T-CEP Music Faire, noon-6 p.m. Monday. Catering to a variety of musical tastes--mellow to mystic, to blues, jazz and rock ‘n’ roll--the event features Cecilia Noel (African/Latin rhythms), Jessie and the Raindogs (a 15-year-old blues singer and his band), Suzanne Teng & Mystic Journey (world music with tribal dancing), Miles Tackett and Inara George (jazz/soul/pop) and more. Proceeds will benefit the Topanga Coalition of Emergency Preparedness. The event also will offer food, vendor booths, storytelling and face painting for children. 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd. Adults, $10; children under 12 and seniors, $5. (310) 455-3000.

Fall Forward

Labor Day weekend is the official end of summer, and what better place to get into fall mode than at the 26th annual Harvest Festival, which begins its Southland tour this weekend in Long Beach. The three-day event features more than 300 artists showcasing crafts, gifts, clothing and foods. There will be demonstrations by furniture-maker E. John Gillis, coin cutter Larry Albo, wood carver Mary Elton, pottery sculptor John Nishio and others. Music and children’s performances are on the bill, as well as a “Tribute to the ‘50s” musical revue. 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday and Monday. Long Beach Convention Center, Halls B & C, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach. Adults, $7.50; seniors, $6.50; children ages 12 and under, $4. Attendees can receive $1 off admission by bringing a canned food donation. (707) 778-6300.