Going North

* Funny Guy--Rock ‘n’ roll’s most famous parodist, “Weird Al” Yankovic, will bring his “Touring With Scissors” production to the Earl Warren Showgrounds tonight. The fairgrounds are at the Ventura Freeway and Las Positas Road. Show time: 7 p.m. $25. 687-0766 or 583-8700.

* Woof-Woof--Two- and four-legged participants will be hitting the pavement along State Street in Santa Barbara on Saturday, during the annual Big Dog Parade & Canine Festival. It’s a charitable event for the Big Dog Foundation, which supports children, dogs and dogs helping people. Take part in the procession or come out to watch the dogs and all those outrageous costumes. It all begins at 9 a.m. at De La Guerra Plaza. After the parade, festival activities will be at Chase Palm Park on Cabrillo Avenue at the beach. Registration starts at 8:30 a.m. 963-8727, Ext. 1398.

* World Music--UC Santa Barbara’s Middle East Ensemble--consisting of more than 100 musicians, singers and dancers--will perform Saturday at 8 p.m. at the campus’ Lotte Lehmann Concert Hall. The ensemble, one of the premier groups of its type in the United States, performs the music of Arab, Turkish, Persian, Armenian, Greek, Jewish and Assyrian cultures. $12 general; $7 students. 893-3535.

* Benefit--Girls Inc. of Carpinteria will hold its annual fund-raising garden party and auction Sunday. Event highlights: food and wine samples and live and silent auctions offering vacation getaways, artworks and more. The event will be at the organization’s center at 5315 Foothill Road, Carpinteria. $35. 566-4940.