A seamless tradition

San Francisco

Through Dec. 31: The quilters of the little Alabama community of Gee’s Bend are winding up a three-year, nationwide tour of their eye-popping work at the De Young Museum, where their exhibit has been extended through the end of the year. Over generations, the women, descendants of slaves, have developed a one-of-a-kind art. If you’re in town Sept. 24, you can catch the Gee’s Bend women in a free gospel concert from 1 to 2 p.m. at the museum’s Wilsey Court.

De Young Museum, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive in Golden Gate Park; (415) 750-3600, www.thinker.org. $10; ages 13-17, $6; 12 and younger, free.

**

Seattle

Sept. 23-Jan. 7: The first West Coast exhibit of the Dead Sea Scrolls is set to open at the Pacific Science Center. Ten of the ancient documents will be on display. The artifacts, which predate Christianity at about 1,938 to 2,256 years old, include the earliest known written texts of the Bible. “Some are on papyrus, some are on animal skins,” says Joe Barnes, vice president of marketing at the museum. Six of them are coming “out of the dark” for the exhibit. For preservation, the scrolls have to be kept in the dark nine months of the year.

Pacific Science Center, 200 2nd Ave. N. (entrance under arches near the Space Needle); (206) 443-2001, www.pacsci.org. Exhibition tickets: (877) 377-1947. $19.75; seniors, $17, ages 3-12, $10.

**

Kamloops, Canada

Oct. 1-22: Canada’s Salute to the Sockeye has a couple of things in common with the Olympics: It happens once every four years, and focuses on amazing physical feats. The sockeye salmon return to the Adams River every year, but the quadrennial migration is when the river turns crimson -- like “a writhing, red, living body,” says Jeremy Heighton of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Millions of salmon swim 500 miles against a raging current, without eating, to return to their spawning ground, lay eggs and give up the ghost. About 150,000 visitors are expected at Roderick Haig-Brown Park.

Roderick Haig-Brown Park, off the Trans-Canada Highway between Kamloops and Salmon Arm in British Columbia. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily with interpretive staff 10 a.m.-3 p.m. $3 per carload of up to five people, $1 for each additional person. www.salmonsociety.com.

**

Albuquerque

Oct. 6-15: Countdown to liftoff has begun in New Mexico for the annual International Balloon Fiesta. The event began humbly in 1972 with 13 balloons in a shopping mall parking lot. Since then, it’s been cooking with gas. In 2000, the festival nabbed a spot in the Guinness record book for launching 329 hot-air balloons in one hour. This year, about 800,000 people are expected at Balloon Fiesta Park, where the mass ascensions take place and evenings bring the Balloon Glow, when the crafts are lighted against the night sky. Companion events have grown up around the fiesta, including a car show and wine festival.

Balloon Fiesta Park, 5000 Balloon Fiesta Parkway, Albuquerque. $6, 12 and younger, free. Parking, $10 per car. (888) 422-7277 or www.balloonfiesta.com.

Amy Hubbard

*

Send event information to itinerary@latimes.com.