Happening Saturday

EVENTS

9th Annual Los Angeles Storytelling Festival More than a dozen local artists and performers conduct workshops, narrate personal experiences and share their gifts for tale-telling at this year’s Storytelling Festival in hopes of turning on a new batch of potential raconteurs to the joys of the oral tradition. Culver-Palms United Methodist Church, 4464 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City. 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. $40, adult all-day admission; $15, adult single-event ticket. https://www.lastorytellingfestival.com.

NHRA Auto Club Drag Race Finals After 22 races over nine months, the National Hot Rod Assn.’s Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship concludes at the NHRA Auto Club Drag Race Finals, a high-octane showcase of automotive derring-do. Drivers will compete for team and individual honors in such categories as Top Alcohol Dragster, Top Alcohol Funny Car, Super Comp and Super Street, among others. Auto Club Raceway, 2780 Fairplex Drive, Pomona. 7:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Sat., 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Sun. $40-$63. https://www.nhra.com.

L.A. Tamale Throwdown Whether ensconced in a banana leaf or corn husk; full of pork or sweet corn; the tamale is probably the second-most-canonical foodstuff in L.A. (behind our beloved street-cart taco, naturally). At the L.A. Tamale Throwdown, vendors representing regions across Mexico will ply their wares and win you over with recipes gleaned from generations of abuelitas who surely knew best. Our Lady of Guadalupe Church Rose Hills, 4255 Browne Ave., L.A. 3 p.m. Free. https://latamalethrowdown.eventbrite.com/.

ART

Mercedes Helnwein The Austrian-born, Ireland- and Los Angeles-based artist-novelist unveils “Temptation to Be Good” — her latest exhibition of vintage-inspired photo-real drawings — with the help of musician Beck, on whose 2006 album “The Information” Helnwein’s art appears. This time the pencil has been set aside in favor of oil pastels, which lend a rich, hybrid element to the works that walk the line between painting and drawing. A two-minute video projection accompanies, featuring a score by Helnwein’s brother Ali. Opening reception 8-11 p.m. Merry Karnowsky Gallery, 170 S. La Brea Ave., L.A. Free. Ends Dec. 11. (323) 933-4408. https://www.mkgallery.com.