Come for the bluegrass, stay for the BBQ

Laguna Beach Live! will host contemporary bluegrass and acoustic band Prairie Sky at an event titled “Bluegrass and BBQ” from 4 p.m. Sept. 15 at Aliso Creek Inn & Golf Course, 31106 Coast Hwy.

VIP reserved seating is available for $75, which includes the concert, BBQ and a donation.

Tickets for adults are $15 in advance and $18 at the door; children 12 and under pay $10 in advance and $13 at the door. Seats are first come, first served.

Admission to the concert and BBQ are available as a $30 package online and at the venue.

For more information, visit https://www.lagunabeachlive.org or call (949) 715-9713.

*

Laguna Beach Live! Jazz Wednesdays Summer Series spotlights the Gilbert Castellanos Quartet from 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 14. The concert will be organized in the Rose Garden at the Hotel Laguna, 425 S. Coast Hwy.

A Latin Jazz trumpeter, Gilbert Castellanos has been attached to Anthony Wilson’s Nonet, the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, the Charles McPherson Quintet, and others.

Doors open at 5:15 p.m. Admission is $15 online and $18 at the door. Refreshments are available for purchase.

For more information, visit https://www.lagunabeachlive.org.

*

The Festival of Arts’ Art of Cooking program highlights author and food blogger Sara Forte from 1 to 2 p.m. Sunday. Recipes from her latest cookbook, “Sprouted Kitchen: A Tastier Take on Whole Foods,” will be displayed and samples offered.

Sara teamed up with her photographer-husband, Hugh, for the blog and book.

“Sara’s blog is full of wonderful recipes and helpful tips,” Susan Davis, the festival’s director of special events, wrote in a release. “We’re very excited she’ll be sharing her culinary knowledge with Festival visitors on Aug. 4.”

The event occurs in the Art Center at 650 Laguna Canyon Road. Admission is free with tickets to the Festival.

For more information, visit https://www.LagunaFestivalofArts.org or call (949) 494-1145.

*

The Festival of Arts’ Thursday Art Talk series features Ken Auster in “A Painter on Painting” from noon to 1 p.m. Thursday.

The California native, who has been part of the festival’s lineup since the 1970s, has placed first in juried exhibitions, including the 2002 Laguna Art Museum Lincoln Plein Air Painting Invitational, the 2002 Carmel Plein Air Invitational, the 2000 2nd Annual Laguna Invitational Plein Air Painting Competition and others.

“I plan on sharing my path as painter, my inspirations, and what I did to establish myself with galleries and collectors,” Auster said in a release. “I simply want to achieve the ultimate communication on the canvas — to say more with less.”

Admission is free with tickets to the Festival at 650 Laguna Canyon Road.

For more information, visit https://www.LagunaFestivalofArts.org or call (949) 494-1145.

*

Sawdust Art Festival, at 935 Laguna Canyon Road, hosts its 2nd Annual Country Western Day on Saturday.

A variety of art classes and musical entertainment takes place from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Saloon Specials include Bootlegger beers — 16-oz. Old World Hefeweizen, Rustic Rye IPA and Black Phoenix Stout — for $5.

For more information, visit https://www.sawdustartfestival.org.

— Rhea Mahbubani