thursday 7|10

All The Pretty Horses

PB DRESSAGE SHOW Think ballet on horseback. In dressage competition, each level of riding showcases increasingly difficult choreographed movements. At the highest levels, the horse and rider appear to move as one. This weekend, for the first time in its 53-year history, the Annual Pebble Beach Dressage Show will be sanctioned as a prestigious Concours de Dressage International competition by the Federation Equestre Internationale. The four-day event will host more than 200 horses and riders from the western US, Canada and Mexico. Three Olympic judges and a panel of international officials will judge as Grand Prix competitors and future Olympic hopefuls earn points towards World Cup qualifying. [JL]

8-5pm today through Sunday. Free. Pebble Beach Equestrian Center, Portola Road, Pebble Beach. 626-2600.

Fast Racers

AMA SUPERBIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS Apparently that's just how it works, but it's baffling how they make those knee-skimming turns in motorcycle racing. You'd think the bike would just fall over, but of course, they're going very fast in a forward direction. Anyway, there's no disputing that motorcycle racing is cool; after all, motorcyclists Evel Knievel and Steve McQueen are two of the coolest Americans ever. [AS]

7am gates open, racing 8am-5pm today through Sunday. Laguna Seca Raceway, Highway 68. Saturday races $30 advance/$40 at the door. For information call 800-327-7322.

saturday 7|12

Best Friend Show

DEL MONTE KENNEL CLUB DOG SHOW Sure, there are old hounds that don't venture far from the worn-out planks on the front porch and there are frisky dogs that would rather do nothing but fetch a tennis ball at the beach. There are others, however, the elites of each breed, that love to show off. For these fancier dogs, life is grooming and prancing; in other words, it's about looking good. Come see how good a dog can look--1,100 dogs from 130 breeds--this weekend at this annual AKC-sanctioned dog show. [AS]

8am-3pm today and Sunday. CSU Monterey Bay (enter at the main gate off Highway 1, take a left at 2nd Avenue and follow the signs.) $5 general/$3 seniors/ kids under 12 are free. Bring a chair, the show is outdoors. For more information consult www.akc.org or call 333-9032. To find out the time your favorite breed will be shown, consult www.infodog.com.

Footloose

CENTRAL COAST SUMMER FEST It's time to dust off those dancing shoes--or dance appreciation glasses, anyway. From now through Aug. 9, SpectorDance will host a summer series featuring a different contemporary Bay Area dance company each weekend. The visiting artists will teach master classes and perform for the public. Today, Charles Anderson and Company C will teach contemporary ballet, followed by an evening performance. [JL]

11am class; 8pm performance. $15/$20 in advance; $20/$25 at the door. Tickets for all five performances cost $70; tickets to all five classes and performances cost $110. SpectorDance, 3343 Paul Dr., Marina. 384-1050.

Calling Cowboys and Girls

CALIFORNIA RODEO COWBOY POETRY The rodeo is one of the biggest deals in Salinas every year, with fireworks on the 4th, the carnival on the 11th, a parade on the 15th and the rodeo itself starting on July 17. But before the bulls start shooting out of shoots and the rodeo queens make their waves and loops, there's a gathering of cowboy poets tonight. Come hear Tom Russell, Larry Maurice, Montie Montana Jr., Kay Hansen and friends tell their tales of life on the prairies and in the high country. [AS]

6pm. $20 adults/$8.50 kids. For tickets call (800)549-4989; for information, 758-3758. Sherwood Hall, 940 N. Main, Salinas. The actual Salinas Rodeo runs July 17-20; call 775-3100 or consult www.carodeo.com.

The Ancient Ways

ISABEL MEADOWS SYMPOSIUM Long before the Monterey Symphony played its sweet sounds in the Carmel Mission, native Rumsen and Esselen tribes lived at the mouth of the Carmel River. Isabel Meadows was born there in 1846 when the US flag was first raised in Monterey and died in 1939 at 93. Her life story, and those of her family's culture, became the research of John P. Harrington, a linguist and ethnographer from the Smithsonian Institute. A free symposium, with presentations by Linda Yamane (a local Rumsen scholar), poet Stephen Meadows, and Linda Agren from the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, will focus on the nearly 50,000 pages of folklore and details of early Carmel Valley life Harrington transcribed from Meadows' accounts. [CC]

1-4pm. Free. Maritime Museum of Monterey Stanton Center, 1 Portola Plaza, Monterey. 633-4444.

Housewarming Party

LISA COSCINO GALLERY REOPENS The Lisa Coscino Gallery reopens tonight in its new, downtown PG location with a fiesta celebration hosted by comedian and TV host George Lopez. Lopez and his wife Ann are great supporters of the arts, Lisa says, both in LA and in their second home here on the Peninsula--part of the couple's collection of emerging and established Latino artists goes on display tonight, along with two other shows, all three of them up through Sept. 6. Food, drink and making merry. [SF]

6-10pm. Free. 216 Grand Ave., Pacific Grove. 646-1939.

Sax Man

GREG ABATE QUARTET Bop was all the rage during the 1940s, and contemporary saxophonist Greg Abate is trying to keep bop alive with his contemporary take on the music. Cadence Magazine calls Abate's latest recording, Evolution, his breakthrough album. This is an artist in his prime who sharpened his skills by playing in the Ray Charles Orchestra and the Artie Shaw Orchestra. [ST]

7:30pm. $35. The Jazz and Blues Company, 236 Crossroads Blvd., Carmel. 624-6432.

sunday 7|13

Time To Delay

BLUESMAN PAUL DELAY Paul Delay has every right to have the blues. The Portland-based blues harpist served a 41-month stint in the Federal Pen after a drug bust in 1990. Since his return to music after his "writing sabbatical," Delay has recorded scorching blues albums like The Other One and Paulzilla. Delay will be joined today by local zydeco group, the Cachagua Playboys. [ST]

1pm. Free. Laguna Grande Park, corner of Canyon del Rey and Harcourt, Seaside. 899-6805.

Rev Up Them Hogs

HARLEY PARTY Harley-Davidson Motorcyles is turning 100 years old, and Carmel's Fingerhut Gallery is throwing them a party by displaying paintings and lithos by six artists commissioned by the company to create motorcycle-themed art. Open road, wind in their hair, that sort of thing. The so-called "official Harley artists" (does that mean they have to wear leather?) will be present at this afternoon's reception, and a portion of all proceeds goes to the Muscular Dystrophy Association. [SF]

1-5pm. Fingerhut Gallery, San Carlos between 5th and 6th, Carmel. 625-1811.

Que Syrah, Syrah

CHATEAU JULIEN SUMMER JAMBOREE The pricing is low, but the quality of wine is high, at the annual Chateau Julien Wine Estate summer festival. Classy games like bocci ball against the green hills, bolstered by tunes from the Mike Marotta Band, make sipping that merlot so much more divine. Private reserve wine is offered for tasting and purchasing, in up to 6-liter sizes. And there will, of course, be great food--we're hoping for sharp cheddar and grapes--to pair with the non-stop flow of vino. [BW]

11am-4pm. $15. 8940 Carmel Valley Rd. Reservations required, call 624-2600.

Helping Hands

FUNDRAISER FOR BAILEY He's only six years old, but Pacific Grove resident Bailey Pitruzzello has already undergone major radiation treatment to battle a rare form of cancer called Chrondroid Sarcome. In an effort to help Bailey and his family, who are currently without an income, Carmel Barnyard merchants have started collecting money, and are holding a fundraiser today. Events include a silent auction and raffle, and restaurants Allegro Pizzeria, Bahama Billy's and Sherlock Homes will be donating a portion of their profits to help Bailey, who needs more radiation and reconstructive surgery. Entertainment by Mary Lee Sunseri, Jay Dancing Bear, Juan L. Sanchez, Stu Heydon, plus children's games and storytelling, and even an appearance by Batman, make it a family event. [BW]

12-4pm. The Barnyard Shopping Center, Carmel Rancho Boulevard, Carmel. 626-8351.