10 awesome things to do in Monterey County this weekend (Jan. 10-12)

1. Rock Legends Tribute Concert—Golden Bough Theatre, Friday-Sunday

PacRep’s Buddy Holly performers—Travis Poelle, Scott Free and Dave Felder—will entertain audiences as Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens, respectively. The show also includes other ’50s and ’60s artist tributes, as well.

2. Songs From Laurel Canyon—The Lab, Friday

A performance artist (Taelen Thomas) and a do-it-all musician (Bill Sparkman) may be the only pair capable of tackling the time, place and songs on a single stage in an homage entitled "Songs From Laurel Canyon."

3. Comedy Showcase—Pink Flamingo, Friday

Pink Flamingo is kicking off 2020 with one big continuous rollicking roar. Leading the charge is Monterey's own Dr. Scott as well as Victor Dubin and Cree Powell with stories and punch lines that land right in your gut—hard, like a belly laugh.

4. Zack Freitas—American Legion Hall, Saturday

Addictions and heartbreaks have haunted him, but the obstacles have become a path. In the last few years, Freitas has made his way as a musician and performer who openly acknowledges those challenges.

5. The Bogeys—Fernwood Tavern, Saturday

Some college students and Whole Foods workers walk into a bar...no this isn't a set up to a joke. But it is the setup to how the fivesome, known as The Bogey's came to be, sharing driving guitar riffs, a funky bass line and iconic swirling synth.

6. Art of the State Symposium—Monterey Museum of Art-La Mirada, Saturday

This day-long meeting of the minds (a clever inversion of “state of the art”) serves up insights on artist colonies and collectives from the past and present and to do so in a scholarly but “colloquial manner” (which is not a very colloquial phrase, but trust).

7. Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra—Sunset Center, Sunday

Soprano Sherezade Panthaki fronts the highly acclaimed San Francisco-based Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra for an outing of Renaissance and early Baroque songs inspired by the works of William Shakespeare.

8. The Syncopaths—St. Mary’s by-the-Sea, Sunday

Their sound pulls from hundreds of years of Irish and Scottish traditional songwriting and folk music, while incorporating modern interpretations of American Roots into a dance-worthy amalgam of new and old.

9. Portolá and the Founding of Monterey—Monterey Public Library, Sunday

To celebrate Monterey's 250th Anniversary, come learn the full story of Captain Portolá and key moments in the rich history of the Presidio from actor Howard Burnham as he portrays Portolá in full Spanish military garb.

10. Ranch Rodeo—Rava Equestrian Center

Watch 120 cowboys and cowgirls big and small compete in classic ranch events like steer stopping and calf branding. The rodeo features events that highlight skills needed to do everyday ranch hand work.