Best Bets/Hot Tickets

Best Bets/Hot Tickets
TONIGHT
* The EV2 Band, playing songs of the '50s and '60s, performs in Boardman Park's Music in the Park series from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Maag Outdoor Arts Theatre. Bring lawn chairs or blankets.
FRIDAY
* It's tune-up time for country music singer Gary Allan, who will perform at B & amp;B Backstage in Boardman. Allan has been touring on the strength of his 2001 CD "Alright Guy," but his next record, "See If I Care," will be released Sept. 30 on the MCA Nashville label.
* Tickets ($25-$55) are going on sale for Playhouse Square Center's Palace Theater's Oct. 17 concert featuring singer-songwriters Mary Chapin Carpenter, Shawn Colvin, Patty Griffin and Dar Williams, participants in a 25-city tour that presents these headliners in a rare format: Interacting and harmonizing with one another, sharing the stage for an intimate and spontaneous acoustical evening. Get tickets for the 7:30 p.m. performance at the Playhouse Square Box Office, online at tickets.com, or by phone at (800) 766-6048.
* Grammy Award-winning singer Lyle Lovett and his Large Band, will return to Playhouse Square Center's State Theater for an 8:30 p.m. performance on Oct. 31. The scheduled release of his new album, "My Baby Don't Tolerate," is Sept. 20. Get tickets ($32.75-$42.75) at the Playhouse Square Box Office or through Tickets.com.
* Do Wopp Weekend, today through Sunday at Conneaut Lake Park in western Pennsylvania, will take participants back to the street-corner harmony of the 1950s. Cool cars, dancing, music, dash plaques, contests, fireworks and amusement park rides, as well as live entertainment, which includes Donnie Do Wopp & amp; Johnny B Goode, Elvis, the Babe, and the Sweethearts of Harmony's tribute to girl bands. It begins at 5 p.m. with a cruise-in and DJs. Call (800) 332-2338 for more information.
SATURDAY
* Do Wopp Weekend continues at Conneaut Lake Park. Today's activities include a cruise-in, music at various venues, and fireworks over the lake at dusk.
* Learn about the art of bonsai during Bonsai Weekend at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, Schenley Park, this weekend. Studio workshops for beginners and intermediate levels are 1-3 p.m. today and 10 a.m-noon Sunday. The fee is $16 for members and $20 for nonmembers. Call (412) 622-6914 for more information.
SUNDAY
* Simply Ed Productions' eight annual "24 Hours of Karaoke" for Muscular Dystrophy at Kahunaville inside the Eastwood Mall in Niles begins at 5 p.m. A charity auction, which includes Ray Simon-autographed prints, gift baskets, gift certificates and a Simply Ed private party package begins at 10 p.m.; and there is a breakfast buffet at 2:30 a.m. Sunday. All proceeds benefit MDA. Last year's event raised $14,000. Call Simply Ed at (330) 501-0758 for more information.
* Do Wopp Weekend, Conneaut Lake Park, culminates with a dance in the historic Dreamland Ballroom featuring Pookie Hudson & amp; the Spaniels.
* Pittsburgh Regional History Center, in association with the Smithsonian Institution and regional partners, is orchestrating a re-enactment of the launch of the Lewis and Clark Expedition beginning at 11 a.m., exactly 200 years to the date of the original launch. Events will include a flotilla leaving the Sukes Run area (under the Liberty Bridge along the Monongahela River), let by the Discovery Expedition of St. Charles' re-created keelboard, followed by pleasure boats and the world's largest canoe paddle. They will travel past Pittsburgh's Point State Park to Brunot's Island on the Ohio River. Public participation is encouraged, with maps, information and registration available at (412) 281-8080.
NEXT WEEK
* Tickets will go on sale Tuesday for the Glove Theatre's performance of Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" Nov. 12-16 at Theater Square in Pittsburgh's Cultural District. The performances are part of the London Shakespearean company's first United States tour. Pittsburgh is one of only five host cities. Admission is $50. Admission is $20 for students with a valid ID and a limit two per purchase. A student matinee will be at 11 a.m. Nov. 13. Tickets are available at the Theater Square Box office on Penn Avenue between Sixth and Seventh streets, online at www.pgharts.org, or by phone at (412) 456-6666.
AHEAD
* Maybe the people of Siberia danced just to stay warm -- after all, it's among the coldest regions on Earth. Krasnoyarsk National Dance Company of Siberia, however, has raised its ethnic footwork to an art form. The troupe will perform Oct. 24 in Palace Theatre, Cleveland. Get tickets, which are $25 to $35, by calling Tickets.com.