Hothouse sprouts up

The Sprout Fund has roots spreading all over the arts community, and they will be exposed Saturday night at Hothouse, the fourth annual showcase event and fund-raiser.

The networking party, billed as a "live annual report" to the community, takes over the new EastSide development on Centre Avenue near Whole Foods Market and Motor Square Garden in East Liberty. Hothouse will showcase a sampling of Seed Award projects supported by Sprout since July 2005. Among the things partygoers can do (in their words):

Discover how Pittsburgh is becoming a leading city for alternative transportation with Steel City BioFuels, Bike-Pgh, ByCycle, and others.

Step on board the eco-friendly Ohio River Lifeboat for a sample of Harvest Dinners.

View the region's underground art from the perspective of The Appalachian School.

Cruise the outdoor Market Bazaar, teeming with creative handmade books, crafts, zines and more from the likes of Encyclopedia Destructica and Handmade Arcade.

Tour the Port Authority bus loaded with local art curated by Pittsburgh Art in Transit.

Rock out with the dancers from Pillow Project Dance Company's Concept Album, before witnessing staged theater performances from Bricolage and Thank You, Felix! Productions.

Take in spoken-word performances by innpressions and Meeting of the Minds Publications.

Witness the towering puppets from Puppets for Pittsburgh and the puppet gypsy cart of Gypsies and Crickets.

There will also be a variety of music from hip-hop to indie rock. The main stage will feature Formula412, Centipede E'est, Unicorn Mountain Music Showcase and DJs Selecta & Supa C. The VIP Stage has The Mavens, The Shanks and Omega Love. Also on hand will be DJs Cutups & Mary Mack and the New Moon Orchestra.

There will also be 30 local food and drink providers.

The Spotlight Ticket ($100) includes VIP reception from 7 to 9 p.m., complimentary valet parking, goodie bag, admission to the main party from 9 p.m. to midnight, and complimentary food and beverages from Pittsburgh favorites. The Limelight Ticket ($35 in advance; $40 at the door; $15 students) includes admission to the main party and complimentary food.

There will be a free After Party at midnight with Eviction Notice, Beautiful Noise and Soulcialism at the Shadow Lounge, 5972 Baum Blvd., East Liberty.

Tickets are available for purchase online at www.sproutfund.org and at the door.

ALL WEEKEND

OK, we've hit that time of year when there's a bluegrass festival every doggone weekend. This time, it's the fourth annual Laurel Highlands Bluegrass Music Festival starring The Rarely Herd, Special Consensus (a three-decades-old band from Chicago), Jeanette Williams Band from Virginia and local legends Mac Martin & the Dixie Travelers. It starts tonight with the Firemen's Fabulous Fish Dinner (5-7:30 p.m.), followed by a Bluegrass Showcase concert at 6:30 p.m. Mac Martin & The Dixie Travelers, Mountain Therapy and Northwest Territory all play twice, in that order, starting at 6 p.m. Friday.

Here is the Saturday schedule: Allegheny Drifters (noon); Northwest Territory (12:50 p.m.); Special Consensus (1:40 p.m.); Jeanette Williams Band (2:30 p.m.); Songwriter's Showcase (3:20 p.m.); The Rarely Herd (4:10 p.m.); Allegheny Drifters (6 p.m.); Mount Pleasant High School Bluegrass Club (6:50 p.m.); Northwest Territory (7:20 p.m.); Special Consensus (8:10 p.m.); Jeanette Williams Band (9 p.m.); The Rarely Herd (9:50 p.m.).

There will also be a breakfast buffet Saturday and Sunday morning and a craft show Saturday. It's on Route 271, Waterford, five miles north of Ligonier.

Advance tickets are $20 for Friday and Saturday; $10 at the gate Friday; $20 Saturday. Kids 10 and under are free.

Go to www.laurelhighlandsbluegrass.com.

The Improv at the Waterfront is going right to the A-list talent this weekend. Tonight, direct from the "Barbershop" movies, it's Cedric the Entertainer, star of big screen and many a Bud Light commercial, at 8 and 10 p.m. Then, Margaret Cho, who is making the rounds of PrideFests and gay events nationwide, turns up at the Improv to showcase new material and revisit some fan favorites at 8 and 10 p.m. Friday and 7 and 9 p.m. Saturday. Call 412-462-5233.

For something completely different, grab some earplugs and enjoy the National Road Chainsaw Carving Festival at Addison National Road Community Park in Confluence, Somerset County. The festival will be the East Coast qualifying event for the ECHO Carving Series Championship, which means each carver will have 22 hours to complete his or her sculpture. Between 50 and 60 carvers are expected. Saturday is the big day, with an auction (benefiting the Somerset County Blind Center) at 1 p.m., local band High Ryder at 6:30 p.m. and fireworks at 9:30 p.m. Hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. today through Saturday. For details, go to www.confluencelions.org.

From noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, the Meadowcroft Museum of Rural Life near Avella, Washington County, hosts the World Atlatl Association Competition. Novices also can try their hand at the atlatl, a spear-thrower used by Meadowcroft's prehistoric inhabitants. Prizes will be awarded to the best beginners. There will also be American Indian flute music and demonstrations of flint knapping and prehistoric pottery making. Call 724-587-3412.

TODAY

Motown fans are going to get "My Girl," "Papa Was a Rolling Stone," "Just My Imagination" and other classics, but first they're going to hear some Brahms and Bruch. It's the eclectic format of the Community Partners Concert, which pairs the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra with the Temptations. The first half of the concert will find Chelsea Tipton II, resident conductor of the Toledo Symphony Orchestra, leading the PSO in Brahms' "Hungarian Dance No. 1," George Whitefield Chadwick's "Jubilee From Symphonic Sketches," a Duke Ellington medley and Max Bruch's Concerto No. 1 in G minor for Violin and Orchestra, featuring Gareth Johnson, a 19-year-old violinist. Then, the latest version of the Temptations, featuring original member Otis Williams, will take over the second half with those infectious songs and silky harmonies. Tickets are $21.50-$112.50, with the latter giving you access to a post-concert reception hosted by the Steelers' Max Starks. Proceeds go to 50 local nonprofits. It's at Heinz Hall at 8 p.m. Call 412-392-4900.

Touch Nightclub in the Strip is teaming with promoter Faded Industry Entertainment to start booking bands in the space, generally on Thursday nights -- leaving Fridays and Saturdays for dancing. They will be open to all-ages crowds, while still allowing folks over 21 to use the bar. The club is expecting to do local and national bands, starting with the local bill of 3 lb. Universe, Kairos, Afterdrama, Winter's Halo and Sideros. Doors open at 7 p.m.; bands start at 7:30 p.m. It's at 1400 Smallman St. Tickets are $8 advance; $10 at the door. Call 412-708-7069.

The 11-year-old Asylum Street Spankers roll out of Austin, Texas, with an uncanny acoustic mix of country blues, jump jazz, ragtime, vaudeville, hip-hop, spanning originals, covers and TV theme songs. The band is touring behind the DVD "Re-assembly," which documents the Spankers' 10th Year Anniversary/Reunion show at the Texas Union Theater Austin last year. They play Club Cafe at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 to $17. Call 412-323-1919.

FRIDAY

Idlewild & SoakZone celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Story Book Forest, a life-size re-creation of 44 scenes from classic childhood stories and nursery rhymes, with an 11 a.m. ceremony featuring politicians, author Jeffrey Croushore and Mother Goose and all her Story Book Friends. Go to www.idlewild.com.

Robert Glasper, a Blue Note jazz pianist from Houston with a mellow touch and a subtle hip-hop influence, has worked with artists as diverse as Roy Hargrove, Carly Simon and Mos Def. He brings his trio to the Andy Warhol Museum at 8 p.m. See page W-15.

Pittsburgh's favorite Houserocker, Joe Grushecky, plays a gritty set of working-class rock 'n' roll at South Park at 8 p.m. It's free.

SATURDAY

The Carnegie Science Center might give away a few tricks of the trade with "Magic: The Science of Illusion." Among the illusions will be the Amazing Living Head, the Light and Heavy Chest, the Rising Chair and the Magic of the Mind. The educational aspect is how magicians combine the art of performance with basic science concepts from the fields of physics, math and engineering to create complex and visually stunning effects. There will also be artifacts from famous performers and demonstrations in the Abracadabra Theater. It opens Saturday and runs through Sept. 4.

Once again, Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania is picking up the tab for admission and parking at the Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History on Saturday. As part of Not Your Typical Day at the Carnegie Museums, kids will get an interactive game sheet to encourage children 12 and younger to explore the museum, which is currently featuring "Fierce Friends: Artists and Animals, 1750-1900" at Heinz Galleries and "Documenting Our Past: The Teenie Harris Archive Project, Part Two" at Forum Gallery. Hours are 10 a.m. through 5 p.m.

It's an evening in the Bahamas, right at the Byham, with Birdie Nichols and Glorious Rebirth presenting Junkanoo, a program of Calypso music, costumes and carnival masks. It begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15.50 to $20.50. Call 412-456-6666.

Junie B. Junes is hopping on the Junie B. Jones Stupid Smelly Bus to pay her fans a visit. The best-selling book star (as played by Heather Weneck) will be at the SouthSide Works Cinema at 11 a.m. and Barnes & Noble in Monroeville Mall at 3:30 p.m. for a live theatrical performance, free souvenirs for kids and an official "book stamping." It is recommended for kids 5 and up.

Hothouse isn't the only party happening on Saturday night. Blend is a night of art, fashion and music with DJ SMI, Mara Rago, Saihou Njie, Greg Fitzpatrick, Jeffery Phelps and more at Trilogy, 620 Liberty Ave., Downtown, at 9 p.m. Admission is $10. Call 412-697-2800 or go to trilogypittsburgh.com.

SUNDAY

This sounds like almost too much for a Sunday night. Hijack the Mic! is a hip-hop/synth-rock mini-fest headlined by MC Chris, an indie-rapper from Brooklyn who came to fame through the Cartoon Network's "Aqua Teen Hunger Force." The openers should prove just as thrilling with Pittsburgh's own outrageous rap duo, Grand Buffet, and, from Ohio, Gil Mantera's Party Dream, a "sextronic synth-rock duo" that seems to go from Mountain to Milli Vanilli before your very eyes. Also on the bill are power-pop band Tally Hall and mashup artist Girl Talk. It's an all-ages show at Mr. Small's Theatre in Millvale at 7 p.m. Tickets are $12 in advance; $14 at the door.

Hartwood Acres presents The Dixie Hummingbirds, the legendary gospel group that backed Paul Simon on "Loves Me Like a Rock," at 7:30 p.m. It's free.

Swiss-German jazz trio Day & Taxi -- which played the Decade here 10 years ago -- finally returns for a show at Modern Formations in Garfield/Friendship with Thoth Trio and Robinson/Defazio Duo at 8 p.m. Tickets are $7. Call 412-362-0274.