There's barbecue smoke in the air for the long Labor Day Weekend with not one but two rib festivals:

South Park Ribfest

Back from an extended hiatus is the traditional South Park RibFest Saturday through Monday at the South Park Fairgrounds.

There will be more than 30 national vendors and 26 live bands, with headliners being the alt-rock band Fuel, country rockers The Marshall Tucker Band and cover band Bon Journey. The festival features an oldies dance Sunday from 2 to 5 p.m. and a teen dance from 7 to 10.

For kids there will be an obstacle course, Spider-Man jump, rock climbing, crafts and more.

Here is the band lineup:

Saturday: Instead of Sleeping (1 p.m.); The Suburban Sellouts (1:50 p.m.); Bryan Cole (2:40 p.m.); Maxell and the Perkulators (3:30 p.m.); Flyght (4:20 p.m.); Bishop Clay (5:10); Voodoo Babies (6 p.m.); Buzz Poets (7:15 p.m.); Fuel (8:45 p.m.).

Sunday: The Elliots (1 p.m.); Kardaz (1:50 p.m.); Girls in Black Hats (2:40 p.m.); The Kiger Band (3:30 p.m.); The Delaneys (4:20 p.m.); Say Ah Poison Tribute Band (5:10); Terry Lee Spencer (6); Good Brother Earl (7:15); Marshall Tucker Band (8:45).

Monday: The Pump Fakes (1 p.m.); Mystic Knights (1:50 p.m.); Granati Brothers (2:40 p.m.); 28 North (3:30 p.m.); Allegheny Idol Contest (4:20 p.m.); Random Play (5:20 p.m.); Bon Journey (7:40 p.m.).

Tickets are $7; family pass $5 per family member with minimum three-ticket purchase; $17 weekend pass.

Kick off football with ribs

The Steelers celebrate the start of football season at Heinz Field with the annual Coors Light Kickoff and Rib Festival today through Monday.

It, too, has national rib vendors and a concert lineup.

It begins today when the Steelers play their final preseason game against the Carolina Panthers at 7:30 p.m.

The Friday highlight is a free concert by popular Pittsburgh rock band The Clarks at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday begins with the annual Steelers 5K Race and Fitness Walk through the North Shore and heats up later with a 7:30 p.m. show by Butler native and "Celebrity Apprentice" winner Bret Michaels, who recently opened for Lynyrd Skynyrd.

On Sunday at 7:30 p.m., it's national country music quartet Little Big Town.

The Monday concert at 4:30 p.m. features Uncle Kracker, the former Kid Rock sideman.

Festival hours are noon to midnight today through Sunday; noon to 7 p.m. Monday. Admission is free. Go to www.steelers.com.

Colonial tymes

More than 500 artisans will don period clothing and go back to 1776 at the 17th annual Pennsylvania Arts & Crafts Colonial Festival at the Westmoreland Fairgrounds in Greensburg.

The festival features exhibitors from 19 states with offerings such as floral designs, embellished clothing, candles, stained glass, jewelry and much more. Throughout the weekend there will be a Kanawha Artillery military encampment, musical performances and living history demonstrations. The Seton Hill University Pipe Band performs Saturday and Sunday.

Kids can have their faces painted by colonial clowns and feed the animals at the Kidders & Kritters Petting Zoo.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Monday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Admission is $5.50; $1 kids 6-12. Go to www.familyfestivals.com.

Little Lake in 'Yonkers'

This is slated to be the final weekend to see Little Lake Theatre's production of "Lost in Yonkers," the Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy by Neil Simon.

The Canonsburg company first tackled the play in 1994, when it was held over a week because of brisk box office. "Lost" tells the story of two boys sent to live with their stern grandmother and childlike aunt over the family's candy store in Yonkers, N.Y., in late summer 1942.

Showtime is 8 p.m. today through Saturday. Tickets are $12-$17; 724-745-6300 or littlelake.org.

White Tie Jazz

The First Fridays at the Frick concert series draws to a conclusion with White Tie Group, a jazz trio made up of Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra players Harold Smoliar (on piano), Don Evans (bass) and Andy Reamer (drums).

The trio's career highlights include accompanying trumpeter Arturo Sandoval and clarinetist Richard Stolzman, as well as playing such clubs as The Rhythm House and The Balcony.

The concert is at 7 p.m. Friday on the Great Lawn of Clayton, Point Breeze. A donation of $5 is requested. Guests are invited to come early and create a gourmet picnic with selections from the Cafe at the Frick, which begins serving at 5:30 p.m. The Frick Art Museum, Car and Carriage Museum and Museum Shop will remain open until 10 p.m. For details, call 412-371-0600 or visit TheFrickPittsburgh.org.

Royal pairing

Nas and Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley, representing rap and reggae royalty, went into the studio to work on a track or two and emerged this spring with the full-length album "Distant Relatives," themed to their shared African ancestry.

Now, the two artists are on tour together, stopping at Mr. Small's at 9 p.m. Saturday.

According to a recent show review at MTV.com, "Marley and Nas played off each other's energy during various cuts, delivering some authentic chemistry. And it was only fitting that the duo's set ended with a cover of Bob Marley's 1980 hit 'Could You Be Loved.' "

In an interview with the Guardian, Nas said, "The stuff I've been doing my whole life is primarily hip-hop, and I know what it is before I get to the studio. This is exciting because I didn't know what to expect each time. And there was the excitement that I'm actually in the studio, recording with another artist -- I've never done that before."

Tickets are $49.50. Call 1-866-468-3401.

Help for Haiti

The Hopital Albert Schweitzer in Haiti is one of the few hospitals to avoid damage and remain fully open after the devastating earthquake there. Pittsburgh Symphony principal oboist Cynthia Koledo DeAlmeida and some of her colleagues from Carnegie Mellon University's School of Music have banded together to support the hospital in this crucial time with a benefit recital at 7:30 p.m. in Kresge Recital Hall on the CMU campus. On the program are Schumann's Romances and Ralph Vaughan Williams' "Ten Blake Songs," with tenor Douglas Ahlstedt and horn player William Caballero, and more. More information at http://music.cmu.edu; cash donations will be taken at the door.

'Much Ado' in the parks

Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Parks kicks off its sixth season of free showings of plays by the Bard in Frick Park, then heads to a new setting, Allegheny Commons West Park, and winds up the month in Mellon Park.

The company presents "Much Ado About Nothing" 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and Sept. 25 and 26 at Frick Park; at West Park on the North Side Sept. 11 and 12; and Mellon Park, Sept. 18 and 19.

Melissa Hill Grande directs Shakespeare's battle of the sexes, as Benedick and Beatrice (played by Ricardo Vila-Roger and Laurel Schroeder) spar with words in the romantic comedy. Costumes by Rachel S. Parent will have "a sexy, contemporary utilitarian feel."

Admission is free, with donations accepted. Audience members may bring blankets, chairs and refreshments. More info: www.pittsburghshakespeare.com.

Rusted Root Rodeo

Rusted Root, Pittsburgh's favorite tribal acoustic world-beat jam band, once again will headline the 11th Allegheny County Music Festival at Hartwood Acres on Sunday.

The band, in its 20th year, has been busy touring this summer, promoting the latest record, "Stereo Rodeo," its first disc in seven years and one of its more diverse offerings. It features core members Michael Glabicki, Liz Berlin and Patrick Norman along with drummer Jason Miller, guitarists Colter Harper and Dirk Miller and percussionist Preach Freedom. The band is already in the midst of working on a follow-up.

Admission to the 7:30 p.m. concert is $20 per carload, benefitting the Allegheny County Music Festival Fund, which helps young people at risk.

Critics Andrew Druckenbrod and Scott Mervis talk about music on "The Beat," available exclusively at PG+, a members-only web site of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.