This weekend

Think chamber music has the effect of two sedatives and a dry martini? Brooklyn Rider could be the ensemble that dispels that mindset for good. The string quartet takes its repertoire seriously – a blend of classics and wildly inventive interpretations bending genres – but if Brooklyn Rider stands out, it’s because of its attitude. Fresh and willing to take chamber music into new environs and directions, the ensemble brings a new kind of energy to every performance. And, Tulsa is lucky, because we’ll get three chances to see Brooklyn Rider. Catch it at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, for a free community performance at Foolish Things Coffee, 1001 S. Main St. Later that night, Brooklyn Rider performs a salon concert at 7:30 p.m. at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center’s Westby Pavilion for season subscribers, but tickets may be made available later this week for that show, too (check at www.chambermusictulsa.org). At last, look for the group at 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22, at the Tulsa PAC’s John Williams Theatre, 110 E. Second St. Tickets are $25 each. Help Chamber Music Tulsa celebrate its big 60th season at www.myticketoffice.com.

Friday, Sept. 20, 7 p.m.

Art is in the eye of the beholder, and if you can hold it in your hands, too, the experience is that much more meaningful. Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition brings back its popular social and art sale event, the 12×12 Art Fundraiser, a benefit for the arts organization. Some 150 of Oklahoma’s finest artists work on small canvases and donate the works for the silent and blind auction scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20, at 50 Penn Place 1900 N.W. Expressway, Oklahoma City. Bidding begins at $175 on each work. Want more? Look for great food from favorite local restaurants and live music at this one-night-only event. Tickets are $30 in advance or $35 at the door. Read more at www.12x12okc.org.

Saturday, Sept. 21, 7:30 p.m.

Best known as a contemporary Christian singer, Sandi Patty goes back to her career beginnings in “Sandi Patty: Broadway Stories” to display her versatility as a singer of everything from Hammerstein to Sondheim. The winner of 39 Dove Awards, five Grammy Awards and numerous other honors, Patty takes the stage at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Broken Arrow Performing Arts Center, 701 S. Main St., Broken Arrow. A native of Oklahoma City, Patty will return to Tulsa when she and five other artists are inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame on Oct. 15 at the Mabee Center. Tickets to her Broken Arrow show are $20-$40, available at www.thepacba.com. For more about the OMHF, see www.mabeecenter.com.

Opens Friday, Sept. 20

Theatre Tulsa breaks into a new season of shows with “Legally Blonde: The Musical,” the comedy musical about a California girl who goes to Harvard and cracks the stony façade of the Ivory Towers. Just as in the movie it is based on, “Legally Blonde” follows sorority girl Elle and her Chihuahua Bruiser from Los Angeles to Harvard Law School to win back the ex-boyfriend, who dumped her for a more “serious” life and girlfriend after college graduation. Despite being shunned by other students for her sunny outlook and outfits, Elle makes new friends and makes a breakthrough on a major case. Theatre Tulsa opens the musical Friday, Sept. 20, at 8 p.m. in the John H. Williams Theatre at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center, 110 E. Second St. Look for two more shows this weekend (2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21) as well as performances on Sept. 26-29. Tickets are $16-$20, available at www.myticketoffice.com. For more about Theatre Tulsa’s new season, visit www.theatretulsa.org.

Saturday, Sept. 21-Sunday, Sept. 22

Listening to the blues makes you feel good. Blues music sounds even better when it supports a good cause. The Hound Dog Blues Festival, Saturday, Sept. 21-Sunday, Sept. 22, is back at Tulsa’s Chandler Park, 6500 W. 21st St., with Tab Benoit, Reba Russell, Trampled Under Foot, the Albert Castiglia Group and more. The two-day festival of contemporary and traditional blues music as well as the Firehouse Chili Contest between local fire departments has plenty to offer music fans. Most importantly, the event benefits Animal Aid of Tulsa, which offers medical services to homeless pets as well as pet adoption services. Go online at www.facebook.com/hounddogblues for the complete music schedule and all the information about camping and set up. Tickets range from $30 general admission for a single day to $175 for VIP admission, which includes tickets for both days as well as special seating, meals and extra services and amenities.

Sunday, Sept. 22, 7 p.m.

Once upon a time, a bartender in Tulsa who could really play guitar and sing went to California to be on a nationally televised singing contest. When David Cook won “American Idol’s” seventh season in 2008, the possibilities were limitless for the singer-songwriter. Quickly, he set himself apart from the “AI” pack when he had 11 songs debut on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart the week following his win. Now that some time has passed since he appeared on the most famous talent contest ever, Cook has struck a new independence in his songwriting, and is ready to share it on his tour. He returns to Cain’s Ballroom, 423 N. Main St., on Sunday, Sept. 22. Caroline Glaser opens for Cook at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $18 and are available at www.cainsballroom.com.

The weekend

You don’t need to speak Greek to enjoy everything the Greek culture has to offer. Nor do you have to travel far. Tulsa and Oklahoma City bring the history, culture and food of a great tradition to a Greek Orthodox church near you this weekend with all the baklava you could possible want. Tulsa Greek Festival is back from Thursday, Sept. 19-Saturday, Sept. 21, at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 1206 S. Guthrie Ave. Oklahoma City celebrates, too, with Greek Fest OKC, Friday, Sept. 20-Sunday, Sept. 22, at St. George Greek Orthodox Church, 2101 N.W. 145th St.

Both festivals are among the oldest ethnic fairs in their respective cities, and they both feature the music, dance, foods and expression of Oklahoma’s Greek communities. Tulsa Greek Festival opens daily at 11 a.m. and closes at 9 p.m. on Thursday and at 10 p.m. the remainder. Tickets are $3 (children 12 and under admitted free if accompanied by a parent). See the schedule and menu at www.tulsagreekfestival.com. Greek Fest OKC is open 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $3, but if you want to eat at the Parthenon Kitchen, check out www.greekfestokc.com to get advance tickets for $14 (which includes admission and a dinner).

Kids love stylish shoes, but parents have another concern: the health of their children's feet. "If you don't have a shoe that fits right, it can affect your body for the rest of your life," says Amy James, owner of Kicks for Kids Shoes in Tulsa.

Kicks for Kids' experienced staff measures and custom fits every young customer to exactly the right size. "We can find shoes to fit just about anybody," Amy says. She says fit issues for kids include especially narrow or wide feet or feet that are broad and also have an extra high arch. To accommodate every type of growing foot, Kicks for Kids stocks shoes from infant to youth size 7 in a variety of widths.

The store carries over 50 brands of quality shoes, including Nike, New Balance, Nina, Reef, Teva, Keen, Saucony, Sperry, Keds, Tsukihoshi, Pediped, Robeez, Jessica Simpson, Twig, Stride Rite, See Kai Run, Chooze, Umi, Morgan and Milo, K-Swiss, Mia, Kenneth Cole, Skechers, Geox, Livie & Luca, Reef, Jumping Jacks, Chaco, Merrell, Crocs, Sperry, Old West and Saloman. Shoppers will find dance shoes, cleats, dress shoes for boys and girls, cowboy boots, crib shoes, early walker shoes, flip flops, golf shoes, and much more.

Kicks for Kids also carries adult size shoes in Keen, Chaco, Nike, New Balance and Reef, partly for the convenience of parents who might want to shop and also because older kids grow into adult sizes.

"We carry what's trendy because kids like fashion but we avoid anything that's cheaply made or ill-fitting," Amy says. In the two and a half years since she opened the store with her husband John, Amy says customers have helped shape the inventory. If someone is looking for a new brand or something special, Kicks for Kids is happy to try to track it down.

The store also carries Kidorable rain gear, socks and tights, hair accessories, and an assortment of toys and gifts. Kicks for Kids Shoes, 8191 S. Harvard, Tulsa, OK 74137. 918-493-6465,

Opens Saturday, Sept. 14

When describing the work of Christine McHorse, you could tell how the Navajo artist creates works avidly collected by those with a taste for contemporary abstract sculpture as much as for American Indian art. You might talk about her background growing up in Morenci, Arizona; learning to sculpt from her Pueblo in-laws; applying her skills to Navajo traditional pottery; and earning kudos for her distinctive, lustrous designs out of mica-rich clay from New Mexico’s riverbeds. You could also attend the aptly named exhibit “Dark Light: The Micaceous Ceramics of Christine Nofchissey McHorse,” which opens Saturday, Sept. 14, at the University of Oklahoma’s Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, 555 Elm Ave., in Norman. One of the most innovative forces in Native American pottery today, McHorse is the Jerome M. & Wanda Otey Westheimer Distinguished Visiting Artist Chair. The artist will visit Norman and spend some time in the classroom with OU art students. McHorse will also speak about her career and the inspiration for this traveling exhibit at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 13, at the museum’s auditorium. “Dark Light” runs through Jan. 12, and admission is free. The public is invited to both events. For more about this event and about the closing of “Hopituy: Kachinas from the Permanent Collections” on Sunday, Sept. 15, visit www.ou.edu/fjjma.

Thursday, Sept. 12-Sunday, Sept. 15

You can bet there will be plenty of napkins on hand outside of the BOK Center, 200 S. Denver Ave., as Tulsa sees its fourth Rock ‘n Rib Festival. The festival – Thursday, Sept. 12-Sunday, Sept. 15 – becomes the center of the grillin’ universe for this four-day barbecue challenge presented by Rib Crib. Get your appetite ready for delicious, sauce-drenched fixings from six award-winning pit masters competing for the Rock ‘n Rib top title. Organizers have made this year’s festival even more special. In addition to food and live music, Friday includes the inaugural Rib Run, a 5k run and walk event at 7 p.m. that finishes with fireworks. Take a different route to the BOK Center on Saturday between 11 a.m.-9 p.m. for Chalkfest on Boston Avenue between Fifth and Sixth streets. Don’t worry about chalk – organizers will have plenty to decorate the Deco District. Want more? Check out Rock ‘n Rib’s party saloon, culinary stage and kids zone. Best of all, admission is free. Read all about it at www.bokcenter.com.