To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Las Madres Neighborhood Playgroups Inc. is hosting a daylong festival on Sept. 14. Festivities will include live entertainment, food, carnival booths, and a bounce house at Saratoga Springs Park. A nonprofit, California-based group, Las Madres is a social and support organization for caregivers and their children in Santa Clara County. For more information, visit http://www.lasmadres.org.


Art with a heart at Villa Montalvo

Singer-songwriter Jackson Browne is making a special appearance at Montalvo on Sept. 14 as a joint benefit for Ronnie Lott's All Stars Helping Kids and Montalvo's Education & Outreach Program.

The performance will be a part of Montalvo's annual Afternoon of Music, Art & Heart, which will open with the San Jose Jazz Society and feature food and a silent auction. Items for the silent auction include artwork by Keith Wicks, Barbara McCann and Sergey Smirnov, as well as art from each of the All Stars' community projects such as UC-San Francisco Children's Hospital and Sacred Heart Nativity School. The concert begins at 4 p.m. on Sept. 14 on the front lawn of Villa Montalvo. Tickets are $60 to $300, available through http://www.villamontalvo.org or http://www.ticketmaster.com.


'The King & I' in Saratoga

A colorful story of love and cultural differences, Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King & I will come to Saratoga on Sept. 13 as the Saratoga Drama Group begins a two-month run of performances. The play is produced by Roberta Savage and directed by C. Michael Traw, featuring actors from throughout the Bay Area. Performances will run now through Oct. 11, every Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. at the Saratoga Civic Theater located at 13777 Fruitvale Ave. Tickets are $20 for Friday and Saturday performances, $18 for Sunday matinees. Call 408.882.5099 for more information or tickets.