Sunny Days, Sultry Nights

Jewish Murals of Los Angeles

Workman’s Circle, 1525 S. Robertson Blvd., West L.A.; June 25, 9 a.m.--5 p.m.; (818) 487-0416; $25 adults, $20 seniors and students, reservations required.

Get artsy with some of the city‘s best-known muralists. The bus tour, led by Eric Gordon, takes you through Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, West L.A., Sherman Oaks, Van Nuys and the Hollywood Hills. Experience the public works of artists Hugo Ballin, Daryl Wells, Eliseo Silva and Terry Schoonhoven, among others. The sites visited include the Valley Cities Jewish Community Center, Cedars-Sinai Hospital and Canter’s Deli.

JULY

Westwood Jazz at the Hammer

UCLA Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd.; Friday evenings in July, 6:30--8 p.m.; (310) 443-7000; free.

The museum‘s garden courtyard sets the appropriate ambiance for jazz on Friday nights. Performers Teddy Edwards, Barbara Morrison, Mayuto & Samba Pack, and the Peter Erskine, Alan Pasqua and Dave Carpenter Trio entertain jazz aficionados and newcomers alike.

Nisei Week Japanese Festival

Little Tokyo; July 9--August 6, various times; (213) 687-7193; most events free.

Since the 1930s, this second-generation Japanese festival packs in a multitude of events: the opening ceremony at the Japanese American National Museum, a baby show, exhibits, a street-arts festival, a carnival, a 5K run, a parade and ondo (traditional Japanese folk dance). For a complete schedule, visit http:members.aol.comnisei week.htm.

Cruise Night 2000

100--500 blocks of Brand Boulevard (between Milford Street and Broadway), Glendale; July 22, 6--10 p.m.; (818) 548-6464; free.

Leave your dinky four-wheeler in the garage and stroll down an entire boulevard of classic cars. Admire some 400 restored cars, hot rods and trucks from 1973 and earlier. Remember, this is a street party, so don’t forget to catch the blues, jazz and ‘50s and ’60s tunes on two stages.

AUGUST

20th Annual Sunset Junction Street Fair

3600--4400 blocks in Silver Lake; August 26, 10 a.m.--11 p.m.; August 27, 10 a.m.--10 p.m.; (323) 661-7771; $3 donation.

The perpetually hip-‘n’-happening Silver Lake community opens its arms to us common suburbanites to enjoy its wonders: carnival rides, beer gardens, more than 200 food, service and arts-and-crafts booths, and children‘s entertainment to keep the little tykes quiet and happy. Plus, three stages of nonstop music from Nona Hendrix, Mike Watt, Flogging Molly, Supremes legend Mary Wilson and many more. And somewhere in all this, there’s disco, too.

African Marketplace and Cultural Faire

Rancho Cienega Park, 5001 Rodeo Road; August 19, 20, 26, 27, September 2--4, 10 a.m.--7 p.m.; (213) 847-1540; $3 adults, seniors and kids, 10 and under free.

This quintessential summer celebration of the African Diaspora returns with this year‘s theme of Africa’s influence on Spanish culture. The pan-African marketplace features more than 200 vendors of Afrocentric arts, crafts, clothing and jewelry, and the Village Gourd Restaurant has the best in pan-African dining. Entertainment at the 5,000-seat Amphitheater includes performers from Cuba, Mexico, Brazil and Puerto Rico, as well as four stages offering jazz, blues, calypso and salsa. Plus the Brazilian Independence Day Festival, the Reggae Festival, and a soccer tournament.

The Latino Book & Family Festival

Los Angeles Convention Center, 1201 S. Figueroa St.; August 26, 10 a.m.--7 p.m.; August 27, 10 a.m.--6 p.m.; (213) 741-1151; free.

This is a learning and networking opportunity for literary minds of all backgrounds, young and old. Hundreds of booths among the various “village” areas -- English- and Spanish-language books, health, career, travel -- host exhibitors from publishing companies, book stores, universities, HMOs, banks, insurance companies and many others. The schedule of events also includes author readings and book signings, workshops, raffles and food courts.

SEPTEMBER

A Midsummer Night‘s Dream

The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga; September 4, 8 p.m.; (310) 455-3723; $20 adults, $13 seniors and students; $7 kids 6--12; 6 and under free.

There’s no better way to experience Shakespeare‘s romantic comedy than on breezy summer nights surrounded by the Theatricum’s rustic hillsides. The setting seems as if ordered by the Bard himself. This year‘s multigenerational cast includes actors ages 7 to 81. Attendees are also encouraged to picnic on the Botanicum’s lush and serene grounds before, or after, the evening performances.