ALL WEEKEND

Old park, new fun

A parade, fireworks, live music, roller coasters, some of the best fries on the planet ... what more could you ask for?

Well, mimes.

Kennywood delivers this weekend with its celebration of Pittsburgh's 250th anniversary.

There will be a parade each evening at 6 p.m., followed by 9:30 p.m. fireworks. There also will be mimes, magicians, jugglers, stilt walkers and unicyclists, and the Kennywood Band roaming the park with patriotic and nostalgic tunes. Surrounding the park's Lagoon will be a jewelry maker, wooden sign carver, renowned carousel horse carver George Nowak, chainsaw carver Jeff Pinney, and Pittsburgh artist Linda Barnicott.

For details, call 412-461-0500 or visit www.kennywood.com.

Here is the entertainment schedule:

Today
1 p.m.: Carrick High School Steel Drum Band
3 p.m.: Pittsburgh Banjo Club
7 p.m.: Music Unlimited

Friday
1 p.m.: Mon Valley Band
2 p.m.: Pittsburgh Musical Theatre
4-6 p.m.: Total Recall
7 p.m.: East End Kids

Saturday
1 p.m.: Greater Pittsburgh Chorus -- Barbershop Chorus
4 p.m.: Kiski Valley Community Band
7 p.m.: East Winds Symphonic Band
Sunday
1 p.m.: Big Fat Jazz Band
2 p.m.: Pine Creek Community Band
3 p.m.: CLO Mini Stars
5 p.m.: Soft Winds
7 p.m.: Ohio Valley Band

Country time

Maybe it's the hot dogs, maybe the apple pie, maybe all the flags or maybe it's just the tour schedules -- something about the Fourth of July brings out the country bands.

We've got Tim McGraw and the Dancehall Doctors closing out their summer tour on Sunday at the Post-Gazette Pavilion. See page W-11.

Phil Vassar is the big attraction at the Big Butler Fair on Saturday at 9 p.m.

And the Seven Springs Mountain Resort has a tour that has played Burgettstown in the past. The Charlie Daniels Volunteer Jam, led by the fiddler who can beat the devil, rides in tonight at 7 p.m. with 38 Special and Shooter Jennings (rockin' son of Waylon). Tickets are $28 to $48. Call 1-866-703-7625.

TODAY AND SATURDAY

Funny for food

Pittsburgh's funniest people and their fans will gather for Comedy Relief Pittsburgh IX: Red, White and Food tonight and Saturday at the Pittsburgh Improv, Waterfront.

Organizer Buzz Nutley leads a cast that includes Melanie Maloy, Bill Scott, John McIntire, Gab Bonnesso, Auggie Cook, Gene Collier, Chris Ciardi, David Kaye, Tom Kupiec, Justin Markus, Rocco Supreme, Shawn Blackham, Chris the Crowd Pleaser, Jerry Wilson, Terry Jones and Mike Wysocki.

"Since this year's event is taking place during the Fourth of July weekend, just consider it one big neighborhood block party," Nutley says. "The difference is that, on this block, everyone is hilariously funny."

All proceeds will benefit the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.

Each show will feature a different lineup of comedians. Times are 8 tonight and 7 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $15 per show or $25 for both evenings. Go to www.improv2.com/pittsburgh.html or call 412-462-5233.

FRIDAY

Little bit o' Soul

For its musical festivities, the Three Rivers Regatta will generally reach for an easy classic rock band from the '70s -- often one missing key members.

But this year, the river festival has done well in taking WYEP's cue and booking Soul Asylum, which played the radio station's summer festival two summers ago and rocked that small strip of riverfront property with a bit of fury in what frontman Dave Pirner called a "less-than-full-volume situation."

The Minneapolis band, best known for the breakthrough single "Runaway Train," reunited in 2006 after an eight-year hiatus and released "The Silver Lining," another slab of honest-to-goodness heartland rock.

Soul Asylum returns for another free performance Friday at 8 p.m. at the Heinz Field South Plaza Stage.

For more on the Regatta, see page W-16.

FRIDAY-SATURDAY

PNME Americana

PNME follows up its outstanding opening weekend with a program of American music just in time for the Fourth of July. OK, it may not be Sousa marches, but you'll get enough of that this weekend anyway. Paul Moravec is a leading American composer (both sides of his family are from Beaver County), and Kevin Puts is a rising star. Moravec's "Time Gallery" and Puts' "Arches" bookend the chamber music program, which also includes works by David Heuser and Ryan Francis. 8 p.m. at City Theatre, South Side, Friday and Saturday. $25 ($15 students and seniors, first-time patrons get in free); 412-431-2489.

-- Andrew Druckenbrod

SATURDAY-SUNDAY

PSO in the park

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra gets out into the fresh air with two free concerts this weekend. Saturday resident conductor Daniel Meyer leads it in at 7 p.m. in South Park with Bizet's Carmen Fantasy for Trumpet and Orchestra (trumpet Neal Berntsen), Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto (PSO violinist Laura Motchalov) and Williams' "Raiders March" from "Raiders of the Lost Ark."

At 7:30 the next night, the orchestra repeats the Tchaikovsky and Bizet, but adds Brahms' Tragic Overture at Hartwood Acres.

SUNDAY

Lead Deadhead

David Gans knows his way around the Grateful Dead catalog better than anyone. But how does he do with his own songs? Find out when the host of the nationally syndicated program "The Grateful Dead Hour" performs at the Thunderbird Cafe at 8 p.m. Sunday in Lawrenceville.

Gans uses digital loops to accompany his acoustic-guitar based folk-rock. He's currently at work on "The Ones that Look the Weirdest Taste the Best," an album of original material featuring Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter and members of Railroad Earth.

"I've learned a lot from the Grateful Dead," Gans says in his press notes. "Their live performances had a narrative structure in which they used their own songs and the songs of others to tell a story that each listener heard in his own way. I discovered over time that this is true of my performances as well; I write songs, and choose covers, that further my own narrative."

The Thunderbird is at 4023 Butler St. Tickets are $8. Call 412-682-0177.

Hungarian folk

Ethnic folk ensembles play not only to seniors who speak the language of the old country, but also to young people who want to rediscover their roots or simply dance to authentic strains.

So, if you like bands that play the Serbian Club or the Croatian Javor and you're willing to cross ethnic boundaries or if you listen to Gypsy music or the compositions of Bela Bartok, you might want to see the Gazsa Hungarian Folk Ensemble.

The Gazsa Hungarian Folk Ensemble is the real deal, hailing straight from Budapest. Three fiddlers, an upright bass player, and a huge hammered dulcimer called a "cimbalom" provide the melodic anchor, while two folk dancers show how to strut your stuff, Magyar-style. They even have three videos on Youtube!

Gazsa performs Sunday at 7 p.m. for $10 tickets at the 31st Street Pub, 3101 Penn Ave. in the Strip District. For more information call 412-391-8334.

NEED TO KNOW

• How's this for a bill: Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers with Bon Journey, the local tribute band. It takes place tonight at 6 for the first Street Jam at The Waterfront (on the streets of Town Center next to Bar Louie and Red Hot & Blue). There will be food and beverage booths from Waterfront restaurants, an Eat'n Park cookie decorating station and Zambelli Fireworks at 9:45 p.m.

• "Transnational Composers in America"? OK, that's a little of Pitt composer Roger Zahab's strange sense of humor. At 8 p.m. Sunday at Frick Fine Arts Auditorium in Oakland, Zahab will pick up the violin and viola and partner with pianist Robert Frankenberry for a free concert of short pieces by Zahab, Jeffrey Nytch, Eric Moe, Reza Vali, Mathew Rosenblum, Aaron Copland, J.H.K. Nketia and Ursula Mamlok.