wednesday 25

Around town

'Appel and Frank Fall Fashion Fete' Regency Center, 1270 Sutter; www.appelandfrank.com. 5:30-10pm, $10. This fashion affair features apparel and jewelry by more than 60 designers, makeovers by Benefit, massages and other spa treatments, and much more.

'Golden Gate Crave! Party' Mezzanine, 444 Jessie; (206) 282-0173, www.craveparty.com. 6-9:30pm, $35. This event for women features food, drink, entertainment, and relaxing spa treatments.

'It's Your Community – Use It!' Women's Building, 3543 18th St; 431-1180. 4-7pm, free. This women's resource fair features free health screenings, workshops, and demonstrations on health, education, career development, and economics.

Bay Area

Community conversation with Bay Area arts groups Everett and Jones Barbeque Restaurant, Jack London Square, 126 Broadway, Oakl; (510) 548-3422, ext 118. 7-9pm, free. California Shakespeare Theater, Intersection for the Arts, Campo Santo, and the LoveLife Foundation launch the Hamlet Project, a series of public events about Oakland's history for the development of a new play by Naomi Iizuka; speakers include Elihu Harris, D'wayne Wiggins, Ericka Huggins, Ricky Marshall, and audience members willing to share their personal stories about Oakland.

Benefits

'Two Halves, One Whole: Exploring Gender Archetypes' SomArts Gallery, 934 Brannan; 673-3080. 5-7:30pm, $5. This art event features works by more than 40 local painters, photographers, and sculptors; live music; poetry; and dance performances; proceeds benefit Artists Resource.

thursday 26

Around town

North Shattuck Famers' Market Shattuck at Rose, Berk; (510) 548-3333, www.ecologycenter.org. 3-7pm, free. The Ecology Center's farmers market celebrates its new location with special guests chef Alice Waters and Berkeley mayor Tom Bates.

Benefits

'Queer/Trans Date Auction' El Rio, 3158 Mission; 282-3325. 6pm. Youth Gender Project presents this benefit event at which individuals can participate in a dating auction featuring people of different genders, sexualities, and sizes.

'San Francisco Bay Club Luau' San Francisco Bay Club, 150 Greenwich; 922-7020, info@prboutique.com. 6-8:30pm, $10. This event features Hawaiian food, dancing, and music; prizes; and more. Proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society.

friday 27

Around town

'Submission: A Group Show' Club Six, 60 Sixth St; www.onsixgallery.com. 8pm-3am, $5, free before 9:30pm. See 8 Days a Week.

Benefits

'Tropical' Oakland Box Theatre, 1928 Telegraph, Oakl; (510) 428-0211. 9pm-2am, $10-20. Lesbians of Color presents this fundraiser featuring food, prizes, and dancing.

saturday 28

Around town

'BeachHead – The Arts in Defense of Dissent' event Washington Square Park, Union and Columbus; 398-7723. 1-5pm, free. BeachHead hosts this event featuring art, music, poetry, and performance reacting to war and military prison abuse.

Faeria Urbana Canvas Gallery, 1200 Ninth Ave; www.feriaurbanasf.com. Noon-5pm. Check out and buy crafts and wares made by local artists and designers at this event.

'Listen While You Work' Exploratorium, 3601 Lyon; EXP-LORE, www.exploratorium.edu. Noon-3pm, $8-12. Exploratorium presents this "listening" event about professionals – such as doctors, mechanics, and locksmiths – who decipher and analyze nonmusical sounds.

'SF Renaissance Faire' Speedway Meadows, Golden Gate Park, JFK Dr and 25th Ave; 354-1773, www.renaissance-web.net. 10am-6pm, $10-15. Renaissance Productions presents this Renaissance-themed event featuring entertainament, jousting, variety acts, a royal parade, games, crafts, and food and drink. Also Sun/29.

'Second Annual Great Dogs in the Park Festival and Canine Good Citizen Test' Alamo Square Park, Steiner at Hayes; 518-9575. 10am-2pm, free. The District 5 Dog Owners and Guardians Group presents its annual dog-friendly event featuring holistic pet vendors, adoption opportunities, informational tables, dog food samples, and more.

'Women's Rights Day Celebration' New Valencia Hall, 1908 Mission; 864-1278. 7pm, $2-5 donation. Radical Women celebrates women's rights at this event featuring Freedom Socialist Linda Averill.

Benefits

'Inventing Tradition: New Jewish Performance' Traveling Jewish Theatre, 470 Florida; 695-2909. 7:30pm, $25. See 8 Days a Week.

'OneVoice: A Cabaret on Ice' Yerba Buena Ice Center, 750 Folsom; www.skateout.org. 8pm, $20-50. This ice-skating benefit show features more than 30 skaters, cabaret performers, and others; proceeds benefit the Music Theater Collaborative's artist-in-residence program.

sunday 29

Around town

'ANA Cable Car Chase' Aquatic Park, 500 Jefferson; 595-6934, www.anacablecarchase.com. 8am, $25. All Nippon Airways presents this annual 5.67 mile race pitting runners against cable cars on the streets of San Francisco.

'SF Renaissance Faire' Speedway Meadows, Golden Gate Park, JFK Dr and 25th Ave; 354-1773, www.renaissance-web.net. 10am-5pm, $10-15. See Sat/28.

Benefits

'Inner Ear Fundraiser' Balazo Gallery, 2811 Mission; 550-1108, brailles@yahoo.com. 7-9pm, $5. This art auction features works by more than 70 established and emerging artists including Sacha Eckes, Robert Gutierrez, Mats!?, Johanna St. Clair, Devendra Banhart, Neil Hamburger, and Jordin Isip; live music by Alan Tower and James Goode; and refreshments. Proceeds benefit Inner Ear Studio.

Bay Area

'Bowl-a-Thon' Serra Bowl, 3301 Junipero Serra Blvd, Daly City; (650) 461-6189. 6:30pm, $5. Bowl to benefit the San Francisco AIDS Foundation; the event includes two games of bowling and shoes.

'Picture Progress' 1306 Third St, Berk; (510) 703-8428. 3-7pm, free. This benefit for the League of Pissed Off Voters features an auction of works by more than 70 Bay Area artists, live music, food and drink, and speakers.

monday 30

Around town

'Ask a Scientist: 101 Things You Can Do with a Corpse' Canvas Gallery, 1200 Ninth Ave; 831-5620. 7-9pm, free. See 8 Days a Week.

tuesday 31

Around town

'Geishas as Performance Artists: The Smiles Behind the Art' USF Lone Mountain Campus, Room 100, 2800 Turk Blvd; 422-6357. 5:45pm, free. Director of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco and Chong-Moon Lee Center for Asian Art and Culture Emily J. Sano, Ph.D., speaks.

Benefits

Leatherback sea turtle benefit San Francisco Jewish Community Center, 3200 California; 488-0370, info@seaturtle.org. 6pm, $40-60. Turtle Island Restoration Network hosts a benefit reception and screening for the new documentary Last Journey for the Leatherback; oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle and Stan Minasian speak.