Starring one of TV’s most favorite couples, Laverne & Shirley’s Cindy Williams (Shirley Feeney; Grease’s Miss Lynch) and Eddie Mekka (Carmine Ragusa; Grease’s Teen Angel and DJ Vince Fontaine), the national touring production of Grease will be in Harrisburg for one night only, July 7.

The legendary musical served as the basis for the hit John Travolta/Olivia Newton-John box office success of the same name, and has long been a favorite of both sock hoppers and those that are sock hoppers at heart!

Grease will play at the Whitaker Center’s Sunoco Performance Theater on July 7 at 8 p.m. For tickets and more information, call THE BOX at 241-ARTS.

In addition to the Grammy nominated bagpipe band, the Rogues, and the renowned comedy troupe, The Tartan Terrors, such acts as the B’Dazzled Irish Stepdancers, the Quittapahilla Highlanders Pipe and Drum Band, and Enter the Haggis will provide dancing and listening entertainment.

In total, the festival will feature five entertainment stages, as well as the Faire’s Jousting Amphitheater, where the Highland Games and the sheep-herding demonstrations take place.

And don’t forget the crafts and food! Fish, chips, meat pies, Scottish eggs and micro-brews will act as the perfect accompaniment to the dozens of artisan tents that will dot the festival grounds.

The Celtic Fling on the grounds of the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire will take place July 8 – 9 from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. Admission is $16.95 for adults, $8.95 for children ages 5 – 11. For advance tickets, call the box office at 665-7021x231 Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Visit the Faire’s website at parenfaire.com for more information.

In addition to the homes, guided tours of the public parks along the route — The Rose Roy Memorial Garden, The Peace Garden, and The Sunken Garden — will also be provided. Plant aficionados are also invited to bring their plant and garden questions to the Penn State Master Gardeners, who will be on hand at the Merchants and Businessman’s Mutual Insurance Company, 2201 North Front Street, throughout the tour. Local artist Deb Hershey, illustrator of this year’s tourbook, will be displaying her most recent work and The Abide Awhile Café will be providing light refreshments at that site, as well.

Tourbooks — a souvenir book with illustrations of each toursite that will serve as the admission ticket — are available for purchase at the Historic Harrisburg Resource Center (1230 North Third Street, Harrisburg), Harriet Too (2120 Colonial Road, Harrisburg), Highland Gardens (423 South 18th Street, Camp Hill), Quilter’s Gathering (5490-C Derry Street, Harrisburg), Tangerine Fine Arts Gallery (Strawberry Square, Harrisburg), and Jeffrey’s Flowers (175 E. Louther Street, Carlisle) for $12 in advance or $15 at the Historic Harrisburg Resource Center on the day of the tour.

The 10th Annual Historic Harrisburg Association House and Garden Tour will take place July 9 from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. For more information, call Historic Harrisburg at 233-4646.

A portion of the proceeds from the Tour will be contributed to the Community Historic Preservation Fund of Historic Harrisburg Association.

The top prize of $125 will go to the poet with the evening’s highest score. Poets who intend to compete must pre-register by paying a $20 entry fee, all or some of which may be contributed by sponsors. Sponsorships sheets and rules are available at the St. Moritz or by calling the Arts for Peace and Justice information line at 234-0672. Due to predictions for a heavy turnout, competitors are being asked to register quickly; all fees and sponsorship forms must be received by July 7 at 5 p.m.

The 1st Annual Heavyword Poetry Championship will be held on July 11, 7 p.m., at the St. Moritz Supper Club, North Third Street, Harrisburg.

Held at the Whitaker Center, the festival will open with a concert on Tuesday that will feature the Ying Quartet, Jennifer Blyth, and Jon Manasse and will include Mozart’s Piano Quartet in E-Flat and Clarinet Quartet and Michael Torke’s string quartet, Corner in Manhattan.

Wednesday’s program, during which the Quartet will be joined by Stuart Eaton and Peter Orth, will feature Mozart’s Viola Quintet in G Minor, Beethoven’s String Quartet, Op. 95, and Franck’s Piano Quintet.

Thursday’s closing performance will highlight the Quartet, Bert Lucarelli, and Peter Orth performing the Mozart Oboe Quartet, the Finzi Oboe Quintet, the Prokofiev String Quartet, Op. 50, and the Shostakovich Piano Quartet.

Market Square Concerts’ Downtown Summermusic 2000 will be held July 11 – 13 at Whitaker Center, downtown Harrisburg. The first two performances will begin at 7:30 p.m., the final performance will begin at 6 p.m. Complimentary champagne and hor d’oeuvres will be available a half-hour before the final performance in the Whitaker Center’s AMP Lobby. Admission to all three concerts is $50; single performance tickets can be purchased for $20/adults, $10/students. Tickets are available by calling THE BOX at 214-ARTS; remaining tickets will be available at the door.

Call Market Square Concerts at 697-6224 for more concert information and for information on the pre-concert dining at The Hilton’s Golden Sheaf on July 13.

The ‘whimsical spoof of the classic fairy tale’ will be presented Wednesdays and Thursdays at 10:15 a.m. and Sundays at 1 p.m. Doors open a half-hour before showtime. Tickets are $4 per person. For more information, call 238-4111.

Held to benefit The Boys and Girls Club and Harrisburg Parks Partnership, the purchase of a ticket provides live entertainment, a wide variety of foods — hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken, and pasta salad — and all the drinks you can consume!

Last year’s event, with its rousing cowboy theme, attracted more than 2200 people — so on July 15 add yourself to the number of picnic revelers and have a good time supporting a great cause!

Tickets for the Back Yard Bash are $20 in advance and $25 at the door. Advance tickets can be purchased at World Gym and West Shore Health Club or at the Strawberry Square Atrium from July 10 – 14 from 12 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. For more information, call the BackYard Benefits hotline at 236-0477.

In addition, an award ceremony and Meet the Artists reception will be held July 15 at 7 p.m. where $6,000 in cash awards will be given away. Also, The State Museum will grant an additional Purchase Award of $1,000 and will add the winning work to its permanent collection.

Art of the State: Pennsylvania 2000 will be on display from July 16 – September 10 at The State Museum of Central Pennsylvania, Second Street, Harrisburg. For information, call 787-4978 or check the website at statemuseumpa.org. General admission to the museum is free.

Comprised of Anthony Kiedis, Michael "Flea" Balzary, Chad Smith, and John Frusciante, the Red Hot Chili Peppers have been a staple in the rock industry since their 1983 formation, finding commercial success in the ’90s and parlaying that into the millennium — with hits such as "Under the Bridge," "Give It Away," and their current hits, "Scar Tissue" and "Otherside."

The Foo Fighters, brainchild of former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, found their way onto the music charts with a self-title debut album in 1995, following the 1994 suicide of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain. The Foo Fighters followed that release with The Colour and the Shape in 1997 and are touring in support of 1999’s There Is Nothing Left To Lose.

Blonde Redhead, named after the song performed by ’80s New York punk band DNA, were formed in 1993 when the four members met at a restaurant in Italy and were signed to Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley’s label, Smells Like Records. Now numbering three, the group has recorded four full-length albums, including their latest, In an Expression of the Inexpressible.

Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters, and Blonde Redhead will perform at Hersheypark Stadium on July 17 at 7 p.m. Tickets for the show are $39 and can be purchased by calling all Ticketmaster locations or the Hersheypark Box Office at 534-3911.