A&E Advisory for Aug. 15-21:

Aug. 17-19
Music: Bluegrass tradition continues
EUREKA SPRINGS — This year’s Eureka Springs Bluegrass Festival begins as it always has, with a free concert and watermelon for the bluesgrass-lovin’ public in Basin Park downtown.

And it’ll end as it usually does, with a Sunday afternoon gospel show.

In between, there’ll be free music  in the park by the Deadman Flats, the Buffalo City Ramblers and Grass Crack, among others. The festival’s headliners, Dread Clampitt &Folk Soul Revival, will play beginning at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at The Auditorium downtown.

More information can be found at the auditorium’s website.

Aug. 18
Impact: Cool Summer Night gala
SPRINGDALE — August is almost over, but that doesn’t mean it’s almost done being hot.

Two events hosted this month by the Kendrick Fincher Foundation were aimed at bringing awareness to Heat Stroke Awareness Month. The second, the Cool Summer Night of Glitz and Glam Gala, starts at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the Northwest Arkansas Holiday Inn Ballroom.

Rhonda Fincher, who lost her oldest son Kendrick to complications from a heat stroke he suffered in August 1995, has rounded up the New York Yankees’ Bernie Williams, a four-time World Series champion and five-time All-Star as a draw to the gala. Also on the program are J.P. Suarez, senior vice president for international business development and Wal-Mart and the event’s emcee, KNWA meteorologist Dan Skoff.

A dressy or semi-formal event may seem like an odd way to bring attention to the importance of hydration in sports, but Rhonda and the work of the foundation do plenty of that kind of work year-round. This weekend’s fundraiser will rely on the star power of its guest speakers to help will the foundation’s coffers and keep its work going.

Look for Cyd King’s coverage of the gala this weekend on The City Wire.

Aug. 18
Comedy: Second City for Prez
FAYETTEVILLE — Is it too late to get Second City on the national ballot?

Chicago’s legendary sketch comedy club/theater and school of improvisation created Second City for President to give voters a break from all the political rhetoric, and if the reviews could be counted as votes, SC would win by a landslide.

The Walton Arts Center performances start at 6 and 9 p.m. Tickets are $23, and we’re told no that no proceeds will be used to pad politicians’ pockets.

Aug. 19
Music: Pat Benetar and hubby
FAYETTEVILLE — When the smartly coifed Pat Benetar came to the Arkansas Music Pavilion four years ago, a driving rain prevented her from finishing her show. Could it have been that her hair products weren’t holding up? It could have been something to do with water and electricity not mixing well, who knows.

She was due back at the AMP for a show this Sunday, but organizers found the Walton Arts Center’s Baum Walker Hall a better fit for the audience. It was not, they said, because severe weather caused a great deal of damage to the outdoor music venue this summer. Other shows, much larger shows, are scheduled between now and Benetar’s performance.

Fans can expect the four-time Grammy Award winner to deliver pitch-perfect versions of her hits “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” “Love is a Battlefield,” and “We Belong.” Her husband and her band’s longtime guitarist, Neil Giraldo, has produced more than half of Benetar’s records and is credited for creating her sound.

Watch for Michelle Park’s review of the show on The City Wire.