IN THE ARTS

Kids are in for a treat, even if they don't like peas. Hot Peas 'n Butter opens the children's season at Mercer County Community College's Kelsey Theatre, 1200 Old Trenton Road, West Windsor, Sept. 29 at 2 and 4 p.m. Hot Peas 'n Butter is a unique children's group founded on the premise that kids can be reached through good music. Combining jazz with Latin beats, the band performs catchy songs that boast bilingual lyrics and multicultural rhythms. Created in 200 by New York City musicians Danny Lapidus and Francisco Cotto, the band has been featured on Sirius Satellite Radio's "Kids Stuff" and on Nickelodeon and Noggin. Tickets are $8 for children and seniors and $10 for adults and may be purchased online at www.kelseytheatre.net or by calling (609) 570-3333. Free parking is available.

The Acoustic Musicians Guild will present its annual Harvest Harmony Festival Sept. 29, noon - 7 p.m. at Silverton Organic Farm, Silverton Road, Toms River. The festival will feature a day of acoustic music by Mike and John Conaghan, Denise Miler and Son, The Michael Baine band, Tony Mastellone, The Bog Iron Band, The Tom Daily Band, Michele Grace, and Warm Hearted Country. The Lakewood High School ROTC will be the food vendors. Crafters will have displays. Bring a lawn chair. For more information, call Silverton Farms at (732) 244-2621 or visit www.amg.org.

The Midweek Jazz Series at Ocean County College (OCC), 2 Campus Drive, Toms River, will continue Oct. 3 at 8 p.m. with Kevin Dorn's Traditional Jazz Collective. The band features Kevin Dorn, a versatile drummer who has performed with several jazz and swing bands. He gained national attention while drumming with the Jim Cullum Band in San Antonio, heard by radio listeners across the country. His Traditional Jazz Collective has regular gigs in Manhattan, and drew appreciative audiences at the Hot Steamed Jazz Festival in Connecticut and the Bickford Theatre in Morristown. The members of the band are close followers of early jazz and capture the intensity and spirit that made the first recordings of this music such a revelation to listeners.

Pianist Derek Smith will perform Nov. 28 at 8 p.m. Critics have said that Smith is "fiery," "passionate," and has "an evil left hand." He has been heard with such diverse company as the Modern Jazz Quartet, Benny Goodman, Dizzy Gillespie and Burt Bacharach. His keyboard work has figured in three modern movies, on the "Tonight Show" with Doc Severinsen's orchestra, and in concert with such notables as Frank Sinatra, Luciano Pavarotti, Sammy Cahn, Placido Domingo and Steve Allen, to name a few.

Marlene VerPlanck will entertain audiences at the college Dec. 12 at 8 p.m. Reviewers have described VerPlanck's voice as "one of the wonders of the Western World."

Tickets for all performances are $13 in advance, $15 at the door. Details: (732) 255-0500.

The Jackson Branch of the Ocean County Library will host Family Drum Fun on Oct. 4, 7 p.m. Celebrate Hispanic heritage and family unity with an African and Afro-Caribbean drum performance and workshop with master drummer Eddie Rosado, head of Folkloric Heritage, an organization that provides music and education from the Afro, Afro-Caribbean, and Latino Jazz cultures.

The program is primarily for children ages 3 -14 but adults will enjoy the education and entertainment.

The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Register at the library, by calling (732) 928-4400, option 6, or visiting www.oceancountylibrary. org.