BEST BETS

Alabama

Alabama is one of the premier hit-making machines on today's country music scene. 17 million-selling albums, 12 American Music Awards as the public's favorite country group and 41 No. 1 hits (so far) keep them the most successful country music group in history. With hits from "Tennessee River," to "Old Flame", "Why Lady Why," "Mountain Music," and "If You're Gonna Play in Texas (You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band)" and "Dixieland Delight," these 'Southern Stars' attract a large following. Westbury Music Fair.September 17, 3 P.M. Tickets: $40, (631) 888-9000.

Long Island Philharmonic

Toward the Splendid City will be conducted by Steven Smith when violinist Shlomo Mintz joins the Long Island Philharmonic at Tilles Center For The Performing Arts. Also expect Sibelius' Violin Concerto and Brahms Symphony No. 1. September 24. 7:30 P.M. Tickets: $47, $42, $32, $24. Info/Tickets: 299-3100.

Corey Harris

W.C. Handy Award winning singer/songwriter/guitarist Corey Harris, whose album, Greens From The Garden, recently received a four-star review in Rolling Stone, will perform in Wantagh. Harris' newest project, "vu-du-mez" (a duet album with pianist/vocalist Henry Butler), is an acoustic tour-de-force of southern blues. Jones Beach Amphitheater. September 16. 6:30 P.M. Tickets: $18-45. Info: 221-1000 or www.livetonight.com.

Special Events

Watercolor lessons/poetry workshop
Cedarmere, the Roslyn Harbor estate of famed nineteenth-century American Poet William Cullen Bryant, is sponsoring a series of lessons in watercolor painting on five Tuesdays, September 12, 19, 26 and October 3 and 10. Weather permitting, classes will be held outdoors. Sponsored by Friends for Long Island's Heritage. Course: $90 plus materials supplied by either student or purchased when registering. Also Maxwell C. Wheat invites others to join him in a nature poetry writing workshop on September 21 at 10:30 A.M.Fee, which includes tour of Cedarmere gardens, grounds and house: $8. 571-8131 for schedules and info.
Bird's eye view
Join a naturalist on an early morning Migrating Birds nature walk through the fields and woodlands to view the birds in their natural habitats. Participants have rare opportunity to watch a bird-blander at work, and observe seldom seen species of warblers and wrens. Sponsored by Friends for Long Island's Heritage, walks begin at Bill Paterson Nature Center, Muttontown Preserve, East Norwich. September 9. 8:30-11:30 A.M. Admission: $3 per person; children under 13 free. Pre-registration required. 571-8500.
Talks and Tours
Talks & Tours series during month of September offers informal talks and tours on various aspects of gardening and decorative arts. September 3: Butterflies in the Garden. Master Gardener Jack Pine will take you on tour through grounds of Old Westbury Gardens to point out plants for both attracting butterflies and feeding their larvae. Meet at the Beech Tree by West Porch of Westbury House unless otherwise noted and is free with Gardens admission. 10 A.M. - 5 P.M. Admission to Gardens only: Adults/$10; children 6-12: $6; seniors 62+: $8. Info: 333-0048.
Arts & Crafts Fair
End summer with a bang at C.W. Post/LIU, Arts & Crafts Labor Day Fair. Outdoors on campus grounds, featuring art, photography, hand crafted jewelry, ceramics, wood, leather, glass, and many gift items. September 2 & 3. 11 A.M. - 6 P.M. Rain or shine. Free admission and parking. Refreshments.

Theatre

Phantom revisited
Phantom: The American Musical Sensation, music and lyrics by Maury Yeston and book by Arthur Kopit, is not the Andrew Lloyd Webber version. Yeston and Kopit are creative team behind Tony Award-winning musical "Nine." Promoters suggest this version offers a more "dashing Phantom, a more romantic storyline, and a different ending." The Gray Wig alumni repertory theater group. Hofstra University, John Cranford Adams Playhouse. September 8 - 24, weekends only: 8 P.M. Friday, Saturday and 2 P.M. Sunday. Tickets: $22, $20 (seniors and students). Box Office/Info: 463-6644.
Barrymore!
Shortly before his death, legendary actor John Barrymore has rented a stage to prepare for a comeback performance of Richard III. What is in store for audiences, however, is a peek into the troubled mind and memoirs of this theatrical giant. The '97 Broadway run of this biographical (Barrymore) won Christopher Plummer a Tony Award for Best Actor. Broadhollow Theater, 200 Stewart Ave., Bethpage. Tickets: $12. (631) 581-2756.Through September 17. Fridays: 8:30 P.M., Saturdays: 8:00 P.M., Sunday August 27 & September 10 at 7:00 P.M. Thursdays, August 24 & September 10: 8:00 P.M.

MUSIC

Dwight Yoakam
Country Music singer/songwriter/guitarist-cum-actor, Dwight Yoakam, will perform such popular tunes as "I Sang Dixie," "Honky Tonk Man," and "Streets of Bakersfield." The opening of his new film, "South Of Heaven, West of Hell," will coincide with a new album due out this fall. Westbury Music Fair. September 1. 8 P.M. Tickets: $37.50 (631) 888-9000.
Harvest musical festival
Labor Day Weekend, visitors to Old Bethpage Village Restoration will experience a variety of entertaining historic musical performances in the spirit of mid-nineteenth century Long Island. Old Bethpage Village.September 2-4. Admission: $6/adults $5/children 5-12. No charge for parking. Info: 572-8400.
Beethoven Festival
Friends of the Arts Long Island Summer Festival presents again its highly acclaimed Beethoven Festival. Marking its 19th Anniversary, expect an innovative program of continuous and simultaneous performances in a variety of attractive venues. Musicians will perform the master's most thrilling chamber music. September 3. Noon to 6 P.M. Planting Fields Arboretum. Info: 922-0061. Tickets: All tickets $25 which provide entrance into various sites: Hay Barn, Coe Hall. Children's event: (11:15-12:15)/Marionnette Motions & Beethoven Bagatelles) intended for kids ages 5-8. No fee for children's program.

Art

Pas de 'dance'
Dance as a form of art is celebrated in a multi-media art exhibit, "Dance, Dance, Dance" featuring works from Degas, Hockney, Arman, Mapplethorpe, Picasso, Renoir and Derain. The exhibit reflects international visual interpretations of dance from the 1890s on, from impressionism to American realism, from basic folk to the avant garde. A second exhibit, "Fabulous Jewels" can also be viewed which showcases the history of designed jewelry from 1875 to 1960. Nassau County Museum of Art, Roslyn. Through September 17.
Contemporary impressions
An exhibition of American artist Howard Behrens, a master of contemporary impressionistic landscapes and waterviews, can be viewed at Central Galleries, 420 Central Ave., Cedarhurst through end-September. Inspiration for Behrens comes mainly from his travels. Whatever his subject, he presents a world of physical beauty, bathed in sunlight and touched by sea breezes. Hours: 10 A.M. - 6 P.M. Monday - Saturday; 12-6 P.M. Sunday; 10-9 P.M. Wednesday. Admission is free. Info: 569-5686.
Pollock to Wyeth
As a companion to the Hans Namuth: Portraits exhibition, museum shows works by many of the famed artists captured by Namuth's lens, among them Jackson Pollock, Isamu Noguchi, Roy Lichenstein, Willem deKooning and Andrew Wyeth. (Through October 29). Another exhibition Aaron Copland's New York, shows the sharp contrasts of New York City as a sleepy seaport with the angular, soaring thrust of skyscrapers, the speed and complexity of the subway system and sometimes the serene pleasures of the city's leafy parks. (Through January 7).Heckscher Museum, Main Street (Rte 25A) and Prime Ave., Huntington. Hours: Tuesday - Friday, 10 A.M. - 5 P.M. Admission: suggested donation $3 adults/$1 children. Info: (631) 351-3250.
The Spiritual in Art
Islip Art Museum presents The Spiritual in Art and includes work by several contemporary artists whose work is informed by their own spiritual philosophies and practices. Painting and mixed media works are represented in this exhibition. Call for additional related events. From September 20. Brookwood Hall, 50 Irish Lane, E. Islip. Info: (631) 224-5402. Call for hours and admission.