Best Bets

Andy Griggs

Brooks & Dunn, as hot a duo in country music as there is today, will be performing with Andy Griggs -- "I Can't Get Over You," "When Love Dies," "Boot Scootin' Boogie," "Brand New Man," -- to celebrate their latest album "Tight Rope," which has remained on the country charts for over 40 weeks. Westbury Music Fair. October 1. 3 P.M. Tickets: $45. (631) 888-9000.

They're playing his songs

An evening with Marvin Hamlisch will showcase the composer's talents which include what he has written for film, stage, recordings and concert halls. He will be accompanied by the Concert Pops of Long Island conducted by Dean Karahalis, the ensemble's music director. Hamlisch is known for his groundbreaking "A Chorus Line," and his music for such memorable shows as "They're Playing Our Song," and "The Goodbye Girl." His motion picture scores include "The Way We Were," and his adaptation of Scott Joplin's music for "The Sting." His prolific output includes scores for films such as "Sophie's Choice," "Ordinary People," "The Swimmer," "Three Men and a Baby," "Ice Castles," "Take the Money and Run," "Bananas," and "Save the Tiger." Tilles Center/C.W.Post. October 6. 8 P.M. Tickets $50, $40 (seniors $47, $37). Tilles box Office or TillesCharge: 299-3100 1-6 P.M.

Special Events

Talks and tours
Old Westbury Gardens presents its "Talks & Tours" series offering informal talks and tours on various aspects of gardening and the decorative arts. October 1. 2 P.M.: Butterflies in the Garden. Join master gardener Jack Pine on a tour through the grounds to point out plants for both attracting butterflies and feeding their larvae. October 7. 2 P.M.: The Folklore of Trees. Trees come to life when you learn their loe with master gardener Barbara Frank. October 14. 2 P.M.: Ceilings, Moldings and Pediments: Look up with docent Anise Cherry as she discusses dressed, painted and carved ceilings. Learn about the various ways in which pediments are used. Old Westbury Gardens. Garden Talks & Tours usually meet at the Beech Tree by the West Porch of Westbury House and are free with Garden admission: adults $8/children 6-12 $3. Seniors 62+ $6. House Talks & Tours meet at the front desk and aare free with House & Gardens admission: adults $10, children $6, seniors $8. Parking free.
Chili pepper fiesta
Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with a day-long fiesta at Brooklyn Botanic Garden with Mariachis, cooking demos, crafts for kids and adults, homemade chili contest, Latin dance, puppet show, chili pepper sales, and food, food, food! Rain or shine. Free with regular Garden Admission. Saturday October 7. 10A.M.-6 P.M. www.bbg.org or (718)-623-7333.
Ahh, shucks!
Juried arts and crafts show, historic-boat exhibit, oyster eating and shucking contests, 5 k run, free shuttle bus,and wide variety of entertainment and music contests, are all part of Oyster Festival in central business district, Oyster Bay. October 14-15. 11 A.M. - 6 P.M. Fee: none.
Puppy love
All Breed Dog Show with more than 1,000 pure-bred dogs includes competition and demonstrations, plus vendors. October 1. 8 A.M.-5 P.M. Fee: $6, $4 children and seniors.Planting Fields Arboretum, Oyster Bay. 922-3541. Info: 922-3541.
How do they do that?
Ship-in-a-Bottle techniques employed by seamen who created model ships inside of bottles is the subject of a children's workshop. Children 6-12 will learn to create a simplified version of this maritime craft. October 22. 1 P.M. Whaling Museum, Main St., Cold Spring Harbor. Members: free. Non-members $5 (includes Museum admission). Reservations required: (631) 367-3418.

Theatre

Sleep-tight
Love and labor disputes heat up the Sleep-Tite Pajama Factory in the classic musical comedy, The Pajama Game. With inventive dancing and hit songs like "Hey There," "Hernando's Hideaway," and "Steam Heat," this 1950s Broadway favorite by songwriting team Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, won 6 Tony Awards including Best Musical. Local direction by Denise V. Green. Cultural Arts Playhouse, 714 Old Bethpage Rd., Old Bethpage. Through October 14. Fridays: 8:30 P.M., Saturdays: 8 P.M., Sundays: 3 P.M. Plus Wednesday matinee October 4 at 2 P.M. Tickets: $18/adults, $16/students, seniors. Matinee: $15.
A comic threat
Husband and wife team Renee Taylor and Joe Bologna star in their new comedy "If You Ever Leave Me...I'm Going With You" which celebrates the husband and wife acting/writing partnership and three decade love affair. The comedy covers the couple's romantic courtship, their first wedding reception, their five marriage ceremonies and the near spouse-icides of three decades of professional collaboration. Westbury Music Fair. October 15. 3 P.M. Tickets: $32.50. (631) 888-9000.

MUSIC

A little bit country
Brooks & Dunn, as hot a duo in country music as there is today, will be joined in concert with special guest Andy Griggs. Their latest album, Tight Rope, has remained on the country charts for over 40 weeks. Their double platinum greatest hits album has remained on the Billboard Catalogue charts for almost three solid years. Andy Griggs, the opening act, currently has a top 20 single, "She's More." Westbury Music Fair. October 1. 3 P.M. and 7 P.M. Tickets: $45. SFX.com or (631) 888-9000.
Kathy Mattea
Kathy Mattea, with special guest Asleep At The Wheel will celebrate her critically acclaimed new CD,"The Innocent Years" in concert. Kathy has won three Grammys, been honored twice as the CMA;'s "Female Vocalist of the Year," and received "Song" and "Single of the Year" honors for her hits, "Where've You Been," and "Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses." Westbury Music Fair. October 7. 8 P.M. Tickets: $32.50 (631) 888.9000.
The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber
The theatre event of the season returns to Long Island: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber. Expect to hear his biggest hits from The Phantom of the Opera," "Cats," "Evita," Jesus Christ Superstar," "Starlight Express," "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat," "Song and Dance," "Requiem," "Aspects of Love," "Sunset Boulevard," "Whistle Down The Wind," and more. Westbury Music Fair. October 12. 8 P.M. Tickets: $45. (631) 888-9000. Info: 334-0800.

Art

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.
Seeing is reading
The exhibition "Text: Word and Image" is comprised of works by various artists who incorporate text into their artwork. The underlying concept of the display is that many visual artists in our media-driven culture often feel the need to include written language in their work. Through October 8. Firehouse Art Gallery. Nassau Community College. Free admission. Mon.-Tues. 10 A.M.-4 P.M., Wed.-Thurs. 11 A.M.-7 P.M.; Fri. 10 A.M.-2 P.M., Sat. 12 P.M.-5 P.M.
Friends and colleagues
A special exhibition, Four Artists, Four Objects, Ten Years, features the artwork of four contemporary American female artists and their still-life paintings through December 15. Showing the work of Janet Fish, Sondra Freckelton, Nancy Hagin and Harriet Shorr, four talented painters who are friends as well as colleagues. Emily Lowe Gallery. Hofstra University. Admission is free. Hours: Tues.-Fri. 10 A.M. - 5 P.M.; Sat.,Sun. 1 P.M. - 5 P.M. Closed on holiday weekends. Info: (516) 463-5672.
Looking forward
A special exhibition "Toward the New: American Abstract Artists" traces the history of the American Abstract Artists, a revolutionary group founded in 1936. The group's mission is to ensure that galleries and museums continue to display the work of American artists who create in the abstract style. In keeping with the mission, Hillwood Art Museum will present the most recent work of several current members through November 12. C.W. Post Campus. Open Mon.-Fri., 9:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. and until 7:30 P.M. on Tues.; Sat.-Sun. 11 A.M. - 3 P.M. Info: 299-4073 or www.liu.edu/museum.