I'm always telling people in Fresno they absolutely HAVE to go to at least one event in the California State University Summer Arts Festival, which on Sunday is starting its 11th year at Fresno State. Maybe this is your year! You can't plead that you're "too busy that night," because there are 40 public events that unfold almost daily for an entire month. Some are full-fledged concerts/performances, such as the festival's kick-off program 7 p.m. Sunday of the Joe Goode Performance Group, pictured above, which I hear is already a very tough ticket to get. Others are smaller-scale demonstrations or lectures. And the student culminations, which come at the conclusion of both of the festival's two-week sessions, are a great way to experience the festival and save money -- because they're free.

My cover story in Sunday's upcoming issue of Spotlight is about Summer Arts and includes some of the festival's highlights along with an interview with director Jim Spalding. We can't possibly fit the entire performance calendar into one issue of the newspaper, however. I plan to have a daily Summer Arts Bulletin Board rolling post on the Beehive with highlights for the day, news tidbits about the festival and a chance for readers to offer comments and reviews.