Planet Weekend Picks, Sept. 6-8

Follow the Drinking Gourd
Follow the Drinking Gourd performs at the Princeton Public Library Sunday.

Friday, September 6

Art Exhibit Opening at the Present Day Club –  Opening reception for exhibit of works by Bob Sullivan, 6-8 p.m., 72 Stockton Street in Princeton, free.

Keith Franklin Jazz Group Performs at Salt Creek Grille – The quartet performs jazz and blues standards from 7-11 p.m. at One Rockingham Row, Forrestal Village in Plainsboro.

Rosh Hashanah Service With Chabad Mercer – A free service, held at 731 Princeton Kingston Road, Princeton, at 7 p.m.

Proof Opens at McCarter Theatre – Drama by David Auburn, featuring Michael Braun, Kristen Bush, Jessica Dickey, and Michael Siberry. For ticket info. visit  www.mccarter.org,  Performances at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday,  2 p.m. Sunday.

Saturday, September 7

Sourland Spectacular Bike Ride – Ride on paved roads through the Sourland Mountain area. Routes range from 23 to 63 miles. Enjoy Nomad pizza a home-made brownie sundae for dessert. On-site registration $40 for adults, $20 for ages 7-16. Park at Montgomery High School, 1016 County Road 601, and bike across the street to the Otto Kaufman CommunityCenter to register.

11th Annual Insect Festival –  Sponsored by the Rutgers Master Gardeners of Mercer County, the festival will be held at the Mercer Educational Gardens, 431A Federal City Road, Pennington. Attendees are invited to visit the seven demonstration gardens-Annual, Butterfly, Cottage, Herb, Native Plant, Perennial and Weed ID and talk with Master Gardeners who will be on hand to offer tips and display guides for recognizing some of the pesky as well as beneficial insects. Every garden will host an activity that will interest and educate children of all ages about the incredible and often beautiful insects common to the area.  The event will be held rain or shine, 1-4 p.m., and is free to the public, with on-site parking available.

Sunday, September 8

Art Exhibit Reception at the Nassau Club – Reception for “Still Celebrating Color”, an exhibit of colorful fabric constructions by Joy Saville, 6 Mercer Street, Princeton, 3-5 p.m., free.

D&R Greenway Land Trust Gala – Music, dance performance, conservation award. At the  Johnson Education Center, 1 Preservation Place, Princeton, 4-6 p.m.,, $75.

Follow the Drinking Gourd Performs at Princeton Public Library – Spirituals and other music with traditional African American roots performed in the library community room, 3 p.m., free.