From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the Blaisdell Exhibition Hall, the annual event brings a close to National Pet Week and Be Kind to Animals Week.

Aptly themed "People and Pets, the Perfect Combination," the expo will feature the usual fare — cooking demonstrations, pet products and services, crafts, gifts — coupled with the more unusual, such as a Picasso Pets painting activity, where the animals create the works of art, and an Ask-A-Vet booth for wondering pet lovers.

Sunday's especially rigged for fun: Animal fanatics can get satisfy their fur curiosities at a petting zoo; cat owners can show off their feline friends at the expo's first cat show at 11:30 a.m.; and the annual Hawaiian Club Puppy Match rounds out the day from noon to 4 p.m.

Don't forget your camera and some non-perishable food items for the Hawai'i Foodbank. And keep those dogs on leashes. 845-1762.

Friendly persuasion

You can do anything with friends.

That's the message Sesame Street Live's production of "Let's Be Friends" hopes to deliver to the multitude of kids who will take in one of the performances continuing this weekend at the Blaisdell Center.

And there are lots of them: 7 p.m. today, 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday, and 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Sunday. (Shows continue next weekend.)

Meet Elmo, Zoe, Cookie Monster, Ernie and Bert, and the rest of the Sesame Street crew as they take you on the adventure of forging a friendship club.

And kids will learn more than just the Friendship Club song and the official handshake. "Let's Be Friends" teaches practical lessons on the importance of cleaning your room, teamwork, loyalty and acceptance.

Tickets are $12 and $14. Limited premium seats available. For more information, call 591-2211, charge by phone at 526-4400, or visit www.sesamestreetlive.com

Free to be Filipino

Martin Nievera. Free concert.

Never in the same sentence until now.

The Hawai'i-born "Concert King of the Philippines" will entertain the crowds at a free concert, part of the 9th annual Western Union Filipino Fiesta and Parade, which takes place 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday at Kapi'olani Park. Nievera takes the stage at the Bandstand at 3 p.m.

Organized by the Filipino Community Center, the event is geared toward promoting and perpetuating the Filipino culture in Hawai'i, especially with the younger generations. Organizers hope the free concert will lure his younger fans, who have popularized the hip-hop and R&B star.

And if not for the music, come for the food. The fiesta will feature a variety of Filipino food booths, with everything from traditional main entrees to desserts. Grab a plate lunch and watch the parade, which stretches from Ala Moana Beach Park, along Kalakaua Avenue, to Kapi'olani Park from 9 a.m. to about 11 a.m. Or take in the free entertainment by Forté, Honolulu and Chant, among others.

Admission is free. For more information, call 847-6401.

Mommy dearest

You can never do too much for your mom on Mother's Day. So besides vacuuming her house and slaving in the kitchen, preparing her favorite meal (with dessert), here are some activities to pamper her:

• Find last-minute gifts at the Mother's Day Craft Fair, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. today at the Laniakea YWCA. Search through handcrafted items, including koa products and jewelry; admission is free. 538-7061, ext. 213.

• What woman doesn't love fashion? Take Mom to the Mother's Day Fashion Show, 1-2 p.m. Saturday at Aloha Tower Marketplace (566-2337); or the Liberty House Fashion Show, 1-2 p.m. at Kahala Mall (732-7736). Both are free.

• Take Mom to experience the sweet melodies of Hoku Award-winning Na Leo Pilimehana at the Hawai'i Ballroom, Sheraton Waikiki Hotel with a Mother's Day brunch on Sunday. Buffet-style brunch starts at 10:30 a.m; concert starts at noon. $45 per person (keiki packages available). Reservations: 922-4422.

• Go overboard with a Mother's Day Champagne Breakfast and Lunch Cruise on the Star of Honolulu. The cruise departs Pier 8 at Aloha Tower Marketplace at 8:30 a.m., returning at 11:30 a.m.; $37, $60. 983-7827.

• Local diva Karen Keawehawai'i hosts a Mother's Day concert at the Manoa Grand Ballroom of the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii (2454 S. Beretania St.) on Sunday. Doors open at 10:30 a.m., with brunch beginning at 11 a.m. Keawehawai'i takes the stage from 12:30 to 2 p.m.; $37 and $35 for adults ($20 children ages 5-10). All seats reserved. 732-6223.

• Head to Waikiki for Mother's Day shows with Kapena, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. (lunch buffet) or 5-8 p.m. (dinner buffet) at the Pacific Beach Hotel Grand Ballroom; $30 for lunch show, $36 for dinner show. 921-6137, 922-1233.

• Spend the day at the Friends of Honolulu Botanical Gardens' "Flowers & Fragrances for Mother's Day" Plant Sale, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday at Foster Botanical Garden (180 N. Vineyard Blvd.). Admire tropical rhododendrons from the Big Island, rare Hawaiian sandlewood and a variety of roses; admission is free. 537-1708.

Piano man

Pianist Vladimir Feltsman, no stranger to Island concert fans, joins the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra in a pair of classical showcases at 4 p.m. Sunday and 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Blaisdell Concert Hall. On the program: Prokofiev's "Lieutenant Kije Suite" and Piano Concerto No. 1 and Shostakovich's Symphony No. 15. Tickets are $15-$55 (discounts for seniors, students, military), available at the box office, Ticket Plus outlets, military outlets, online at www.honolulusymphony.com or charge by phone at 792-2000 (symphony).

Spinout

Let the summer blowouts begin: Alliance Productions and Soul Pleasure will present a DJ-intense event at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa's Campus Center Ballroom. Among the spinners will be Kid Icarus from Dallas and DJ Hepcat, pictured, from Philadelphia, in addition to a vast array of Island DJs. We're talking three rooms of sound and even one room of art. Details: 10 p.m.-2 a.m. Saturday; for ages 18 and older. Tickets are $15 presale (Jelly's-University, Pearl Kai; Tower Records-Ke'eaumoku, 'Aiea; Hungry Ear) or for UH students, $20 at the door. 593-3696.

Fiery talent

The annual fire knife dance is the hottest part of "We Are Samoa," the Polynesian Cultural Center's festival that begins Monday. Preliminaries in the Junior Fire Knife Competition begin at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, semi-finals May 18 at Hale Aloha Theatre; the crowning is May 19 at the Pacific Theatre. (Pictured is Pati Levasa, of Western Samoa, who won the contest in 1997.) Admission is $7 for Hale Aloha events; $26 general, $16 children for the "Horizon" show, which includes the fire dance finals; $15 kama'aina. There's also the High School Arts Festival at the Pacific Theatre — 9:30 a.m. May 19, $7 all-day ticket — in which students will demonstrate their Samoan cultural skills in competitions that range from basket weaving to dancing and singing. 293-3333.

Reading room

"The Young Man From Atlanta" closes the Army Community Theatre's Sunday@2 Matinee Readers Theatre season, taking the stage at Richardson Theatre in Fort Shafter at 2 p.m. Sunday and May 20 and 27. "Young Man," a 1995 Pulitzer Prize winner, set in 1950 Houston, focuses on a couple who must deal with the suicide of their only son. This production stars Jim Hutchison, Jill Esser Frierson and Richard Pellett; it's directed by Vanita Rae Smith. Tickets are $6; 438-4480.

Eye opener

A 30-foot papier-mache daruma will make a return appearance Sunday at the grand opening ceremony for the Honolulu Academy of Arts' Luce Pavilion Complex expansion. Following the Japanese tradition, one eye of the museum's daruma was painted in during the 1999 pavilion groundbreaking ceremony; the other eye will be filled in Sunday, signifying the completion of a goal. Guests at the noon ceremony will be invited to help fill in the eye. The museum will be open free (noon-5 p.m.) to celebrate the Luce expansion. 532-8700.