Fun events coming up in mid-August

FAMILY FUN

Hyperbole galore in the center ring

Modesty has never been one of its virtues. The self-proclaimed ?Greatest Show on Earth? has rolled into the Oracle Arena with all the expected over-the-big-top glitz and rhinestone glam ? from a high wire motorcyclist to a double-decker trapeze.Catch the thrills of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus at 7:30 p.m. tonight. Additional shows 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday and 1 and 5 p.m. Sunday. $15 to $100, ticketmaster.com. 7000 Coliseum Way, Oakland. (510) 569-2121

FILM ALFRESCO

Movie night at McNear Park

The bond between a boy and his dog scratches a universal itch, unveiling the pathos of life with warmth and humor. ?My Dog Skip,? the 2000 film based on Willie Morris? autobiographical tale about a boy and his dog, will screen this Saturday evening in Petaluma?s McNear Park.Set in 1940s Mississippi, the film recounts the travails of a scrappy Jack Russell terrier who leads an only child through the best days of his life: his childhood. The evening of family fun starts with pizza and popcorn at 6:30 p.m., followed by the film at 8:15 p.m. Donation is $4 adults, $2 kids. McNear Park is at G and 11th streets. 694-9888. petalumamovies.com.

MUSIC

Bruce Hornsby at Napa opera house

Three-time Grammy winner, Bruce Hornsby is making the rounds this summer, playing the classics and songs off his his new album, ?Levitate.? One of the truly great collaborators in recent music history, he?s played with everyone from Bob Dylan and Bob Seger to Stevie Nicks and Bela Fleck, including a gig as a part-time member of the Grateful Dead. At a recent concert, the Virginia native mixed it up with a totally revamped version of his hit ?The Way It Is,? along with a funky run through ?Old Valley Road? and the Dead song ?Standing on the Moon.? 8 p.m. Saturday at the Napa Valley Opera House, 1030 Main St., Napa. $80. www.napavalleyoperahouse.org.

OUTDOOR THEATER

Buckle your swash at Ives Park shows

Expect more than swashbuckling excitement when ?The Three Musketeers? leap into Sebastopol?s Ives Park tonight. The opening night fund-raising gala for Sonoma County Repertory Theater pumps up the performance with hors d?oeuvres, wine and the chance to engage in a bidding joust for everything from fencing lessons to a week in Paris. The old-fashioned family show filled with heroism, treachery, close calls and honor, updates the enduring Dumas tale. The gala starts at 6 p.m. with showtime at 7 p.m. Gala tickets are $40. The show runs Thursdays through Sundays through Aug. 30. Regular tickets are $23, $18 seniors and students and free if under 13. 7400 Willow St., Sebastopol. 823-0177 or the-rep.com.

? John Beck, Meg McConahey, Diane Peterson