Baltimore Book Festival, Mike Rowe and more top Baltimore-area events this week

Baltimore Book FestivalBeing in the word business, we love books. And we bet you do, too. They're handy, attractive, durable, filled with all sorts of wonderful ideas. This weekend, Baltimore celebrates the bibliophiles among us, bringing together authors and the magical words they produce with the people who love (and benefit from) them. This year's festival includes appearances from some 200 national and regional authors, including Terry McMillan (&quot;How Stella Got Her Groove Back&quot;) and Carl Hiaasen (&quot;Razor Girl&quot;), plus a Paws & Pages stage, featuring animal-focused programming; a Sustainable Seafood Panel, with Spike Gjerde, John Shields and oyster expert Patrick Hudson; a Pop Culture Parade, courtesy of Geppi's Entertainment Museum; and a special edition of The Stoop Storytelling Series. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday-next Sunday on the Inner Harbor Promenade, along Light Street between the Maryland Science Center and the Inner Harbor Amphitheater. Free. baltimorebookfestival.org.Main Street Music FestToad the Wet Sprocket, the Kelly Bell Band, the Nighthawks, CJ Ramone, Jah Works and the All Mighty Senators raise their voices (and guitars, etc.) to raise money to help Ellicott City rebuild after the flooding of July 30. Good music, better cause. Noon Saturday at Merriweather Post Pavilion, 10475 Little Patuxent Parkway in Columbia. $12 (free for kids under 12). merriweathermusic.com.'Love Jones: The Musical'The staged musical version of the 1997 movie (which starred Larenz Tate and Nia Long as impassioned lovers exploring just where that passion would take them) stars Chrisette Michelle, Musiq Soulchild, Marsha Ambrosius, MC Lyte, Raheem Devaughn and Dave Hollister. Sounds seriously hot. 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Morgan State University's Murphy Fine Arts Center, 2201 Argonne Drive. $55-$85. murphyfineartscenter.org.Mike Rowe, signing autographs before an Orioles games -- presumably not one of the dirty jobs he'll be talking about at the Lyric on SaturdayDirty Talk with Mike RoweThe Towson University alum who's made a career of sampling the dirtiest jobs imaginable tells us just what it's like. Hey, better him than us. 8 p.m. Saturday at the Modell Performing Arts Center at the Lyric, 140 W. Mount Royal Ave. $25-$65. lyricbaltimore.com.Kiddie FlamingosKids read a G-rated version of John Waters' 1972 &quot;Pink Flamingos,&quot; the story of a desperate struggle to be named the filthiest person alive. Opens Wednesday and remains on display through Jan. 22, 2017 (running on a continuous loop), at the Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Dr. Free. artbma.org.Make America Rock AgainSounds like a good idea. Music from Trapt, Saliva, Saving Abel, Alien Ant Farm, Crazy Town, 12 Stones and Tantric. Prepare. 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Pier Six Pavilion, 731 Eastern Ave. $25-$45. piersixpavilion.com.Penguins at the zoo will be part of Zoobilee on Friday.ZoobileeFood, music, dancing and penguins. Other critters, too. So cool. 7 p.m.-11 p.m. Friday at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, in Druid Hill Park. $100. marylandzoo.org.BSO Pulse: HoundmouthThe Baltimore Symphony Orchestra joins forces with indie rockers Houndmouth for what has to be a memorable evening. First the BSO performs, then Houndmouth, then both together. 8:30 p.m. Thursday at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212 Cathedral St. $35. Bsomusic.org.Saint Demetrios Greek FestivalTons of Greek food (never get enough spanakopita, right?), with maybe a little wine on the side, plus lots of music, dancing and displays of Hellenic pride. 5 p.m.-9 p.m. Thursday, 5 p.m.-10 p.m. Friday, noon-10 p.m. Saturday, noon-7 p.m. Sunday at Saint Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church, 2504 Cub Hill Road. Free. stdemetriosmd.org.Dylan Plotts of Baltimore enjoys a turkey leg and a beer.Maryland OktoberfestBeer, kraut and wurst. Sure, it's not even October yet, but why wait? 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday at the Maryland State Fairgrounds, 2200 York Road in Timonium. $6-$8 (free for kids under 12, or if you dress in a full tracht). md-germans.org.Chris.kaltenbach@baltsun.comTwitter.com/chriskaltsun

Baltimore Book Festival, Mike Rowe and more top Baltimore-area events this week

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