COWPARADE NC: UNC campus. Through January 2013: Artist-rendered cow sculptures on display. Cows will be auctioned Jan. 26, 2013. Proceeds benefit the N.C. Children’s Hospital. cowparadenc.com

IN FOCUS: Through Nov. 1: Town-wide festival of photography presented by Frank Gallery. Sept. 27, David Spear, 6 p.m., Frank Gallery, 109 E. Franklin St. Sept. 28: 2012 Daylight Photo Awards Opening, Daylight Books, 6 p.m., 121 W. Margaret Lane, Hillsborough. Sept. 29: “Artistic Trajectories: Voices in Contemporary Photography,” 6 p.m., Carroll Hall Auditorium, UNC. Sept. 30: “The Informed Collector: How and Why to Collect Photography,” 1-3 p.m., Carolina Inn, 211 Pittsboro St. Sept. 30: The Carolina Inn Collection, 3-5 p.m., Carolina Inn, 211 Pittsboro St . Oct. 4: The Documentary Project, 6 p.m. frankisart.com

CARRBORO MUSIC FESTIVAL: Downtown Carrboro. Sept. 30: carrboromusicfestival.com

SHAKORI HILLS GRASSROOTS FESTIVAL OF MUSIC & DANCE: Shakori Hills, 1439 Henderson Tanyard Road, Silk Hope. Oct. 4-7: Live music, crafts, food, workshopsand more. shakorihillsgrassroots.org

MUSIC

ARTSCENTER: 300-G E. Main St., Carrboro. Oct. 10: Triangle Jazz Orchestra. Oct. 13: Perfume Genius, Dusted. Oct. 17: Los Lonely Boys, The Onyx Club Boys. Oct. 19: John Jorgenson Quintet. Oct. 20: Tinariwen, Kishi Bashi. Oct. 26: Steve Forbert, Jon Shain. Oct. 27: Sam Bush Band. Nov. 1: Shamekia Copeland. Nov. 2: Tim O’Brien. artscenterlive.org, 929-2787.

CAFFE DRIADE: 1215-A E. Franklin St. Sept. 29: Scott Niebauer. Oct. 5: Prypyat. Oct. 13: Ian McFeron. Oct. 20: Magnolia Klezmer Band. caffedriade.com

CAROLINA INN: All shows at 5 p.m. Sept. 28: Down River. Oct. 5: Mel Melton & the Wicked Mojos. Oct. 12: Big Fat Gap.

CAT’S CRADLE: 300 E. Main St., Carrboro. Sept. 26: Stars, Diamond Rings, California Wives. Sept. 27: Antibalas. Sept. 28: Ben Sollee. Sept. 29: Cynamatik Freak Circus. Sept. 30: Carrboro Music Festival. Oct. 1: Polica, Gardens and Villa. Oct. 3: The Green, Stick Figure, Matt Irie. Oct. 4: Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Airstrip. Oct. 5: The Whigs, Ponderosa. Oct. 6: Easy Star All-Stars, Aggrolites. Oct. 7: The Dismemberment Plan. Oct. 9: Tennis, Wild Belle. Oct. 10: Melvins Lite, Tweak Bird. Oct. 11-13: Yep Roc 15. Oct. 14: The Hold Steady. Oct. 15: Jens Lekman, Taken By Trees. Oct. 16: The Temper Trap, The Neighbourhood. Oct. 19: Father John Misty, La Sera, Jeffertitti’s Nile. 919-967-9053, catscradle.com

THE CAVE: 452 1/2 W. Franklin St. Sept. 26: The Late Comers. Sept. 27: Ridge Frissell. Sept. 28: Zen Frisbee, Shark Quest. Sept. 29: Chatterin’ Teeth, Twilighter. Sept. 30: No Babies, Secret Boyfriend. Oct. 2: Open mic. Oct. 3: Royal Chant. Oct. 4: Old North State, Shane Kelly, Adam Woods, Chris Rodrigues. Oct. 5: The Church of Zann. Oct. 8-9: Hawkeye Jordan. Oct. 10: Crankshaft, Blackwood & Wormy’s Open Jam for the Peeps. Oct. 11: Acoustifest. Oct. 12: Kyle Offidani. Oct. 13: Chris Reali. Oct. 14: TC Costello, Thunderhawk. Oct. 15: The Anamolys. Oct. 16: JPhono1, Kalispell. 919-968-9308, caverntavern.com

CRUNKLETON: 320 W. Franklin St. First Thursdays: Jazzbeau. 919-969-1125

GERRARD HALL: UNC campus. Oct. 5-6: “Way Down East,” Stephen Vitiello, in conjunction with the Process Series: New Works in Development. 8 p.m.

HAW RIVER BALLROOM: Saxapahaw. Sept. 28: Big Beat Dance Party with Apple Juice Kid, Beverly Botsford, Atiba Rorie, Scot Crews, Larry Q Draughn and YahZarah. hawriverballroom.com

HILL HALL: UNC campus. Sept. 28: Twentieth Anniversary Showcase Concert, North Carolina Jazz Repertory Orchestra. 8 p.m. $15; $10 students. 919-843-3333.

KRAKEN: 2823 N.C. 54 W. Sept. 27: The Royalty.

LOCAL 506: 506 W. Franklin St. Sept. 28: Mercury Dime, John Howie & The Rosewood Bluff, Jeffrey Dean Foster. Sept. 29: Frontier Ruckus, Magnolia Collective. Oct. 1: Mount Carmel. Oct. 2: The Soft Pack, Heavy Hawaii. Oct. 3: Octopus Project, Nervous Curtains. Oct. 4: Aer, Yonas, David Dallas, Skyblew. Oct. 5: Balmorhea. Oct. 6: Lord Huron. Oct. 9: Buke and Gase. 919-942-5506, local506.com.

MEMORIAL HALL: Cameron Ave., UNC campus. Sept. 30-Oct. 1: The Silk Road Ensemble with Yo-Yo Ma. 919-843-3333, carolinaperformingarts.org

NIGHTLIGHT: 405 1/2 W. Rosemary St. Sept. 27: Orgavin, Mecankill, Little Black Rain Clouds. Sept. 28: New Wave French Vogue Dance Party. Oct. 5: Campfires and Constellations, Almost People, B-Side Project, Turchi. nightlightclub.com

OPEN EYE CAFE: W. R101 S. Greensboro St., Carrboro. Sept. 28: Tripp Band. Sept. 29: Saludos Compay. Sept. 30: Carrboro Music Festival. 919-968-9410, openeyecafe.com

PERSON RECITAL HALL: UNC campus. Sept. 27: “Frederic Rzewski’s 36 Variations on ‘The People United Will Never Be Defeated,” Faculty lecture-recital, Talking Music Series. 7:30 p.m.

ST. MATTHEW’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH: 210 St. Mary’s Road, Hillsborough. Oct. 11: Will McFarlane. 919-732-9308, stmatthewshillsborough.org

RECEPTIONS/OPENINGS

FRANK: 109 E. Franklin St. Sept. 27: David Spear. 919-636-4135, frankisart.com

GOATHOUSE REFUGE: 680 Alton Alston Road, Pittsboro. Oct. 13: Autumn Art Auction. 2-5 p.m. $10 donation in advance, $15 on site. 919-542-6815, goathouserefuge.org

HANES ART CENTER: UNC campus. Oct. 2: Hanes Visiting Artist Leture: Stephen Vitiello. 6 p.m. art.unc.edu/index.htm

HILLSBOROUGH GALLERY OF ARTS: 121 N. Churton St. Sept. 28: Opening reception for “Meditations,” paintings by Lolette Guthrie, handcrafted furniture by O’Neal Jones, blown glass by Pringle Teetor. 6-9 p.m. Show runs through Oct. 21. 919-732-5001, hillsboroughgallery.com

THEATER/DANCE

ARTSCENTER: 300-G E. Main St., Carrboro. Sept. 28-Oct. 7:”44 Plays for 44 Presidents.” Sept. 29: No Shame Theater. 919-929-2787, artscenterlive.org

CHAPEL HILL HIGH SCHOOL: High School Road. Sept. 27-29: “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”

PLAYMAKERS: Center for Dramatic Art, UNC campus. Through Oct. 7: “Red.’ 962-PLAY, playmakersrep.org