[ quirky competition ]

1. People-powered vehicles' will try to traverse mud, water and sand at annual Kinetic Sculpture Race

Although not destined to become an Olympic event, the Kinetic Sculpture Race gains some prestige this year: Ventura Mayor Carl Morehouse wrote an official song for the event.

In keeping with the race's outlandish nature, Morehouse's jingle manages to rhyme the words "kinetic," "peripatetic," "alphabetic" and "anesthetic." You can listen to this poetically challenged opus at www.kineticrace.com.

Even more challenged, however, are the folks who attempt to pedal, push, prod and do whatever else it takes to get their human-powered contraptions (sculptures) to the finish line of the race, which takes place Saturday at Ventura Harbor.

Team Holy Mackerel, pictured, rode for championship glory last year in a flying fish racer — the fifth time in a row the team won.

Contestants, many of them wearing unofficially sanctioned bizarre costumes, make their way through treacherous terrain: water, sand, mud and a parking lot.

According to organizers, "silly rules and ridiculous regulations, along with rampant bribery, ensure that the winner is not necessarily the first one to cross the finish line."

The race will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., opening with the water launch behind the Sheraton Four Points Hotel. The best views are from the shore by the launch ramp.

The obstacle courses are next, starting with the water course, best viewed from the Ventura Harbor Village promenade; followed by the sand challenge from Mother's Beach to Surfer's Knoll, noon; the oval road race along the Harbor Village promenade and in the parking lot, 2 p.m.; and the mud pit challenge in the harbor's large grass area, 2:30 p.m.

A detailed description of the race route is available at the Web site.

Attendees can meet the racers and get a close-up view of their moving sculptures afterward (if the vehicles are not still mired in mud).

Ladies and gentlemen, start your inventions.

Ventura Harbor Village is on Spinnaker Drive off Harbor Boulevard.

Admission and parking are free. Racers' entry fees benefit the Turning Point Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports mentally ill adults.

For more information, visit www.kineticrace.com or www.venturaharborvillage.com.

[ festival premiere ]

2. Sci-fi on the stage

The inaugural Ray Bradbury Theater Festival at the Rubicon Theatre, featuring stage adaptations of the famed science-fiction author's works, opens today. Productions include "The Illustrated Man," starring Tobias Anderson; "Machines, Beyond Shylock," a multimedia presentation with music by Jonathan McEuen and taped narration by Malcolm McDowell; "The Pedestrian," a short film by Chard Hayward; and "The Halloween Tree" by the Peachtree Theater Company. Bradbury will sign books at noon Sunday. Tickets cost $30-$50, with a 50 percent discount for students. 1006 E. Main St., Ventura. 667-2900; www.rubicontheatre.org.

[ street art ]

3. Chalk on the blocks

Downtown Fillmore will fall this weekend — for paint, chalk and all-around creativity. The city's autumnal Art Walk, titled Fall in Love with Art, will take place from noon to 8 p.m. Saturday. The event will feature artists showing and selling their work at local shops; entertainment and refreshments; and a Chalk Art Festival, where kids and adults can turn the ground in front of Fillmore City Hall into a blackboard. Noon to 8 p.m. Oct. 27. Free. 524-7835.

[ light show ]

4. Illumination of life

All is good to glow for California Lutheran University's annual Halloween Festival. The event will serve as the opening reception for Sean Sobczak's exhibit of whimsical light sculptures that explore ocean, plant and insect life. Entertainment will include fire dancers, stilt walkers and ethereal music by Jim Connolly. 6 p.m. Wednesday, Kwan Fong Gallery courtyard, CLU, 60 W. Olsen Road, Thousand Oaks. Free. 493-3316.

[ classic musical ]

5. Brotherly love

Marital mayhem ensues when Cabrillo Music Theatre opens its season with "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers," the musical tale of ill-mannered lumberjack siblings in search of wedded bliss. Oscar-winning, Tony-nominated songwriter Al Kasha, who contributed to the '82 Broadway show, has been a consultant for Cabrillo's production. 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, and 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays, Friday through Nov. 4, Fred Kavli Theatre, 2100 Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks. $22-$68. 583-8700; www.ticketmaster.com.