PITTSBURGH - "Neil Diamond Live - World Tour 2005" will come to Mellon Arena at 8 p.m. Aug. 26. Tickets will go on sale Monday.

Diamond's tour kicked off in March with a sold-out tour of Australia and New Zealand. It will next move to the United Kingdom and Ireland before heading to the United States. Also, the tour features a new stage set up and the return of his original touring band.

Tickets range from $42.50 to $75. Call 412-323-1919.

Tickets for Butler Little Theatre's production of "The Sunshine Boys" are now available to the general public.Show dates are May 13 to 15 and 17 to 21 at the theater, One Howard St.The curtain will go up at 8:15 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays and Sundays.For more information, call 724-287-6781 from 7 to 9 p.m.

CRANBERRY TWP - The Cranberry Township Historical Society will host a historical lecture on Tuesday.A re-enactor portraying Gen. Edward Braddock will perform at 7 p.m. at the Cranberry Municipal Building, 2525 Rochester Road.Subsequent lectures are also being planned on the Depreciation Lands Museum and the Civil War.Admission is free. For more information, call 724-776-3234.

FREEPORT - Frivolity and farce will be the fare for the summer season at the Freeport Theatre Festival, 6784 White Cloud Road.For its sixteenth summer, Freeport Theatre Festival will stage "Squad Room," a cops and robbers escapade of foolish proportions, July 8 to 10, 15 to 17, and 22 to 24.The other show of the season will be "Explorers' Club Restaurant," a new comedy cooked up and served by Rennick Steele. The play is about an egomaniacal restaurateur who concocts some exotic dishes for his clientele with intoxicating results.Show dates are Aug. 12 to 14, 19 to 21, and 26 to 28The curtain goes up at 8 p.m. each night.Tickets are $10 for general admission and $8 for senior citizens, students and children.Fore more information, call 724-295-1934.

BUTLER TWP - Butler County Community College concludes its Java and Jazz Series with "Betty Douglas and Friends" at 7:30 p.m. Thursday.Douglas is a well-known musician and artist from Rochester, Beaver County.For ticket information, call 724-287-8711, Ext. 429, or visit www.bc3.edu.

BUTLER TWP - Comedian Dave Reilly will perform at 6:30 p.m. May 14 at Butler County Community College's Succop Theater.He is being sponsored by Leadership Butler County and all proceeds will go to the HOPE projectCost is $25 per person, and includes hors d'oeuvres and soft drinks.Reilly has been doing comedy for more than 15 years, including several years of operating two comedy clubs.The current leadership class is supporting HOPE by coordinating collections and fund-raising events to provide household needs to residents in this project.HOPE works to reduce homelessness among disabled veterans and non-veterans in the county with mental health, substance abuse or other disorders.Tickets are available from leadership class members, the Butler County Chamber of Commerce office, 112 Woody Dr., Butler, and at the door.For more information, call 724-283-2222.

PITTSBURGH - Treat mother to flowers, palm trees, bonsai, orchids, butterflies, ferns, banana plants and citrus trees at Phipps Conservatory between 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.From 1 to 3 p.m. there will be a performance by the Tuesday Musical Club String Quartet.Admission is $7.50 for adults; $6.50 for seniors age 62 and older; $5.50 for students with ID; $4.50 for children ages 2 to 12; and free for children younger than 2.For more information, call 412-622-6914.

The Butler County Safety Council's 59th annual Safety Day Parade will begin at 7 p.m.Thursday on Main Street.For more information, call 724-282-4520 or 724-290-4521.

NEW CASTLE - Auditions for the musical "State Fair" will be conducted Saturday and Tuesday at the New Castle Playhouse, 212 E. Long Ave.The auditions will be from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday and 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.Available are 10 male roles, seven female roles and one child part for an 11-year-old girl. A large chorus also is needed.A reading from the script will be supplied. Those auditioning are to have a one-minute musical selection prepared with CD or audio cassette accompaniment or sheet music.Show dates are July 15 to 31. For more information, call 724-657-9369.

PITTSBURGH - The 11th annual Pittsburgh Blues Festival is relocating to Hartwood Acres in Hampton Township.This year's festival takes place July 15 to 17. Parking is free.Scheduled performers include:July 15: Jimmy Thackery and the Drivers, and Edgar WinterJuly 16: Studebaker John and the Hawks, Duwayne Burnside and the Mississippi Mafia, Indigenous, and Elvin BishopJuly 17: Nick Moss and the Flip Tops, Shemekia Copeland,and Dickey Betts and Great Southern.Tickets are $18 in advance and $20 at the gate per day, or $50 for a weekend pass. Call 412-460-2583.