Who doesn't love a dulcimer? Not me, man. That's why I'll be at the Culver Palms United Methodist Church this Saturday, September 13 -- if I possibly can. 

A free mid-day concert at the church will feature Janita Baker, a mountain dulcimer performer and teacher from Orange County, and Patti Amelotte (who plays hammer dulcimer and her band, Looney's Fortune), along with the Golden Strings, a youth dulcimer group from Norwalk.

An evening concert, from 6 to 8 p.m., will feature Ruth and Steve Smith, from the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, playing hammer dulcimer and guitar respectively; and local artists Cyntia Smith, fretted dulcimer; and George Gilliam, guitar. The evening performance will cost $20.

The concert will serve as the culmination of the 20th Annual Harvest Festival of Dulcimers, a day-long program of workshops for beginners, intermediate players and advanced players beginning at 9 am. Free jam sessions, open to all musicians and spectators, will be held from 9 to 11 a.m., led by Alan Maslac; and from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. led by Patty McCollom.

The Culver Palms United Methodist Church is located at 4464 Sepulveda Blvd.