September on the North Shore is always packed with art events, music festivals, plays and more. At the top of the list is the Art Colony’s Plein Air Festival, WTIP’s Radio Waves Music Festival, North House Folk School’s Unplugged and the Crossing Borders Tour & Sale, but there are lots of other events happening this month, too.

First up is the Grand Marais Playhouse’s production of “Play On!” a funny slapstick comedy by Rick Abbott which opens Aug. 27 at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts. The play runs through Sept. 5 with Thursday through Sunday performances. The cast includes Kevin Kager, Jeff Fenwick, Aliya Rose Weiseberg, Julie Fredlund, Tess Bailey, Nathan Borka and Briana Borka, Molly Hicken and Erin Larson.

Fisherman Shacks by Brian Stewart. Stewart is the juror for the Art Colony's 8th Annual Plein Aire Painting Competition and Exhibition. The exhibit opening and fish fry dinner is on Friday, Sept. 3.

The Grand Marais Art Colony’s 8th Annual Plein Air Painting Competition and Exhibition is Aug. 27 through Sept. 6, with a Fish Fry Reception Dinner and Awards Ceremony at 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 3. The exhibit runs through Sept. 6. More than 40 plein air professional and amateur artists from throughout the region are expected to compete in this wonderful week-long event. Award-winning Plein air artist Brian Stewart will jury the show. He will give a presentation at 7 p.m. Sept. 1, which is also open to the public.

Then the North Shore Music Association will present Mike Olson, a Minneapolis-based composer, producer and sound artist, in a special concert at the ACA on Wednesday, Sept. 8 at 7:30 p.m. Olson is on tour with “Noopiming,” an a cappella choral piece and Boundary Waters slide show. Tickets are $5 adults, $3 students.

Cook County's Most Wanted, who will play at the Radio Waves Music Festival, will have copies of their first CD available there. They play Saturday, Sept. 11.

Two days later, on Sept. 10-11, WTIP Community Radio holds the 3rd Annual Radio Waves Music Festival at Sweetheart’s Bluff adjacent to the Rec Park. WTIP is partnering with the North Shore Music Association to put on the festival this year. There will be two stages, a dance floor and a children’s tent and two days of nonstop music starting at 5 p.m. Friday night. Singer/songwriter & recording star Michael Johnson headlines the festival and performs at 7:30 p.m. Friday. The Minneapolis folk/rockers Ol’ Yeller will perform on Saturday. The festival starts on Friday night at 5 p.m. The music lineup also includes: Pincushion Warblers, North Shore Community Swing Band, the Sivertones, Portage, KGB, Cook County’s Most Wanted, Timmy Haus, the Splinters and Bump & Jim Elverhoy.

The next big festival is North House Folk School’s “Unplugged IX: the Northern Harvest Festival” Sept. 24-25. Headliners are Grammy award-winning sing/songwriter Jon Vezner (who also founded “Unplugged”) as well as Nashville singer/songwriters Cheryl Wheeler and Pat Alger performing under the Big Tent on Saturday, Sept. 25. This jam-packed weekend, which is a fundraiser for the Folk School’s endowment, includes a silent auction, a traditional fish boil, a contra dance, jam sessions, and a special presentation by Mike Link and Kate Crowley who are on their final leg of their walk around Lake Superior. There are lots of classes and demonstrations scheduled that week, too. For more info, check out our special pullout section.

Lee and Dan Ross' kiln ready to be fired. The Hovland couple is one of the artist groups participating in the Crossing Borders Studio Tour and Sale which runs from Sept. 24 through Oct. 3 this year. Other Cook County artists participating in the North Shore event include Marcie McIntire (Grand Portage), Kristi Downing (Hut Point), Betsy Bowen (Grand Marais) and Nancy Daley (Lutsen).

Also that weekend, the Crossing Borders Tour and Sale gets underway, with open houses at nine different artist’s studios on the North Shore every day from Sept. 24 through Oct. 3. Hosting artists include Dave Yungner, Dale Burton, Jody Freij-Tonder and Michael Tonder, Dick and Debbie Cooter, Nancy Daley, Betsy Bowen, Lee and Dan Ross, Kristi Downing and Marci McIntire. There are a number of guest artists at each studio this year, too, including Fritz Lehmberg, Peter Pestalozzi and Martye Allen. For a complete list of guest artists, maps and more info, see www.crossingbordersstudio.com.

And a special exhibit at Last Chance Gallery in Lutsen entitled “Falling for Art” featuring the sculpture and functional art of Tom Christiansen will be at Last Chance Gallery Sept. 24-26.

Printmaker Rick Allen will be at Sivertson Gallery Sept. 25 to sign copies of his latest book, "The Dark Emperor." This image of mushrooms is from that book.

In other art news, Sivertson Gallery will hold a book signing of printmaker Rick Allen’s new book, “The Dark Emperor” featuring his prints and poems by Joyce Sidman on Saturday, Sept. 25 from 1-4 p.m.

Painter Bruce Palmer and potter Ann Ward have an exhibit at the Cross River Heritage Center through Aug. 31. Fiber artist Mary Jane Huggins and photographers Larry and Linda Dunlap will exhibit there through September. David Woerheide has lamps made from diamond willow embellished with Lake Superior stones at Kah Nee Tah Gallery. The gallery also has antler lamps by Bryan Johnson.

Michael Monroe will play on the Eight Broadway Stage from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 4. Joe Paulik performs from 2:20-4:30 p.m. Music venues like the GunFlint Tavern, Papa Charlie’s, Birch Terrace, Trail Center, Windigo and Devil Track Resort also feature music this month. See our entertainment calendar for artists and dates.

The Attic Gift Shop has a good selection of Indonesian-inspired, bird-themed wind chimes by Cohasset. The Lake Superior Trading Post has just received two new books about agates: “Agates: Inside and Out,” by Karen Brzys and “Amazing Agates,” by Scott Wolter. The store also has Stieg Larsson’s best-selling mysteries. Birchbark Books & Gifts has copies of the “Minnesota Fish Book,” a spectacular book published by the University of Minnesota Press and copies of John Henricksson’s “Gunflint: The Trail, The People the Stories,” which has been reprinted.

Grand Marais poet Kay Grindland will read from her new book at Drury Lane Books on Saturday, Sept. 11 at 5 p.m. On Sept. 25, Julie Landsman will read from her memoir, “Growing Up White: A Veteran Teacher Reflects on Racism.” And last, but not least, Gail Hedstrom opens her show at the Johnson Heritage Post with a reception from 5-7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 3. The Lake Superior Water Color Society follows, with an exhibit Sept. 24.