Our picks of this week's events

SPECIAL EVENTS

My fair llama

Ah, the return of the county fair. You probably think you know the drill-twilight rides on the Ferris wheel, binging on cotton candy and corndogs and losing all your hard-earned quarters to the carnies running those completely un-winnable games. But if you stray from the midway and head toward the arena, you can find some unexpected gems that will make your whole fair experience that much more ridiculously fantastic. The Llama Show starts at 10 a.m. Friday and Saturday, June 8 and 9, the California Strong Man will be flexin' all day starting at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 9, and the Ostrich and Camel Races begin at noon Sunday, June 10. It all goes down at the Del Mar Arena, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd. $6-$12. 858-755-1161 or www.sdfair.com/fair.

BOOKS

The page stage

San Diego State University history professor Edward Blum takes the stage at La Jolla's D.G. Wills Books, 7461 Girard Ave., to read from and discuss W.E.B. Du Bois, American Prophet, a heavy-duty religious examination of the heavy-duty historian/sociologist/writer/civil rights leader. Always strongly identified with Marxism and atheism, Du Bois was also a pretty spiritual dude, in his individual, instigative way, according to Blum. The pages turn at 7 p.m. Saturday, June 9. 858-456-1800 or www.dgwillsbooks.com.

SPORTS

Hater-aide

What is it about two people beating the living crap out of each other that people like to watch so much? You might not understand the magic, but you can't deny the fact that the more vicious the combat, the bigger the crowd, which means the Total Combat Xtreme Cage Fighting show is gonna be off the hook. They're big, bad dudes doing anything and everything possible to physically ruin each other's lives, and the ring's got wire barriers instead of ropes. The beating begins at 8 p.m. Friday, June 8, at 4th & B, 345 B St., Downtown. $44-$154. 619-299-2583 or www.4thandb.com.

FOOD

Ultimate grub

Depending on how much you love eating Mexican food, your favorite recurring dream may or may not be the one where you stroll down to Old Town on a warm summer's eve and gorge yourself on a different item from every restaurant on the strip. If having those kinds of dreams makes you wake up in a puddle of your own drool, then brace yourself-your fantasy is about to become a reality. Beginning at 5 p.m. Thursday, June 7, at International Flavors, A Taste of Old Town, more than 15 different restaurants will provide samples of their food, which pretty much guarantees you'll be able to realize your dreams and eat yourself sick. Chow down at the Old Town Marketplace, 4010 Twiggs St. in Old Town. $7-$10. 619-260-1078.

DANCE

What border?

Fans of dance rejoice and do the jig. It's time once again for the famed Blurred Borders Dance Festival. The multicultural dance event kicks off at 8 p.m. Thursday, June 7, and continues at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, June 8 and 9, and at 7 p.m. Sunday, June 10. The show features an eclectic mix of artists-Cheng Chieh Yu of Taiwan, Rodney Mason of Los Angeles and Patricia Rincon of San Diego. Meanwhile, the choreography presents subjects as varied as the artists-martial arts, the African-American experience and magical parachute rides. People who can set those topics to dance are truly talented, or at the very least, entertaining. The festival takes place at the Saville Theatre at City College, 1313 Park Blvd., Downtown. $20. 619-235-8466 or www.sushiart.org.

THEATER

Right track

Devon is about to fall from a horse and lapse into a coma. That's not cool, and not just because she's a female jockey trying to crack the good-ol'-boy network that governs the racing game. But there's a silver lining to all this, because amid her unconsciousness, Devon's got a date with her equine collaborators in the Sport of Kings. And she'd better get used to eating out of a feedbag. Six actors play 21 characters in MOXIE Theatre's world-premiere Devil Dog Six, which at the very least is the coolest play title in the history of the universe. That alone may be worth the price of a ticket, which will run you anywhere from $10 to $30. The show opens in previews Saturday, June 9, at The Lyceum space, 79 Horton Plaza downtown. 619-544-1000. www.moxietheatre.com.

ART

The image

Justin Bua has that bad-ass-while-still-looking-hot thing down as down can be. You probably have no idea who Bua is, though it's more than likely you'd recognize his work. Bua's the guy behind "Piano Man II" and "The DJ," two of the more well-known images when it comes to contemporary urban art. See new stuff by Bua and hear the artist read from his first-ever book, The Beat of Urban Art: The Art of Justin Bua, at Distinction Gallery and Artist Studio, 317 E. Grand Ave., in downtown Escondido from 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday, June 9. 760-781-5779 or www.distinctionart.com.

For the world: Local artist Lizet Benrey is gearing up for her first solo exhibition in California, Tribute to the Earth, opening from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, June 8, at Perry L. Meyer Fine Art, 2400 Kettner Blvd., Suite 251, in conjunction with Little Italy's Kettner Nights gallery walk. As the title of the show implies, Benrey has been working on special mixed-media works on paper that invoke nature-its peacefulness, richness, intricacy, fury and wonder. www.plmeyerfineart.com.

FILM

Touched

A small-time crook (hip French actor Jamel Debbouze) rescues a seriously strange hottie (Rie Rasmussen) who just might be his guardian angel. Or just trouble. Or both. After all those years of sex and violence, it looks like Luc Besson may finally be using his powers for good. Angel-A opens Friday, June 8, at Landmark's Hillcrest Cinemas, 3965 Fifth Ave. Check www.landmarktheatres.com or call 619-299-2103 for showtimes and ticket info.