A+E

How good are you at multi-tasking? Because a lot is happening at once at the Humboldt Arts Festival over in Arcata's Creamery District (Eighth and L streets) on Saturday, May 17 and Sunday, May 18. The newly resurrected art, music and dance spectacle is packed to the rafters with stages and performers. Try to keep up.

On Saturday, starting at 11 a.m., the acoustic stage hosts 11 acts, from Jeff Krider to Gunsafe to Caitlin Jemma and the Long Gone Stringband. The Tomas Field stage will have Lizzy & the Moonbeams, Jah Sun and Absynth Quintet. At noon, West African Percussion starts things off with a bang on the performance stage, followed by 10 more acts like Humboldt Capoeira, the fearless Circus of the Elements and innovative dancers from the Upper Studio. The playhouse stage, meanwhile, starts with Kindred Spirits at noon, then five more bands, including Swownd and Meskalito. Take a break and fuel up with some vittles from the local vendors. At 9 p.m. it's the after party at the Arcata Playhouse with Samba Quente, Cyclops & the Owl (probably not literal, don't set yourself up for disappointment) and more ($5).

Sleep in on Sunday, but not too late. The fun starts again at 11 a.m. on the acoustic stage with half a dozen bands, including Kitty Glitter (again, probably not literal), La Musique Diabolique and Canary and the Vamp (that could actually happen). At the same time on the Tomas Field stage, there's Sierra Rose, UFO8, Farmhouse Oddyssey and HSU Calypso. Or do you need to be over at the playhouse for the Alegria Parade, Orquestra del Ritmo, Small Axe and Space Biscuit? Don't answer yet, because there's more dance at 12:45 p.m. on the performance stage with Hoaloha Pumehanda, Tango Del Sol, Redwood Rings Hoop Dance and others. Keep in mind you'll also want to peruse the painting, photography, illustration and sculpture in every nook and cranny of the place.

How did last Mother's Day go? How long did it take the hazmat crew to clean up the kitchen after the kids made breakfast? Did you ever get that pancake batter out of the stove vent? Or was the morning spent in a packed restaurant where Mom had to keep shushing the fidgeting kids?

You could make things easy on everybody this year at the Mother's Day Brunch at the Bayside Grange on Sunday, May 11 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. ($15 adults, $5 kids under 12). The whole gang can chow down on brunchy goodness (vegetarian dishes, too) and pastries without leveling your kitchen. The bluegrassy Kindred Spirits, the bluesy Anna Hamilton and the (one assumes rage-y) Raging Grannies will be playing, which is both entertaining and perfect for drowning out your little angels. Forgot a gift? Bid on something pretty from the silent auction (that is called a spontaneous gesture, not procrastination), which, along with the meal, benefits the Emma Center and its work helping women recover from trauma. Mom is guaranteed to be down with that.

Clean your plates and head north to the Westhaven Center for the Arts for the Spring Fling from 1 to 4 p.m. (free, no dogs). Aid your digestion dancing to the Compost Mountain Boys and Tim Breed. Keep moving until you've got some room for the barbecue that will be smoking up the place. All that dancing and the kids' activities should wear the little ones out for the ride home — it might even get you an early bedtime. That's like a Mother's Day miracle.

Where do all those grown men and women in bizarre costumes rattling along atop nutty kinetic sculptures come from? Little people in bizarre costumes rattling along atop nutty kinetic sculptures, of course. See how they get started at the Kinetic Classic Kid Powered Art Race on Sunday, May 11 at 1 p.m. in the Sacco Amphitheater. The Rutabagas invite kids in utero to age 12 to make a costumed run for it on bikes, boards and buggies for the price of a food or toy donation. Remember your helmet and pads!

Too little to build a ride? No sweat. The festivities begin at noon with the Rutababy Buggy Bouncer's parade, for which all you need is a theme, a costume and some human power. Toddlers in strollers, little ones on foot and babies in bellies register at 11:30 a.m. to join in and compete for best costume, best stroller and "bounciest."

Kids from kindergarten to third grade can form a team with a supervising adult for the Rutabaga Rally. Come up with a theme, dress up in costume, decorate some kid-powered wheels and prepare to croon a team song. There'll be prizes and eternal fame for best wheels, most wheels, speed, song and costumes.

Builders from fourth through sixth grade can roll up for the Push Kart Kinetic Dash. That means putting together an artsy set of wheels with steering and brakes for the driver to work while teammates push from behind. Don't forget a lucky charm, and again, helmets and pads. You're going to need that brain to build a kinetic race vehicle when you grow up.