Going out

Free Pops: The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra continues its free Concerts in the Parks with a mixed program that includes Rossini's Barber of Seville Overture, Gershwin's Walking the Dog, selections from the The Lion King and tons more. 7:30 p.m. today, Miami Whitewater Forest. 381-3300.

Comedy club: Thursday night is cheap-seat night at Go Bananas Comedy Club, with up-and-coming comedian Laurie Kilmartin sharing her uproarious, one-of-a-kind take on the female experience. 8:30 p.m. today, rear of Market Place complex, off Montgomery Road, just north of Olde Montgomery, $2-$5 ($3 drink minimum). 984-9288.

Art opening: There's an artist reception for the ambitious new show OKI: New Art at Northern Kentucky University, with work by 22 emerging artists from Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana curated by Michael Rooks.

5-8 p.m. today, Third Floor Galleries, Fine Arts Center, NKU, Highland Heights. (859) 572-5421.

Bluegrass: Homer Ledford and the Cabin Creek Band twang it up at the Behringer-Crawford Museum Coffee Cup Concert Series. 7-9 p.m. today, Devou Park, Covington. $5-$10. (859) 491-4003.

On TV

Top pick: ABC and Peter Jennings devote an hour to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s

"I Have A Dream" speech delivered 40 years ago today on the Washington Mall, and how it resonates four decades later. Peter Jennings Reporting -

I Have A Dream (10 p.m., Channels 9, 2).

• TV critic John Kiesewetter also says Chris Rock hosts the MTV Video Music Awards (8-11 p.m., MTV), with musical performances by Coldplay, 50 Cent, Beyonce, Christina Aguilera and Good Charlotte.

The goods

Baby comfort: Well sure, it's still hotter than the hinges of hell outside, but it's not going to be that way forever. Which is to say that sooner or later you're going to need to dress the baby in something warmer than that Gerber-stained

T-shirt. Like a terry cloth robe with hood and pink or blue trim. It's a full-length, head-to-toe job, good for after the bath or just chilly fall mornings. Oh, and monograms are available, too, as are matching blankets. It's $45 plain, $65 with the monogram from www.gotobaby.com.

Planning ahead

48 hours out: The Cincinnati Preservation Association has a guided walking tour of Over-the-Rhine with visits to landmarks such as the Germania statue, Old St. Mary's Church, historic department store buildings and more. 10 a.m.-noon Saturday starting at the Emery Center Apartments, Walnut Street and Central Parkway, $4-$8. 721-4506.

Also 48 hours out: Pan-American horn band Salsa Caliente performs 10 p.m.-2 a.m. Saturday at the hot new Latin nightclub La Tradicion, 106 E. Fourth St., Covington, $6-$8. (859) 261-6700.

72 hours until Sunday: The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden's Cheetah Run offers an unmatched setting for a 5K run/walk benefiting several zoo programs. 8 a.m., 3400 Vine St., Avondale, $15-$20. 281-4700.

Jim Knippenberg

E-mail: jknippenberg@enquirer.com; fax: 768-8330