The Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music in America will hold its fifth annual Bluegrass Festival at the Freeborn County Fairgrounds this weekend.

Six bands from Missouri and Minnesota are scheduled to appear for the three-day event, Friday through Sunday. Featured will be Heartland Express, String Fever, Courier, The Froiland Family, Timbre Junction and Sota Grass. Shows begin Friday at 8 p.m. Saturday shows are from 1-5 p.m. and 7-11 p.m. The Sunday Gospel sing runs from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. All shows are held indoors, and people are asked to bring their own lawnchairs. Concessions will be available.

Admission is $8 for Friday night, $10 for Saturday day and night, $8 for Saturday afternoon, $8 for Saturday after 6 p.m., and $6 for Sunday. A three-day pass is available for $20. Children under 12 are admitted free. Tickets may be purchased at the door.

Following is a roundup of other events happening in the area this weekend:

Friday, Sept. 27

– The North Star of Iowa Corn Maze and Secret Garden will be open from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Admission is $5, with children 5 and under admitted free. To get to the maze from Albert Lea, go south on Highway 65. Just north of Northwood, turn west on 490th Street, then go west on the blacktop for a sixteenth of a mile.

– A benefit for Theresa M. Diaz Gamble, who needs a liver transplant, will be held from 4-8 p.m. at the Albert Lea Union Center, 404 E. Main St. There will be

drawings for such items as a 21-inch, 21-speed Raleigh bicycle, a handcrafted quilt, a Peavy acoustic guitar, collectibles and more. Many other items will be auctioned. There will also be food and music.

– The Pelican Breeze will hold a Friday night pizza cruise at 6 p.m. Reservations are required. Call (507) 383-2630.

Saturday, Sept. 28

– The Albert Lea Farmers’ Market will be held in the parking lot at the corner of Broadway Avenue and Water Street beginning at 9 a.m.

– Northbridge Mall will hold its 14th annual ornament and collectible show from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. The show offers a chance to browse, buy, sell, show and trade. There will be Hallmark ornaments, Department 56, Boyds Bears, Precious Moments, collector plates, Beanie Babies, dolls, toys and other collectibles.

– The North Star of Iowa Corn Maze and Secret Garden will be open from 10 a.m.-midnight. It’s seniors’ day. Admission is $5, with children 5 and under admitted free. To get to the maze from Albert Lea, go south on Highway 65. Just north of Northwood, turn west on 490th Street, then go west on the blacktop for a sixteenth of a mile.

– The Albert Lea Skate Park will be open from 1-5 p.m.

– The Pelican Breeze will hold a public cruise at 2 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 29

– The North Star of Iowa Corn Maze and Secret Garden is open from 10 a.m.-midnight. Admission is $5, with children 5 and under admitted free. To get to the maze from Albert Lea, go south on Highway 65. Just north of Northwood, turn west on 490th Street, then go west on the blacktop for a sixteenth of a mile.

– The Pelican Breeze will hold a public cruise at 2 p.m.

– The Robert L. Myers Art Series will present &uot;Opera, Operetta and Broadway Melodies&uot; at 4 p.m. at the Albert Lea United Methodist Church. Admission is not charged, however, a freewill offering will be received.