GOINGS ON / SANTA BARBARA : Season Openers : The sounds of pop and symphonic music will reverberate at the Bowl, Lobero Theatre and Avila Beach.

Pianist Andre Watts will help the Santa Barbara Symphony unofficially open its 40th season with a “Beethoven at the Bowl” concert Sunday at the Santa Barbara Bowl. The season officially kicks off with concerts Oct. 3 and 4 at the Arlington Theatre.

The program for the Beethoven-fest will include the composer’s Piano Concertos No. 4 and 5. The concert will begin at 7 p.m. Tickets range from $7.50 to $33. Call the Arlington Box Office at 963-4408. The Bowl is located at 1122 N. Milpas St.

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For symphony-goers who happen to be a bit further north this weekend, the San Luis Obispo County Symphony is also opening its season. And this is an official season-opening affair, by the way.

Guest soloist Marleta Warneke Marrow, a San Luis Obispo County native, will highlight the “Pops by the Sea” concert.

The program will feature selections from “My Fair Lady,” “South Pacific” and “Les Miserables,” as well as some George Gershwin and Cole Porter works. The orchestra will also perform some pieces from the Disney movie, “Beauty and the Beast.”

The concert will be held at the San Luis Bay Resort in Avila Beach. Tickets are $10 and $15. Call 543-3533.

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There must be something in the air, because here’s another season-opening musical performance. The Gilbert and Sullivan Company of Santa Barbara will celebrate its 10th anniversary with nine performances of “The Mikado,” beginning Friday night at the Lobero Theatre.

The show will run Friday through Sunday the first three weekends of this month. Each weekend will feature different actors in the principal roles. Tickets are $8 and $11.

The Sept. 11 and Sept. 20 shows are already sold out. Call 963-0761. The Lobero is located at 33 E. Canon Perdido St.

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Something is definitely in the air--at least part of the time. The Sentimental Journey, a B-176 Flying Fortress World War II bomber, is expected to touch down today at the Santa Barbara Municipal Airport. It will remain on display there through Sunday.

The 48-year-old plane is part of a flying museum operated by the Confederate Air Force.

The CAF is a nonprofit educational group working to preserve famous warplanes of World War II. There are 160 planes in the collection.

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Saturday’s installment of the Chumash Artways series at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History will focus on the way early American Indian settlers fed and clothed themselves.

Naturalist Joe Dabill will show how to make bows and arrowheads and how to tan hides.

He will also demonstrate his animal-calling skills and will talk about edible and useful plants.

The program, which will run from 10 a.m. to noon, will include a hands-on workshop. Craft materials are limited to the first 50 people who show up. Admission is free with entry to the museum, which is $3 (adults), $2 (seniors and children age 13 to 17) and $1 (children 12 and under).

For more information call 682-4711. The museum is located at 2559 Puesta del Sol Road.