THURSDAY, AUGUST 12
Savannah Sipping Society
Thalian Hall Ruth and Bucky Stein Theater, 310 Chestnut St. • Tickets: $25
The trio of Southern playwrights Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten are bringing laughs to Thalian Hall’s cube theater over the next three weekends. Big Dawg Productions’ latest show, “Savannah Sipping Society,” stars local actresses Carolyn Johnston Stringer, Felicia Diana Potts, Deb Bowen, and Mirla Criste Thompson, and is directed by Randy Davis.
The story follows four ladies who happen to meet at happy hour and strengthen a camaraderie and friendship that fuels the rediscovery of their vivacity for life. Together, they figure out how to reclaim their independence, overcome trials and tribulations, and have fun along the way.
The play will run Aug. 12-15, 19-22, and 26-29, at 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays through Saturdays, and 3 p.m. on Sundays. The final Saturday show on Aug. 28 will take place at 3 p.m. only. Tickets are $25, plus fees, available at thalianhall.org.
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Burnin’ Bridges Band — Wilmington’s blues bar, The Rusty Nail (1310 S. 5th Ave.), will feature the four-piece Burnin’ Bridges Band that play a mix of funk, blues, rock, jazz, Latin, and contemporary sounds to the stage. Show is free.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 13
Flying While Falling
CFCC Wilma Daniels Gallery, 200 Hanover St. • Free
A new exhibition is opening at the gallery under the CFCC parking deck on Hanover Street. “Flying While Falling” combines the imagery of photographer Carolyn DeMeritt with the flash-fiction of Margo Williams.
DeMeritt features photos of 10 girls that were taken between 1986 and 1990, as she documented their growth annually from late childhood into adulthood. The series, called “When I was Little … I Thought I Could Fly,” aims to show emotional and physical growth at a critical time of maturity in one’s life.
Williams wrote pieces of short fiction in response to each photo, all culled from the artist’s own imagination — not indicative of the girls themselves. The written series is called “Falling in Love Like Little Girls Fall in Love.”
The show opens Friday evening, Aug. 13, 6 p.m. – 9 p.m., and will close Friday, Oct. 1. Two Fourth Friday Gallery Night receptions also will take place, Aug. 23 and Sept. 24, 6 p.m. – 9 p.m., during its duration.
MORE FRIDAY HAPPENINGS
Moon Taxi — Taking the Greenfield Lake Amphitheater stage on Friday evening is Nashville’s indie-rock outfit Moon Taxi, with opener Sparkle City Disco. Tickets are $30 and the show will take place rain or shine.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 14
Jim Gaffigan: The Fun Tour
Live Oak Pavilion at Riverfront Park, 10 Cowan St. • Tickets: $35 and up
Comedian Jim Gaffigan — who’s been on the standup circuit since 1990 and nominated for a Grammy for six comedy albums — will be touring through Wilmington on Saturday. Gaffigan’s brand of humor deals with fatherhood, laziness, food, and observations about society in general.
He often can be seen on CBS Sunday Morning and has appeared in numerous films (“Troop Zero”) and television series, including his own “The Jim Gaffigan Show,” which ran 23 episodes. Tickets to the show start at $35; it’s a rain or shine event.
MORE SATURDAY HAPPENINGS
Port City Jerry Day — A fundraiser for the United Way, Jerry Day celebrates the music of the Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia, while raising money for the United Way. The free concert, sponsored by the City of Wilmington, will accept donations at the door. Bands will include Virginia’s Suggesting Rhythm, as well as Wilmington’s own The Possums, both Dead cover acts. Local vendors will be onsite starting at 2 p.m.; music plays from 5 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Carolina Beach Music Festival — The 35th annual Carolina Beach Music Festival will take place at the historic Carolina Beach Boardwalk in Carolina Beach, welcoming shaggers of all ages at 10 a.m. The music gets underway at 11 a.m. featuring Band of Oz, Black Water Rhythm and Blues Band and Jim Quick and Coastline. Tickets are $35 in advance or $40 at the gate; all sales final, no refunds unless the festival gets canceled.
Stuff the Bus — Communities in Schools of the Cape Fear is accepting donations for at-risk students in New Hanover and Pender counties ahead of the school year. School supplies are welcomed to be dropped off at Riverlights Information Center any time through Aug. 14 or on the 14th, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., where participants can donate items into the yellow bus, parked at Marina Village in front of Live Oak Commons. Communities in Schools will distribute the donations to school counselors at each public school across both counties.
Free Comic Book Day — Memory Lane Comics is celebrating Aug. 14 with over 50 free comic books ready to be handed out as part of Free Comic Book Day 2021. There also will be the new release of the locally created “Tales of Cape Fear,” with artists and writers around the corner at Bourgie Nights for meet-and-greet and signings. There will be a limited number of customers allowed inside at a time, per Covid-19 increases, and masks are required. Event lasts from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 15
Food Truck Rodeo
Ogden Park, 615 Ogden Park Dr. • Free to attend, food individually priced
On Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. the Food Truck Rodeo will have over a dozen trucks parking its wheels at Ogden Park. The trucks will serve a variety of good eats, from BBQ sandwiches to tacos, burgers to arepas, ice cream, and more, from participants like Poor Piggy’s BBQ, T’Geaux Boys, PT’s Grille, Kono Pizza, Hot Chix Hotcakes and Chicken, Donut Bus, among others. Plus, there will be live music from Boba Funk and Friends.
It’s free to attend, though food, drinks, and desserts are individually priced from each participating truck. Most food trucks accept cash and credit cards. All proceeds from this event benefit New Hanover County’s parks fund.
MORE SUNDAY HAPPENINGS
Flow Yoga Pop-Up — Not only will Sunday’s mid-morning kick off with stretching and clearing the mind, it will be for a good cause. Flytrap Brewery’s flow yoga pop-up class will benefit NourishNC, which keeps hungry school kids fed throughout the year. The session will be led by Kristin Hoffman, 11:30 a.m., and is $10 per person; bring mat and water bottle. Sign up: info.o2fitnessclubs.com/events/flow-yoga-081521.
Have an event to consider for Li’l Friday? Email info@portcitydaily.com
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