Thursday, June 9
Port City Music Festival
Cameron Art Museum, 3201 17th St. • Free
The 14th annual free festival kicked off last weekend and continues through Sunday. Thursday’s show takes place at Cameron Art Museum at 7 p.m. and will feature works from five composers, including Brahms, Saint-Saëns, Severn, Sibelius and Vivaldi.
Performing will be violinists Evan Crowley, Saybren Long, Manasi Prasad, Maddie Stohl, and Camden Stohl, as well as pianist Logan Tamadon. They will play through Brahms’ Sonata No. 2 in E-flat, Op. 120 and Rhapsody in G minor, Op. 79 No.; Saint-Saëns’ Concerto No. 3 in B minor, Op. 61; Severn’s Polish Dance; Sibelius’ Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47; and Vivaldi’s Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 8, RV 315, “Summer.”
Though the show is free, there is limited seating so pre-registration is required here. The concert will take place in the Weyerhaeuser Reception Hall.
See the rest of the festival’s lineup here.
MORE THURSDAY HAPPENINGS
Sounds of Summer — The free concert series hosted by WECT kicks off for the first show of the season at Wrightsville Beach Park from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Performing will be local band The Feebs — a six-piece that plays blues, rock and funk. Picnics, lawn chairs, blankets and coolers are welcome, but no alcohol is allowed in the park.
Museum After Dark — “Fire and Water” will take place at Cape Fear Museum from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The museum welcomes adult guests (18 and over) to tour through the newest in-house curated exhibition, “FIRE!,” and the Smithsonian traveling exhibition, “H2O Today.” Activities include participating in a water-gun target-shooting challenge, watching a fire ball demonstration, enjoying a frozen wine or juice slushie made with liquid nitrogen, and more. Taqueria La Villita food truck will be parked onsite and beer and wine will be available for purchase. Tickets are $10 for members or $15 for nonmembers.
Rescheduled Airlie Concert Series — After rain wiped out the show last Friday night, Airlie Gardens (300 Airlie Rd.) concert series will have its first show of the season from 6 p.m. to8 p.m. featuring reSoul. Surrounded by the 400-plus-year-old live oak, the R&B outfit performs hits by Gloria Gaynor, Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson, Bruno Mars, Alicia Keys and others. Blankets, chairs and picnics are welcome (vendors will not be onsite selling food or beverages). Tickets are $10 and can be purchased here.
Jazz at the Mansion — The Cape Fear Jazz Society and Bellamy Mansion present Bajissima Latin Jazz from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The band consists of bassist Natalie Boeyink, trombonist Joe Dowdy, trumpet player Lynn Grissett, pianist Carlos Garcia, and drummer Jon Hill. The group is known for its infectious Latin American-Caribbean rhythms. Concerts take place at Bellamy Mansion Museum, 503 Market St. Blankets and chairs welcome; beer, wine and snacks for sale. No rain dates; tickets are $10-$20 at the door.
Bnai Israel Community Celebration — The 124-year-old Jewish congregation will be celebrating the installation of a new rabbi with a weekend worth of events. Rabbi Chaya Bender was hired and began her tenure as Bnai Israel’s spiritual leader in July 2020. Her ceremony will take place June 10, installed by Rabbi Emeritus Robert Waxman. On Monday, June 12, there will be a dedication ceremony of the newly renovated sanctuary at 2601 Chestnut St. More information can be found here.
Friday, June 10
Beth Stelling
Dead Crow Comedy Room, 511 N. Third St. • Tickets: $20-$30
Comedian Beth Stelling has been on cable networks, late-night shows and streaming platforms aplenty. From HBO’s “Girl Daddy” to season one of “Netflix: The Standups,” she is on the road as part of “The Petty Betty Tour” and will stop at Dead Crow Comedy Room this weekend.
The comedian got her start in Chicago, and won Best Standup Comedian by the Chicago Reader. Onstage, she speaks to her life experiences in a dry, self-deprecating manner.
Most recently, Stelling appeared on the Amazon Prime Video “Red Oaks” and wrote season one and two of HBO’s “Crashing.” She has also been on “Conan,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” and “Chelsea Lately.”
Her shows at Dead Crow are at 7:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday nights.
MORE FRIDAY HAPPENINGS
Albert Tootie Heath — Jazz-drumming pioneer Tootie Heath — who grew up in Wilmington learning the music from his brothers, Percy and Jimmy — will head to UNCW’s Kenan Auditorium (601 S. College Rd.) at 7:30 p.m. Tootie is the only living brother and has worked with jazz stalwarts like Sonny Rollins, Herbie Hancock and Nina Simone. He will be joined by Emmet Cohen (pianist) and Russell Hall (bassist) for a celebratory homecoming show. Tickets are $20.
Cape Fear Blues Festival — The annual festival begins Friday night and takes place through Sunday. Friday’s shows include Jonathan Robinson on the outdoor stage at The Rusty Nail (1350 S. 5th Ave.) at 6 p.m. (tickets $10). At 9 p.m. Chuck Cotton and friends play inside. On Saturday, music will begin at 2 p.m. on the outdoor stage under a tent. Performers include Two Picky Guys, Mel Melton and the Wicked Mojos, and House of Dues (tickets are $40). The night show begins at 9 p.m. with Randy McQuay and Friends ($10). Sunday will include the free all-day blues jam on the outside stage; musicians are welcome to join from noon to 6 p.m. At 7 p.m. on the inside stage, the festival will wrap with Brett Johnson and Friends featuring Tarsha Murphy ($10).
The Smoky Dunes EP Release — From blues to bluegrass, local guitarists Drew Walker and Marshall Brown have recorded their “high lonesome harmonies, flatpicking standards, and finger bustin’ Travis tunes” on a five-song EP. They will be celebrating its release at Waterline Brewing Company (721 Surry St.) from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Preorders of the EP are available here; the show is free.
Boundless Public Tour — Cameron Art Museum (3201 S. 17th St.) will host a public tour, 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., of Stephen Hayes’ US Colored Troops sculpture erected on the museum’s historic grounds last fall. The tour is free with admission and will be hosted by CAM cultural curator Daniel Jones. Read more about “Boundless” here.
Boy George and Culture Club — Tickets go on sale today at 10 a.m. and start at $59; you can purchase them from the Wilson Center’s website or by contacting the Ticket Central box office, (910) 362-7999. Boy George & Culture Club will perform Sept. 13. The pop icons picked up the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1984 and sent nine singles to the Top 10 hits chart. They were the first band since The Beatles to have three Top 10 hits in America from a debut album, and the first group in music history to have a Diamond-certified album in Canada. The band has sold 100 million singles and 50 million albums worldwide.
Saturday, June 11
Blueberry Harvest Celebration
Gregory Farms, 2576 Montague Rd., Currie • Admission: $5
It’s blueberry harvest time!
A farm 45 minutes north in Currie, N.C., will celebrate the season Saturday. The community is welcome to enjoy wine, beer, food and craft vendors.
Live music will last from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., featuring Bill Powell and Austin Band. Lobster Dogs, Papadom’s Singing Sangwich Truck, Taco El Jefe and Donut Bus will be on site.
There will be blueberry ice cream for sale and attendees will be able to pick their own on the farm. No outside alcoholic beverages or coolers are allowed, though blankets and chairs are allowed. The event is kid- and pet-friendly.
MORE SATURDAY HAPPENINGS
Cape Fear Shakespeare on the Green — Its adult company opened “The Winter’s Tale” last weekend, which continues through June 23. This weekend the youth company opens “As You Like It,” featuring many of Shakespeare’s most famous phrases — “all the world’s a stage” and “too much of a good thing,” for example. The show covers romance in a tale of mistaken identity. Play dates are June 15-16 and 20-21 at 8 p.m. Gates open at 6:30 p.m. for folks to bring picnics. Concessions sold at the Greenfield Lake Amphitheater as well. All shows are free.
Science Cycle in the Park — The Cape Fear Museum (814 Market St.) park will be open from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. (weather permitting) and welcomes individuals and families to investigate science topics with hands-on experiments, nature exploration and more. The program is free and open to all ages.
Curated on Castle — Castle Street’s outdoor vintage market takes place the second Saturday every March through November, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This weekend it will be set up in the lot at 6th and Castle streets, across from Michael Moore Antiques and adjacent to Luna Caffe. Vendors include Second Skin Vintage, Gravity Records, and Jess James + Co., as well as up to 20 local independent vintage collectors selling clothing, records, home decor and more. Free to attend.
Celtic Music Session — Leaf and Barrel (15010 US 17) in Hampstead is hosting a music session focused on Celtic jigs, reels, hornpipes and popular pub songs. All are welcome; prepare to sing along. The event takes place from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and is free. Wine, beer and cigars sold onsite.
Community Yard Sales — Quite a few are taking place on Saturday featuring gently used items for sale, including toys, furniture, jewelry, home decor and housewares, electronics, and more. The Cape Fear Presbyterian Church (2606 Newkirk Ave.) will host a yard sale from 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. with a raffle to win a Swiss Blue Topaz necklace donated by Reeds Jewelers. Another will be held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 7811 Raintree Rd.; proceeds from this community sale benefit Wagon Tails Farm Rescue, a volunteer-run organization out of Beaulaville that rescues animals.
Into the Fog — The Palm Room (11 E. Salisbury St.) will welcome the Americana act, which plays its own fresh take on bluegrass. The band will be joined by Connor Kozlosky of the Dubtown Cosmonauts. Into the Fog recently opened for Keller and Keels at Greenfield Lake. There is a cover charge for the show, which gets underway at 9 p.m.
USS Battleship Ghost Hunt — Known as one of the most haunted ships, downtown Wilmington’s iconic attraction welcomes people aboard for a ghost hunt from 7:30 p.m. until Saturday at 3 a.m. on the USS Battleship (1 Battleship Rd. NE). The ticket price of $129 includes a history day tour, exclusive overnight access to areas that are normally off-limits, access to the most haunted areas of the ship, psychic medium vigil, group vigils with experienced investigators, lone vigils, overnight ghost hunt, use of ship equipment, free time to explore the ship and undertake private vigils, unlimited beverages such as coffee, bottled water and soda, and a selection of snacks. Tickets can be purchased here; event is open to all ages.
Saturday Morning Adventure Swim — The Cape Fear Triathlon Club meets during the summer for a group swim at various places around Wrightsville Beach. All-level swimmers are welcome and can partake in various distances. The meetup Saturday will be at 6:30 a.m. at Blockade Runner. More information about the club can be found here.
Oak Island Spring Beach Sweep — From 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. the Oak Island Spring Beach Sweep will take place at the cabana at SE 46th Street and E. Beach Drive. There will be 21 sections for groups of two or more to sweep. Trash bags will be provided and a limited supply of gloves — bring your own if possible, as well as water to stay hydrated. Volunteers will be given a checklist to record the amount and type of trash collected.
Sunday, June 12
PRIDE Party
100 block of Dock Street • Free
The Husk, Duck & Dive, New Anthem Beer Project and Opera House Theatre Company are coming together to host a PRIDE Party Sunday in the 100 block of Dock Street downtown, from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Drag queens will be on deck, including Tara Nicole Brooks, Ebony Valentino, Rashmia Biosh and Karma. DJs Bobby Zee and Brewtal will spin tunes.
Drinks will be served from area businesses, though the event is free and sponsored by Port City Pride. The local nonprofit works with LGBTQIA+ organizations and the City of Wilmington to plan the annual and official Wilmington PRIDE celebrations every fall.
MORE SUNDAY HAPPENINGS
Walking Tour: Wilmington’s Soda Pop District — Historic Wilmington Foundation hosts a free walking tour of downtown’s up-and-coming Soda Pop District at 2 p.m. The tour starts and ends at Hi-Wire Brewing (1020 Princess St.) and takes a look at its adaptive reuse of a 1945 Oldsmobile Buick Dealership as well as the rehabilitation of the Coca-Cola Bottling Works from Parastream Development (read more here). The 1-mile walking tour will explore other architecture in the neighborhood, such as New Hanover High School, Trinity Methodist Church, and Hughes Bros. Learn more here.
Blackberry Kolsch Release — Flytrap Brewing is quenching everyone’s summer craft beer craving with a new release on Sunday. Its blackberry kolsch is made with local berries and honey and will be the feature of the Pints for Purpose program. As part of PRIDE month, Flytrap will donate a portion of proceeds from the entire batch to SAGE Wilmington, a volunteer organization that helps LGBTQ elders in the Cape Fear. The event starts at 2 p.m. Sunday.
NC Filmmaker Series — Held at Stone Theaters at Barclay Pointe, the NC Filmmaker Series showcases a movie made in Wilmington and a Q&A after with an industry veteran that worked on it. Sunday’s screening highlights ”Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” with key grip Scott Davis. It’s free to attend and takes place at 4 p.m. “Ninja Turtles” was filmed in Wilmington in the late ‘80s and released in 1990. It follows the story of four turtles and a rat that battle crime in New York City thanks to their impressive Ninjutsu skills.
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