SOUTHEASTERN N.C. — Li’l Friday is a weekly roundup of events in art, music, theater, comedy, pop-up markets and more.
All events featured were scheduled as of Thursday; however, it’s wise to check in ahead of attending any one. Inclement weather, changes in schedules and unforeseen circumstances may shift for organizers at the last minute.
Thursday, May 4
Classicism Reimagined — Design without Expiration
Cameron Art Museum, 7201 S. 17th St. • Tickets vary
One of Cameron Art Museum’s biggest fundraisers takes place this weekend. DesignNC celebrates classicism reimagined and includes events like a VIP cocktail party Thursday at 5:30 p.m. and a forum and luncheon on Friday.
CAM is welcoming presentations and book signings from professionals in the field, including James Carter, Corey Damen Jenkins and Margot Shaw.
Friday’s luncheon welcomes the three authors to speak in the courtyard of CAM. Carter, an architect, is known for his “new old house” approach to design.
“For me, family history is important and I think most people want a sense of continuity and a place with which to identify,” he said on DesignNC’s website.
Jenkins runs an interior design firm out of New York. He utilizes fashion-forward materials to create innovative spaces that mix patterns, textures and vivid colors, often inspired by haute couture.
Shaw is the editor and founder of Flower magazine and is highly skilled in floral design.
Tickets and more information can be found here; proceeds benefit CAM’s outreach for arts and culture appreciation in Wilmington.
OTHER THURSDAY EVENTS
Star Wars Full Moon Party — The Carolina Beach Pier is hosting its monthly Full Moon Party, and on May 4th nonetheless. “May the Fourth Be With You” will include corn hole, bonfire pits, live music by DJ Teenmore and food, drinks and s’mores for purchase. The event takes place at 1800 Carolina Beach Ave. N from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., with expansive full moon views over the ocean..
Comedy Night at Bull City — Bull City Ciderworks is hosting its monthly comedy night beginning at 8 p.m. The Cargo District location, 615 S. 17th St., will feature comics Chelsea Connor, John Felts, Weston Suggs and Ryan McKee, with host Khari Reid. Tickets are free here, but seating is first come, first serve.
Friday, May 5
Maria Bamford
Dead Crow Comedy Room, 511 N. Third St. • Tickets: $30-$40
Self-deprecating, with a dark sense of humor, Maria Bamford will bring her brand of comedy to Dead Crow on May 5 and 6.
Bamford has been in more than a dozen films, 50 or more TV shows, multiple web series and has released nine albums, including 2020’s “Weakness Is the Brand.”
“Have you ever looked around at your life and said, ‘Uh, oh, this isn’t temporary. This may, in fact, be who I am,’” she quips.
Her bits include takes on depression and anxiety, life and death and often involve stories about her dysfunctional family, impersonations included. In 2014, Bamford won the American Comedy Award for Best Club Comic.
She will perform two shows at Dead Crow both Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Tickets are available here.
OTHER FRIDAY EVENTS
Signal Fire — Downtown’s The Eagle’s Dare is launching a free Friday night concert series through July 28, featuring local bands or tribute acts. Located at 420 N. 3rd St., the first show will welcome singer-songwriter Michael Eakins and local reggae artists Signal Fire. Show starts at 6 p.m. See the full lineup through June here.
Citizen Cope — Citizen Cope will be at Greenfield Lake on May 5 as part of his 2023 Solo Acoustic. He last played in 2019 locally to a sold-out crowd. An American songwriter, producer and singer, CC’s sound is an amalgamation of blues, soul, folk, and rock. He has recorded 10 albums, and since 2010 four were released under his own record label, Rainwater Recordings. His work has been covered by Carlos Santana, Dido, Pharoahe Monch and Richie Havens. Tickets are $36, available here.
Cinco de Mayo — Multiple businesses are celebrating Cinco de Mayo, taking place May 5 as a celebration of Mexico’s win against France in the Battle of Puebla in the Franco-Mexican War. Bull City Ciderworks in The Cargo District will release a new cider, Mango Tango, and offer margarita flights with its cider cocktails. Los Campos food truck will be parked from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and there will be a pinata locals can take a swing at for a buck. Next door at Fermental, there will be agave wines, Mexican lagers, cheladas, micheladas, sangria, Margarita slushees, and more, as well as Grimmburger parked at 5 p.m. and Smokey Dunes playing at 7 p.m. Flytrap Brewing (319 Walnut St.) downtown is also celebrating with a Mexican lager beer release, music by Trio Romanze, and Pepe’s Tacos food truck from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. The Greenfield Lake Yacht Club (1756 Carolina Beach Road) is celebrating with local jam band The Clams for an after-party to Citizen Cope at Greenfield Lake Amphitheater. The Underfront (265 N. Front St.) will be unveiling a special list of margs, including a smoked seven pepper, watermelon radish, and Tajin dream, with live music by Brook Renshaw.
Saturday, May 6
Kentucky Derby Parties
Various locations and pricing
As folks gather for the annual Run of the Roses in Louisville, Kentucky, this weekend, numerous local places are hosting their own Derby parties. Here is a rundown of a few:
Barn Bash — Old River Farms in Burgaw is hosting a Derby edition Barn Bash, with proceeds supporting students in Communities in Schools Cape Fear. The event takes place at 8711 Old River Roadd, 4 p.m. The Kentucky Derby will stream live, plus there will be live music from Massive Grass, BBQ, beer, and wine. Tickets are $40 per person or $70 for two, available here.
The Blind Elephant — Beginning at 2 p.m. the craft cocktail bar, tucked in the alley between Port City Java and Front Street Brewery, is hosting a party, sponsored by Woodford Reserve and Old Forrester. Screens will feature horse racing, participants are encouraged to don their biggest hats, plus there will be drink promotions. Mint Juleps will be served aplenty to take in the most exciting two minutes in sports a year. Members get in free; new members can join for $5.
Bull City Ciderworks — The Cargo District’s cidery will have a new release drop in time for the horse race. Steep South is a honey-sweetened black tea cider adding a little punch to the official nectar of the South. TVs will show the races and there will be specialty Mint Julep cider cocktails served, plus a best hat contest (winner will receive a gift card). Bad Eatz will be parked on site. The event takes place from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Rebellion — Downtown’s whiskey bar is also getting in on Churchill Down’s 149th year celebrations. There will be specials from Woodford Reserve, and the party takes place from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Derby4Dogs Garden Party — Annually, paws4people Foundation — which trains assistance dogs for vets and those with disabilities or surviving trauma — hosts a garden party fundraiser during Kentucky Derby. Hosted at Cape Fear Community College’s Union Station, there will be a puppy derby, champagne, silent and live auctions, as well as the big race on the big screen. A hat and bowtie contest will take place and there will be food and cocktails served, including hors d’oeuvres from Milner’s Catering and open bar with Wrightsville Beach Brewery beer and Cape Fear Distillery signature cocktails, as well as wine; a bourbon lounge is also optional to add on to this year’s ticket. Tickets start at $100.
OTHER SATURDAY EVENTS
Belville’s Founder’s Day Festival — Everyone is welcome to celebrate the founding of the small Brunswick County town, with an event taking place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Belville Riverwalk Park, 580 River Road. There will be food and dessert trucks, 50 vendors, live music, entertainment from No Sleeves Magic, inflatables, Mr. Twister Balloon Artist, and more. It’s free.
“I Am Art” Festival — Island Arts Festival, hosted by the Island Arts Council, has a weekend celebration planned, featuring more than 100 artists and performers May 5 and 6. There will be demonstrations, hands-on activities and performances. Friday’s event takes place from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church Community Center. The gallery night highlights award-winning artists, Latin music, beer, a wine tasting and a charcuterie board. On Saturday, May 6, the festival continues at 10 a.m. and takes place around Carolina Beach Lake. There will be art for sale, live art demonstrations, music by The Many Everything and OMNI Percussion Ensemble, as well as cosplay costume design and construction, face painting and SPFX make-up. Kids will be able to participate in splatter painting in an Imagination Station. Food trucks will be parked on site and there will be a beer and wine garden.
The Drifters — Known for their vocal harmonies and indelible impact on rock ‘n’ roll, The Drifters are coming to Thalian Hall at 7:30 p.m. The 1950s group has had upward of 40 members in its seven-decade span, launching solo careers for well-known R&B artists like Clyde McPhatter (originally from Durham) and Ben E. King. Today’s iteration of the group includes Louis Bailey, Stephen Brown, Jerome Manning and Jeff Hall. They’ll perform hits including “There Goes My Baby,” “Up On The Roof,” and “Under The Boardwalk,” among others. Tickets are $64.
Free Comic Book Day — The comic book will be celebrated May 6 at local stores including Fanboy Comics (419 S. College Road) from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and downtown’s Memory Lane (201 Princess St.), 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., as part of Free Comic Book Day. Plenty of titles will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis, including franchise-favorites ilke Star Trek, Amazing Spider-man/Venom, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Star Wars High Republic, Dawn of DC, Avengers/X-Men. There will be door and raffle prizes. Fanboy will be giving 50 gift bags to the first customers. Memory Lane will have an Artist Alley set up featuring local creators selling works and will have operations set up at Bourgie Nights as well (127 Princess St.).
Cinderella Ballet — The magic of “Cinderella” will come to life with the World Ballet Series, featuring more than 40 professional dancers across 10 countries; principal dancer Ekaterina Malkovich will become Cinderella and Leonardo Celegato her Prince Charming. The dance is choreographed by Marina Kessler and accompanied by Sergei Prokofiev’s score. The show is visually detailed with hand-crafted sets and 150 handsewn costumes. Tickets start at $55.
Pender Spring Fest — The town square in Burgaw is hosting a its spring festival, which kicks off at 8 a.m. Vendors will be set up selling homemade, handmade, or homegrown products from Pender County. Local groups and organizations will provide entertainment and there will be an art showcase by students from Pender County Schools. The day starts with a free Family Fun Run and Walk at 8 a.m.; registration begins at 7:30 a.m. The course takes participants around the town on the Osgood Canal and Greenway Trail. The festival begins at 9 a.m. and lasts through 4 p.m.
Battleship Alive — Planning a trip to downtown’s Battleship North Carolina? Saturday is the day as there will be living interpreters taking guests back to World War II and ship life aboard the battleship. They will re-enact the daily duties and drills. It’s free with museum admission and takes place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Spring Skate Contest — A fundraiser for the new Carolina Beach skatepark at Mike Chappell Park is taking place this weekend at 1 p.m. Divisions include beginners through high school, boys and girls, and no schoolers as well as a division for adults. The contest lasts from 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Bands, including Kicking Bird, Pleasure Island and James Sardon, will perform beginning at 3 p.m. There will be food trucks parked and a vendor fair.
Sunday, May 6
My Fair Lady
Wilson Center, 703 N. Third St. • Tickets: $25 and up
The famed tale of Eliza Doolittle will be staged at Wilson Center both Saturday, 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, 3 p.m.
Doolittle is a flower seller with a thick Cockney accent, who meets linguistics professor Henry Higgins. A rather cynical chap when it comes to understanding women, Higgins begins to help Doolittle with speech lessons so she can climb the social ladder. But what he learns is there is more to the student and pupil relationship than he expected as the two were a match in witty banter and clever sparring.
With book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe, the three-hour show features songs including “I Could Have Danced All Night,” “The Rain in Spain,” and “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly.”
The show has won Tony, Laurence Olivier, Drama Desk and Theater World awards, as well as an Oscar when it was turned into the famed Audrey Hepburn movie in the 1960s.
OTHER SUNDAY EVENTS
Wave Market — The Point at Barclay is holding a market from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the shopping plaza. More than 30 vendors will be set up selling one-of-a-kind pottery, artwork, clothing and jewelry. Live music will be performed by Emily Burdette from noon to 3 p.m. A percentage of the proceeds will go toward Team First Book New Hanover County, whose mission is to provide students in grades K-2 Title 1 schools and pre-K programs the opportunity to read and own new books.
Boogie in the Park — Live music returns to Kure Beach Oceanfront Park the first and third Sundays of the month starting this weekend and lasting through October. Kicking off the free music series is Gary Lowder and Smokin’ Hot, which plays rock, R&B, pop and classics. Shows take place from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
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