Monday, February 10, 2025

Li’l Friday: Highland Games, CB Beach Music Fest, Flytrap Frolic

Parker McCollum will perform at Live Oak Bank Pavilion on Saturday. (Courtesy photo)

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.

LOOKING FOR SUMMER CONCERTS? Outdoor concert guide: More than 100 (mostly free) summer shows in tri-county region

Thursday, June 1

It’s ALL Art
Leland Cultural Arts Center, 1212 Magnolia Village Way • Free

The Art League of Leland is hosting its annual arts exhibit June 1-3 at the Leland Arts Center. Awards were given to 2D and 3D artists.

Rick Conn, local Wilmington resident and program chair of visual arts at Cape Fear Community College, was selected as the official juror. Conn specializes in course design, sculpture instruction and studio management in his 10-year tenure at CFCC. 

Roughly 700 pieces of work will be for sale and on display by 105 artists. It will feature photography, oil, watercolor, acrylic, pastel, glass, pastel, mixed-media, ceramics and more. 

“We are excited to emerge this year with greater creativity and passion,” ALL president Ricardo Perez said in a press release. “Our annual exhibition will feature some of the best work of artists living in eastern North Carolina.”

The show is open Thursday, June 1, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m, Friday, June 2, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m, and Saturday, June 3, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at 1212 Magnolia Village Way.

Friday, June 2

Comedy of Errors
Greenfield Lake Amphitheater, 1901 Amphitheater Dr. • Free

It’s the time of year when the Bard’s words reign over Greenfield Lake Amphitheater as Cape Fear Shakespeare on the Green takes to the stage. 

The youth production will open Friday night featuring “The Comedy of Errors.” A farce, the story follows a set of identical twins who were separated at birth. Through mishaps of mistaken identity, a multitude of events unfold including seduction, arrests, infidelity, and demonic possession.

The show runs June 2 and 4, 14-15, and 19-20, 8 p.m.

On June 7 the adult production of “Two Noble Kinsmen” will open from CFS. The Jacobean tragicomedy is a spinoff from Geoffrey Chaucer’s “The Canterbury Tales,” specifically “The Knight’s Tale.” It’s believed to be Shakespeare’s final play before three years before his death. 

First published in 1634, it also has a co-writing attribution to John Fletcher. The joint authorship was a point of contention for many Shakespeare fans, though most scholars now accept it.

The story of “Kinsmen” revolves around two friends who fall in love with the same woman and their camaraderie soon turns to competition and jealous rivalry. They’re jailed in battle, yet one goes AWOL on the search for his love; the other is released and a story of adventure and hijinks begin.

The show will be presented June 7-11, 16-18 and 24-25 at 8 p.m.

All shows are free to the public; gates to the amphitheater opening at 6:30 p.m. for those who wish to have a picnic beforehand.

Donations to CFS are accepted.

OTHER FRIDAY HAPPENINGS 
Giggle or Die — HP Fangs, a.k.a. Greyson Davis, is a local artist who puts fun in art. He is hosting an exhibition of original work at Waterline Brewing Company. Davis is known for his toothy happy faces and over the last decade has hosted multiple art shows, illustrated a children’s book and collaborated on comics. He also was part of the public art display “Black Lives Do Matter,” which was erected in Jervay Freedom Park and moved to CAM (and also dropping the “do” from the sign) earlier this year. Also a musician, Davis will be taking over the mic, rapping for the first time in 10 years. Joining the show will be Fuzz Jackson, Mindsone, and DJ Battle. The doors open at 6 p.m. and the music starts at 8:30 p.m.

Cipha Sounds — A comedian who has shared the stage with David Chappell, Michelle Wolf and Michael Che, Cipha Sounds will be performing at Dead Crow Comedy Room for two shows each night on Friday and Saturday. Sounds’ observational comedy is steered from his background in improv and includes music industry anecdotes, as he has roots in hip-hop. He has peformed as a DJ for “Chappelle’s Show,” as well as for artists like Mos Def, Lil Kim and Rihanna. He currently hosts the podcast “Juan Ep is Life” and “Talk Clearlyer.” Sounds just wrapped “Hip Hop Treasures” with L.L. Cool J for A&E and has starred on shows like “Laff Mobb’s Laff Tracks” on truTV and HBO’s “That Damn Michael Che.”  Tickets are $22-$32; shows start at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

“High Voter Turnout” — Local humor columnist Celia Rivenbark has a new production running in the Thalian Hall ballroom this weekend. “High Voter Turnout” takes on the political hubbub permeating the world currently, as written by Rivenbark and Kevin Parker. The show follows the townsfolk in rural North Carolina, who are up in arms over the legalization of marijuana. Directed by Zach Hanner, who also performs in the production as Pastor Doug, the show is timely as the state Senate has attempted to pass a medical marijuana bill for six years. “The whole legalization part of the plot is just the hook,” Hanner said. “As the show progresses, you see that it’s about much more than just issues or politics but more so about media perception, relationships and having integrity in the face of a changing cultural landscape.” The show will take place weekends through June 4, Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m., with Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Tickets are $32-$37.

Confluence: Connections in Fiber — A national fiber art show is happening at The ArtWorks, 200 Willard St., from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. It will feature 12 award-winning fiber artists, such as Patricia Turner, Richard Lund, Penny Mateer, Beverly Smith, Susan Lenz Dingman and others. Some work address controversy such as Turner highlighting  tough subject matter surrounding racism and lynchings, while Charlotte quiltmaker Beverly Smith covers taboo themes of the Antebellum South. It’s free to attend and there will be complementary hors d’oeuvre and a cash bar.

Summer Night Market — The Starling Bar in the Cargo District (1612 Queen St.) will feature a nighttime summer market with 19 vendors, including locals Five Tree Creations, Andrea Watson Designs, Pa8ha, Not Your Doll, Pomona Shrub and others. Live music will be played by Kicking Bird and Morning News, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.; with food from Banh Sai, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., and dessert by Sabinos Italian Ice, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Port City Highland Games take place Saturday. (Port City Daily/File)

Saturday, June 3

Port City Highland Games
3600 Randall Parkway. • Tickets: $7.50-$15

The Port City Highland Games celebrates Scottish and Celtic culture through a day of music, fun competition and imbibing. Taking place at Randall Parkway on Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., competitors can participate in a hammer toss, sheaf toss, weight for distance, turning the caber and other events.

There will be bagpipes playing throughout the day, as well as live music from The Blarney Brogues, Celtic Musicians of Wilmington, and Port City Bagpipes and Drums. Dancing also will be performed, displaying the sword dance (ancient dance of war), seann triubhas (political protest dancing) and Highland fling (victory dance), among other styles.

A British car show will be set up on the grounds from the British Motor Club, plus there will be kid’s games. Beer and food will be served. A herding demonstration will open the event at 9 a.m., with ceremonies following at 9:30 a.m. Athletes can register here; tickets are $7.50 to $15. Flying Machine will have beer for sale on site.

The event is rain or shine. Proceeds benefit paws4people Foundation, specifically its paws4vets sector which pairs up service dogs with those who have been in the military.

OTHER SATURDAY EVENTS
Cape Fear Chordsmen  — “Message in a Bottle,”  CFC’s annual springtime recital, will be held June 3, 2:30 p.m., at the Pine Valley Methodist Church (3788 Shipyard Blvd.). A barbershop quartet, the four-part harmony group sings a cappella and will perform popular songs from the last 100 years. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased here ahead of time or at the door.

Futurebirds — Athens, Georgia, indie-rock band Futurebirds is bringing the party to Greenfield Lake Amphitheater, with opener Leon III. The group — consisting of Thomas Johnson, Spencer Thomas, Carter King, Brannen Miles, Daniel Womack, Tom Myers and Kiffy Myers — plays a blend of Southern and psychedelic rock, with layered vocal harmonies. The band has released four studio albums to date, including 2020’s “Teamwork,” as well as the 2021 EP “Bloomin’,” recorded with My Morning Jacket’s guitarist and producer Carl Broemel. Tickets are available here.

13th Annual Flytrap Frolic  A free community environmental and educational event will take place in honor of southeastern North Carolina’s indigenous carnivorous plants at the Stanley Rehder Carnivorous Plant Garden, 3800 Canterbury Road. Attendees to the Flytrap Frolic will learn why they grow here and how they trap prey. There will be a garden guide who will help lead visitors to the plants, along with activities and games, arts and crafts and painters. Vendors will be set up from Halyburton Park, Sarracenia Conservancy, Carolina Beach State Park and The Nature Conservancy. There also will be ethically sourced flytraps for sale, with proceeds benefiting the Coastal Land Trust. They will be sold on a first-come, first-serve basis as supplies last.

Carolina Beach Music Festival —  For more than 30 years, Carolina Beach has celebrated the Southern sounds of beach music in an annual summertime concert hosted along the shore. This year’s main event will take place June 3, with a kickoff show on Friday, June 2, with The Tams and 18K Gold Band performing at SeaWitch Tiki Bar. There is a $5 cover. Tickets to Saturday’s main event, featuring Jim Quick and the Coastline Band, Band of Oz, and Cat5, are $35. After Saturday night’s show the music will continue at the Lazy Pirate with the Gary Lowder and Smokin’ Hot Band, before concluding Sunday. On June 4, the Lazy Pirate will host brunch and a shag contest. Tickets to Saturday’s triple bill can be accessed here.

Parker McCollum — Texas singer-songwriter Parker McCollum will take the stage in downtown Wilmington on Saturday. McCollum independently released his debut album, “The Limestone Kid,” in 2015 and followed up with two more in 2017 and 2021. His latest, “Gold Chain Cowboy,” includes the debut single “Pretty Heart” and “To Be Loved by You.” His upcoming Wilmington set is sure to include his latest single “Handle of You.” An emerging figure in country music, the 30-year-old McCollum takes inspiration from his musical idol and fellow Texan George Strait, then blends it with a more modern approach. The show is sold out but resales may be available here.

Paws-ability Band Fest will take place Sunday, from noon to 5 p.m., featuring bands and vendors. (Courtesy photo)

Sunday, June 4 

Paws-ability Band Fest
Sunset Beach Town Park, 206 Sunset Boulevard N • Free

There will be a fundraiser taking place from noon to 5 p.m. as part of Paws-Ability’s annual event in Sunset Beach.

Paws-Ability is a nonprofit organization assisting area animal rescue groups and programs to improve animal welfare in Brunswick and New Hanover counties. 

Two bands, The Sea and Sand Band and Jan Michael Fields Band, will perform, with food and beverage trucks, vendors and adoptable animals on site.

The event is family- and pet-friendly, with proceeds supporting animal welfare.

OTHER SUNDAY EVENTS
Community Yard Sale — From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. a yard sale will take place that benefits the Temple of Israel Reibman Center (922 Market St.). For sale will be furniture, tableware, decorative and collectible items, books, electronics, sporting goods, large toys, and shoes, accessories, and costume jewelry. The sale takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.


Info or comments? Email info@portcitydaily.com

Want to read more from our staff? Subsvribe now and sign up for our newsletter, Wilmington Wire, to get the headlines delivered to your inbox every morning.

Shea Carver
Shea Carver
Shea Carver is the editor in chief at Port City Daily. A UNCW alumna, Shea worked in the print media business in Wilmington for 22 years before joining the PCD team in October 2020. She specializes in arts coverage — music, film, literature, theatre — the dining scene, and can often be tapped on where to go, what to do and who to see in Wilmington. When she isn’t hanging with her pup, Shadow Wolf, tending the garden or spinning vinyl, she’s attending concerts and live theater.

Related Articles