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.
WEEKEND CONCERT LISTINGS: Outdoor concert guide: More than 100 (mostly free) summer shows in tri-county region
Thursday, June 15
‘The Chinese Lady’
Thalian Hall, 310 Chestnut St. • Tickets: $32
A play by Lloyd Suh covers the history of America’s first Chinese lady, Afong Moy, who was put on public display in an effort to sell Far East imports to American women.
While Moy thought she was traveling to America to share her culture with western society, she was written about in newspapers mainly as a side show, as seen in Philadelphia’s American Sentinel: “Unprecedented novelty! The Chinese Lady, Afong Moy!” Moy was eventually sold to P.T. Barnum American Museum in the 1840s before falling off the radar in the 1850s, all documentation of her disappearing with it.
The play displays her life as a teenager and young adult with her interpreter and imagines what may have happened to her later in life as well.
Read the full PCD coverage here.
“The Chinese Lady” continues its run through June 18 — Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, 3 p.m. Tickets are $34. The Ruth and Bucky Stein Theater is located on the second floor of Thalian Hall, 310 Chestnut St.
OTHER THURSDAY HAPPENINGS
Kids Adventure Night — Kure Beach Recreational Department (105 Atlantic Ave.) is hosting an hour-long event for kids at the Ocean Front Park, 6:30 p.m. It takes place every Thursday night throughout the summer and is free to attend. Each week will celebrate a different theme, rotating between pirates and superhero training. The final night, Aug. 17, will also include a foam party.
Lindy Hop Classes — Want to put a little pop in your step? Known as the “granddaddy of swing dancing,” Lindy Hop classes are being taught at the historic USO and Community Arts Center at 7 p.m. during four days this summer: June 15 and 29 and July 6 and 13. It’s a beginner-to-intermediate series; individual lessons are $10 each or $20 for all four paid in advance (Venmo to @USO-Swing). Following the hour of instruction will be an hour of social dancing.
Juneteenth Celebrations — Juneteenth National Independence Day, honored June 19, became a federal holiday signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2021. It began more than 150 years ago when Major Gen. Gordon Granger and federal soldiers arrived in Galveston Island, Texas, to inform slaves they were truly free — two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. The first celebrations began in 1860 as Freedom Day for Black Americans who celebrated it as their own Independence Day.
The city officially recognizes it as a holiday and starting this year gives staff paid time off. The community is commemorating it with various events as Juneteenth Festival Week continues with an urban hike, followed by a luncheon and panel discussion at MLK Center on June 15; Sorority and Fraternity Step Show at MLK Center on June 16; the Juneteenth Festival on June 17; and the Juneteenth breakfast and family movie night on June 19. Learn more about the events by following the Wilmington Juneteenth Committee here.
Friday, June 16
Shapel Lacy
Dead Crow Comedy Room, 511 N. Third St. • Tickets: $18-$28
“Die-hard punk rocker” and “competitive cheerleader” are only two ways to describe L.A.-based comedian Shapel Lacy, who is coming to downtown Dead Crow Comedy Room this weekend to perform four shows.
He is also funny as hell.
Shapel has been touring the club circuit for a while and was dubbed best “New Face” at the 2019 Just For Laughs Comedy Festival.
Originally from Arizona, Lacy’s bits center on his life. Animated in his delivery, his facial expressions, vocal inflections, and impersonations are just as engaging. He talks about being adopted and some of the differences of being raised by a white family.
“My white friends taught me you can kick your parents out of your room. I didn’t know that — you can just stand your ground, and they listen,” he quipped in a “Don’t Tell Comedy Stand-up.”
He also talked about reconnecting with his biological father, who is serving time for attempted murder.
“We are trying to get a Netflix documentary, homey,” Lacy joked. “You can’t get that with just attempted murder, dog. Come on, man, stop playing, pops — get it right.”
He will perform four shows this weekend; tickets available here.
OTHER FRIDAY HAPPENINGS
Good Vibes Summer Tour — A little reggae will be a weekend pick-me-up with three bands on the Good Vibes Summer Tour. Rebelution, Iration, The Expendables, Passafire and DJ Mackle are headed to Live Oak Bank Pavilion on Wilmington’s riverfront. The reggae rock of Rebelution was formed in California in the early aughts, and to date the band has released seven albums. Iration, also from California, has been touring through Wilmington for years. Tickets are $35 and the gates open at 6 p.m.
Cape Fear Shakespeare on the Green — Annually, the local theater troupe puts on a youth and adult production. “The Comedy of Errors” continues from the younger actors this weekend. 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 14-15, and June 19-20, 8 p.m. The adult production of “Two Noble Kinsmen” is a Jacobean tragicomedy and spinoff from Geoffrey Chaucer’s “The Canterbury Tales,” specifically “The Knight’s Tale.” It’s believed to be Shakespeare’s final play 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 takes place June 16-18 and June 24-25 at 8 p.m., free to the public; gates to the amphitheater open at 6:30 p.m. for those who wish to have a picnic beforehand. Donations to CFS are accepted.
Saturday, June 17
NC Blueberry Festival
Downtown Burgaw, town square • Free
A popular festival in a small farming community that brings 40,000 people to Pender County will celebrate two decades this weekend.
The North Carolina Blueberry Festival is turning 20 and will welcome visitors from June 17 through the 19 in Burgaw’s Historic Courthouse Square at 100 S. Wright St.
READ MORE: Burgaw to host 5 free concerts for ‘Summer on the Square’
Events include concerts, a BBQ cookoff and blueberry recipe contest. The festival is free and features multiple family-friendly attractions, including children’s activities, a 5K race, and car and truck show.
As well there are hundreds of makers and artisan vendors set up in the square, with music provided by Band of Oz, The Embers, and others.
New to the lineup in 2023 will be an art exhibit commemorating local legend Ivey Hayes and other contributing artists. It will be hosted by the Pender Arts Council.
A heritage celebration, Burgaw’s annual festival honors historic, economic, and cultural significance of blueberries grown in the southeastern region of North Carolina.
Pender is one of four counties — Bladen, Sampson and Duplin included — statewide that contribute to 90% of highbush blueberry production.
Proceeds from the festival help provide educational scholarships to students residing in the blueberry-producing counties. The funds support academic and sports-related school programs, medical clinics in schools, and other local charitable efforts including Meals on Wheels, according to a press release from the festival association.
The North Carolina Blueberry Festival Association is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, with hundreds of people volunteering time to make the festival happen.
OTHER SATURDAY HAPPENINGS
Beehive Blondes Dance Party — Celebrating six years of throwing their retro dance parties, the Beehive Blondes are spinning the tunes and inviting folks to the dance floor at Satellite Lounge (120 Greenfield St., #6123), 9:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. It’s free and tunes from the ‘50s to modern day will be spun.
Greenfield Lake Family Nature Walk — Get outside for some fresh air this weekend with the Cape Fear Bird Observatory to discover the beauty of nature. A one-hour nature walk will take place around Greenfield Lake; interested parties will meet at the boathouse at 9 a.m. Greenfield Lake is filled with a variety of birds, plants, mammals, reptiles, and critters. No registration is required and it’s free.
Nauti Pride — This Carolina Beach pub and hot dog joint is celebrating Pride all month long. Nauti Dog, located at 5 Cape Fear Blvd. will have live music on Friday night from Paige Bacon at 7 p.m. and on Sunday at 1 p.m., music from Beth Manning. Everyone is welcome; no cover.
Wilmington Farmers Market — The Wilmington Farmers Market will take place on Saturday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Tidal Creek Food Co-op (5329 Oleander Drive). The market offers fresh, local, homegrown food — free of synthetic or chemical fertilizers or pesticides. The items for sale are grown locally as well. The market is open year-round every Saturday.
Historical Walking Tour of Oakdale Cemetery — Wilmington’s most historic cemetery welcomes visitors to learn more about the stories beyond the grave. The cemetery has been around since 1852 and was part of the rural cemetery movement, wherein graveyards were built as gardens, with lush foliage and ornamental flowers. It remains one of Wilmington’s most serene places. From 10 a.m. to noon, at 520 North 15th St., local historian Robin Triplett will guide visitors through the grounds to reveal stories of those interred in the graveyard. The cost is $10 per person, but tours are canceled in the event of inclement weather. Learn more here.
Sunday, June 18
Juneteenth at CAM
Cameron Art Museum, 3201 S. 17th St. • Free
The local art museum will be celebrating Juneteenth this year with free admission offered at CAM all day Sunday.
There will be activities for children 5 years old and up, as well as a panel discussion with Derrick Anderson. Plus there will be guest speakers, music, and poetry. Sonya Amen-Ra will deliver a spoken word piece in honor of the U.S. Colored Troops, which is commemorated at CAM, located on the historical site of the Battle of Forks Road.
“Boundless” by Stephen Hayes is erected on the grounds in CAM’s newly opened PNC USCT Park. The bronze sculpture honors the 1,600 men that fought in the skirmish and helped toward the fall of the Confederacy in the Civil War. The park will be open as well.
Presented by New Hanover County Juneteenth Committee, Speak Ya Peace NC, and the museum, all events take place from noon to 5 p.m.
OTHER SUNDAY HAPPENINGS
‘Painting with Plastics’ — Flytrap Brewing (319 Walnut St.) is hosting an educational workshop, “Painting with Plastics,” 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., with local nonprofit Plastic Ocean Project. POP focuses on clearing the oceans of plastic and preventing marine debris from entering the waterways. It’s $30 and includes all materials, with the workshop being led by Sam Athey, the education and outreach coordinator for POP. Athey will steer participants during the creation of their own Venus flytrap paintings; the plant is indigenous to southeastern North Carolina. The canvas participants will paint on is created by repurposed plastic and as Athey is leading the instruction, information will be shared about how plastic pollution impacts terrestrial ecosystems. All proceeds benefit POP.
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