Want to see living at its finest?
The Arts Council of Wilmington and New Hanover County has your ticket into decadence with its first-ever Designer Showhouse.
More than a dozen local interior and landscape designers will stage their high-end visions at a 5,000-square-foot Georgian-style home at 1909 Gillette Dr. in one of Wilmington’s premiere communities, overlooking the Cape Fear Country Club golf course.
Meg Caswell from season six of HGTV’s “Design Star” will be on hand as the events’ celebrity designer.
The show, a fundraiser for the arts council, gets underway Friday and continues through May 18. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door.
If you’re on a quest for something a little more down home, we’ve got that, too, in our weekly roundup of area happenings. From an old-time music show to a community art show, Motown outdoors to a jazzy Sunday brunch, you’ll find it all–and then some–listed below.
Most of the items can be found on The Scene, where it is always free to post and peruse the latest events.
Music
98.3 The Penguin and SweetWater present fusion rockers Slightly Stoopid tonight (Thursday) at Greenfield Lake Amphitheater. The San Diego band sold out its May 2013 performance at the amphitheater. Tickets are $30. Doors open at 5 p.m. and the concert begins at 6. Click here for more information.
Stone Soup Concerts presents London-born folk rocker Rupert Wates at 7 p.m. tonight at Ted’s Fun on the River. Admission is $10 and seating is limited. Further details can be found here.
Cameron Art Museum’s summer music series, “Music in the Courtyard,” kicks off tonight at 7 p.m. with the bluegrass sounds of Big Al Hall and Friends. “Music in the Courtyard” is held outdoors, weather permitting; indoors if not. Admission is $10 for non-members and $5 for members and students.
Reggae group Easy Star All Stars plays a complete “Dub Side of the Moon,” along with songs from Radiohead and more during a show at Ziggy’s By The Sea tonight. Underground System and Selah Dubb also perform. Doors open at 9 p.m. and the concert gets underway at 10. Tickets are $20.
Airlie Gardens kicks off its summer concert series at 6 p.m. Friday the Motown, beach music and rock of Heartbeat of Soul. Concerts are performed in front of the famous Airlie Oak the first and third Friday of every month through September. Admission is $2 to $9. More information can be found on Airlie’s website.
The N.C. Symphony Orchestra presents “Strauss and Mozart” at 7:30 p.m. Friday at UNC-Wilmington’s Kenan Auditorium. Led by resident conductor William Henry Curry, the concert features Mozart’s “Overture to Don Giovanni” and “Symphony No. 40” and Strauss’ “Entry March from The Gypsy Baron,” “Overture from The Gypsy Baron,” “Emperor Waltz” and “Overture to Die Fledermaus.” Tickets are $24 to $50 and can be purchased here.
Indie rockers Bear Hands play with Morning Parade Friday at Ziggy’s. Admission is $5. Doors open at 8 p.m. and the show starts at 9.
The second annual Wilmington Bluegrass and Old Time Music Show comes to Brooklyn Arts Center at 8 p.m. Friday. Presented by Step Right Up Productions, the concert features performances by: End of the Line, Big Al Hall with Possum Creek, The South Hammock Bluegrass Band and Stray Local. Admission is $5 at the door, and don’t forget your lawn chairs.
Rowdy Americana folk rock band Bootleg Dynasty makes its debut performance at Duck & Dive Pub on Friday. The show is free and gets underway at 10 p.m.
Vancouver-based gypsy swing band Maria in the Shower plays The Legacy Dinner to benefit Thalian Hall Saturday on Thalian’s main stage. Admission fees are $150 for dinner, which begins at 6 p.m., and the show at 8:30 p.m. Show-only tickets are $35 (limited seating). More information is on Thalian’s website.
The Olive Cafe’ and Wine Bar hosts a live jazz brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Solo acoustic and jazz guitarist Galen Hunsucker performs.
Fermental presents its weekly music series every Sunday in the beer garden, featuring a rotating cast of local jazz musicians performing an early evening acoustic set of originals and traditional styles. The event is free and gets started at 5 p.m.
Theater
Big Dawg Productions’ “Motherhood Out Loud“continues at 8 p.m. tonight through Saturday and at 3 p.m. Sunday at Cape Fear Playhouse. This series of short sketches and monlogues paints a portrait of motherhood while showing all facets of a family. Tickets are $15 tonight and $20 Friday-Sunday ($18 for students and seniors).
Cape Fear Theatre presents “Assassins” at 8 p.m. Friday through Sunday at City Stage. “Assasins” is a musical revue by Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman that explores the reasons behind attempts to kill U.S. presidents throughout history. The show features popular music from each era. Admission is $14 to $20. More details are available here.
Super Saturday Fun Time Kids’ Variety Show continues this Saturday from 3 to 5 p.m. at TheatreNOW. The ongoing series features Captain Plunkett, Dock the Dog and the Dock Street Kids as they unravel mysteries tied to Wilmington’s history and local attractions in Scooby Doo-style. A new “episode” happens each week. Tickets are $8.
Art
“Wilmington Collects Art” opens at Cameron Art Museum from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday. The new exhibit is a crowd-sourced community curated exhibition chosen by online voters from a selection of 52 artworks by local artists with area ties. Live music is provided by one-man band El Jaye Johnson. The event is free. Click here for details.
Hilary Snow is a reporter at Port City Daily. Reach her at (910) 772-6341 or [email protected].
