This Weekend's Agenda: 20+ Events (July 8-10)
umphreys.com
Prog-rock act Umphrey's McGee returns to Charlotte.
FRIDAY (JULY 8)
CREATIVE MORNINGS
The monthly speaker series comes back to Warehouse 242 this month, with Herrison Chicas speaking on the topic of “Love.” Chicas is a spoken word artist, motivational speaker, and graduate of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
DIXIE'S NEVER WEAR A TUBE TOP
You may have caught another show starring the bold and brazen Tupperware lady Dixie Longate. This one adds a bit of honkytonk into the proceedings, as Longate brings a new evening of comedic storytelling.
UPTOWN SCAVENGER HUNT AND SPOTLIGHT SOCIAL MIXER
Gather a group of two to six people tonight for a scavenger hunt across Uptown. Without giving too much away about the hunt, you’ll need your phone’s camera and a willingness to take hilarious photos across Uptown. The scavenger hunt begins at 10 p.m. with a social mixer running from 8 p.m. until then. The party gets started at Whisky River with a free food buffet.
LET'S GET TROPICAL LUAU
To celebrate the return of its Let’s Get Tropical India Pale Ale, Unknown Brewing is throwing a luau for everyone. The tropical party also features five food trucks, live music, fire dancers, ukuleles, kiddy pools, Jaws playing on an outdoor movie screen and a “surprise” that encourages party attendees to wear their bathing suits if they want to get wet.
WIZARD OF OZ
This is a new vision for the classic tale of Dorothy and Toto, with new backdrops and Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber adding new tunes. Yet, all of those beloved characters remain intact, even that dastardly, green-skinned antagonist and her flying primates.
MOVIE NIGHTS IN THE SQUARE – BEAT STREET
The Square at Spirit Square hosts Hip-Hop Movie Weekend. Friday’s film is the 1984 cult movie Beat Street, while Saturday’s film is 2006’s Step Up. A Lip-Sync Battle hosted by These Handz DJ Academy starts the event.
WATERMELON DAY AT CHARLOTTE REGIONAL FARMERS MARKET
Today is watermelon day at the city's largest farmer's market. Enjoy free watermelon samples from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m, pick up recipes for this high summer fruit, and enjoy live bluegrass music from Baker's Basement Band. This family-friendly event is free to attend.
FOOD TRUCK FRIDAY AT PLAZA-MIDWOOD
Purchase your favorite street foods during this weekly food truck rally, held behind The Light Factory on Central Avenue. Nine food trucks will be in attendance this week, including Sticks and Cones, Street Spice, and Bebo's Mac Shack. This event is dog-friendly and kid-friendly.
SATURDAY (JULY 9)
ROBERT EARL KEEN
The legendary singer-songwriter brings his Americana tunes to the Neighborhood Theatre. Watch Keen pull from 18 full-length records and four decades of experiences on the road. Charlotte’s Sinners & Saints open the show.
The Brothers Vigalys visit from Durham this weekend, joining Bob Peters for his July Mixology Lab, one of several cocktail classes this summer that is focused on local producers. The two brothers make liqueurs at their distillery, including a spiced honey liqueur called Krupnikas. Seats for this free class fill up fast, so arrive early.
UMPHREY'S MCGEE
The prog-rock band comes back to Charlotte with this FIllmore show. The band plays with genres like funk, jazz, metal, bluegrass, and folk. The Werks open.
BASH AT THE BOT
Has it already been a year? Our babies grow up so quickly. The Wooden Robot is turning a year old, and the South End brewery wants you to come celebrate. The party features a DJ and food from the Twisted Eats food truck.
NATIONAL BEER MILE
This is the very definition of a “fun run.” Runners start this run with a beer, run a quarter mile and then repeat it three times. Fun, right? Check-in starts at 10 a.m. at the NC Music Factory, 1000 NC Music Factory Blvd. Ticket prices vary, but an individual registration costs $35. Buy your ticket here.
HAYDINI
This Charlotte-bred talent is a rising star in the magic world, at the age of 22. For two nights, he adds a comedic twist to sleight of hand, mentalism, and other tricks and illusions.
RIVER JAM
On Thursdays and Saturdays, River Jam offers free music against the outdoor backdrop of the U.S. National Whitewater Center. Check out the center’s selection of food and beer and kick back. This month’s lineup includes The Packway Handle Band (July 2), Scythian (July 7), Urban Soil (July 9), The Way Down Wanderers (July 14), The Ragbirds (July 16), Big Daddy Love (July 21), Temperance League (July 23), Head for the Hills (July 28), and Koa (July 30).
SUNDAY (JULY 10)
FINDERS KEEPERS SUMMER SHOWCASE
In addition to the local vendors on site selling their crafts from 1 p.m. until 6 p.m. at NoDa Brewing, you can also pair your beers with Pure Intentions Coffee, TIN Kitchen and FuManChu Cupcakes. There is no admission fee.
SPORTSLINK BLOCK PARTY
If you can brave the heat, there’s a block party in Montford today complete with both a corn hole and Bar Pong tournament. Corn hole begins at 2 p.m. with a $100 prize for the winning team, and Bar Pong begins at 4 p.m. Register for the corn hole tournament here register for the Bar Pong tournament at Angry Ale’s, on Sunday.
MINT MUSEUM UPTOWN
The offshoot of its sister location on Randolph Road, the Mint Museum Uptown has a renowned craft and design exhibit that showcases works in a variety of materials, as well as collections of American, contemporary, and European art. Here & Now: 80 Years of Photography at the Mint (through Sept. 18) highlights about 215 photos from the Mint’s permanent collection. Pumped: The Art & Craft of Shoemaking (through July 31) shows the wildest and most fascinating shoes from the museum’s permanent collection.
NASCAR HALL OF FAME
The NASCAR Hall of Fame is a 40,000-square-foot view into the history of racing, in a city with its own storied history for the sport. The ongoing Champions Exhibit features recent winners for of the three national touring series in NASCAR.
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