Bikes, bourbon, beer and a play at a farmhouse

Whew! after last weekend I need a party break. Ah, but there a few events calling my name ranging from a weird theatrical production (I love all things weird) to another festival. No rest for me. See you in the streets. Let's get this party started!


Thursday

Empowering Women - Enjoy lunch with local women expressing hope through arts at Strands of Pearl’s Luncheon. Strands of Pearls celebrates its fourth year. Proceeds benefit Pearls for Creative Healing Art Programs.  11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. Foundation For The Carolinas, 220 N Tryon St. $40.










Live Funk - Time to get funky! It's SHIPROCKED! presents: The Soul, Funk and Disco Edition, with special guest Shana Blake of Double Door’s The Monday Night Allstars! This is going to be an unforgettable Shiprocked! 10 p.m., Snug Harbor, 1228 Gordon St.

Weird Theatre - Your going to have to experience XOXO's (formerly Machine Theatre) Bohemian Grove to understand it. Bohemian Grove is a theatrical experience, immersive performance party. Guests for each performance will begin their journey in a 15-passenger van that glides through the backwoods of Mecklenburg County before arriving at a historic farm for the performance. Performances begin at 6:30 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, May 7-30. Departure site will be revealed via email after reservations are made.
$50, which includes transportation to/from the Grove and cold beverages. For reservations: xoxoperformance@gmail.com







Friday

Bike & Breakfast - Join the city’s bike community as they launch Free Wheelin' Fridays to encourage people to bike to work on Fridays. Meet and network 7 a.m. Head uptown by 8:15 a.m. The Common Market, 1515 South Tryon St. Organizers will add locations in Plaza-Midwood and NoDa in coming weeks.

Get Creative - Talk about what creativity means in Charlotte at Be Original: presented by Advent Coworking. The networking event includes a Q&A and representatives from Google Fiber, Dupp & Swat and others. 6:30 p.m. The Cube, 617 E. 28th Suite B.
















Saturday

My Favorite Things - Head to SouthPark for what the Charlotte Bourbon Club calls the best bourbon event - Beer Bourbon and BBQ Festival. Enjoy the Shrine of Swine, seminars in the Tasting Theater and live music. 12 p.m. - 6 p.m. 5440 Carnegie Boulevard. $39.

Fashion Timeline - The Decades of Fashion show features style and fashion from the 1920’s to 2000’s by local boutiques, designers, salons and make-up artists. Admission includes red carpet, live music, fashion show and the after party with dancing. Participants are encouraged to dress in their favorite decade. 6:30 p.m. Le Meridien Charlotte, 555 South McDowell Street, North Tower.

Wine Tasting - Charlotte Food & Wine Weekend finale Big Bottles & Blues features 40 wineries, live and silent auction and blues music. The event benefits local children’s charities. CWFW is partnering with retailers The Wine Vault, Arthur’s Wine Shop and Bond Street Wines to offer the option to purchase wine at the event. There will also be special guests. 6:30 p.m. Founders Hall, Bank of America Corporate Center. $125.












Sunday
Black Cinema - This month’s edition features “Honey Baby, Honey Baby,” a 1974 film about the craziness that happens when an interpreter wins a free trip to Lebanon. The other film is “Winnie Mandela,” starring Jennifer Hudson and Terrence Howard. 2 p.m. Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, 551 S Tryon St.



Holla: sipandplayclt@gmail.com

The hangover edition: brunch at Dogwood

Tired of leftovers, head over to SouthPark for brunch at Dogwood Southern Table and Bar (4905 Ashley Park Lane), by Jon and Kim Dressler. The menu offers a little something for everyone whether it's egg dishes, sandwiches or hearty entrees. We started with the pimento cheese and country bread along with the biscuits. The biscuits were biscuits, but the pimento cheese came with a tomato jam that was delicious.

My main entree was the eggs cooked with tasso ham, green onions and a side of country potatoes. The ham added just enough flavor to the eggs. Shezrotn ordered the steak and eggs. The ribeye steak was surprisingly bland. Considering we often get the ribeye at Dressler, we expected the steak to be more flavorful.

For libations, I tried the Bloody Mary, which was tasty, but still doesn't compare to a Zing Zang Bloody Mary. It came with a pilsner beer back which was a nice touch. We finished the meal with hot tea. It's Rishi, sold in Whole Foods, a loose leaf steeped in a teapot. We had the jasmine and the mint.