"The black character always dies first in the horror movie. This is some bulls---," I thought while awaiting my fate at the XOXO's "Bohemian Grove."My spidey senses tingled, and I cursed my girl Crystal Dempsey for inviting me out. I can't tell you what happened, but for a hot minute, I thought I might be found chopped up in little pieces. That is now how the monthlong #celebrationoftonya is supposed to end.
Most of the Grove, an experiential theatrical production, isn't hair-raising. It's campy fun, and cool way to spend an evening in the woods outside of Charlotte. It starts with a ride in a passenger van about 40 minutes outside of Charlotte to historic farm for the performance. The show takes place all over the farm and outside. That's all I'm going to say about the performance so I don't spoil it for you.
If you're going, here are a few tips:
Wear comfortable walking shoes.
Wear long sleeves and long pants. The mosquitos are no joke and covering up is the best protection.
Eat a full meal before you go, and bring snacks, such as trail mix or protein bars. (I'm growing so I get hungry quick)
Take advantage of the bathroom stop. (Ladies bring some tissue to the show. You may need to cop a squat)
Bring an open mind. This is not your typical theater performance, but it's definitely one you won't forget.
Performances begin at 6:30 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, Today - May 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
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.
Hey jazz fans, the Jazz Diva just announced an uptown summer jazz festival. Details are a little vague, but the QC Summerfest lineup includes Najee and Keiko Matsui. Stay tuned for more details next month. If you're looking for a non-traditional game-watch party this weekend, there are quite a few happening. Take a look. Now, let's get this party started. See you in the streets...
Theater In Southend - An ASC grant, and a collaboration by Donna Scott Productions and Historic South End are bringing the staged reading of “Carrie Ann’s Kiss” to the Charlotte Trolley Museum. The play is is a mockumentary-styled comedy about five cosmetic consultants on their way to a national convention It was written by Charlotte playwright Tonya Bludsworth. 8 p.m., Charlotte Trolley Museum, 1507 Camden Road. $10.
For The Family - Giant animals, silly clowns, deftifying feats highlight "The Greatest Show On Earth." Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is here until Sunday. Various times and dates. Time Warner Cable Arena, 333 East Trade St. $15 and up.
Don't Forget
Music Benefit - Reverb Fest is a benefit concert for the Chronic Illness Relief Fund. The show features Diarrhea Planet, Bo White's Patois Counselors, Junior Astronomers, Museum Mouth, Serfs and Southern Fernisphere. 7:30 p.m. Neighborhood Theater, 511 E. 36th St. $10/$12.
Food Event - I don't usually equate Whisky River with food, but this is different. Sample food from throughout the world at Taste Your Way Around The World. 8-10 p.m. Whisky River, 201 East Trade St. EpiCentre. $20. Paid and valet parking available onsite. #TJTurnup
Happy Hour – Haunt totally surprised me. A DJ and craft cocktails at Earl's Grocery, 1609 Elizabeth Ave. Judging from my FB friends who are going, this should be a great crowd. 5:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m., Earl’s Grocery.
A big congratulations to the organizers of the Novant Health Thanksgiving Parade. Attendance reached an estimated 70,000 this year! The parade kicked off the most wonderful time of the year when football and basketball collide with shopping and parties. Let's get started.
Thursday
Country star - Brantley Gilbert most recently opened for Toby Keith and Tim McGraw, but now he's headlining his own arena show. 7 p.m. Time Warner Cable Arena,333 E. Trade St.$34.78-$47.89. Read Theoden Janes' article on Gilbert.
Family Fun - Head to The Square for Lights On the Square: The Uptown Tree Lighting. ACC mascots join the festivities to start the ACC Tournament weekend. Families can enjoy Santa Village in Polk Park (free photos!), and a performance by The Wonderettes! Food trucks will be there too. 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. The Square, Trade and Tryon streets. Tree lighting starts shortly after 6:30pm. Parking tips. Friday
It's Your Anniversary- Birdsong Brewery Third Year Anniversary features new brews each weekend night starting tonight with Puppies on Penguins and Nighthawk Postcard, Sour Stout with Raspberries. The three-day celebration begins at 4 p.m. Birdsong Brewery,2315 N Davidson St.
Cats! Cats! Cats! - Join the Queen City Cats, UK alumni group, when the #BBN takes over Sip Charlotte, 200 N. Tryon St. Suite 100 to watch Kentucky v. Texas. 7 p.m.
Saturday
Family fun - The ACC Football Championship is today so there's lots of free fun. It starts with theACC Fan 5K and Kids Mascot Runat 8 a.m., Wells Fargo Plaza, Uptown Charlotte. Then enjoy free concerts, autograph sessions and watch ACC mascots square off during the ACC Football Championship Fan Fest. Noon - 7 p.m., adjacent to Bank of America Stadium along Mint, Graham and Stonewall streets. Florida State vs. Georgia Techstarts at 8 p.m. Purchase tickets.
Party With Local Grassroots Artists- Cultural Initiative: An Art Social Fresh showcases 25 local and regional grassroots artists. Their works will be on display and for sale, but this is more than an art show. The music will be ridiculous featuring: Miami Dice and Elonzo, and Charlotte's Justin Aswell along with vocals by Charleston's Jordan Igoe. 8:30 p.m. Neighborhood Theater. Limited free street parking. Bring cash for parking.
6th Annual Red Pump/Red Tie Affair - This is the signature event for the Red Pump Project which highlights HIV and AIDS impact on women and girls. The event will feature a fashion show, a silent auction and local boutiques. R.A.I.N. President and CEORev. Debbie Warren is this year's honoree. 7 - 10 p.m., Hart Witzen Gallery, 136 E 36th St. Tickets: $40. Driving Alert: Access via South Tryon Street instead of North Davidson Street because of road construction.
Sunday
New Brunch Spot - Restaurant critic Helen Schwab reports that Lumiere plans to start serving Sunday brunch today. More details on Helen's blog. Update 12/7! Lumiere says they are not serving brunch.
Read more here: http://helendining.blogspot.com/#storylink=cpy
Welcome to Sip + Play: Things To Do In Charlotte. Each week, I’ll be your online guide to things to do in Charlotte, especially on the weekends. On Wednesdays, I'll give you a preview. Think of it like entertainment tapas. A taste of what happening this weekend in restaurants, nightlife, music, art and more. Basically, if it sounds fun, I’ll share it with you in Sip + Play.
On the weekends, look for live coverage from events as well as more things to do and of course - a party or two!!! Let’s have some fun. I’m starting tonight with the Charlotte Bourbon Club for Bourbonista’s Bourbon & Babble.
Tonight
Beer and Adventure - Two of my passions come together - hardcore fitness and beer - at the Whitewater Race Series Party, 6 p.m., NoDa Brewing Company, 2229 N Davidson St. Grab a NoDa Brewing's newly released Ashley's Love Potion, a Saison, and see what’s in store for the 2015 race season.
For The Naughty - After a six-year hiatus the Suicide Girls return with their popular Burlesque Tour. Suicide Girls Blackheart Burlesque, 9 p.m., at Fillmore Charlotte, 1000 NC Music Factory Blvd.
Fresh Beats - Rapid rhythms, live instrumentals and a fancy drum machine have made DJ AraabMuzik a rising star on the DJ scene. He's worked with ASAP Rocky, Azealia Banks, Jadakiss, Busta Rhymes, 50 Cent and
Eminem and more. Doors open at 10 p.m., Suite.
Friday
Dancing Uptown - Art and dancing unite at Mint To Move Cultural Dance Night. There will be Afro-Cuban and Latin-American music by DJ Pepito and live musicians. Featured performances: Café Amaretto Music with Ana Lucia Divins and Rumbao Latin Dance Company. 8 p.m. - Midnight. Mint Museum Uptown.
Saturday
Running and Partying - It’s the Thunder Road Marathon and the fun begins at 8 a.m. at Romare Bearden Park. Don’t feel like going uptown? The race will likely come to you with live music performances or a DJ at various mile markers along the way. Here's the line up. I'll be live-tweeting from some of the neighborhood block parties along the route. Follow me at this link or grab your bike and join me.
Sour Beer Lovers - If the name doesn’t entice you, the beer will. It’s Release The Funk 2: The Electric Funkaloo presented by Salud Beer Shop & New Belgium Brewing. 1 p.m. - 5 p.m, Neighborhood Theatre, 511 E 36th St. More than two dozen breweries are expected to participate. Get tickets here.
Sunday
For the Family - Don’t miss Art & Soul at Latibah Collard Green Museum, 720 Tuckaseegee Rd. Enjoy music by A Sign of The Times Band, live music and art auction and of course soul food. 980-206-1768.
Don't be shy: Tonya Jameson, sipandplayclt@gmail.com
I'm back!!! In 2005, I launched the Paid To Party column for the Observer. Now I'm back with a fresh look at Charlotte's entertainment offerings. For the next few months, I'll be testing a new feature, primarily aimed at weekend events and other ways to entertain yourself, your family, your visitors.
Sip + Play is your guide to fun things to do in Charlotte from Food Truck Fridays to bar crawls to events you've never experienced. I still love a party, so there also will be plenty of that.
Sip + Play will take you all over Charlotte and beyond with live event coverage on the weekends and recommendations of where to go and what to do. I'm looking forward to sharing my adventures with you. #cltevents
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