Each Thursday, we offer suggestions for things to do in the coming days. Sure, you just had a long holiday weekend but who isn’t always seeking something fun?
This week there is much to choose from: In the mood for a concert? Concerts on the Green continues in Worthington with the Donna Mogavero Band playing on Sunday.
And there is much happening for families. Consider: The Popcorn Pops finale will take place Friday night at the John F. Wolfe Columbus Commons; or take in “Madagascar, A Musical Adventure, Jr.” that will take place at the Abbey Theater in Dublin. Or, along those same lines, Weathervane Playhouse’s Young Artists’ Repertory Theatre will present “Disney’s Descendants: the Musical,” this weekend.
And for gardening enthusiasts, the 30th annual WesterFlora tour will take place on Sunday, featuring 10 spendid Westerville gardens.
It’s time to start making plans for the weekend!
‘Madagascar,’ the musical
The Abbey Theater of Dublin will present “Madagascar, A Musical Adventure, Jr.,” a one-act stage version of the animated film about animals who escape from New York’s Central Park Zoo for an African journey. Performances will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday, 1 and 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 1 and 4 p.m. Sunday at the Coffman Amphitheater, 5200 Emerald Parkway, Dublin. Tickets cost $10. Call 614-410-4550 or visit dublinohiousa.gov/abbey-theater.
Escape to the movies
Look up “antihero” in the dictionary and you might just find a picture of Kurt Russell as Snake Plissken in John Carpenter’s science-fiction classic “Escape From New York.” The 1981 film, in which Plissken is deposited into a nightmarish Manhattan to retrieve a kidnapped president (Donald Pleasence), will be screened at 9:15 p.m. Thursday at the South Drive-In Theatre, 3050 S. High St. Admission is free to the movie, which is being presented by the Wexner Center for the Arts. For more information, visit www.wexarts.org.
Popcorn Pops finale
In the second and final family-friendly “Popcorn Pops” performance of the Picnic With the Pops season, the Columbus Symphony will honor diversity with the program “All the Colors of Columbus” at 7 p.m. Friday at the John F. Wolfe Columbus Commons, East Rich and South High streets. The music will be preceded by pre-concert activities at 5:30 p.m. Tickets cost $12.60 for adults (including free admission for one child between the ages of 3 and 12), $5.25 for each additional child between 3 and 12, or free for age 2 and younger. For more information, visit www.columbussymphony.com.
Singer Jacquees to perform
Singer-songwriter Jacquees is set to hit the stage Friday at Columbus’ Aftermath Venu.
The self-proclaimed “King of R&B,” born Rodriquez Jacquees Broadnax, will be the first live musical event at the Far East Side venue this year.
Having collaborated with numerous chart-topping artists such as Trey Songz, Ty Dolla Sign, Young Thug, Chris Brown and others, the Decatur-born artist has garnered mainstream success with songs such as “B.E.D.” and “Verify.”
The concert will take place from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.at 1921 Channingway Center Drive. Tickets start at $45, or $100 for VIP access, and are available at Eventbrite.
Disney youth musical
Weathervane Playhouse’s Young Artists’ Repertory Theatre will present children performing “Disney’s Descendants: the Musical.” The one-act stage version of the Disney films is about the children of Disney’s beloved characters offering opportunities for redemption at their prep school for the children of villainous characters. Performances are 7 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at 100 Price Road, Newark. Tickets cost $9.50. Call 740-366-4616 or visit www.weathervaneplayhouse.org.
Millersport musical
Millersport Community Theatre will present “The Wedding Singer,” the Broadway romantic comedy based on the 1998 Adam Sandler/Drew Barrymore movie about a singer and a waitress, engaged to the wrong people, who discover each other. Performances are 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at Millersport Elementary Auditorium, 11850 Lancaster St., Millersport. Tickets cost $15. For more information, visit mctohio.com.
Who you gonna call?
In the first of three outdoor movie presentations at Goodale Park, 120 W. Goodale St., the original 1984 comedy “Ghostbusters” will be shown at sunset Friday. Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson star as the titular ghostbusters, whose spectral sleuthing brings them into conflict with the Environmental Protection Agency, snooty hotel managers and one gigantic marshmallow man. For more information, visit www.shortnorthcivic.org.
Concerts on the Green continues
As part of the Concerts on the Green series in Worthington, the Donna Mogavero Band will perform at 7 p.m. Sunday. Blankets or chairs are suggested for the free concert on the Village Green, High Street and Route 161, Worthington. For more information, visit www.worthington.org/concerts.
Storytime at Thurber House
Children will be captivated by the tales spun by Columbus storyteller Lyn Ford in a Family Fun Night event at 6 p.m. July 21 on the lawn of Thurber House, 77 Jefferson Ave. As a person of African-American heritage who was raised in Appalachia, Ford is known as an Affrilachian storyteller. Activities and treats will be available at 5:30 p.m. Tickets cost $15.75,, or free for age 12 and younger (with paying adult). For more information, visit www.thurberhouse.org.
Picktown Palooza
Get an early start on the weekend and enjoy three days of music, carnival rides, food and entertainment for kids at Picktown Palooza, 300 Opportunity Way, Pickerington. The festival runs from 5 to 11 p.m. Thursday, 5 p.m. to 12 a.m. Friday and noon to 12 a.m. Saturday. Entertainment, which runs throughout the festival, includes All-4-One, David Lee Murphy, FireHouse and Jack Russell’s Great White. The kids’ corner includes a bounce house and a volcano slide as well as magic shows offered regularly. Admission is $5 per day. For more information, call 614-379-2099 or visit picktownpalooza.org.
Wine in Whitehall
Wander through Whitehall’s newest park, the two-acre Kelley Green, 105 Norton Park Drive, Whitehall from 4-8 p.m. Saturday during the Columbus Summer Wine Festival. Food trucks, musicians and artisans will be on hand. The $35 admission (over 21 only) will get you 10 taste tickets for a variety of wines. For more information, call 614-774-6962 or visit columbuswinefest.com.
WesterFlora tour
Stroll through 10 Westerville gardens in the 30th annual WesterFlora, which will take place from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. Each of the gardens will host musicians and artists. Gardens include several certified wildlife habitats, a native garden, a “secret garden,” an “eclectic urban garden” and an historical garden at the Hanby House, where restrooms and water are available. For more information and a map of the garden sites, visit the WesterFlora Facebook page.
