A jolly, jazzy weekend

Jazz fans are in luck this weekend, with a selection of concerts to choose from around town. Holiday events are abundant as well, from a scavenger hunt to a burlesque show to a drive-thru nativity. There will also be an afternoon of live wrestling, a boozy evening at Harris Nature Center, a musical poetry reading and much more.

For Friday evening’s live music, we have a trio of graduate-student musicians from Indiana University performing Bach’s Goldberg Variations on strings at Michigan State University’s Facility for Rare Isotope Beams at 5:30; a holiday gospel concert featuring Earnest Pugh, Spoken Praise and the MSU Gospel Choir at Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church at 7; the Jeff Shoup and Freddie Cunningham jazz quartet at Red Cedar Spirits at 7:30; a trio of members from folk band the Wild Honey Collective at the Peanut Barrel and alt-rock/country band Sister Hazel at Grewal Hall, both at 8; variety cover band Geech at Mash Bar at 9; and a benefit show for animal rescue All Species Kinship featuring punk bands Pet Me and Danger Cat and alt-pop bands Lipstick Jodi and Premium Rat at the Avenue at 9:30. Saturday evening, we have the Charlotte Community Band and Jazz Ensemble’s “Merry Little Christmas” concert at the Charlotte Performing Arts Center at 6; jazz-fusion band the Pickle Mafia’s holiday show at UrbanBeat at 7; rock bands Slumlord Radio, Good Man’s Brother and Sean Anthony Sullivan at Mac’s Bar and alt-rock band the Verve Pipe at Grewal Hall, both at 8; and funk band Summer of Sol at the Green Door at 8:30. Ending the weekend on Sunday is a performance by Capitol Harp Ensemble musicians Claire Learned and Katelynn Ehlert at Williamston’s St. Katherine’s Episcopal Church at 2 p.m.; the Lansing Symphony Orchestra’s Holiday Pops concert (which Lawrence Cosentino previewed in this week’s issue) at the Wharton Center and the Lakewood Area Choral Society’s “Rejoice and Be Merry” concert at Central United Methodist Church, both at 3 p.m.; blues/funk/rock band Generator at UrbanBeat at 4:30 p.m.; Red Cedar Spirits’ weekly Sunday Jazz show at 6 p.m.; and Mac’s Bar’s weekly Harmony Sundays DJ show at 9 p.m.

Art displays on view this weekend include the Mid-Michigan Art Guild’s fall art show at the Neighborhood Empowerment Center, which is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday; the Michigan Made Holiday Exhibition and Market at the Lansing Art Gallery, which is open 3 to 7 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday; "The Searching Eye: Images of Mid-Century Detroit” at the Library of Michigan, which is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; zentangle-inspired art by local artist Dorothy Hughes Engelman at the Okemos Library, which is open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday; paintings by Okemos artist Juanita Baldwin at EagleMonk Pub, which is open 3 to 10 p.m. Friday, noon to 10 p.m. Saturday and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday; "Eye Witness,” “Complex Dreams,” “Diasporic Collage: Puerto Rico and the Survival of a People,” “Freedom in the Automation Age” and “Seeing in 360 Degrees: The Zaha Hadid Design Collection” at the Broad Art Museum, which is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday; and “Light Through the Darkness” at the Art Williamston gallery, which is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.

 If you’d like to get creative yourself, the Broad will offer wintry art-making activities and complimentary hot cocoa 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, downtown Lansing’s Dear Ollie & Co. will host a beginners’ wax seal workshop 5:30 p.m. Saturday, and Paint Your Poison will hold a wintry paint party 2 p.m. Sunday at Dansville’s Wooden Nickel II.

Flint-based ensemble Intrepid Theatre will stage the popular musical “Rent” 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday at Stage One at Sycamore Creek Eastwood. Though not technically a holiday show, it begins and ends on Christmas Eve. Additionally, Riverwalk Theatre will present a holiday cabaret 6:30 p.m. Sunday, and “A Very Williamston Christmas” will continue 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Williamston Theatre.

Other holiday happenings this weekend include the city of Lansing’s annual Holiday Road Rally adult scavenger hunt, beginning 6 p.m. Friday at Foster Community Center; the Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Lansing’s HandCrafted Holiday Sale 10 am. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday; a Native American holiday art market 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at Meridian Township’s Nokomis Cultural Heritage Center; Mason First United Methodist Church’s drive-thru Living Nativity 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday; a holiday-themed burlesque show 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Dimondale’s Country Creek Reception Hall; the Dark Art of Michigan’s Holiday Meltdown 9 p.m. Saturday at the Avenue, featuring live music, a performance art show and dark art vendors; Potter Park Zoo’s Wonderland of Lights 5 to 8 p.m. Friday through Sunday; and the drive-thru Holiday Nights of Lights 6 to 9 p.m. Friday through Sunday at Frances Park.

Events for the kids include a wintry rock-panting craft 5 p.m. Friday at the Holt-Delhi Library and a Christmas pajama story time 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Charlotte Community Library.

Visit the Delta Township District Library’s Friends Bookstore 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Friday or 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday for a buy one, get one free sale on books, jigsaw puzzles, DVDs, CDs and more.

Securely destroy old documents at Grand Ledge Area District Library’s Community Shred Day, running 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Interested parties can stop by any time during the event to utilize Lake Trust Credit Union’s shredding truck.

Capital Pro Wrestling returns to the Fledge for a series of matches beginning 3 p.m. Saturday.

Adults of drinking age can bring their own beverages to Harris Nature Center 7 p.m. Saturday and enjoy a guided walk through the woods, followed by a bonfire and gourmet s’mores.

The MSU women’s basketball team will face off against the University of Iowa at noon Sunday at the Breslin Center.

Unity Spiritual Center of Lansing will host its monthly euchre and game day noon to 2 p.m. Sunday. Guests are asked to organize their own euchre tables and bring their own board games, as well as snacks if desired.

Finally, St. Clair Shores Poet Laureate M.L. Liebler and his Magic Poetry Band will bring their unique fusion of poetry and jazz to East Lansing’s University United Methodist Church 4 p.m. Sunday for a free performance hosted by the Lansing Poetry Club. An open mic will follow.

Whatever you choose to do, I wish you the best of weekends.

(Have an event? Be sure to list it free at lansingcitypulse.com/calendar. Think it’s worth at least a short story? Send a news release to nicole@lansingcitypulse.com for consideration.)