Heaps of Happenings

This weekend is jam-packed with events for all ages and interests, including a variety of festivals, a Pride event and other LGBTQ+ activities, a euchre tournament, a Youth Sports Event, a winery anniversary party and much more.

 For Friday evening’s live music, we have North of Five at Harrison Roadhouse at 6; Showdown at Lake Lansing Park South, the Off the Couch Band at UrbanBeat and the Three Mikes (Mike Daniels, Mike Smalley and Mike Eyia) at Red Cedar Spirits in East Lansing, all at 7; Moth Duster at The Peanut Barrel and acoustic duo Mike and Steve at Lansing Shuffle, both at 8; and the Darin Larner Band at The Green Door and Pet Me, Sister/Sibling, Danger Cat and Bloody Butterflies at The Avenue, both at 9. Saturday evening, we have Ellisa Issa at Lansing Brewing Co. at 7 and Geech at The Green Door at 9. Ending the weekend on Sunday are Bill Moran at Lansing Shuffle at noon and Red Cedar Spirits’ weekly Sunday Jazz show at 6 p.m.

For even more live music, visit Adado Riverfront Park 6 to 9 p.m. Friday for Lansing Flo-Fest, a Christian hip-hop festival, or 1 to 9 p.m. Saturday for Lansing Bless Fest, a variety Christian music festival; downtown Mason 6 to 11 p.m. Friday or 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Saturday for the Sun Dried Music Festival, featuring performances by a host of local musicians and groups;  Lansing’s Old Town 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday for Michigan FunkFest, featuring some of mid-Michigan’s funkiest acts; or The Junction 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday for its Welcome Week Party, featuring indoor and outdoor stages with local bands and DJs, inflatables, vendors, food trucks and more. For more information on these events and other festivals happening in Greater Lansing this weekend, check out our weekend event coverage from this week’s issue.

Art displays on view this weekend include “Resistance Training: Arts, Sports, and Civil Rights,” “Shouldn’t You Be Working? 100 Years of Working from Home” and “As we dwell in the fold” at the Michigan State University Broad Art Museum, which is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday; “Let the Paintings Talk” 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; Brian Snyder’s “The Journey Continues: American Aboriginal Art” at the Lansing Art Gallery, which is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; En Plein Air’s “Alluring Nature” at Framer’s Edge in Okemos, which is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday; “Photography: NOW!” at the Neighborhood Empowerment Center on West Maple Street, which is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday; Joel Ellis’ oil and acrylic paintings at the Haslett Library’s Bookend Gallery, which is open noon to 4 p.m. Friday and noon to 2 p.m. Saturday; and “Color Me Plaster,” by Yvette Robinson, at the Hannah Community Center’s Public Art Gallery, which is open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday.

 If you’d like to make some art of your own, visit the Broad Art Museum 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday or Sunday to screen print custom-designed tote bags.

For the kids, the Mason Optimist Club is hosting a free Youth Sports Event 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at Burchfield Park in Holt, featuring activities such as fishing, lure making, kayaking, disc golf, archery, air rifles, a dunk tank, a farm-animal petting zoo and more. Lunch will be provided, and the first 300 attendees will receive a free T-shirt.

Additionally, the Grand Ledge Area District Library is showing “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” 9:30 p.m. Friday at Bridge Street Plaza in Grand Ledge.

Meridian Township is holding its inaugural Pride event 4 to 10 p.m. Saturday at the Marketplace on the Green Pavilion on Okemos, featuring food trucks, live music, a beer and wine tent, a dog parade, art vendors, advocacy resources, marriage ceremonies performed by Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum and more.

For other LGBTQ+-related activities, check out the Salus Center’s Queer Scouts meeting 10 a.m. to noon Sunday at Hawk Island Park, where attendees will learn about identifying, picking and building relationships with common edible plants, or its Queering Medicine Orientation 4 to 5 p.m. Sunday if you’re passionate about improving health outcomes for LGBTQ+ people in Greater Lansing.

The Meridian Senior Center is hosting its 1^st annual euchre tournament 5:30 p.m. Friday, featuring 50/50 drawings and light snacks and refreshments.

Pet parents and their furry friends can visit Harris Nature Center 8 p.m. Friday for a 3-mile dog walk through the nighttime woods. Dogs need to be on a 6-foot, non-retractable leash.

Grand Ledge’s St. Michael Catholic Church is hosting its annual FunFest 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and noon to 10 p.m. Saturday. Friday evening offers a food and beer tent, euchre and archery tournaments, dodgeball and trivia, and Saturday offers a food and beer tent, a bake sale, kids’ games, silent and live auctions, a raffle, a cornhole tournament, volleyball, a Catholic mass, a chicken barbecue and a performance by classic-rock band Exit 86. For a schedule of events, visit the website.

The 3rd annual Eastside Summer Fest, running 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday (Aug. 26) in the Frandor Sears parking lot, offers a free day of activities for all ages, including two stages for live entertainment, more than 100 vendors and food stands, hourly bingo with prizes and a Fun Zone with demonstrations by the Waverly Robotics team and Lansing ghostbuster Ryan Holmes, a photo booth, life-size Jenga, corn hole, chalk art, rock painting, glitter tattoos, balloon twisting and more.

Kick off PeaceQuest 2023 at Lake Lansing Park South 1 to 5 p.m. Friday with free ice cream, yard games, door prizes, face painting and peace-themed crafts. Attendees are encouraged to bring outdoor games to share.

Finally, Burgdorf’s Winery’s 18^th Anniversary Harvest Celebration, running noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, offers booths from local artists, live music and food in addition to samples of its many wines and signature wine slush.

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.)