Party it up this weekend

This weekend offers a plethora of parties, including an adult prom, a fundraiser gala, two block parties and a festival to welcome summer. There’s also a music festival, two 5K runs, a River Trail cleanup, a chalk art event and much more.

For Friday evening’s live music, we have Frog and Koop of blues-rock band Frog & the Beeftones at Harrison Roadhouse at 6; country and rock cover musician Carl Pawluk at Lansing Shuffle and live-looping musician Mark Collins at Mash Bar, both at 7; jazz vocalist Tiffany Gridiron at UrbanBeat at 7:30; singer-songwriter and fingerstyle guitarist Matthew Shannon at the Peanut Barrel at 8; ‘90s and 2000s alt-rock cover group Be Kind Rewind at the Green Door at 9; and funk-rock band Sprout and the Orange at Mash Bar at 10. Saturday evening, we have rock and pop cover band Atomic Annie at Lansing Brewing Co. at 7, Fleetwood Mac tribute group Kait Rose & Co. at Grewal Hall at 224 at 7:30 and variety cover band Geech at UrbanBeat at 8. Ending the weekend on Sunday is Michigan State University violinist Alirna Korieva and vocalist Phoenix Miranda at Beal Botanical Garden at 2 p.m., country/folk band the Wild Honey Collective’s album release show with alt-folk singer-songwriter Abbey Hoffman at the Avenue at 5 p.m., Red Cedar Spirits’ weekly Sunday Jazz show at 6 p.m. and pianist Cassidy Velthouse at UrbanBeat at 7 p.m.

For even more live music, plus kids’ activities and food by Krystal’s Kitchen food truck, the annual Pumpstock Festival of American Roots Music runs 2 to 8 p.m. Saturday at Bailey Park in East Lansing. For a list of performers, visit the event page.

Old Town will host its annual Chalk of the Town event noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, where more than 40 artists will create chalk art on the area’s sidewalks as part of a juried competition.

The Mid-Michigan Art Guild will celebrate the opening of its new art show at Framer’s Edge in Okemos with a reception 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday. The exhibit will also be open 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday.

Other art on display this weekend includes ArtPath, a public exhibition along the Lansing River Trail from the Turner-Dodge House to the area just south of Elm Park; the Mid-Michigan Art Guild’s Spring Member Show at the Neighborhood Empowerment Center, which is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday; the Mid-Michigan Art Guild’s volunteer art show 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; an exhibit by local watercolor and acrylic painter Melissa Salyer at the Haslett Library’s Bookend Gallery, which is open noon to 4 p.m. Friday; “The LGBTQ+ Artist in Michigan” and “Transitory: A Study Of Human Anatomy & Our Own Impermanence” at the Lansing Art Gallery, which is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday; “Seeing in 360 Degrees: The Zaha Hadid Design Collection,”“DOOMSCROLLING” and the 2024 Art, Art History, and Design Faculty Triennial at the MSU Broad Art Museum, which is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday; “Figuring It All Out: An Artistic Study of the Human Figure” 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; and “Corazón por La Justicia” at Casa de Rosado Galeria & Cultural Center, which is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. 

The Wharton Center will host its 12^th annual Sutton Foster Awards showcase 6:30 p.m. Friday, where more than 130 students from 60 state high schools will perform selections from the musicals their schools staged this year, as well as a variety of Broadway medleys. The students are competing for a chance to represent the state at the National High School Musical Theatre Awards in New York City.

The Michigan chapter of Postpartum Support International will host its annual Maternal Mental Health Awareness Day noon to 2 p.m. Friday at the Capitol, offering lectures on managing the stresses of new parenthood and information on local resources and advocacy efforts.

The Salus Center’s enchanted garden-themed prom runs 8 p.m. to Midnight Friday at the Venue by Eleven 11 Events in the Lansing Mall, featuring DJ sets and dancing, a drag show, photo stations and complimentary hors d’oeuvres and fountain drinks. During the drag show, the Salus Center will crown its royal court, with winners in three outfit categories: most enchanting, dashing duo (matching couple) and most iconic.

Participants of the Mayor’s River Walk and Run 5K, beginning 9 a.m. Saturday, can walk or run alongside Mayor Andy Schor from Potter Park to the Turner-Dodge House. Runners must register by 1:30 p.m. Friday. Walkers can register on site.

The Junior League of Lansing will also host a 5K 8 a.m. Sunday, beginning at Lansing Shuffle and continuing along the River Trail. A brunch at the View at Jackson Field will follow.

Volunteers can help clean up the section of the River Trail in front of Potter Park Zoo 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Participants will receive complimentary hot dogs while supplies last and free admission to the zoo following the cleanup.

Weavers of the Web will welcome summer with a festival 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at Lake Lansing Park South, featuring workshops, a ritual, local vendors and a charity raffle. Attendees should bring shelf-stable donations for the Pagans in Need food pantry for entry.

The Lansing Model Railroad Club will show off its large railroad and renovations to its facility on Old Lansing Road, an old Grand Trunk Railway depot, at its open house 11 am. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

The Historical Society of Greater Lansing will host a presentation on the Ingham County Historical Commission’s new book, “Ingham County One-Room Schools,” 1 p.m. Saturday at the Library of Michigan. Additionally, poet Anita Skeen and linocut artist Laura DeLind will host a launch party for their new book, “Even the Least of These,” 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday at Everybody Reads.

Visit South Street in REO Town for an all-ages Pride-themed block party 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday, featuring kids’ activities, live entertainment, local vendors and a chance to connect with LGBTQ+-centered initiatives. Following the block party, there will be a ticketed drag and burlesque show for ages 18 and up.

The Wacousta Community Block Party runs 3 to 7 p.m. Saturday at the Wacousta Cooperative Preschool, featuring live music, kids’ activities, food trucks and more than 40 local vendors

The KDL Foundation, the charitable arm of the Lansing chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, will host a gala 7 p.m. Saturday at the Kellogg Hotel to raise scholarship funds for Greater Lansing youth. The evening will include dinner, live music and a keynote address by actor and U.S. Senate candidate Hill Harper.

The Ten Pound Fiddle will hold its final contra and square dance of the season 7 p.m. Saturday at Central United Methodist Church, with an optional dance lesson at 6:30.

Parents can purchase gently used kids’ clothing and toys at the mom-to-mom sale 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Marketplace on the Green in Okemos. If you’d like to be a vendor, contact Parks and Recreation intern Angela Pontius at pontius@meridian.mi.us or (517) 853-4600.

East Lansing will kick off its weekly free yoga class, hosted by Yoga State, 10 a.m. Sunday at Albert El Fresco. The classes will run through Aug. 11.

Finally, One North Kitchen and Bar will host its weekly comedy show with Three Sparks Comedy 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday.       

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.)