Expect an eventful weekend

As detailed in this week’s Summer Guide, this weekend will kick off the summer events season in Greater Lansing with three big festivals, but that’s not all to look forward to. From plant and craft sales, goth celebrations and dances to an abundance of live music, a comedy show, a tea party and more, the area will be bustling in the coming days.

For Friday evening’s live music, we have singer-songwriter Taylor Taylor at Harrison Roadhouse at 6; variety cover duo Something with James at Mash Bar and variety cover band Great Scott! at Lansing Brewing Co., both at 7; Motown and ‘60s cover band The Collective at UrbanBeat at 7:30; acoustic trio Midday Sun at the Peanut Barrel and Mac’s Bar’s 517 Fest with pop-punk band The New Models, one-man band Yeddie, instrumental rock band Moscow Mexico, alternative rock band Gray Rapidian and hardcore punk band Psycodelico, both at 8; R&B, jazz and hip-hop cover group The Corzo Effect at the Green Door at 8:30; and variety cover band Geech at Mash Bar at 10 p.m. Saturday evening, we have Taylor Taylor at Cleats Bar & Grille in south Lansing at 6; rock bands Ghost Pipe, Rosary, Wretched Hive and Sean Anthony Sullivan at Mac’s Bar at 8; Local musician collective Heavy Music performing Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band’s “Live Bullet” LP in its entirety at the Green Door at 8:30; and post-2000s cover band JP & the Energy at Mash Bar at 9. Ending the weekend on Sunday is soft-rock duo The Brothers Ralph and country/folk band Deer & Elk at Mash Bar starting at noon; Delta Community Choir’s spring concert at Our Savior Lutheran Church at 3 p.m.; the Capital Area Blues Society’s annual Blues Brawl at the Green Door starting at 4 p.m.; and a Bob Dylan tribute show at UrbanBeat and Red Cedar Spirits’ weekly Sunday Jazz show, both at 6 p.m.

For even more live music, the inaugural Rock Lansing music festival runs 2 to 11 p.m. Saturday at Adado Riverfront Park, featuring performances by 11 national and regional rock acts, including blues-rock trio Patty PerShayla & the Mayhaps, hard rock band Any Given Sin, alt-metal band Eva Under Fire, nu-metal bands Nonpoint and Taproot.

If you’re looking to make some music of your own, Meridian Township will host a songwriters’ showcase 6 p.m. Friday at the Marketplace on the Green, followed by performances by country musician Jessey Adams, indie-pop musician Jenna Kay and country and rock musician Ryan Scott. Signups for the showcase begin at 5:30 p.m., and participants are limited to one original song. Additionally, Greater Lansing Area Drummers will host its first outdoor drum circle of the season 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at Lake Lansing Park South. Participants of all ages and experience levels are welcome.

The East Lansing Art Festival, running 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday on Albert Avenue between Bailey and Grove streets, will offer 175 booths where artists from across the country will exhibit and sell their work, plus live performances, interactive art demonstrations and an outdoor food court.

Other art on view this weekend includes the Mid-Michigan Art Guild’s “Artistic Visions” exhibit at REACH Studio Art Center, which is open by appointment; the Mid-Michigan Art Guild’s Spring Member Show at the Neighborhood Empowerment Center, which is open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday; the Mid-Michigan Art Guild’s volunteer art showat 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 and noon to 2 p.m. Saturday; “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; ART/5’s “Painterly Dialogues” exhibition at Framer’s Edge in Okemos, which is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday;“Seeing in 360 Degrees: The Zaha Hadid Design Collection,” “DOOMSCROLLING,”  the 2024 Master of Fine Arts Exhibition and the 2024 Art, Art History, and Design Faculty Triennial at the Michigan State University 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.

For those who’d like to get creative and crafty themselves, local artist Ryan Holmes will host his monthly crafting and artmaking event 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday at Lansing Shuffle, and Charlotte Community Library will host a bug repellent-making workshop 6 p.m. Friday.

For the theater buffs, this weekend offers chances to see “James and the Giant Peach” 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Riverwalk Theatre, Ixion Ensemble Theatre’s “Let’s Fight” 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Stage One at Sycamore Creek Eastwood, “Bright Half Life” 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Williamston Theatre, and the Broadway tour of “SIX” 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday at the Wharton Center.

Events for the kids include the final session of the weekly story time and parkour workshop 10 a.m. Friday at AL!VE health park in Charlotte; a pinhole photography workshop 10 a.m. Saturday at Impression 5; the annual Lids for Kids bike helmet giveaway event 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Marshall Street Fire Station, also offering raffles, opportunities to meet local law officials and firefighters, fire engine tours, activities and games; and a story time with free donuts 11 a.m. Saturday at the Eaton Rapids Area District Library.

For those looking to elevate their gardens or windowsill plant displays, Meridian Garden Club’s spring plant sale, running 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Meridian Township’s Central Park Pavilion, and the MSU Horticulture Gardens’ spring plant sale, running 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Plant and Soil Sciences Building, will offer a range of perennials, seedlings, house plants and more. Other sales this weekend include Village Crafters’ Spring Fling craft show 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Union Street School in Eaton Rapids, MSU’s spring arts and crafts show 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at the MSU Union, and the Peoples Church of East Lansing’s annual used book and jewelry sale 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday.

All Saints Episcopal Church will hold its monthly Coffeehouse at All Saints 7:30 p.m. Friday, featuring musical and spoken-word performances by several local artists. Guests are encouraged to bring a snack or drink to share.

Nationally touring stand-up comedian Jeff Leeson will perform at Grewal Hall at 224 Friday evening, with an opening set by Kansas comedian Levi Mabe at 7 p.m.

The annual 517 Day celebration will take over two days this year, beginning 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday at Lansing Shuffle with dozens of art and food vendors and performances by JP & the Energy, dance studio Dancing with the Nordés, School of Rock East Lansing’s House Band and DJ Metro Melik. On Saturday, the second annual Best of Lansing Festival will run from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on the Capitol Lawn, featuring more than 70 local vendors, food trucks and restaurants, plus inflatables, games and performances by ‘80s cover band Starfarm, classic-rock cover group Black Barn Band, DJ Metro Melik, All of the Above Hip Hop Academy, hip-hop artist Sean Mic and Everett Dance.

In preparation for its annual ArtPath display, opening May 27, the Lansing Art Gallery will host a River Trail cleanup 10 a.m. Saturday. Participants should check in at Rotary Park to receive cleaning sites and supplies.

At Potter Park Zoo’s Diversity Day, running 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, guests can sample food from a variety of local restaurants and visit information booths from a variety of service organizations. Regular admission fees apply.

Keys to Manifestation will hold its monthly game night 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday. All table games are welcome, and guests should bring their own snacks and drinks.

The Lansing Liederkranz Club will host a German dinner and dance Saturday evening, with dinner served from 5 to 6:30 p.m. and live polka music and dancing to follow.

If square dancing is more your speed, the Ten Pound Fiddle will host its biweekly contra and square dance 7 p.m. Saturday at Central United Methodist Church, with a quick dance lesson at 6:30 p.m.

The second annual World Goth Day Film FestEvil, running 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday in REO Town, will feature screenings of “Nosferatu the Vampyre” and “Suck”; a lecture by author Dacre Stoker, a descendant of “Dracula” author Bram Stoker; a performance by the Super Secret Cult Band; drag shows; and drag bingo. The drag events and music will be at Sleepwalker Spirits and Ale, and the film screenings and lecture will be at the Robin Theatre. Additionally, the REO Town Marketplace will hold a spooky bazaar from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and an afterparty for the film festival beginning at 8 p.m., featuring even more drag performances and a gothic dance party.

The Dark Art of Michigan will also celebrate World Goth Day with a dark art bazaar, a performance art show, live music by the Rock and Roll Bad Guys and gothic DJ sets by DJ Mary X beginning 8 p.m. Saturday at the Avenue.

Unity Spiritual Center of Lansing will screen the documentary “Becoming Nobody,” about the late psychologist and spiritual leader Ram Dass, at noon on Sunday. Pizza will be provided.

Friends of Historic Meridian will host a Victorian tea party 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Meridian Historical Village, offering a selection of teas, sweet treats and finger sandwiches.

Capital Pro Wrestling returns to the Fledge for a series of matches 3 p.m. Sunday, including the in-ring debut of the Fledge’s CEO, Jerry Norris.

Finally, poets Alise Alousi and Sarah Carson will visit East Lansing’s University United Methodist Church 4 p.m. Sunday to present “Hurt Like a Mother,” a reading exploring “the complexities of motherhood or being mothered: the joy, the grief, the rage, the embarrassment, the love.” The reading will be followed by an open mic, where attendees are invited to share a poem of up to five minutes in length.

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.)