Choose your own adventure

Whether you’re looking to go big or chill out this weekend, you’re bound to find something to enjoy in the long list of happenings Greater Lansing has to offer, with larger events like an anime convention, Fenner Nature Center's Maple Syrup Festival and the annual TEDxMSU conference as well as more laid-back events like a slide guitar workshop, a group dog walk in nature and a cat yoga class, plus much more.

For Friday evening’s live music, we have metal bands Attila, Butcher Babies, Ded and Dealer at Grewal Hall at 6; jazz-fusion trio The Pickle Mafia at UrbanBeat at 7; Irish bluegrass band JigJam at University Lutheran Church at 7:30; JP Peters of pop band JP & the Energy at the Peanut Barrel and the Michigan State University Symphony Orchestra at the Wharton Center, both at 8; funk/R&B/blues band Mixed Flavors at the Green Door and rock bands Sean Anthony Sullivan, J.H. Patton & the Good Companions and the Five ‘N’ Dime Poets at Mac’s Bar, both at 8:30; and party band Geech at Mash Bar at 9. Saturday’s live music begins with the Lansing Juneteenth Celebration’s annual jazz brunch fundraiser, featuring flutist Deblon Jackson and DJ E. Swift, at Gregory’s Soul Food in north Lansing at 11 a.m. In the evening, we have the Jeff Haas jazz quintet at UrbanBeat and Singers on the Grand’s “Nashville Roots: Sounds of Americana” show at St. Johns Middle School, both at 7; a recital by MSU associate professor of piano Stanislav Khristenko at the Music Building’s Cook Recital Hall at 7:30; a ‘90s-themed A Night at the Soul Lounge at the Avenue at 8; and Geech at the Green Door at 8:30. Ending the weekend on Sunday is MSU’s jazz orchestras at the Wharton Center at 3 p.m. and Western swing/bluegrass band Red Thyme at the Avenue at 7 p.m.

If you’d like to make some music of your own, Elderly Instruments will host an open Irish jam session 5 p.m. Friday and a slide guitar workshop led by award-winning fingerstyle and slide guitarist Rollie Tussing 4 p.m. Saturday. Tussing will also share some of his favorite 78 RPM records at a listening session 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Elderly.

Art displays on view this weekend include mixed-media artist Steph Joy Hogan’s “Scrapscapes” exhibit at downtown Lansing’s Nelson Gallery, which is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and noon to 5 p.m. Saturday; work in a variety of media by members of the Mid-Michigan Art Guild at Bestsellers Books & Coffee Co. in Mason, which is open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday; “Farmland: Food, Justice and Sovereignty,” “Seeing in 360 Degrees: The Zaha Hadid Design Collection,” “Echoes of War” and the 2025 Master of Fine Arts Exhibition at MSU’s Broad Art Museum, which is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday; and a collective exhibit focusing on patterns found in nature 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.

Riverwalk Theatre wraps up its production of Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest” this weekend, with final performances 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Additionally, Ixion Ensemble Theatre begins its two-weekend run of Nathan Louis Jackson’s “Broke-ology” 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday at Stage One at Sycamore Creek Eastwood, and touring professional theater company The Acting Co. will stage August Wilson’s “Two Trains Running” 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Wharton Center’s Pasant Theatre.

Anime and pop-culture convention Shoufu-Con runs noon to 10 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at the Okemos Event Center, offering a series of panels on a range of topics, from cosplaying tips to child labor law violations in anime, as well as video and arcade games, a tabletop gaming area, a vendor hall and a maid café. Saturday will also have a cosplay contest, with cash prizes and other awards for the winners.

Dorothy Hughes Engelman will give the final presentation of Lansing Parks and Recreation’s 2025 travelogue series 7 p.m. Friday at Foster Community Center. In 1966, Engelman’s family hosted a Dutch exchange student, Annie, leading to “a 58-year sistership.” In April 2024, Engelman visited the Netherlands to see Annie’s home, then traveled to Italy and Ireland.

All Saints Episcopal Church will hold its monthly Coffeehouse at All Saints 7:30 p.m. Friday, featuring performances by several local musicians and spoken-word artists. Admission is free, and guests should bring their own snacks and drinks.

The Dark Art of Michigan’s monthly open stage drag and burlesque show begins 10 p.m. Saturday at the Avenue, with sign-ups starting at 9 p.m.

Local pagans are invited to welcome spring with Weavers of the Web at its Ostara ritual, beginning 4 p.m. Saturday. Following the ritual, there will be a shared feast and teacup raffle. A basic meal will be provided, but attendees may bring or order additional food.

The East Lansing Public Library’s Bug Day, running 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, will offer a variety of interactive activities exploring the science of insects, including a chance to meet some crawly creatures from the MSU Bug House.

R.E. Olds Transportation Museum invites women who work or have worked in the automotive industry to share their personal experiences at its Driving HERstory event, running 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. The lunch and story-sharing session will offer attendees an opportunity to film their stories for National Park Foundation archives.

Fenner Nature Center will host its 50th annual Maple Syrup Festival 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, featuring an array of hands-on demonstrations and activities designed to educate visitors of all ages about the maple syrup creation process. There will also be plenty of maple products for sale, as well as all-you-can-eat pancakes made by two-time Guinness World Record recipient Chris Cakes.

Bring your four-legged friends to Okemos’ Harris Nature Center 9 a.m. Sunday for a Dogs and Coffee event, which will include a guided walk on the trails and complimentary coffee. Dogs must be on a 6-foot, non-retractable leash.

Pet parents can also create a pillow featuring a photo of a furry family member at a make-and-take workshop 9 a.m. Sunday at ALT Printing Co. in REO Town.

The 11^th annual TEDxMSU conference, running 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Wharton Center, will feature 10 TED-style talks by speakers from a variety of disciplines, including chiropractor Rubina Tahir, juggler and entertainer Nick Thomas, former Lansing Poet Laureate Masaki Takahashi and MSU weed geneticist Eric Patterson.

Finally, local cat rescue Cat Connection will host a cat yoga class 4 p.m. Sunday at its cat lounge at 621 S. Grand Ave in Fowlerville.

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.)