Athens This Weekend: July 22-24

It's going to be one of those weekends in Athens, GA. You know, the kind of weekend with enough exciting events taking place around town for you to be able to customize your days specifically to your own interests. I suggest you start creating your itinerary now- so as not to miss the fun happenings going on in Athens, GA this weekend. There is:

1) Art to be discussed; If you haven't yet had the chance to visit the first Resident Studio Exhibition at ATHICA, featuring 30 oil paintings by Maxine Youngblood, then it's time to get out there and check it out  in its final weekend. The exhibit's Closing Reception will take place Sunday, July 24, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and will include an artist & curator Panel for open discussion and finally, a reception with the artist. Having not started creating art until the age of 52, Maxine Youngblood, now around 73 years old, nevertheless, creates vivid, rousing works of art. The 30 oil paintings being featured in ATHICA's Resident Studio exhibit are of that same nature, bright, colorful, and passionate, often likened to the style of French and German Expressionism. Curator Lizzie Zucker Saltz and Assistant Curator Ashley Westpheling largely selected works that were figurative in nature- representing pop culture icons like Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, and Donald Trump, as well as other local artists, performers, and models. If you already had the pleasure of visiting this exhibit or will be visiting for the first time this weekend, be sure to remember to come out for the closing reception on Sunday to hear about the works from the artist and curators themselves! Open 1-6 p.m. Thursday- Sunday! For more information about ATHICA or the event, visit our calendar listing. 

2) Music to be danced to; In its seventh consecutive year, the Annual Darius Goes West Benefit Concert will feature huge acts, such as Bubba Sparxxx and the Nappy Roots who will be accompanied by Georgia Gurlz and Elite Tha Showstoppa- doors open at 8:00 p.m. Saturday night at the 40 Watt. Tickets will be $10 in advance and anyone under 18 years old must be accompanied by an adult. Darius Goes West: The Roll of his Life is an award winning documentary that followed Darius Weems, a teen with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, on a 7,000 mile journey across the U.S. to spread awareness about the fatal DMD disease and raise money for researching a cure. The film was widely praised and raised over one million dollars for research. Since the film, a Darius Goes West Foundation continues to spread awareness and raise money through events such as the one taking place in Athens, GA this weekend. Other Darius Goes West Day affiliated events taking place this weekend are: 

• Dealing For Darius/ Casino For a Cure: Poker Tournament at Lucky Dawg Billiards, Thursday July 21 
• Family Fun Night/ Carnival: The Body Shop of Athens, Friday, July 22, 5:00-9:00 p.m.
• Darius Goes West screening: Cine, Saturday, 7:00 p.m. See trailer below-

For more information about the benefit concert, visit our calendar listing.

3) Local commerce to be supported; The Athens Farmers Market is still in full swing, all local produce and crafts at their freshest and finest, Saturday at Bishop Park from 8:00 a.m. to noon. Your beautiful morning of perusing the displays of the healthy produce and delightful crafts in the sun will be set to a Celtic soundtrack this Saturday morning as Repent at Leisure will play at 8:00 a.m., but the track will flip with the soul folk sounds of local singer/songwriter Kyshona Armstrong at 10:00 a.m. I know it'll be Saturday, but the Athens Farmers Market is worth setting your alarm for this weekend! For more information, check out our event listing.   

4) Theater to be enjoyed; Opening night of The Circle Ensemble Theater performance of Metamorphoses will take place Thursday and run through the Saturday night, July 21-23, beginning each night at 8:30 p.m. in the pool at Ashford Manor. The play transforms ancient myth and lore into contemporary language in a story that takes place completely in and around a large pool of water. This performance is sure to be one of the most interesting theatrical events of the summer! Read more about it on our calendar listing. 

5) and much more to do in Athens, GA this weekend! Be sure to check out our weekend calendar for other fun and exciting events on the schedule, like the secret passageway opening and Slop Fest 2011!