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!

Athens This Weekend: Feb. 25 - 27

If you are still undecided about what to do this weekend, Athens, GA has a lot to offer for every budget and taste!

The highlights:

1. Saturday and Sunday you can check out the 16th Annual Athens Home and Garden Show at the Classic Center. This is a great event for anyone thinking about remodeling their home, redoing their landscape, or anyone who just likes to dream big! The show is presented by the Athens Area Home Builders Association and there will be plenty of professionals to answer all your questions about home decor, landscaping, lighting, cabinetry, construction, financing, and much more. There will even be a kid's corner for arts and crafts and other family activities! Stop by Saturday from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. or Sunday from noon - 5 p.m.

For more information visit: http://www.onlineathens.com/homeshow/

2. The Foundry Park Inn & Spa is hosting its 7th Annual Bridal Show and Tasting to help you plan your Athens wedding! There will be more than 20 northeast Georgia premium wedding vendors including photographers, florists, wedding planners, pastry chefs, entertainment, transportation companies and more! You'll also have a chance to sample food from the Foundry's award winning culinary team. Check it out Sunday between 2 - 5 p.m to get all the information you need to make your wedding perfect!

3. If you'd like to kill two birds with one stone, get your food and entertainment at the Seven Brides for Seven Brothers Dinner Theatre at the Baptist Collegiate Ministries at UGA. There are four chances to attend Friday - Sunday and you can even choose from a dinner show in the evening or a desert show in the afternoon! Characters from the show will mingle with guests while they are dining and then everyone will move upstairs for the classic production.

For more Athens weekend ideas, check out our event calendar.

Athens This Weekend: Feb. 4-6

Get ready for a weekend full of exciting things to do! For a full list of Athens events this weekend, check out our calendar!

1. Athens Wine Weekend

2. GMOA Family Day

3. The Water Coolers

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1. Now is the time to impress your friends with your intense wine knowledge! The Athens Wine Weekend this Saturday and Sunday includes seminars, tastings, and pairings taught by wine experts. Whether you are a new wine fan or think you know all about it, this exciting event is a great opportunity to taste new wines from around the world so don't miss it!

2. The Georgia Museum of Art continues its grand reopening with a super-sized Family Day Saturday. Come out for a day of gallery tours, art creation, refreshments, and an interactive program for kids that includes music, mime, and puppetry! This Athens art extravaganza takes place between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and admission is free.

3. The off-Broadway show, The Water Coolers, is taking part in Athens theatre to bring out the joy in your seemingly mundane life. This musical comedy laughs at our everyday lives with original songs, sketch comedy, and pop parodies.

DON'T FORGET! Valentine's weekend is next weekend! Make plans now -- we've got lots of romantic suggestions coming on this blog and at VisitAthensGA.com.

Athens This Weekend: June 10 - 12

This weekend in Athens is jam-packed with lots of fun events! There are several special events we think are really worth checking out, so clear your weekend calendar and head over to Athens!

Thursday: At 7 p.m., go to the inaugural screening for the Lyndon House Speakeasy Movie Club, where the legendary film Koyaanisqatsi will be presented in the LHAC Community Room. There is no admission charge, and refreshments will be available! This is the first of many films to be shown at the Lyndon House, so be sure to be there for this awesome, free event! There are also concerts going on at Go Bar, Caledonia, and Farm 255.

Friday: The Town and Gown Players bring Carousel, a Rogers and Hammerstein classic and Time magazine's Best Musical of the 20th century, to the Classic City this weekend! Come to the Athens Community Theater on Friday at 8 p.m. to enjoy a night of theatric fun! There is also a great show at the Melting Point on Friday, Sensational Sounds of Motown, so head on over there at 9 p.m. for some classic Motown beats. Tickets are only $12, so splurge on an appetizer and cocktail while you listen!

Saturday: The FIFA World Cup starts Saturday, so be sure you get up early, go to the Farmers Market, then head to a watering hole to watch the World Cup games! Games start at 10 a.m., and team USA takes on England at 8:30 p.m. I recommend going to either Farm 255, the Globe or Royal Peasant in Five Points to cheer our team on, but beware that places are sure to be full of plenty of rowdy football fans! If you’re not into soccer, be sure not to miss The Carolina Chocolate Drops live at the 40 Watt at 9 p.m.! The young string band plays in the centuries-old Piedmont banjo and fiddle musical tradition, and has been nominated for the Americana Music Award for Duo or Group of the Year. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 on the day of the show. You can’t beat a venue like the 40 Watt, so it’s sure to be a great show.

If these suggestions can’t suffice, visit our calendar of events to see what else is going on this weekend!

Athens This Weekend: June 4 - 6

This weekend in Athens is jam-packed with lots of fun events! Get ready for a chance to support local farmers and artists, interact with nature, and hear great live music!

On Saturday, come celebrate treasures that are uniquely ours at the Athens Farmers Market. All sustainable food is grown in Athens soil by local farmers. All crafts are made in our homes by local artists. Live music, merriment, and memories are shared with the young and the old alike on Saturday mornings at Bishop Park! The Farmers Market starts at 8 a.m. and lasts until noon, and there will be live music throughout the morning. Click here for more info and to see what's for sale this weekend!

The 32nd Annual Snake Day is this Saturday from noon to 4 p.m.! This popular annual event features a fun-filled afternoon exploring the misunderstood world of snakes! Attendees will have the opportunity to learn about venomous snakes and identification, touch a snake, explore the amazing diversity of snakes and enjoy snake-related crafts and games! Click here for more info!

On Sunday at 3 p.m., Dr. Arvin Scott, a multi-award winning percussion artist, will bring his World Beat Nu Jazz to the Athens-Clarke County Library & Heritage Room! This free event is sponsored by the Friends of the Athens-Clarke County Library, and will be held in the Auditorium of the Athens-Clarke County Library! Click here for more info!

Other great events going on this weekend include:
The Legendary Leon Russell, Tommy Talton Band at the Melting Point
Athens Little Playhouse Performs "Cafe Murder"
Classic City Rollergirls vs. Soul City Sirens

Athens This Weekend: March 5 - 7

Friday, March 5:

• Everybody have fun tonight! Travel back in time to the era of shoulder pads, bangle bracelets and living to excess. The Melting Point presents The Highballs in Concert. The Highballs will be putting on a totally awesome show so you can party to the max. Like, for sure! Duran Duran, Madonna, Journey, the Bangles...all the best of the '80s in a high energy live show.

Saturday, March 6:

• The UGA Performing Arts Center is proud to present Narek Hakhnazaryan, a 19-year-old cellist who won first prize in the 2008 Young Concert Artists International Auditions! His two rewarding debuts were in Carnegie's Zankel Hall in New York and at the Kennedy Center's Terrace Theater in Washington, D.C. According to San Francisco Classical Voice, "he produces a powerful and colorful sound in all registers, nails every big shift and flashes all the virtuoso's tricks with insolent ease. He should have a stellar career."

• Treat your family to Exotic Birds & Animals on Planet Earth: Family Day at The State Botanical Garden! Roy Hodge from Exotic Paradise, Atlanta will travel to the State Botanical Garden this Saturday to educate and entertain families with his menagerie of exotic forest animals! Attendees will discover amazing facts and adaptations of exotic animals in a live animal presentation. Children and their parents can pet and take pictures with cockatoos, parrots, owls, monitor lizards, anacondas, boa constrictors and more!

Sunday, March 7:

• Head over to The State Botanical Garden this Sunday for the opening reception of Claire Clements' paintings exhibition Bottlebrush Buckeye and Beyond! Participate in a fun art critique exercise and interpret artworks currently on display. Claire's process, cut paintings, involves cutting mixed media painting on paper. Free to the public.

Ongoing Events:

• Do not miss your opportunity to view a colorful display of late winter flowers at the 18th Annual Hellebore Days at Piccadilly Farm in Bishop, Georgia! The public is invited to stroll the gardens and view thousands of Lenten Roses in full bloom in the 2.5 acre display garden. Hellebore Days has been featured in the New York Times and numerous other publications. For those unable to attend the event, the gardens will be open on Fridays and Saturdays during the spring season.

• Athens Creative Theatre presents "Bull in a China Shop," a Women's Repertoire Show and Dessert Theatre. When a houseful of sweet little old ladies discovers that a handsome bachelor lives across the street, they are delighted! When they learn that he is none other than Detective Dennis O'Finn, of Homicide, they are faced with the problem of how to attract his attention. The answer is simplicity itself: a nice, genteel homicide with a cup of tea as the murder weapon! Patrons will enjoy a dessert buffet at intermission.

• Paintings in oil, acrylic, watercolor and mixed media, large and small sculpture, works in clay and in fiber, jewelry, photographs, drawings, prints, and other works! The 35th Juried Exhibition at Lyndon House Arts Center showcases a wealth of Athens area talent. Over 740 art works by 291 artists were entered in the competition this year and 142 pieces were selected by this year's juror Ron Platt, the Hugh Kaul Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Birmingham Museum of Art.

Athens Cine Turns Two

Birthday and anniversary wishes are in order this week as Cine, Athens downtown, art house cinema celebrates its second anniversary.

The cinema not only features film, but also contains a bar and cafe. This week the they will be showcasing a variety of foreign films representative of the films usually shown.

This week's festivities includes a line up of film's including: SILENT LIGHT with an introduction by Dr. Diego Del Pozo on Tuesday, March 31 at 4:15, 7:00 and 9:45; OUR CITY DREAMS with an introduction by Judith McWillie Wednesday, April 1 at 5:00, 7:00 and 9:30; and IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE with an introduction by Dr. Ari Levine Thursday, April 2 at 5:00, 7:00 and 9:30 on the theater's actual anniversay.

If you have not yet made your way to Cine, this is the perfect opportunity. With its unique European feel, out of the box movie selections and charming atmosphere, Cine is the perfect place to learn all about Athen's hidden gems. Click here for more information about this event.

To learn more about Cine's past, present and future, watch the clip below. You may be surprised to find the eclectic history behind its walls.

Out in Athens This Weekend

This weekend is all about the arts this weekend in Athens. From music to theater and everything in-between there is something for everyone. Check out some of this weekend's great ideas.

UGA Performing Arts Center

You won't want to miss these classics live.
Friday: The Best of Andrew Loyd Webber. Performers have appeared on Broadway, in Carnegie Hall, and at the White House. 8 p.m. tickets range in price from $23-$28.
Saturday: Academy of Ancient Music. One of the world's foremost period-instrument orchestras, will perform the Complete Brandenburg Concertos. 8 p.m. tickets are $34 for students and $39 for non-students.
Sunday: Charles Wadsworth and Friends. Hosted by UGA Alumnus and founder of the Chamber MusicSociety of Lincoln Center. 7:30 p.m. Free.

Theater

Frederico Garcia Lorca's House of Bernarda Alba. March 25-28: 8 p.m. March 29: 2:30 p.m.
$10/Adult; $7/Student

MacBeth presented by Rose of Athens Theatre. Thursday, March 26: 10 a.m. school matinee Friday, March 27: 10 a.m. school matinee, 8 p.m. public performance Saturday, March 28: 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. $15 adults, $10 students and age 25 and younger.

A Bag Full of Fables presented by Athens Little Playhouse. Friday, March 27 at 9:00 a.m. and 7:30 pm; Saturday, March 28 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sunday, March 29 at 2:00 p.m.
Tickets are $10 general admission, $8 for students, children, seniors, and ALPS members. On Sunday, children’s tickets are $5.

UGA Sports
Men's and Women's tennis vs. LSU. 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.

World Premiere of Drumline Live in Athens this week

The show-stopping African American marching band tradition takes the theatrical stage for the very first time as DRUMLine Live kicks off its 50-city international tour in Athens. Based on performance sequences from the hit movie Drumline filmed in Georgia, DRUMLine Live showcases the rousing and rhythmic sounds and explosive choreography of the HBCU marching band tradition from America’s top African American colleges and universities. Single tickets start at just $25, and there are great discounts available for groups of 10 or more, so grab some friends and make plans for this Thursday, Jan. 8. For tickets, call 800.918.6393 or buy online.