ARTS

Wilmington Riverfest, plus 5 more things to do this weekend

Saturday: Eric Gales 
The left-handed guitarist they call Raw Dawg has been playing since he was a kid, and was actually considered something of a child prodigy at one point. Eighteen albums later, he's still cranking out the tunes, from original work to fast-fingered covers of such rock classics as Jimi Hendrix's "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" and blues legend Howlin' Wolf's "Smokestack Lightnin'." Jam band Marvelous Funkshun opens up. Details: 5 p.m. gates, 6 p.m. show, Oct. 5 at Greenfield Lake Amphitheater, 1941 Amphitheater Drive, Wilmington. $25, free for kids 10 and under. GreenfieldLakeAmphitheater.com
Saturday: Eric Gales The left-handed guitarist they call Raw Dawg has been playing since he was a kid, and was actually considered something of a child prodigy at one point. Eighteen albums later, he's still cranking out the tunes, from original work to fast-fingered covers of such rock classics as Jimi Hendrix's "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" and blues legend Howlin' Wolf's "Smokestack Lightnin'." Jam band Marvelous Funkshun opens up. Details: 5 p.m. gates, 6 p.m. show, Oct. 5 at Greenfield Lake Amphitheater, 1941 Amphitheater Drive, Wilmington. $25, free for kids 10 and under. GreenfieldLakeAmphitheater.com
Wilmington StarNews
Sunday: Sheila E. at CFCC
Singer, drummer, dancer and performer behind two of the most iconic hits of the '80s — "The Glamorous Life" and "A Love Bizarre" — Sheila E. brings her band to town this weekend. Born Sheila Escovdeo, she started playing with her dad (songwriting uncle Alejandro Escovedo is part of her musical family) and is known for her many collaborations with the artist forever known as Prince. She's an icon in her own right. Details: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 6 at CFCC Wilson Center, 703 N. Third St., Wilmington. Tickets are $30-$68 plus taxes and fees. 910-362-7999 or CapeFearStage.com
Sunday: Sheila E. at CFCC Singer, drummer, dancer and performer behind two of the most iconic hits of the '80s — "The Glamorous Life" and "A Love Bizarre" — Sheila E. brings her band to town this weekend. Born Sheila Escovdeo, she started playing with her dad (songwriting uncle Alejandro Escovedo is part of her musical family) and is known for her many collaborations with the artist forever known as Prince. She's an icon in her own right. Details: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 6 at CFCC Wilson Center, 703 N. Third St., Wilmington. Tickets are $30-$68 plus taxes and fees. 910-362-7999 or CapeFearStage.com
Wilmington StarNews
Saturday: Observe the moon
Saturday is International Observe the Moon Night, and Cape Fear Museum will be celebrating. Outside, members of the Cape Fear Astronomical Society will set up telescopes, so you can view the first-quarter moon close up. Inside, activities include a virtual reality re-creation of the moon landing and a documentary about Apollo 11. Youngsters can make lunar craters that smell like chocolate, discover how phases of the moon work and listen to lunar bedtime stories. There'll even be some lunar snacks. Details: 6-8 p.m. Oct. 5 at Cape Fear Museum, 814 Market St. Free. 910-798-4370 or CapeFearMuseum.com. -- Ben Steelman. [AP PHOTO]
Saturday: Observe the moon Saturday is International Observe the Moon Night, and Cape Fear Museum will be celebrating. Outside, members of the Cape Fear Astronomical Society will set up telescopes, so you can view the first-quarter moon close up. Inside, activities include a virtual reality re-creation of the moon landing and a documentary about Apollo 11. Youngsters can make lunar craters that smell like chocolate, discover how phases of the moon work and listen to lunar bedtime stories. There'll even be some lunar snacks. Details: 6-8 p.m. Oct. 5 at Cape Fear Museum, 814 Market St. Free. 910-798-4370 or CapeFearMuseum.com. -- Ben Steelman. [AP PHOTO]
Wilmington StarNews
Saturday: 'Love Letters'
Persist Theatricals is bringing two productions of "Love Letters" to Wilmington in October, both of them starring name actors. Ryan O’Neal and Ali MacGraw, who got Oscar nominations for their roles in 1970 film "Love Story," will star in the two-actor play this weekend. Sheryl Lee ("One Tree Hill," Laura Palmer in the original “Twin Peaks” TV series) and Judd Nelson ("The Breakfast Club," "St. Elmo’s Fire") will do the show on Oct. 12. "Love Letters" chronicles a 50-year relationship and sometimes-romance between troubled rich girl Melissa Gardner and the ambitious "liberal Republican" Andrew Makepeace Ladd III. The show is known for having the actors tell its story by reading the letters their characters wrote to each other over the decades. Details: 7 p.m. Oct. 5 (Ryan O’Neal and Ali MacGraw) and 7 p.m. Oct. 12 (Judd Nelson and Cheryl Lee) at Kenan Auditorium, UNCW campus. Tickets are $55-$125. 910-962-3500 or UNCW.edu/arts. [AP PHOTO]
Saturday: 'Love Letters' Persist Theatricals is bringing two productions of "Love Letters" to Wilmington in October, both of them starring name actors. Ryan O’Neal and Ali MacGraw, who got Oscar nominations for their roles in 1970 film "Love Story," will star in the two-actor play this weekend. Sheryl Lee ("One Tree Hill," Laura Palmer in the original “Twin Peaks” TV series) and Judd Nelson ("The Breakfast Club," "St. Elmo’s Fire") will do the show on Oct. 12. "Love Letters" chronicles a 50-year relationship and sometimes-romance between troubled rich girl Melissa Gardner and the ambitious "liberal Republican" Andrew Makepeace Ladd III. The show is known for having the actors tell its story by reading the letters their characters wrote to each other over the decades. Details: 7 p.m. Oct. 5 (Ryan O’Neal and Ali MacGraw) and 7 p.m. Oct. 12 (Judd Nelson and Cheryl Lee) at Kenan Auditorium, UNCW campus. Tickets are $55-$125. 910-962-3500 or UNCW.edu/arts. [AP PHOTO]
Wilmington StarNews
Saturday: Bark in the Park 
If you like to watch dogs catching Frisbees — and let’s be very real, who doesn’t? — this is the festival for you. Canine competitors go nose to nose to get the most points (distance and accuracy is a plus) and a shot at the Bark in the Park championships. Dogs can also win Best Dressed and Best “Paw”sonality. Details: 11 a.m. Oct. 5 at Wrightsville Beach Park, 3 Bob Sawyer Drive, Wrightsville Beach. TownOfWrightsvilleBeach.com
Saturday: Bark in the Park If you like to watch dogs catching Frisbees — and let’s be very real, who doesn’t? — this is the festival for you. Canine competitors go nose to nose to get the most points (distance and accuracy is a plus) and a shot at the Bark in the Park championships. Dogs can also win Best Dressed and Best “Paw”sonality. Details: 11 a.m. Oct. 5 at Wrightsville Beach Park, 3 Bob Sawyer Drive, Wrightsville Beach. TownOfWrightsvilleBeach.com
Wilmington StarNews
All weekend: Wilmington Riverfest
The Port City's going to be rolling into Riverfest this weekend. Wilmington’s biggest fall festival is sure to provide everything locals and tourists have come to expect: Dozens of vendors, live music (Zac Brown tribute band 20 Ride on Friday evening, Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute band Tuesday’s Gone on Saturday night), tons of food, a massive Kidz Zone, a classic/antique car show and, on Saturday night, fireworks. Details: Oct. 4-6 in downtown Wilmington. WilmingtonRiverfest.com
All weekend: Wilmington Riverfest The Port City's going to be rolling into Riverfest this weekend. Wilmington’s biggest fall festival is sure to provide everything locals and tourists have come to expect: Dozens of vendors, live music (Zac Brown tribute band 20 Ride on Friday evening, Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute band Tuesday’s Gone on Saturday night), tons of food, a massive Kidz Zone, a classic/antique car show and, on Saturday night, fireworks. Details: Oct. 4-6 in downtown Wilmington. WilmingtonRiverfest.com
Wilmington StarNews