Gregslist: 7 really great things to do this weekend
I was about to lead this week’s Gregslist Captain Obvious-style with “this is a really big weekend in Springfield,” but they’re all big. This one, especially so. It was physically painful to narrow this Gregslist down, but that’s the job: to give you a curated roundup of what to do in the next few days. There’s much more in our community calendar at News-Leader.com.
Here’s the list, in chronological order.
1. Don’t be the last one in to see “Last Comic Standing.” Thursday’s show at Juanita K. Hammons Hall (7:30 p.m., 525 John Q. Hammons Parkway, tickets from $32) features the finalists from NBC’s hit reality competition show live on stage. Winnowed down from a field of 100 comics by Roseanne Barr, Keenen Ivory Wayans and Norm Macdonald, the lineup includes Ian Bagg, Dominique, Andy Erikson, Michael Palascak and winner Clayton English.
Then, everything happens on Friday:
2. Do First Friday Art Walk, downtown from 6 to 10 p.m. FFAW includes more than 25 venues this month on the official Art Walk — the Kat Allie show at Obelisk Home (214 W. Phelps St.) caught my eye on Twitter this past week — but there are also Art Walk-adjacent things like the Bobby Jaycox comedy show at Billiards (8:30 p.m., 541 E. St. Louis St., tickets $10) and Springfield Dance Alliance’s Community Dance Slam, which is like a poetry slam except it’s all about local dance (7:30 p.m., Downtown Arts Collective, 308 South Ave., free/suggested donation $5). Meanwhile, did you know you can take the SAM Shuttle between downtown and the Springfield Art Museum? It runs 5:30 to 9 p.m. If you’re squeamish about downtown parking, park at the museum (1111 E. Brookside Drive), see the museum’s Kara Walker show, then swing downtown. Just plan to be back early. Meanwhile, you’re likely to see gawkers in the general square out to watch Springfield SlutWalk 2015, an anti-rape protest walk scheduled for 8 p.m. that’s already attracted the ire of Springfield City Council member Justin Burnett.
3. Go all “Mad Men” at Casino Night. Springfield Rotaract and Springfield Metro Rotary Club are teaming up to benefit Great Circle and McGregor Elementary with their annual Casino Night ($30, 7-11 p.m., the Veridian, 309 South Ave.) Theme: “It’s a Mad, Mad World.” The Rotary crowd tends to party in a swanky manner: In the past they did “The Great Gatsby,” for example.
4. Did you know Springfield Jazz Festival is now big enough for two stages? Downtown hosts seven jazz acts starting at 6 p.m. Friday, partly at a main stage in Park Central Square, partly on Park Central East. Artists were booked by Randy Hamm, jazz studies director at Missouri State, who’s bringing in New York-based Conrad Herwig and the Latin Side All Stars to headline at 9 p.m.
Saturday, for the win!
5. Saturday, nosh at Taste of Springfield, on the square and Park Central East. Sample eats from more than 25 local restaurants from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. (batches of 10 food tickets go for $10). Oktoberfest Village also starts at 11 a.m., with a ceremonial tapping of the golden keg by Mother’s Brewing Company. Oktoberfest has music from Dart Frog, Brookline Station, Cori Jay and Justice Adams Band until about 7 p.m., and local/seasonal brews are available until 9 p.m. If you’re still feeling spry after all that, downtown watering holes will keep you in your cups.
6. If you feel like getting out of town, your kids can smash grapes, using their feet, at Whispering Oaks Vineyard and Winery (520 Lucky Road, Seymour, whisperingoakswinery.com), which has its Grape Stomp 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday. This is the 10th year for the stomp, which always includes live music and food. Admission is free. Kids stomp right at the beginning of the festivities. I love the drive east of Springfield along U.S. 60 this time of year.
7. Opera rises like the phoenix Saturday, as Springfield Regional Opera celebrates 35 years at 7:30 p.m. (Clara Thompson Hall, Drury University, sropera.org). It’s been a summer of changes for SRO, including the appointment of a new artistic director, the globally celebrated tenor Michael Spyres (he’s from a hyper-musical Springfield family). The last time they had an anniversary performance, I got to attend, and it was pretty great.
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