8 great weekend events: Things to do in the Wilmington area March 3-6
Not a ton of huge events in the Wilmington area this weekend, but there is a lot of variety, including live music, comedy and the return of the North Carolina Rice Festival.
Thursday: "The Neutral Ground" at Kenan Auditorium — Given Wilmington's fraught history with Confederate monuments, two of which were removed last year after standing downtown for more than a century, this documentary from New Orleans director CJ Hunt should resonate locally. Hunt decided to make the film in 2015, after the New Orleans City Council voted to removed four Confederate monuments in that city, a decision that was initially slowed after death threats were made by those who wanted to keep the monuments. A Q&A will follow the screening. 7:30 p.m. March 3
Thursday: Pierre Bensusan and Forward Motion Dance at Hannah Block USO — The acclaimed French guitarist teams with Wilmington's Forward Motion Dance company for an evening of music and movement. 7:30 p.m. March 3
More: Acclaimed guitarist Pierre Bensusan teams up with Wilmington dance troupe for show
Friday: Who I Are at Reggie's 42nd Street Tavern — Who is Who I Are? Well, they're a funk act out of Raleigh that's coming to lay down the jams at Wilmington rock club Reggie's this weekend. Sharing the bill is a trio of Wilmington acts: Hyperloops (alt-garage), Terrestrial Animal (post-rock) and Vestige of Mora (pop-metal). 8 p.m. March 4, $7.
Friday: Comedy show at the Lookout at Iron Front — Downtown's newest event space presents some of Wilmington's top stand-ups. Hosted by comic and impresario Ellie Coleman, featured acts are Louis Bishop, Lew Morgante and Steve Marcinowski. 8 p.m., $15 in advance, $20 day of
Friday & Saturday: Mike Stanley at Dead Crow Comedy Room — A Chicago-based, Detroit-born comic is this week's featured act at Wilmington's home for touring stand-ups. Stanley's style is a mix of skewering observations (he's got a bit about how his friend thinks getting high makes him smarter) and absurdist non sequiturs. ("Wait — but if you're here, who's back at the youth hostel charging our cell phones?") 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. March 4-5
Friday & Saturday: The Mantras at the Palm Room — The popular North Carolina jam band, recently selected for the Shakori Hills Festival, brings their tunes to Wrightsville Beach for a two-night stand. 8 p.m. March 4-5
Friday & Saturday: N.C. Rice Festival at the Leland Cultural Arts Center — Did you know that Southeastern North Carolina was once a hotspot of rice cultivation? This annual festival celebrates that history and the contributions of the Gullah Geechee people who did the rice farming. Friday's gala dinner is sold out, but Saturday is packed full of events, with presentations, live music and Gullah Geechee-inspired fare from Catch the Food Truck.
More: Leland event sheds light on Brunswick County's rice heritage
Saturday: Wilmington Record Show at Waterline Brewing — If you like vinyl, this is the place to be this weekend. Sixteen vendors, including Wilmington's very own Gravity Records, The Fuzzy Needle, Fort Lowell Records and School Kids Records, will have thousands of records up for sale along with other music-related items.
Contact John Staton at 910-343-2343 or John.Staton@StarNewsOnline.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Things to do in Wilmington this weekend include comedy, concerts, more
