Go green with 420 and Earth Day events

Whether you’re looking to spend your weekend toking with friends in celebration of 420 on Saturday, enjoying nature and helping beautify outdoor spaces in observance of Earth Day on Monday, sampling a variety of craft beers, watching new and experimental films or dancing your heart out, events across Greater Lansing have you covered.

For Friday evening’s live music, we have cover musician Ben Awrey at Harrison Roadhouse at 6; singer-songwriter and fingerstyle guitarist Matthew Shannon at Mash Bar, blues band the Further Adventures of FatBoy and JiveTurkey at UrbanBeat and ‘50s rock ‘n’ roll revue the Devil Elvis Show at Lansing Brewing Co., all at 7; folk singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Zoe Mulford at University United Methodist Church at 7:30; Collin & Gwen of rock band Birdie Van Ostren at the Peanut Barrel and Michigan State University’s African Diaspora Percussion Ensemble at the Music Building’s Murray Hall, both at 8; cover band Geech at the Green Door at 8:30; a “Tits out for Top Surgery” benefit show, with performances by punk bands Danger Cat, Pet Me and Deadnames, at the Avenue at 9; and cover band Soulstice at Mash Bar at 10. On Saturday, the Lansing Juneteenth Celebration will host a jazz brunch fundraiser 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Cadillac Room in REO Town, with performances by the ABC Trio, flutist Brandon Marceal and more. In the evening, we have a dueling pianos show at the Fraternal Order of Eagles on Cedar Street in Mason at 5; the Capital City Ringershandbell ensemble at Eastminster Presbyterian Church at 7; the bimonthly A Night at the Soul Lounge at the Avenue and the MSU Symphony Orchestra and choirs at the Wharton Center’s Cobb Great Hall, both at 8; R&B band Summer of Sol at the Green Door at 8:30; and MSU salsa music ensemble Salsa Verde at UrbanBeat at 9. Ending the weekend on Sunday is the Jazz Alliance of Mid-Michigan’s tribute concert to Summer Solstice Jazz Festival co-founders Beth and Al Cafagna at UrbanBeat at 2 p.m.; MSU’s Symphony Band and Spartan Youth Wind Symphony at the Fairchild Theatre at 3 p.m.; Red Cedar Spirits’ weekly Sunday Jazz show at 6 p.m.; a country and punk show with the Hunky Newcomers, PISSED, No Skull and Deer & Elk at the Avenue at 7 p.m.; and San Francisco-based composer and pianist Adrienne Torf with Lansing-based spoken-word and gospel ensemble Voices of the Revolution at UrbanBeat at 7:30 p.m.

The Mid-Michigan Art Guild will host an opening reception for its “Artistic Visions” exhibit at REACH Studio Art Center 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday. The exhibit is also open noon to 5 p.m. Friday.

Other art displays on view this weekend include the Mid-Michigan Art Guild’s Spring Art Show at the Neighborhood Empowerment Center, which is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday; the annual Ingham Student Art Exhibit and “Transitory: A Study Of Human Anatomy & Our Own Impermanence,” a solo exhibition by Grand Rapids artist Thiago Porraz, at the Lansing Art Gallery, which is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday; an exhibition by engineer and retired physics teacher Jack Hetherington at the Haslett Library’s Bookend Gallery, which is open noon to 4 p.m. Friday and noon to 2 p.m. Saturday; “Seeing in 360 Degrees: The Zaha Hadid Design Collection,” “DOOMSCROLLING,”  the 2024 Master of Fine Arts Exhibition and the 2024 Art, Art History, and Design Faculty Triennial at the MSU Broad Art Museum, which is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday; and “Realm of Daydreams - The Wonders of Fantasy Art” at the Art Williamston gallery, which is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.

If you’d like to make some art of your own, Lansing’s Fraternal Order of Eagles on St. Joseph Street will host a paint party fundraiser for its diabetes fund 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday, featuring wine, hors d’oeuvres, a raffle and an evening of painting, and Coco’s Confections will host a Swiftie-themed cookie decorating workshop 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday at Lansing Brewing Co.

Riverwalk Theatre wraps up its production of “Moonglow” this weekend, with final performances 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Additionally, Williamston Theatre continues its run of “Bright Half Life” 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and Peppermint Creek Theatre Co. begins its two-weekend run of “Alabama Story” 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at Stage One at Sycamore Creek Eastwood.

Events for the kids include insect-themed Sparking Science programs 10 a.m. Friday and Saturday at Impression 5 Science Center, a story time and parkour workshop 10 a.m. Friday at AL!VE health park in Charlotte, a solar phone charger-making workshop 10 a.m. Saturday at Impression 5, a storytime with free donuts 11 a.m. Saturday at Eaton Rapids Area District Library, performances by Spanish and English children’s music duo 123 Andrés 1:30 and 4 p.m. Saturday at the Wharton Center’s Pasant Theatre, and a frog-themed campfire and hike 7 p.m. Saturday at Harris Nature Center.

Lansing nonprofit the Davies Project will honor its volunteer drivers at an awards ceremony, featuring guest speaker Bob Hoffman, 10 a.m. to noon Friday at its office on Bingham Street.

Another Lansing nonprofit, NorthWest Initiative, will hold its spring fundraiser 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday at Gregory’s Soul Food, featuring hors d’oeuvres, drinks and a silent auction.

All Saints Episcopal Church will hold its monthly Coffeehouse at All Saints 7:30 p.m. Friday, featuring musical and spoken-word performances by several local artists. Guests are encouraged to bring a snack or drink to share.

Visit the Meridian Mall 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday for the final Meridian Township Farmers Market of the season. The market will return outdoors at the beginning of June.

The 9^th annual Beerfest at the Ballpark runs 3 to 8 p.m. Saturday at Jackson Field, featuring more than 300 craft beers from more than 50 Michigan breweries in addition to ciders, meads, spirits, wines, live music and food.

Keys to Manifestation’s monthly Game Night runs 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday. All table games are welcome, and guests should bring their own snacks and drinks.

The Lansing Liederkranz Club will host a German dinner and dance Saturday evening. Dinner will be served from 5 to 6:30 p.m., with live music and dancing to follow.

If square dancing is more your speed, the Ten Pound Fiddle will host its biweekly Contra & Square Dance 7 p.m. Saturday at DeWitt Township Community Center, with a quick dance lesson at 6:30.

Visit the Delta Township District Library Friends’ Bookstore 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Friday or 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday for a buy one, get one free sale, offering books, jigsaw puzzles, CDs, DVDs, magazines and more.

If you’re looking for rare or antique books, the Michigan Antiquarian Book & Paper Show, the largest of its kind in the Midwest, runs 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at the Causeway Bay Hotel.

The Capital City Film Festival wraps up this weekend, offering plenty of film screenings as well as a few special events, including FILMETRY 5:30 p.m. Friday at the Fledge, featuring the premiere of 11 new short films adapted from poems informed by cinema; Symphonic Cinema 6 p.m. Friday at Central United Methodist Church, where Timothy Blackmon Jr. and James Gardin will debut an original composition set to the visuals of the 1994 drama “Fresh”; and the official film fest afterparty beginning 8 p.m. Saturday at the Fledge, featuring live music, DJs, a drag show, an art exhibition and more. For the full schedule of events, visit the website.

The MSU Science Festival will also offer a slew of events this weekend, including an evening of science and art activities 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at the Broad Art Museum and MSU Musem, a tour of the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams 1 p.m. Saturday and a terrarium-making workshop 2 p.m. Sunday at the Broad. To view a full list of events, visit the website.

In celebration of Earth Day on Monday, Fenner Nature Center will offer a variety of volunteer opportunities 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday to help prepare the park for peak season, and MSU’s Beal Botanical Garden will also hold a volunteer garden cleanup 10 a.m. to noon Friday, followed by the Spring Garden Opening celebration from noon to 1 p.m. Additionally, Recycle Rama, Greater Lansing’s largest one-day recycling event, runs 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Ingham County Health Department. 

Finally, there are plenty of events to celebrate 420 on Saturday, including a block party from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Pure Options Frandor, featuring performances by Sean Kingston, rock band Desmond Jones and a host of local DJs, plus live glass-blowing, a dab bar, a flower bar, food trucks, games, giveaways and more; another party from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at House of Dank, featuring DJs, food trucks, vendors and giveaways; a Community Appreciation Day with vendors, raffles and giveaways beginning at 11 a.m. at Local Roots Cannabis in Laingsburg, followed by a concert with Local Roots co-owner Roy Liskey's band and '90s cover band Off the Ledge from 5 to 11 p.m. at Twilliger's Tavern; a comedy and metal music show beginning at 3 p.m. at Mac’s Bar; a weed-themed pole-dancing and burlesque show at 7 p.m. at the Studio at 414 in the Lansing Mall; and a Puff & Paint event at 7 p.m. at Paint with Monet.

Whatever you choose to do, I wish you the best of weekends.

(Have an event? Be sure to list it free at lansingcitypulse.com/calendar. Think it’s worth at least a short story? Send a news release to nicole@lansingcitypulse.com for consideration.)