Comedy, cookies and a cabaret

This may be the last truly free weekend for many before the end-of-December holidays take over and people begin traveling, hosting family members and loved ones and attending get-togethers. There’s plenty to enjoy around Greater Lansing, including art workshops, holiday-themed shows, vendor markets, a medical scrub fashion show, a traveling dinosaur exhibition and much more. 

For Friday evening’s live music, we have country and rock cover band North of Five at The Peanut Barrel, experimental music group Atomic Boogaloo at UrbanBeat and metal and punk bands Lucius Fox, No Skull and Dropped at Birth at Mac’s Bar, all at 8; country, blues and rock cover band Johnny Stix & the Outsiders at The Green Door at 8:30; and LVRS’ record release show with fellow indie-rock groups Low Phase and sister/sibling at The Avenue at 9. Saturday evening, we have world-music band Whorled accompanied by bellydance artists at UrbanBeat at 7; pop-punk band The New Models at Mac’s Bar at 8; and alt-rock band The Louderthans at The Green Door at 8:30. Ending the weekend on Sunday is the Lansing Symphony Orchestra’s Holiday Pops concert at the Wharton Center at 3 p.m. as well as Red Cedar Spirits’ weekly Sunday Jazz show and Okemos-based actress and vocalist Sabrina Dahlgren’s “A Very Merry Cabaret” show at UrbanBeat, both at 6 p.m.

It's the last weekend to view “Shouldn’t You Be Working? 100 Years of Working from Home” and “Beal Botanical Garden: Celebrating 150 Years of People, Plants, and Place” at the Michigan State University Broad Art Museum, which is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday. While you’re there, make sure to check out the other exhibitions, including “As we dwell in the fold,” “Seeing in 360 Degrees: The Zaha Hadid Design Collection” and “Resistance Training: Arts, Sports, and Civil Rights.”

Other art displays on view this weekend include the Michigan Made Holiday Art Exhibition at the Lansing Art Gallery, which is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; the Mid-Michigan Art Guild’s Fall Member Art Show at the Neighborhood Empowerment Center, which is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday; local photographer Joyce Felzke’s nature photography display at the Haslett Library’s Bookend Gallery, which is open noon to 4 p.m. Friday; local artist and occasional City Pulse contributor David Winkelstern’s 3D art exhibition at the Riverwalk Theatre, which is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday and noon to 2 p.m. Sunday; and local artist Bobbie Margolis’ “Mixed Media Medley” exhibition at the Okemos Library, which is open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday. Call the library at 517-347-2021 before visiting to make sure the gallery space is open.

If you’d like to make some art of your own, the Charlotte Community Library is hosting a winter landscape painting workshop for ages 21 and up 5:30 p.m. Friday, the Lansing Art Gallery is hosting both a beginner Celtic calligraphy workshop at 10 a.m. and an open studio from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, and the Broad Art Museum is offering wintry art-making activities and free hot cocoa for all ages 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday.

“Christmas Belles” wraps up at the Riverwalk Theatre this weekend, with final performances 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Additionally, “Murder for Two: Holiday Edition” continues at the Williamston Theatre 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and All-of-Us Express Children’s Theatre is producing “A Christmas Carol” 7 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Saturday at East Lansing’s Hannah Community Center.

Other holiday events include All Saints Episcopal Church’s monthly Coffeehouse at All Saints 7:30 p.m. Friday, featuring holiday-themed musical and spoken-word performances; the annual “Evening of Lessons and Carols” service at the Presbyterian Church of Okemos 7 p.m. Friday, featuring readings, carol arrangements and congregational singing, with accompaniment by the church’s Chancel and Handbell choirs and students from the MSU College of Music; Christmas cookie decorating classes 5 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday at Nina’s Notions in St. Johns; a “Star Trek”-themed food and toy drive for the Greater Lansing Food Bank and Refugee Development Center 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Eastside Lansing Food Co-Op; Tease A Gogo’s holiday-themed burlesque show 7 p.m. Saturday at Country Creek Reception Hall in Dimondale, featuring live music by singer-songwriter and guitarist Matthew Shannon; a holiday farmers market 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday at Williamston Middle School; a cookie-decorating and ornament-making workshop 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday at Lansing Brewing Co.; a special worship service 10 a.m. Sunday at University Lutheran Church in East Lansing, featuring jazz arrangements of Advent and Christmas hymns; a holiday-themed horse show beginning 7:30 a.m. Friday through Sunday at MSU’s Livestock Pavilion; the Turner-Dodge House’s annual Holiday Open House noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; the weekly Kringle Holiday Market 4 to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday at Reutter Park, featuring local vendors and free ice skating as well as caroling and free gift wrapping on Friday and free cookie decorating on Saturday; and Potter Park Zoo’s annual Wonderland of Lights 5 to 8 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

For the kids, Impression 5 Science Center is hosting its weekly Sparking Science workshop for ages 2 to 4 at 10 a.m. Friday and Saturday. This week’s theme is Build & Destroy. Impression 5 is also hosting a woodworking class for ages 10 to 13 at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Visit Keys to Manifestation for its monthly Game Night 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday. All table games are welcome, and attendees are encouraged to bring their own drinks and food.

DeWitt’s Looking Glass Brewing Co. is hosting a comedy show 8:30 p.m. Saturday, featuring performances by Michigan comedians Adam Degi and Robyn and Jason Gilleran.

Students from MSU’s colleges of Human Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine will host a charity fashion showat the Wharton Center’s Pasant Theatre 5 p.m. Saturday to benefit Care Free Medical, a nonprofit clinic that provides medical, dental, optometric and behavioral health services to Lansing-area residents. MSU art students have decorated medical scrubs that will be modeled by medical students, and new scrubs will be raffled at the show.

Shop for last-minute gifts at the Mulliken Craft Show, running 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Mulliken’s Masonic Hall. The event aims to raise funds to repair the hall’s roof. There will also be an area to pick up gently used items for free. Donations of free items are appreciated.

Marquette author and photographer Richard P. Smith will visit Schuler Books in Okemos 2 to 7:30 p.m. Friday and noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday to sign copies of his books and DVDs, most of which cover deer and bear hunting.

Finally, the largest dinosaur exhibition in North America, Jurassic Quest, stops at the Lansing Center noon to 8 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. Attendees can enjoy large dinosaur animatronics; live dinosaur shows; interactive science and art activities, including a fossil excavation station and a raptor training experience; games; bounce houses and inflatables; a self-guided scavenger hunt; a “Triceratots” soft play area for toddlers; photo opportunities; and more. Advance ticket purchase is recommended.

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.)