Love is in the air

Though Valentine’s Day isn’t until next Friday, this weekend offers an eclectic mix of happenings for those looking to start celebrating early, from an afternoon of love poetry to a daddy-daughter dance and themed 5K and 10K races. If that doesn’t interest you, there’s also a women’s expo, a winter festival, a used book sale, a euchre tournament, a variety of concerts and much more.

For Friday evening’s live music, we have country musician Jessie Campbell at UrbanBeat and the sixth round of Q106’s Homegrown Throwdown battle of the bands contest at Grewal Hall, both at 7; Grammy-nominated American roots musician Guy Davis at East Lansing’s University Lutheran Church and classic rock cover band Lit Up at Holt’s Summerlands Brewing Co., both at 7:30; the Michigan State University Symphony Orchestra at the Wharton Center and singer-songwriter Mason Slusher at the Peanut Barrel, both at 8; jukebox rock/power pop band the Louderthans at the Green Door and metal bands Blue Waffle Syrup, Black Cloud, Brugada and Plague at Mac’s Bar, both at 8:30; and variety cover band Geech at Mash Bar at 9. Saturday evening, we have Tejano band Motivo at UrbanBeat and rock bands the Dirty Nil, Grumpster and House & Home at Grewal Hall, both at 7; the Lansing Symphony Orchestra performing the music of Queen at the Wharton Center at 7:30; Geech at the Green Door at 8:30; and “gloomy indie-rock” band A Rueful Noise with experimental rock band Fields of Industry and soft-punk band Leisure at the Avenue at 9. Ending the weekend on Sunday evening is Mac’s Bar’s weekly Harmony Sundays DJ show at 9.

Art displays on view this weekend include the MSUFCU Student Art Exhibit at the credit union’s Headquarters Building 1, which is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday; “Light Through the Darkness” 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; “Farmland: Food, Justice and Sovereignty,” “Complex Dreams,” “Freedom in the Automation Age,” “Seeing in 360 Degrees: The Zaha Hadid Design Collection” and “Art in the Aftermath: Healing Gun Violence through Artivism” at the MSU Broad Art Museum, which is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday; and works by members of the Lansing Women Artists Collective at the Okemos Library, which is open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.

The Broad will host a series of events this weekend to celebrate the opening of “Art in the Aftermath,” including a roundtable discussion on gun violence with members of MSU’s College of Human Medicine, Lansing 360 and Advance Peace Lansing 3:30 p.m. Friday; an opening reception 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, featuring remarks by exhibition co-curators Scott Boehm and Maya Manuel and artist Marco Díaz Muñoz as well as the premiere screening of an MSU student film and a Q&A with the director; and an anti-gun-violence community resource fair 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, which will also include a short spoken-word program.

All-of-us Express Children’s Theatre wraps up its run of “Little Shop of Horrors” this weekend, with final performances 7 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at East Lansing’s Hannah Community Center. Additionally, Williamston Theatre will offer preview performances of its new show, “A Case for the Existence of God,” 7:30 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Events for the kids include a Fiddle Scouts concert with the Fabulous Heftones, a duo that plays music from the 1920s, 11 a.m. Saturday at MSU Community Music School in East Lansing; a winter wildlife science program 5 p.m. Saturday at Grand Ledge’s Lincoln Brick Park; and a daddy-daughter Valentine’s dance 6 p.m. Saturday at the Venue by Eleven 11 Events in the Lansing Mall, featuring live entertainment by hula hoop dancer Nat Spinz, a DJ, a photo booth, prize giveaways, caricature artists, henna tattoos and more.

There are also plenty of pre-Valentine’s Day events for adults, including the Couple Shuffle 2-mile, 5K and 10K races, all beginning 9 a.m. Saturday at Adado Riverfront Park; a Valentine’s party and book “speed-dating” event 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Charlotte Community Library; a Valentine’s-themed DJ show with vendors, tarot readings, live body painting and a canned food drive for refugees 8 p.m. Saturday at Mac’s Bar; an afternoon of love-themed poetry readings, with an open-mic portion for those who’d like to join in, beginning 3 p.m. Sunday at UrbanBeat; and a Valentine’s drag show 8 p.m. Sunday at Mac’s Bar.

MSU sports fans have a busy weekend ahead, with a men’s ice hockey game against the University of Michigan 7 p.m. Friday at Munn Ice Arena, a men’s basketball game versus the University of Oregon at noon Saturday at the Breslin Center and a women’s basketball game against the University of Michigan 2 p.m. Sunday at the Breslin Center.

The annual Mid-Michigan Women’s Expo runs 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Lansing Center, featuring shopping, demonstrations, workshops, main-stage entertainment and prize giveaways tailored to women of all ages and their families.

Unity Spiritual Center of Lansing’s monthly euchre tournament begins 7 p.m. Friday, with an optional potluck at 6:30 p.m.

The MSU Museum will host a techno silent disco for students 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday at 311 Abbot Road in downtown East Lansing. If attendees need a break from dancing, they can explore the new exhibition "Techno: The Rise of Detroit’s Machine Music" and participate in retro-themed activities.

Visit Foster Community Center 7 p.m. Friday for Lansing Parks and Recreation’s weekly travelogue presentation, which will feature MSU grad, author, photographer and world-record-setting kayaker Mike Stout, who will discuss his experiences kayaking throughout the United States.

The Capital City Film Festival will host a free screening of the 2000 comedy “Bring It On” 8 p.m. Saturday at the Avenue.

Find a variety of new-to-you reads for cheap at Universalist Church of Greater Lansing’s used book sale, running 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

Visit downtown Mason 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday for Flurry Fest, a winter celebration featuring a range of activities for all ages, including a find-the-yeti scavenger hunt, an antique snowmobile display, story time at the library, meet-and-greets with Elsa and Anna of “Frozen,” face painting, a chili cook-off, a snowflake bar for adults and more.

The Lansing Liederkranz Club will host a German dinner and dance 5 to 10 p.m. Friday. Dinner will be served from 5 to 6:30 p.m., with live polka music and dancing to follow.

The public is invited to the MSU College of Music’s Running Start Competition, beginning 1 p.m. Sunday at the Music Building’s Murray Hall. Student entrepreneurs will pitch music-business-related projects and ideas to the live audience and a panel of judges, with the audience voting for a people’s choice award.

Finally, Capital Pro Wrestling will return to the Fledge for a series of matches beginning 3 p.m. Sunday.

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.)