Great May Carpet Sale – Through Friday, 10am-6pm – The Persian Carpet is having a sale of its 7,000 rugs through the month of Many. Every rug in their showroom has been marked down between 30% and 75%, including antique Persian, Caucasian and Chinese rugs.
Homeschool Day: Spark your child’s curiosity in STEM! – Thursday, 10am – 5pm – The Museum of Life + Science invites homeschool families for a day of learning and engagement. Families can pick one of three classroom programs led by the Museum’s educators – Animal Encounter, Chemical Reactions or LEGO Robotics – and then spend the rest of the day exploring 84-acres of indoor and outdoor exhibits.
Havana Nights – Thursday, 5:30-10:30pm – Celebrate the thriving entrepreneur scene in Durham at Havana Nights, the ultimate summer kickoff party at ReCity with an evening of networking, food, drinks, vendors, music, entertainment and inspiration. Tickets are $25-$30, and children younger than 10 years old get in free with a supervising adult. Proceeds support The Helius Foundation.
Opening Reception for ‘New Faces of Tradition: Documenting North Carolina’s Young Artists’ – Thursday, 6pm – Gather with the participating artists and photographers at Gallery 235 at the Rubenstein Arts Center to celebrate the opening of “New Faces of Tradition: Documenting North Carolina’s Young Artists” and enjoy live music by saxophonist Shaquim Uldrow and old-time fiddler Sonya Badigain.
The Asher House Adoption Event – Thursday, 6-7:30pm – Meet Lee Asher from @theasherhouse at Piney Wood Park and visit with adoptable pups from Doxie by Proxy, Spirit Animal Rescue or Independent Animal Rescue.
Go Figure: Figure Drawing – Thursday, 6:30-9pm – Join special guest Kate Gordon at The Carrack Modern Art gallery for this drawing program that makes figure drawing cheap and accessible for everyone. Beginners and seasoned artists are welcome. This is a ticketed event ($5 to pay models) and is meant for patrons 18 and older.
Poetry Series – Thursday, 7pm – Join poets Alexis Pauline Gumbs and Tyree Daye at The Regulator Bookshop for a night of poetry. Co-sponsored by Jacar Press, this event is free and open to the public.
“British Baroque-ish” – Thursday, 7:30pm – Durham’s Mallarmé Chamber Players conclude their 2018-19 Concert Series with a live performance of early music from Great Britain at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church. From the baroque to early classical eras, the show will include pieces by George Frideric Handel, Henry Purcell, William Flackton and Andreas Lidel.
“White” – Thursday, 7:30-9pm; Friday and Saturday, 8-9:30pm; Sunday, 2-3:30pm – Bulldog Ensemble Theater presents this work by James Ijames and directed by JaMeeka Holloway-Burrell, a raucous comedy about art and identity – with a shocking twist ending – takes places at the Durham Fruit and Produce Company. It features Jordan Clifton, Monet Noelle Marshall, A.C. Donohue and Raely Qui.
Ribbon Cutting: Triangle Rock Club – Friday, 1pm – Triangle Rock Club opens phase No. 1 of their newest indoor climbing and fitness facility at 1010 Martin Luther King Jr. Pkwy., a former Walmart building. When complete, the facility will be the largest indoor climbing facility in the Carolinas. Join in their grand opening and be one of the first people to check out the facility.
QuirkCon 2019 – Friday-Sunday, 5pm – Quirktastic, “the friendship app for geeks, gamers, and nerds,” is hosting Quirkcon, an anime, comic book, gaming and sci-fi conference for people of color and the LGBT community. The event, taking place at the Durham Convention Center, will include speakers, gaming, film screenings and the first Cosplayer Awards.
Running of the Bulls 8K – Saturday, 7:15am – Join Bull City Running Company for its 11th annual 8K community road race. The course incorporates both historic and revitalized neighborhoods of downtown, American Tobacco Campus, Trinity Park and Old North Durham. The race begins on Foster Street between Durham Central Park and the YMCA and finishes with a lap around the Historic Durham Athletic Park. Race features include cash prizes for top finishers, a kids’ fun run and a custom cowbell medal.
E-Waste & Textile Recycling, Paper Shredding Event – Saturday, 8am-2pm – Looking for an fast and easy way to recycle your old electronics and textiles? Need to shred important documents from work or home? The City’s Solid Waste Management Department hosts this free e-waste and textile recycling event at Northgate Mall (in the former Sear’s Auto Center parking lot), with staff on-site to help with unloading. Nearly all electronic devices with a cord will be accepted. Clothing donated should be dry and can be left in less-than-perfect condition (worn, torn or stained). Confidential paper shredding for loose paper will be available on site as well.
Mural Durham Bike Tour – Saturday, 10am-11:30am – Approximately 13 murals will be featured, including Pauli Murray from the mural series Face Up, Time Bridge, Wall of Hope, Black Wall Street, JC Kitchen, Durham Civil Rights, Untitled (Manbites Dog Theater), Plow to Pint for Wendell Berry, and Untitled (Liberty Warehouse), among others. Tours are designed for anyone with a bicycle and comfortable riding on city streets. Experienced cyclists will guide each tour, which lasts about 90 minutes (5 miles). Helmets are required. Tours depart at from the Durham Central Park pavilion – check in 15 minutes early. Tours are co-organized by Preservation Durham with additional support from the Museum of Durham History.
The Friends of Durham Library’s Big Book Sale – Saturday, 10am-4pm (10-noon for members only); Sunday, 1pm-4pm – Looking for a new, good read? The Friends of Durham Library host this sale at Books Among Friends. Fill up a bag for just $10 on Sunday.
Ronald McDonald House Burger Classic – Saturday, 11am-10pm – Eastcut Sandwich Bar leaves its normal menu behind for a day to offer a classic 1950s burger shack menu. Enjoy live music by Tea Cup Gin and The String Beings. Fullsteam Brewery and East Durham Bake Shop will provide brews and desserts, respectively. A portion of all sales will go toward the Ronald McDonald House of Durham and Wake Counties. A supply drive will also be available for donations.
SEEDS 25th Birthday & Pie Social – Saturday, 1-4pm – The urban farm celebrates a quarter century of growing, cooking and sharing food with the Durham community. Founded in 1994 by Brenda Brodie and Annice Kenan, SEEDS originally worked to transform communities through gardening with shared garden beds, an outdoor classroom and environmental education. This event is free and open to the public. Pie will be available for $2.50 per slice in support of SEEDS programs, along with family games, a community art project, face painting and farm tours.
Beaver Queen Pageant – Saturday, 4pm This uniquely Durham event brings its own special mix of folly, pageantry and humor. Held at Duke Park Meadow, the event raises money for the Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association (ECWA). Past pageants have raised more than $157,000 for ECWA. The pageant dates to 2005 in celebration of a successful community effort by neighbors in Duke Park who prevented the eradicating of a den of beavers in wetlands north of I-85. WUNC’s Frank Stasio serves as emcee. Attractions include a Scrap Exchange tent where you can construct your own beaver tail and costume, food trucks and a kids’ play area. Pre-pageant activities begin at 4p.m.
The Bull City Benefit Gala – Saturday, 6:30-11pm – Come dressed in your black tie/formal attire for dinner and enjoy an evening of sophistication at Millennium Hotel Durham. Hosted by The Good Turn, the event will honor two local nonprofits and their mission to help youth in the community: 100 Black Men of Triangle East and SEEDS. There will be a cocktail hour with a silent auction as well as dinner and live music from Jay Renee. Durham native and radio personality Steve Jake will emcee the evening.
Fairy and Dragon Festival – Sunday, 11am-1pm – Durham’s Learning Express will transform into a land of magic and make-believe for a day filled with fairy hair, face painting and many fun, mystical crafts and games. This event is recommended for ages 3 and older. Entry is $10 per child, and includes fairy hair, face painting and an immersive fairy and dragon experience.
The Great Durham Odyssey – Sunday, 11am-4pm – Assemble your all-star team and come to The Durham Hotel for a celebration of the sesquicentennial hosted by Lobby Call in partnership with Durham 150. Bring together a diverse group of individuals to improve your chances of fulfilling the wide range of challenges.
The Patchwork Market – Sunday, noon-4pm – A monthly market with makers and vintage vendors at Fullsteam Brewery. Local makers and vintage vendors come together to create a unique shopping experience with a diverse selection of high-quality and original goods.
The Beat Market – Sunday, noon-4pm – Durham Beat and Locopops are launching a monthly live music and local art market at the Locopops, starting this Sunday afternoon. Bring a blanket, enjoy ice cream and pops, grab food at Bull City Street Food food truck, enter raffles and support local artists. This is a free and family-friendly event.
Blackbear: The Show of the Summer – Sunday, 8pm – Singer, songwriter and producer Blackbear brings his Dead 2 The World Tour to DPAC this weekend with special guests Elohim and Gashi.
– Compiled by Elizabeth Holmes
