Volunteer Day in the Garden – Friday, 9am-noon – Work off that turkey and give back to the community by volunteering in SEEDS’ educational and community garden. Volunteers will be making the garden pretty and productive by preparing and cleaning up the garden for its winter hibernation. Weed, lay compost, mulch, prune, beautify! SEEDS, 706 Gilbert St.
Beer Release – Friday, 10am – Official release of the highly anticipated Goose Island Bourbon County Imperial Stout! Limit one per customer. Bottle 501, 3219 Watkins Rd., Ste. 200; Free admission; 919-402-1501
Cranberry Chemistry in the Lab! – Friday-Saturday, 10:30am-2:30pm, and Sunday, 12:30-4:30pm – How can cranberries tell us more about the ingredients you find around your kitchen? In this week’s lab, perform chemistry experiments on your favorite Thanksgiving food! Then write secret messages to your family and watch as they disappear. Museum of Life and Science, 433 W. Murray Ave.; Free with museum admission; 919-220-5429
Black Friday 2014 Even More Jesus Tapping – Friday, noon – Drop by the pub to taste offerings from Evil Twin. Even More Jesus Imperial Stout has been aging in the cellar since early 2014 and is ready to fill your palate with flavor! Also, Mission Gose will be tapped, a tart, salty, low in alcohol and refreshing beer. Bull McCabes, 427 W. Main St.; 919-682-3061
Black Cat Friday – Friday, 2-4pm – Wouldn’t it be wonderful if on Black Friday all the needy adoptable black cats found forever homes? Whether you are out for your holiday shopping or spending time with family, you are invited to meet Independent Animal Rescue’s black kittens and adult cats at Black Cat Friday. Browse their beautiful black cats beforehand here. IAR will also host a viewing of cats and kittens of all varieties Saturday, November 28, from 2-4pm. Petco at South Square, 4011 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd.
Smashfest 2015 – Friday, 3-8pm – All stressed out from the holidays? Need to let off some steam? Just love smashing something now and again? Join in this shameless smash-off in support of The Scrap Exchange. Food will be provided by the Durham Co-op Market, plus beer thanks to Sam’s Quik Shop and music by DJ Piddipat and Blaise Kielar. A/V Geeks will be showing inspiring films, and the main event is, of course, the smashing! There will be several smashing contraptions, and Orange County Recycling is providing a giant dumpster against which items will be smashed. The Scrap Exchange, 2050 Chapel Hill Rd.; 919-682-2751
9th Annual Black Friday North Carolina Cask Festival – Friday, 4-8pm – More than 25 North Carolina-based breweries submit one cask beer, which are conditioned in their serving vessels and served at cellar temperatures, approximately 50 degrees (the result of this process is beer that is noteworthy for its increased flavor and decreased carbonation), to the festival, and all net proceeds benefit the North Carolina Brewers Guild. Food trucks will be available, plus great vinyl selections by DJ Ras J. All attendees must be 21 and older. Triangle Brewing Company, 918 Pearl St.; $35 in advance, $45 at the door, $10 for designated drivers; 919-683-2337
Glen Hansard – Friday, 8pm – Acclaimed singer-songwriter and composer of Tony-winning “Once, The Musical“ performs songs from his second solo outing, “Didn’t He Ramble.” DPAC, 123 Vivian St.; $30.50+; 919-680-2787
Jo Gore – Friday, 8pm and 10pm – Catch the soul and gospel singer as she performs two sets. Featuring Martin Eagle on keys, Eric Meyer on bass and Eric Mrozkowski on drums. Beyu Caffe, 335 W. Main St.; $10; 919-638-1058
Stacked: Throwback Party – Friday, 9pm – Runaway and 4Seasons present this dance party featuring jams from the ’90s and early 2000s courtesy of Bless Your Heart (DJ Alec Shahzad, drummer Griffin Wade and Aslan Freeman on guitars and synth), Birdgherl, and DJ PlayPlay. Motorco Music Hall, 723 Rigsbee Ave.; $7 in advance, $10 at the door
Italian Wine Tasting – Saturday, 2-4pm – Enjoy an afternoon with Italian wines from Mims Distributing. Bottle 501, 3219 Watkins Rd., Ste. 200; Free admission; 919-402-1501
Turkey in the Brawl – Saturday, 7pm – Presented by GOUGE Wrestling, which mixes a comedic view of some of professional wrestling’s most popular gimmicks with some of the hottest up-and-coming wrestlers on the independent scene, the main event is a wrestlers battling over a turkey on a pole, followed by GOUGE Champion Timmy Lou Retton vs. Lucha Underground star Cortez Castro, plus 5 other great matches. Motorco Music Hall, 723 Rigsbee Ave.; Adults: $9 in advance, $10 at the door; children younger than 10: $5 in advance, $6 at the door
The Beauty Operators – Saturday, 8pm – The Beauty Operators keep Durham dirty with their danceable mash of blues, rock, zydeco and American roots music. This five-piece, all-female band brings a party with them wherever they go. They are: Leslie Land on lead vocals and bass; Sandee Washington on harmonica, accordion, bullhorn and vocals; Maria Linck on rhythm guitar, percussion and vocals; Darby Odom on lead guitar; and Lori Baron on drums. The Blue Note Grill, 709 Washington St.; $8; 919-401-1979
