Art of Cool Fest Kick-Off Party – Thursday, 5:30-7:30pm – A pre-festival kick-off party to celebrate the upcoming festival with live music, drinks and fun. AOCFEST 2015 tickets and merchandise will be available onsite. Downtown Durham Marriott, 201 Foster St.; Free, ticket required
David Joy – Thursday, 7pm – The N.C. author’s debut novel, Where All Light Tends to Go, deals with 18-year-old Jacob McNeely whose father runs a local meth ring. When Jacob botches a murder, he is torn between appeasing his kingpin father and leaving the mountains with the girl he loves. The Regulator Bookshop, 720 Ninth St.; Free; 919-286-2700
Kinky Boots – Through Sunday, times vary – Inspired by a true story, this six-time Tony Award-winning show follows a struggling shoe factory owner who works to turn his business around with help from Lola, a fabulous entertainer in need of some sturdy stilettos. DPAC, 123 Vivian St.; $40+; 919-680-2787
Pie Day Pi K – Saturday, 8am – A 3.14 Kilometer (1.95 mile) run hosted by Scratch Bakery on “Pi Day” in downtown. Register early to ensure that you receive a personal pie from Scratch at the finish line. Proceeds benefit Habitat for Humanity of Durham. Scratch Bakery, 111 Orange St.; $30
BeeCause: Food Matters – Saturday, 2-4pm – Documentary screening, tabling event, panel discussion and action kit workshop. Learn more about the opportunity to participate in the Beginning Beekeepers Mentorship Program. Full Frame Theater, 320 Blackwell St.; Free; 919-833-5333
Glow in the Dark Zumba Party – Saturday, 5:15-8pm – Celebrate St. Patty’s Day and benefit the National Inclusion Project, which ensures no child sits on the sidelines! This event will raise awareness and money to help bridge the gap existing between children with disabilities and the world around them. Joey’s DJ Services will get the party started; Mary Kay consultants, Marcella Stewart and Gulnara Trauco, will be on hand to provide free hand treatments; bring glow sticks and wear green to get entered to win a gift certificate for a free massage. If you can’t participate you can still contribute through an online donation. The Frontier Building, 800 Park Offices Dr.; $10
Ben Sollee and Becca Stevens Band – Saturday, 8pm – The Kentucky cellist, composer and storyteller is joined by Stevens and her band, who blend folk, jazz and pop on their new album, Perfect Animal. Motorco Music Hall, 723 Rigsbee Ave.; $22; 919-560-3030
Arbor Day Celebration – Sunday, 1-3pm – Old West Durham has historically benefitted from a robust tree canopy, but many trees are nearing the end of their lives and the canopy is declining. City staff and neighbors have identified numerous locations suitable for tree planting. This annual celebration of Durham’s trees features a community tree planting of 100 trees along the neighborhood streets of Old West Durham. Trees are provided by the City’s General Services Department Urban Forestry Division, Old West Durham Neighborhood Association and Keep Durham Beautiful. Choose from 11 varieties of seedlings and receive guidance on tree selection and planting from Durham County Master Gardener volunteers. Tree seedlings, along with information about the benefits of trees and tree care, are provided courtesy of the Durham City-County Sustainability Office and Keep Durham Beautiful. Old West Durham and West Main Street, meet at Greystone Baptist Church, 2601 Hillsborough Rd.; Free; 919-354-2729
Film Screening and Panel Discussion – Sunday, 3-4:30pm – Join filmmaker Judith Van Wyk for a screening of her film, Musings of an Iraqi Patriot, which tells the story of Dr. Ahmed Fadaam, an Iraqi sculptor and New York Times reporter who fled Baghdad in 2008 after receiving death threats from Sunni insurgents. The film focuses upon Fadaam’s time in Chapel Hill as a visiting professor and his quest to convey to Americans the story of his city, his people and his country torn apart by war. A panel discussion with Van Wyk, Fadaam and Dr. Adbul Sattar Jawad of Duke University Islamic Studies Center will follow the screening. Durham County Library, 300 N. Roxboro St.; Free; 919-560-0100
Visual Perception and the Brain – Sunday, 7-8pm – A public talk and discussion by Dale Purves, M.D., professor of neurobiology at Duke University. Dr. Purves studies the neurological bases of perceptual phenomena. This event is presented by the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences and is part of Brain Awareness Week at Duke, March 15-22, 2015. Full Frame Theater, 320 Blackwell St.; Free; 919-684-3422
