Upscale Resale
Cape Fear Habitat for Humanity hosts its fourth annual UpScale ReSale & Design Challenge. Twenty-two local designers will use the resources of the Habitat’s ReStore to furnish 10 x 10-foot vignettes, which will be reviewed by celebrity judges. All items are then made available for resale to benefit Cape Fear Habitat for Humanity. Tickets for the VIP Preview Party include hors d’oeuvres, wine and beer. Tickets: $35-40 for May 4 at 6 p.m. (preview party); $5 on May 5, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Art Works, 200 Willard St., Wilmington. For information: (910) 762-4744 or capefearhabitat.org.
Bluegrass and Barbecue
What could be finer than some great outdoor bluegrass music and a barbecue sandwich? Beats us. St. Basil the Great Orthodox Church is the setting for this year’s Cape Fear Bluegrass and BBQ Festival, an all-day celebration of live music, North Carolina-style barbecue, and local craft brews. Featured bands: South of K, Folkestone String Band, Only Mostly, Telluride, Cumberland County Line and Massive Grass. Check website for individual times. A portion of the proceeds benefit Children at Heart, an adoption agency that assists adoptive parents and single mothers. Admission: $10. May 12, 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. St. Basil the Great Orthodox Church, 4601 Blue Clay Road, Castle Hayne. For information: capefearbluegrass.org.
B.Y.O.A. (Bring Your Own Appetite)
The Wilmington Wine and Food Festival gets bigger every year, and the 2018 edition is no exception, offering a variety of experiences, ranging from a winemaker dinner with Eric Railsback of Lieu Dit Winery to a two-hour riverboat cruise and wine luncheon. Friday evening is a Bourbon & BBQ cocktail party, and Saturday is the Corks and Forks Grand Tasting Event (local restaurant fare paired with 150 wines from winemakers and importers). Sunday’s party is the more casual (and family-friendly) Bubbles, Brews & Street Eats, with local breweries and food trucks. Admission: Prices vary by event. See website for details. May 17 to 20. Bellamy Mansion, 503 Market St., Wilmington. For information: (910) 385-9463 or wilmingtonwineandfood.com.
If the Rain Comes…
RAIN began its life in 1975 as a California band called Reign that played its own tunes and covers of Beatles songs. With help from a 1978 appearance on the Jerry Lewis Telethon, they grew to build a reputation as one of the most authoritative interpreters of the Beatles sound. On May 1, celebrate the 50th anniversary of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, one of the Beatles’ most acclaimed albums. Tickets: $38-$89. May 1, 7:30 p.m. The Wilson Center, 703 North Third St., Wilmington. Information: (910) 362-7999 or capefearstage.com.
Could It Be Magic?
The Times of London has called The Illusionists “magic’s Cirque de Soleil.” Direct from Broadway, the world’s best-selling magic show for all ages is coming to the Wilson Center, featuring five of the best magicians on Earth, whose talents range from mind reading to comedic magic, illusions and escapology. Tickets: $30 and up. May 13, 4 p.m. The Wilson Center, 703 North Third St., Wilmington. For information: capefearstage.com.
Heavenly Voices
The Wilmington Choral Society concludes its 67th season with a spring concert, “Sing Me to Heaven,” featuring John Rutter’s Requiem, a musical setting of the Latin Requiem with added psalms and biblical verses with soprano soloist Shannon Kessler Dooley. Other works performed will by “Cantique de Jean Racine” by Gabriel Faure and “Sing Me to Heaven,” a choral anthem by Daniel Gawthrop. Admission: $16-20. May 20, 4 p.m. The Wilson Center, 703 North Third St., Wilmington. For information: (910) 362-7999 or wilmingtonchoralsociety.com.
Wilmington Jewish Film Festival
The United Jewish Appeal of Wilmington in association with the Wilmington Jewish Film Festival presents this year’s fifth annual festival, “A World of Jewish Film,” which showcases nine international features and selected shorts from Israel, France, India and Hungary, among others. All showings will be on the historic Thalian Hall Main Stage, and some screenings are followed by dessert and coffee (the screening on May 6 is followed by dinner). Admission: $7-17. May 1, 5 and 6, various times. See website for complete schedule. Thalian Hall, 310 Chestnut St., Wilmington. For information: (910) 632-2285 or wilmingtonjewishfilmfestival.org.
Orange You Glad
The Orange Street Arts Fest is Wilmington’s largest downtown arts festival, and this year’s 23rd annual event includes the work of more than 80 artists from North and South Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee. In addition to live entertainment there will be food offerings and a wine and beer tent. Admission: Free. May 26, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.; May 27, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Hannah Block Historic USO/Community Arts Center, 120 South Second St. For information: (910) 251-1788.
