Golden opportunity
School may be back in session, but summer hasn’t gone away. There’s still plenty of time to enjoy the remaining weeks of sunshine and hot temperatures. Absorb the August ambiance with a stroll through radiant fields of sunflowers. Ferrari Farms opens its Summer of Sunflowers festival on Friday, Aug. 21. Bring a flower-loving buddy, a camera to snap an analog or digital memory, and a pair of pruning shears to pick your own blooms. While you’re there, don’t forget to say hello to the farm animals. Entry is $5. Flowers are $3 each. After gathering your sunflower bouquet, step into a pair of cowboy boots or comfy dance shoes for the Barn Dance, which kicks off at 6 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 22. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Ferrari Farms is at 4701 Mill St. Call 775-997-3276, or visit ferrarifarms.org for more information.
A snowball’s chance
If you long for winter’s chill, head to the mountains for Sky Tavern’s Summer Snow Day. Manmade snow will cover the ground behind the aspen grove at the base area as five TechnoAlpin snow guns crank out the fluffy, white stuff in summer temperatures. The family-friendly event includes a snowman-building competition, a community barbecue and group beginner bike rides on the new meadow trail loop, as well as information about the nonprofit’s learn-to-ski and snowboard programs and its ongoing mission to make outdoor recreation more accessible to the community. The free event takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 22, at Sky Tavern, 21130 Mount Rose Highway. Visit www.skytavern.org/sky-tavern-calendar/summer-snow-day.
Summer breeze makes me feel fine
Get outside and enjoy balmy weather, starry skies and good tunes at several shows coming up over the next two weeks. Irish-American rock band Young Dubliners present an evening of traditional music and Celtic rock starting at 7 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 22. Sacramento’s Mumbo Gumbo performs its “genre-bending Americana” blend of Afropop, country, rock and zydeco starting at 7 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 29. The free concerts, presented as part of the Leavitt AMP Carson City Music Series, take place on the outdoor stage at Brewery Arts Center, 449 W. King St., Carson City. Go to breweryarts.org.
OffBeat Music Society and the city of Reno conclude their Off the Rails summer concert series with an evening of psychedelic cumbia, chichas, musica tropical, dance hall and Afro-Latin rhythms by Northern California groups Combo Tezeta and Suika T. The free, all-ages dance party gets started at 6 p.m., Friday, Aug. 28, under the Reno Arch and at Locomotion Plaza, 301 N. Virginia St. Visit www.offbeatreno.com/off-the-rails.
Dark cinema
Indulge in a little “cinematic post-doom/metal” this weekend when San Francisco project Sleepbomb performs its score for the 1920 silent horror film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Considered a quintessential work of early German Expressionist cinema, Robert Wiene’s feature tells the story of a hypnotist (Werner Krauss) who uses a somnambulist Cesare (Conrad Veidt) to commit murders. Citing musical influences ranging from Godspeed You! Black Emperor to Swans, Sleepbomb creates original scores for genre films, including other German Expressionist silent masterpieces like Nosferatu and Metropolis, as well as the sword-and-sorcery film Conan the Barbarian. Local metal band Night Prowler opens up the all-ages show, which starts at 7 p.m., Monday, Aug. 24, in the Serva Pool gallery at The Holland Project, 140 Vesta St. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Go to hollandreno.org.
Bop sh’bop, little shoppa terror
Celebrate the 40th anniversary of the horror comedy musical Little Shop of Horrors with a screening hosted by Ellen Greene, who played Audrey in Frank Oz’s 1986 film adaptation of the off-Broadway production (itself loosely based on Roger Corman’s similarly titled dark comedy film) about a nerdy florist who cultivates a bloodthirsty plant with a taste for human flesh. The screening starts at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 26, at the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts, 100 S. Virginia St. Tickets are $48.65-$74.53. A VIP meet-and-greet with Ellen Greene begins at 5 p.m. before the screening. The ticket price is $178.03. Visit pioneercenter.com.
They have a way with words
California State Parks presents Poetry in the Parks, a literary arts celebration that brings together poets and authors for an afternoon of spoken word, storytelling, live music and art. Featured poets and authors include Kim Shuck, Jen Cheng, Jesse James Ziegler, Scott Green, José Rios, John Merryfield, Bridey Thelen-Heidel, Kim Culbertson, Priya Hutner, J.Macon King and George Yatchisin. The gathering will also feature live music from Winter Grain and a live painting by artist Sara Smith. The free event takes place from 3 to 5 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 22, at William B. Layton State Park, 130 W. Lake Blvd., Tahoe City. Go to www.tahoelitfest.com.
If you can’t make it to the lake, there are other poetry events closer to town to consider. Landline Poetry Series will welcome poet Nick Martino, who will read from his debut poetry collection Scrap Book, which won the 2024 Alice James Editors’ Choice Award. The reading begins at 6 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 30, at Abby’s Highway 40, 424 E. Fourth St. Visit www.landlinepoetry.com/events.
Spoken Views Collective holds its Poetry Open Mic every second Tuesday at Brewery Arts Center’s Exhibition Hall, 449 W. King St., Carson City. Learn more about the ongoing event here.
Freaky Friday
Break up your end-of-the-week routine with some of these upcoming events. Wordsmiths and crossword puzzle wizards 21 and older are invited to show off their skills as the effects of their creatively crafted cocktails start to hit during Drunk Spelling Bee on Friday, Aug. 21, at Underworld Distillery, 5301 Longley Lane, Building F, Suite 203. Sign-ups begin at 5 p.m., and the competition starts at 6 p.m. Visit underworlddistillery.com.
Igor and Red Elvises return to the area for another round of “Siberian surf rock” on Friday, Aug. 21, at Reno Public Market, 299 E. Plumb Lane. The show starts at 7 p.m. Go to www.renopublicmarket.com.
Finally, if you like country music, comedy and clowns, look no further than Clownvis Presley (read RN&R contributor Matt King’s story) who will perform with IV and the Strange Band at 8:30 p.m., Friday, Aug. 21, at Cypress, 761 S. Virginia St. Tickets are $25.60. Go to this Eventbrite link for tickets.
Claim to frame
Check out new exhibitions opening up this week at (or associated with) the University of Nevada, Reno.
Instructor Samantha Buchanan will host an artist reception for her pop-up show, Color for Shade, from 5 to 9 p.m., Friday, Aug. 21, in The Holland Project’s Serva Pool space, 140 Vesta St. The show is also open for public viewing from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 22. Visit hollandreno.org/events/spf-color-for-shade for more details.
The Lilley Museum of Art at the University of Nevada, Reno, will host an opening reception for three new fall exhibitions—Earth’s Winding Sheet, 92 Events: A Fluxus Show and Gather-Carry-Keep: Basketry from the Great Basin—from 5:30 to 8 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 27, in the University Foundation Arts Building, 1338 N. Virginia St., on the UNR campus. Go to events.unr.edu/group/the-lilley-museum.
The Washoe County Library System will host a reception for the exhibition Limbo, a series of work created by artist and instructor Amjad Hilles (aka Joud Galata). The event is from 3 to 5 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 27, at the Downtown Reno Library, 301 S. Center St. The show runs through Oct. 2. Go to washoelibrary.org/artreception.
11 Days a Week is written and compiled by Kelley Lang. Want your event included in 11 Days a Week? Email 11days@renonr.com for consideration. Email advertising@renonr.com for advertising info!
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