Five things to eat, drink, see, hear, and do with your Charm City weekend.
EAT
August 1: Pigtown Pig Out
Dollar General, 701 Washington Blvd. 3-7 p.m. Free. 443-908-7038. pigtownmainstreet.org.
You don’t have to wait until October to get your Pigtown street festival fix. This Saturday, the SoBo neighborhood is throwing a brand-new get-down—the Pigtown Pig Out—with a food truck rally in the Dollar General parking lot on the corner of Washington Boulevard and MLK. Dig into Baltimore classics with pit beef sammies from Harbor Que and snow cones from Hula Honey’s Hawaiian Shave Ice, or try something different, like Turkish food from Cazbar and slices by Pizza di Joey. Sip some beer, wine, and “Pigtown” (grapefruit) and orange crushes, and bump hips with the Oriole Bird to live music by Mad Planet Band. The O’s take on the Tigers at 7 p.m. and you can buy your tickets directly at the Pig Out, with $5 from each going back to the neighborhood.
DRINK
August 1: Pancakes and Booze Art Show
Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave. 8 p.m.-2 a.m. $5. 410-276-1651. pancakesandbooze.com.
You
should really be eating breakfast for dinner on the regular, but this Saturday,
pancakes and booze are joining forces for a pop-up art show in Highlandtown. There
will be live art from more than 50 emerging artists, a DJ, full bar, and, and
free, all-you-can-eat flapjacks. This L.A.-based exhibit takes place in more
than 20 cities across the country, and when it swings into town, it will make
its mark as the largest underground art show in Baltimore. While you’re there,
check out the last day of the Spring City
exhibit by local multidisciplinary artist Matt Muirhead with colorful,
collage-esque paintings that address the uprising and social unrest surrounding
the death of Freddie Gray.
.
SEE
August 1: Life in Motion: A Conversation with Ballerina Misty Copeland
Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St. 1 p.m. Free-$8. 443-263-1800. lewismuseum.org.
Misty
Copeland might not be from Baltimore (born in Kansas City, raised in
California) but we’ve kind of taken her in as our local champion. The
ballerina broke into the public consciousness last summer with her stirring
video for made Under Armour’s “I Will What I Want” women’s campaign. Within a
few days, The New York Times would
devote a full-page story to her cause, within a few months, Simon &
Schuster would release her autobiography, and within a year, Time would put her on the cover, with
the beautiful 32-year-old noodling her body into a brilliant figure. Almost
instantaneously, though, badass girls everywhere had found a comrade and role
model in the American Ballet Theatre’s first African-American principal dancer
in its 75-year history. This Saturday, the new author comes to the Reginald F.
Lewis Museum to discuss and sign her memoir, Life in Motion: An Unlikely
Ballerina, as well as her first children’s book, Firebird. Both tell
the story of defying the odds and working hard to achieve your dreams.
HEAR
August 1: Tedeschi Trucks Band, Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, and Doyle Bramhall II
Pier Six Pavilion, 731 Eastern Ave. 6:30 p.m. $25-75. 410-783-4189. piersixpavillion.com.
Some of
the best blues musicians in the country are corralling downtown this weekend.
They might be the people you’ve never heard of before, but they’re all the
stuff of legends, and they’re all playing together for one powerful night on the Pier Six stage. The rich,
roots-riddled rock of the Tedeschi Trucks Band is led by Derek Trucks (of The
Allmans Brothers) and his wife, Susan Tedeschi (opening act for the likes of
B.B. King, Taj Mahal, Bob Dylan, and the Rolling Stones), with his searing
slide-guitar and her soulful voice joining forces with nine other talented
musicians to create an electric, Grammy-winning sound. Meanwhile, soul
sensation Sharon Jones
brings her Dap-Kings band for a stirring blues and R&B element, with a
rich, soulful sound as good as anyone a
la Motown and Stax. Acclaimed guitarist Doyle Bramhall II will be there,
too, having played with the likes of Eric Clapton, Gary Clark Jr., Dr. John,
and the one and only T-Bone Burnett. There are few things that better complement
a hot summer night than a sticky breeze and the blues.
DO
To August 2: Baltimore Improv Festival
Baltimore Theatre Project, 45 W. Preston St. Times vary. $8-10. 888-745-8393. baltimoreimprovfestival.org.
From the Baltimore Improv Group to Wham City Comedy to some stomach-cramping stories told during The Stoop Storytelling Series, Baltimore is surprisingly rich in comedic gold. This weekend, get a good dose of the best medicine with the tail end of the 9th annual Baltimore Improv Festival. From now through Sunday, catch multiple acts from Charm City and beyond at the Baltimore Theatre Project and Mercury Theater, including some who have had stints at Uprights Citizen Brigade or Second City. While you’re at it, try your hand at one of several workshops on Saturday and Sunday. All skill levels welcome.