The dog days of summer are upon us, so we lead our Weekend Top 10 with, of course, dogs. Plus we’ve got mean girls, funny men, creative types, art openings, show closings (those being the shows you better see this weekend or you’re SOL) — and a whole lotta beer, courtesy of the Bolts.
1. Clear the Shelters Day / Dog Swim Day
Saturday is going to the dogs. Participating local shelters — among them the Humane Society of Tampa Bay in Tampa and Friends of Strays in St. Pete — are offering fee-waived adoptions all day. If you already have a dog, take your pet for a dip in St. Pete’s Fossil Park Pool (6739 Dr. MLK Jr. St. N.), but be sure to bring proof of vaccination (the dog’s, not yours — although these days….).
2. Mean Girls at the Dali
The museum’s free-admission Cult Classics Series concludes its summer ’19 run tonight with Lindsay Lohan enduring the tortures of high school clique-dom, courtesy of Tina Fey’s cult-classic screenplay. Bring your own chair (as long as it’s low-slung) and find a spot in the Avant Garden beginning at 7; screening begins at 8:30. Food vendors will be on hand for your snacking pleasure (all activity moves indoors in case of rain).
3. Alonzo Bodden at Side Splitters
A comedy champ. A Last Comic Standing winner, he has also built a following for being a reliably hilarious panelist on NPR’s Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! — with a sly, sardonic delivery that gets straight to the heart of whatever newsworthy absurdity the producers come up with. Side Splitters Comedy Club, 12938 North Dale Mabry Hwy., Tampa, Thurs.-Sun. 8/15-18, 8 p.m.
4. Zoë Bocik at the Brenda McMahon Gallery
Gulfport’s newest gallery is showing artists in a fascinating variety of mediums, and on Saturday night the star will be Zoë Bocik, who works wonders with wood. Well-known for her designs for Funktionhouse Urban Lumber and Furnishings, the business she runs with her husband, Rob Bocik, she has created pieces for her inaugural show at Brenda McMahon that show off both her artful imagination and mad skills. 2901 Beach Blvd. S., Gulfport, opening reception during Gulfport’s Third Saturday Art Walk, 8/17, 6-9 p.m.
5. Conversations in Art & Innovation w. Creative Pinellas 2019 Professional Artist Grantees
Imagine being with a bunch of accomplished local artists who are leaders in their fields — film, literature, music, dance, visual art — and eager to talk about their work. Sounds like a pretty swell party, doesn’t it? Meet these talented folks, all winners of recent Professional Artist Grants from Creative Pinellas, at CP’s galleries tonight. Admission is free. The Gallery at Creative Pinellas, 12211 Walsingham Rd., Largo, Thurs. 8/17, 7-9 p.m.
6. Bolts Brew Fest
A huge and hugely entertaining food and beer fest hosted by the Tampa Bay Lightning at their home base in Amalie Arena. The three-hour event will offer craft beers from a variety of different local and national craft breweries, from 3 Daughters to Wicked Weed, plus oversized games, Lightning personalities and more. Fri. 8/16, 7 p.m., amalie arena, tampa, boltsbrewfest.com.
7. Art Makes a House a Home at Syd Entel Galleries
As someone who just finished hanging pictures in a new apartment about six months after moving in, I can attest to the truth of this show’s title. Beginning Saturday, you can get lots of ideas about making your house a home with this artful exhibition at Syd Entel, for which the galleries are being transformed into room vignettes featuring items from their fine art and glass inventory, accented with designs by interior designer Barbara Krai and Frickin’ Fab Furniture & Decor owner Emily Frick. 247 Main St., Safety Harbor, opening reception Sat. 8/17, 6-8 p.m. Exhibition continues through Sept. 7.
8. MST3K: The Giant Spider Invasion
If you don’t recognize the acronym (it stands for Mystery Science Theater 3000, a cult TV series that has been transformed into a cult live movie event), this might not be the event for you. But if you love the idea of watching a truly lousy flick accompanied by “Rifftrax”— running irreverent commentary that mocks the movie non-stop (kind of like watching it at home with your wittiest friends, if your friends were animated robots) — then this one is for you. Tonight, 8/17, 8 p.m. at theaters in Pinellas Park, Oldsmar and more. Check here for theaters and showtimes.
9. Quick before it closes #1: Fun Home
Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron’s Tony-winning musical based on cartoonist Alison Bechdel’s memoir is a sui generis look at a young woman’s coming to terms with herself and the secret life of her father. The American Stage production directed by Karla Hartley features an incandescent performance by 14-year-0ld Mercy Roberts as Small Alison. Through Sun., 8/18, americanstage.org.
10. Quick before it closes #2: Quilts & Textiles
The Dunedin Fine Art Center presents six, count ‘em six, shows celebrating the multi-faceted field of fabric art both traditional and contemporary. Through Sun., 8/18, dfac.org.
