Hot Dates: Thursdays in the Garden, NBA draft, ‘Rocky Horror’ and Tomorrowland
Garden Nights at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, 5 to 9 p.m. each Thursday through Aug. 27: The garden will be open on Thursdays evenings throughout the summer. Each week will feature a different program and include food, beer and wine. The popular ZimSculpt, the African exhibit of Shona sculpture, is back at Stowe, and on Thursdays curator Joseph Croisette and wife, Vivienne, will lead tours at 7 p.m. They teach visitors about the art and movement that has spread worldwide.
You can also visit a marketplace that includes other African art and jewelry and watch Zimbabwean artists in residence Passmore Mupindiko and Aron Kapembeza create their art.
On the first and third Thursdays, the garden will provide child care for $10 for up to two hours on Parents Night Out. They’ll be kept busy with games, crafts, stories, outdoor play and more. Parents must remain on the garden property.
The botanical garden was created from a gift from Belmont textile executive Daniel Jonathan Stowe. The first phase of the garden opened in 1999.
A look at The Garden:
Tuesday through Sunday: “Pippin” at Belk Theatre at Blumenthal Performing Arts Center. It’s the national tour of the production that won best musical revival at the Tony Awards for its circus-style presentation. Stephen Schwartz wrote the songs for this tale of a confused young man trying to find himself. Details, click here.
Tuesday: 8:30 p.m., NBA lottery teams will learn their position for the June 25 draft. Your Charlotte Hornets have returned to the draft lottery business and have a shot at the No. 1 pick, but not much of one – like maybe a 6 percent chance. Under the rules of the weighted lottery, they’ll pick ninth overall. The Timberwolves (25 percent chance), Knicks (19.9), 76ers (15.6) and Lakers (11.9) have the highest likelihood of winning the first pick, followed by the Magic, Kings and Nuggets.
Yet it’s a fairly deep draft, so the Hornets could pick up a player who can help. Watch live on ESPN at 8:30 p.m. For Observer NBA writer Rick Bonnell’s draft primer, click here.
Wednesday, 8 p.m. (also on various dates through May 30): “The Rocky Horror Show.” Citizens of the Universe performs the musical about Frank N. Furter, his minions and victims. Comes with grab bags, audience participation, a splash zone and appropriate gore. Venue: 200 E. 36th St. Details, click here.
Thursday: 6:30 p.m. “Arte Poesia Musica” at the Mint Museum uptown, 500 S. Tryon St. Regional Latin American artists perform classical and Latin music, enhanced by painters and poets. Opera Carolina artists sing numbers from zarzuelas (Spanish folk operas), with music by David Solis Olson, Aris Quiroga, Reinaldo Brahn, Pavelid Castañeda, Rhythm Plus Group and more. Details, click here.
Friday: 6-11 p.m. at the N.C. Music Factory’s Fountain Plaza. Continuing its “every Friday” summer concert series, the Music Factory hosts a show by alternative-rock band Cracker, best known for ’90s hits like “Low,” “Euro-Trash Girl and “Get Off This.” Details, www.ncmusicfactory.com.
Friday, opening at a theater near you: “Tomorrowland.” Bound by a shared desire, a teenager bursting with scientific curiosity (Charlotte-born Britt Robertson) and a former boy-genius inventor (George Clooney) embark on a mission to unearth the secrets of a place somewhere in time and space that exists in their collective memory. Clooney: “What if there was a secret place where nothing was impossible?”
The trailer:
This story was originally published May 18, 2015 at 2:00 AM with the headline "Hot Dates: Thursdays in the Garden, NBA draft, ‘Rocky Horror’ and Tomorrowland."