By: Shawn D. Allison, II
Greetings everyone and happy Juneteenth to you all! There’s a lot in store for this celebration and I’ve taken the liberty of finding some cool events stretching all the way to next Tuesday! If you’ve never attended Juneteenth, please make it a priority to not only visit, but to get engaged with the community and to learn something new about us as a people. As always, I’ll be pretty active this weekend, but if you want to trail my tracks, check out all the flyness on my “Hot List” just below!
- THURSDAY-SUNDAY – 21st Annual Juneteenth Festival of the Carolinas
- THURSDAY – Thirsty Thursday Brewery Tour at VBGB Beer Hall & Garden
- FRIDAY-SATURDAY – Jazz Arts Initiative presents “The Jazz Room: Kenny Rampton honors Jazz Trumpet Greats
- FRIDAY — Juneteenth Open Mic Night at Mama’s Caribbean Bar & Grill
- FRIDAY – Jazz N’ Soul Music presents the Songbird of Jazz – Lucy Shropshire
- SATURDAY – 2018 MARS Summer Kickball Classic
- SATURDAY – Kappas Foundation of Charlotte presents Healthy Achievement 5K Run | Walk
- SATURDAY – RELEASE! House Music Day Party at Crown Station
- SATURDAY – African Cultural Festival at Masjid Ash-Shaheed
- SATURDAY — AfroPop! CLT, Vol.22 — The Juneteenth Edition
- SUNDAY — SHAE Movement African Arts presents “Amour, Lumière et Honneur: Love, Light & Honor”
- MONDAY — The Underground Mobile Gallery Fundraiser & Urban Art Show at Petra’s
- TUESDAY – Soul Food Sessions CLT presents “The Table is Set: Charlotte Dinner Served with a Coke”
- TUESDAY – On Q Productions presents James Weldon Johnson’s “God’s Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse”
If you would like your event to be listed in “The Rundown” please send a detailed e-mail to me at: sdallison85@yahoo.com
——-THURSDAY, JUNE 14——-
Brothers and sisters all across the landscape, bring your immediate tribe, extended family and friends to The House of Africa for the 21st Annual Juneteenth Festival of the Carolinas! Enjoy four full days of live music, drum circles, dance performances, free health screenings, exotic cuisines, fashion shows, local vendors, arts & crafts, kids’ activities, Gospel performances, lectures and lots, lots more! Admission is FREE to attend and the festivities kick off at 12 noon. The festival will be held on Thomas St. and Commonwealth Ave. in the Plaza-Midwood District.
Join BriGGsing this Thursday at VBGB Beer Hall & Garden for the June installment of the Thirsty Thursday Brewery Tour! You’ll get to see the inner workings of this Uptown Charlotte outskirts nest egg and learn how this Charlotte staple came to be and enjoy some fresh and authentic German brews! This tour is also a great way to connect with the community and meet new and exciting people. Admission is FREE and the event will begin at 6:30 p.m. VBGB Beer Hall & Garden is located at 920 Hamilton St. in the NC Music Factory. #BriGGsing
The hilarious local theatre troupe Charlotte Squawks is back for 2018 with their latest project, “O Fourteena!” Who is Charlotte Squawks you ask? Simply put, it’s the satire of Saturday Night Live mixed with Broadway, welded with the socioeconomic climate of the Queen City. The creative duo of Mike Collins and Brian Kahn collaborates with the area’s most talented performers to parody current events, pop culture, sports, life and politics on a local and national medium. Tickets can be purchased at: http://www.blumenthalarts.org. There will be five performances this week: Thursday (6/12) at 7:30 p.m., Friday (6/14) at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m. and Tuesday (6/19) at 7:30 p.m. All performances will be held at The Booth Playhouse at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center. The address is 130 N. Tryon St. in Uptown.
The good people of Jazz N’ Soul Music are back with a special Thursday night cool down and tonight’s guest is no stranger to the Queen City— come feel the energy of The Calvin Edwards Trio as they provide “A Night of Smokin’ Blues & Soul Jazz.” Smooth covers and original tunes with feel-good vibe! Admission is FREE to attend but please be sure to RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-calvin-edwards-trio-a-taste-of-soul-jazz-tickets-46915895707. Performance starts at 8 p.m. and it’ll be held at The Morehead Tavern located at 300 E. Morehead St. in Uptown. #JazzNSoulMusic
——-FRIDAY, JUNE 15——-
Attention all you comic book junkies and superhero fanatics! Put on your capes, masks, gadget belts and fly down to the Charlotte Convention Center for “HeroesCon 2018!” Heroes Convention was founded in 1982 by Shelton Drum, owner of Charlotte’s Heroes Aren’t Hard To Find comics shop. Since then the convention has become famous for its comics-first and a family-friendly atmosphere, where fans can mingle directly with professionals and exhibitors. Boasting an incredible guest list built mainly on reputation and goodwill, HeroesCon is known nationwide as a “must” on the summer schedule, drawing fans, exhibitors, and creators from all over the world to the Charlotte Convention Center. There will be over 40 illustrators, artists, writers and more for you to meet & greet or quite possibly have a classic good vs. evil duel! Tickets are sold at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/heroes-convention-2018-3-day-registration-tickets-42907541612. The Charlotte Convention Center is located at 501 S. College St. in Uptown. #HeroesCon
Take a prehistoric journey into the world of Earth’s greatest giants as Discovery Place invites you to Science on the Rocks: Dinosaur World! Go the way of the dinosaurs in this giant-size prehistoric party just for adults, featuring their all-new exhibition, Tyrannosaurs – Meet the Family. Dig it with fossils, extract DNA, play Hungry, Hungry Raptors, take your photo with some dinosaurs and meet Harvey, the museum’s very own pet T-Rex! Tickets can be purchased here: https://science.discoveryplace.org/explore/events/sotr-dinosaur-world. The fun starts at 5 p.m. This is a 21+ event so please have proper I.D. available. The Discovery Place is located at 301 N. Tryon St. in Uptown. #SOTR
This weekend, Jazz Arts Initiative is back for the month of June presenting their critically-acclaimed showcase, The Jazz Room! For this installment, feel the energy of instrumentalist/hornblower Kenny Rampton as he pays a brass-filled homage to a number of jazz trumpeter legends! From Miles Davis, Wynton Marsalis, Freddie Hubbard, Dizzy Gillespie and more, you’ll be on the edge of your seat as Mr. Rampton blows some sweet sounds straight to your earholes! Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.carolinatix.org/events/detail/the-jazz-room-at-the-stage-door-theater-7. There will be four performances this weekend: Friday (6/15) at 6 and 8:15 p.m. and Saturday (6/16) at 7 and 9:15 p.m. All shows will be held at The Stage Door Theater located at the corner of E. 5th St. and N. College St. in Uptown.
The good people of Play MARSports is ready to add some pre-tournament action on your Friday night as they invite you out to Slate for the MARS Kickball Classic Mixxer! The Spring season is through, a new champion has been crowned and it’s time to relax with some fun games, food, drinks and fellowship with the league admins and all the gutsy players who participated! Come and mingle with us and get info on the league’s upcoming sports, ventures and more! Admission is FREE to attend. 8 p.m. Slate is located at 200 E. Bland St. in Historic South End. #MARS #Funletics
Take a load off and relax on this Friday night at Mama’s Caribbean Bar & Grill for Juneteenth Open Mic Night! Join your glorious host Tiffany Brown – the Writer as she takes you on a journey to freedom with her extraordinarily liberating talents and energy. Whether you have a song, story, poem, testimony, dance number or whatever is on your heart, the floor is yours for your freedom of expression! Also, while you enjoy the free flowing art, be sure to grab a hot and delicious meal from the kitchen! 8:30 p.m. 1504 Central Ave. in the Plaza-Midwood District.
Jazz N’ Soul Music is ready to make your Friday night quite delightful once again as they invite you to experience the voice and melody of the beautiful Songbird of Jazz — Lucy Shropshire in a magic night of Jazz, Soul and Pop rhythms! Like many fine singers Lucy’s musical roots were nurtured in church singing gospel and playing piano and organ for church choirs. After studying voice at UNC-CH, Lucy sang along the east coast with various jazz bands and performers. During her career Lucy has sung with and for some very well-known artists of our time, including jazz greats Dizzy Gillespie, Big Al McKibbon, and the Duke Ellington Orchestra as featured in the touring Broadway Musical “Sophisticated Ladies” starring Mary Wilson. Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lucy-shropshire-the-songbird-of-jazz-a-magic-night-of-jazz-soul-and-pop-tickets-45671313127. The show will start promptly at 9 p.m. at The Morehead Tavern. 300 E. Morehead St. in Uptown. #JazzNSoulMusic
——-SATURDAY, JUNE 16——-
The wait is over! Come enjoy a full day of nonstop, hi-octane competitive athletic action at the 2018 Summer Kickball Classic! Play MARSports and Power 104.4 FM have teamed up to bring you this fierce tournament kickball battle of epic proportions! There will be local, regional and a few teams from around the Southeast competing for a grand cash prize of $2000 and bragging rights. There will be lots of other activities, food, music and fellowship. Admission is FREE to attend. The games begin at 8 a.m. at The Morisson Family YMCA. 9405 Bryant Farms Rd. in Ballantyne. #MARS #Funletics
The Kappas Foundation of Charlotte invites you and your family to participate in their Healthy Achievement 5K Run | Walk this morning! This event is the signature fundraising and awareness event to support the Kappa Foundation’s vision and successful mentoring programs as well as bring exposure to the importance of maintaining good health while achieving personal, scholastic and professional goals. If you choose to participate, please be sure to register/donate here: https://runsignup.com/Race/NC/Charlotte/HA5K?raceRefCode=0ASCM2qA. The walk will commence at 8 a.m. from Romare Bearden Park. 300 S. Church St. in Uptown.
Get down and get busy with Moxie Society late this morning at Sports One Bar & Lounge as they host another fly edition of “I Still Love the 90s Brunch & Day Party!” Enjoy a delicious Southern-style brunch with all sorts of drink specials including $5 mimosas. Your groove masters for this event is none other than Charlotte’s own, DJ Puff and DJ Justice rockin’ nothing but the hotness of the 90s and a special guest artist painting their soul on the canvas! Admission is FREE to attend. The party starts at 11 a.m. Sports One is located at 521 N. College St. in Uptown. #MoxieSociety
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library and Charlotte Film Society are proud to present the Carolinas premiere of Frederick Wiseman’s 2017 award-winning documentary “Ex Libiris: The New York Public Library.” The New York Times wrote “In his magnificent new documentary, Wiseman takes his camera into the grand rooms and hallways of the main branch of the New York Public Library, as well as into more humble city branches. He sweeps into atriums and down corridors, pauses in reading and meeting rooms, and lays bare this complex, glorious organism that is the democratic ideal incarnate. In “Ex Libris,” democracy is alive and in the hands of a forceful advocate and brilliant filmmaker, which helps make this one of the greatest movies of Mr. Wiseman’s extraordinary career and one of his most thrilling.” Admission is FREE to attend and the event will begin at 1 p.m. at ImaginOn. 300 E. 7th St. in Uptown.
It’s time to feel the power of House music this afternoon as The Hit Agency and Chosen Life CLT proudly presents the RELEASE! House Music Day Party! That’s right – 12 full hours of nonstop, hard-hitting, soul-freeing House, Deep House, Downtempo, Funk, Soul, R&B and more! On the decks providing all the sonic flavor will be “Jackmaster” Gary Wallace, DJ Jazzy Bee, DJ Wayne Williams, Mike Dunn, VonFunkHauser and Chris Tyndell. Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hit-agency-chosen-life-clt-presents-release-house-music-day-party-marathon-tickets-46677770468. The party starts at 2 p.m. at Crown Station. 3629 N. Davidson St. in the NoDa District.
Come and boogie old school style at The Morehead Tavern as Jazz N’ Soul Music proudly presents “The Old School Concert & Day Party!” Gather all your friends and get ready to jam just like you did back in the day with Old School 105.3’s very own DJ Stacey Blackman rippin’ and rockin’ classic tunes from yesteryear and a special live performance from Soundbridge! Your host is none other than the lovely Chirl Girl. Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/old-school-concert-day-party-june-edition-hosted-by-chirl-girl-with-dj-stacey-blackman-tickets-46831672794. The get down starts at 3 p.m. 300 E. Morehead St. in Uptown.
Gather all your tribe and head down to the African Cultural Festival this afternoon! Enjoy the celebration of vibrant and rich African culture, food and family-oriented goodness! There will be live performances, vendors and lots more! Admission is FREE. The event will begin at 4 p.m. at Masjid Ash-Shaheed. 400 W. Sugar Creek Rd.
Charlotte, get ready for more great live entertainment as Power 98 FM and V-101.9 hosts the 4th Annual Queen City Jazz Fest! Relax in the afternoon sun as you groove to the melodic sounds of Norman Brown, Will Downing, The Rippingtons featuring Russ Freeman and Kindred the Family Soul. To purchase your tickets, go here: https://power98fm.com/event/v-101-9s-queen-city-jazz-fest/ or call, 1-800-745-3000. Doors open at 5 and the show begins at 6 p.m. The show will be held at the Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre located at 1000 NC Music Factory Blvd.
The Bantu Fete Team broke all sorts of grounds at the AfroPop Block Party last weekend, and now they are back to add some more Afro-dopeness to the city as they proudly present AfroPop! CLT, Vol.22 — The Juneteenth Edition! Come and be part of Charlotte’s fastest growing tribe as DJ Steel Wheel and The Dynamic DJ Kato rocks out with all sorts of sonic Motherland and Caribbean flavor – then be sure to stick around as my man General Chinedu brings his Igbo fire to the stage with a special live performance of Afrobeat and Afropop music for your soul! Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/afropop-charlotte-vol22-juneteenth-edition-2018-tickets-46841205306. The party starts at 9 p.m. at The Morehead Tavern. 300 E. Morehead St. in Uptown.
——-SUNDAY, JUNE 17——-
This afternoon, slide out to Tip Top Daily Market for a special sonic brunch entitled Scrambled Eggs! Come and relax as DJs Luke Stemmerman and Flock of Slagles sets the mood with a selection of avant-garde Dub, Reggae, Fusion, Soul and Jazz tunes from their own personal vinyl collections. Also, be sure to grab a tasty mimosa from the bar and be sure to scoop some sounds from the newly-minted record store in the back! Admission is FREE and the event will begin at 2 p.m. 2902 The Plaza Rd. in the Plaza-Midwood District.
Step into a world of endless rhythm as SHAE Movement African Arts invites you to “Amour, Lumière et Honneur: Love, Light & Honor.” This extravagant concert will showcase several colorful dances and rhythms from West Africa that will highlight the beauty of women and African arts including live drumming, traditional dance and song. Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.carolinatix.org/events/detail/amour-lumiere-et-honneur-love-light-and-honor. The event will begin at 5 p.m. at The McGlohon Theater at Spirit Square. 345 N. College St. in Uptown.
The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra is back to kick off the Summer with a special edition of Charlotte Symphony Pops! This weekend, come feel the cinematic and thematic energy as the orchestra plays tribute to the great John Williams! From “Star Wars”, “Indiana Jones”, “Superman”, “Jaws”, “Jurassic Park”, “E.T.” and more! Relive your favorite movie scores with a mighty and magical performance! Tickets can be purchased here: http://www.charlottesymphony.org/events/8F9ACDCD-44C8-4099-84B3-0DA531818EB3. The event will begin at 8:15 at Symphony Park. 4400 Sharon Rd. in the South Park Area.
——-MONDAY, JUNE 18——
Tonight, slide out to Petra’s for The UNDERGROUND Mobile Gallery Fundraiser & Urban Art Show! Come experience 360 degrees of cultural art, music and dance which is an integral part of the Black experience and existence. This showcase will promote and highlight self-awareness, pride, self-preservation all in the name of community togetherness. The UNDERGROUND Mobile Gallery will bring amazing visual, musical, poetic, graphic, and historical works from local and accessible black artist right to Charlotte lower-income neighborhoods. Their goal is to put an interactive Renaissance-style art movement right in the heart of the hood, thus giving the youth in Charlotte’s at risk neighborhoods (where there’s mad talent, but nowhere to cultivate it) the opportunity to work with local artists, musicians, writers, gardeners, and historians on their own turf! Admission is $5 per person. Petra’s is located at 1919 Commonwealth Ave. in the Plaza-Midwood District.
——-TUESDAY, JUNE 19——-
The Soul Food Sessions crew is back one mo’ gin’ adding some funk to the flavor as they cordially invite you out for their newest culinary cool-down, “The Table is Set: Charlotte Dinner Served with a Coke!” Join them as they celebrate Juneteenth and kick off their tour in partnership with Coca-Cola Consolidated. “The Table is Set: A Four-City Tour Served with a Coke” will take Soul Food Sessions (and our mission to increase diversity across the culinary industry) on the road to three other East Coast cities this year, but it all starts in the Queen City. This event’s signature dish is paired with a refreshing Coke Zero Sugar and the rest of their dishes will be paired with Free Range beers. They will also give away their first four culinary scholarships thanks to Coca-Cola Consolidated. Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.soulfoodsessions.org/events. Cocktails and conversation start at 6:30 and the first course will be presented at 7:30 p.m. at Free Range Brewing. 2320 N. Davidson St. in the NoDa District. #SoulFoodSessionsCLT
On Q Productions returns for the Summer with a Queen City twist of James Weldon Johnson’s “God’s Trombones: Seven Negro Sermons in Verse.” As an ode to the importance of the African American church tradition, James Weldon Johnson’s iconic collection of sermons, “God’s Trombones” will close out Season 11: Redemption Song. Presented as a theatrical work that exalts the role of folk preacher to that of epic storyteller, this Gospel production will use musical interludes to trace the spiritual roots of Jazz, Blues, Funk and Rock n’ Roll. To retell these folk sermons to a new generation, OnQ Founder & Artistic Director, Quentin Talley, will team up with Billboard charts history maker and Founder & Artistic Director of Inspire The Fire, Dennis Reed Jr. Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.blumenthalarts.org/events-performances/coming-performances/detail/gods-trombones. There will be three performances this week: Tuesday (6/19), Wednesday (6/20) and Thursday (6/21) all beginning at 7:30 p.m. All performances will be held at The Duke Energy Theater at Spirit Square. 345 N. College St. in Uptown. #YouAreNowOnQ
COMING SOON…
6/21 – Jazz & Laughter
6/21 – Gantt After Dark: Black Music Month Edition
6/23 — 5th Annual Carolina Veterans Appreciation Expo
6/23 – SociaLight presents “80s & 90s R&B Day Party/Michael Jackson Tribute”
6/23 – Su Casa – The June Edition
6/28 — Black Blooded: An Exploration of Black Life Through Art
6/29 – Radio Rehab Carolinas presents “OutKast on a Quest CLT”
6/30 – Werk-out & Cookout with 4Thirty-Two
7/7 — Off the Wall “7 Year Anniversary” feat. J Scienide
7/12 – 7/14 — 2nd Annual CineOdyssey Film Festival
“Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom.” — George Washington Carver
I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend! Love and light to you!
Live. Laugh. Love. Learn. Listen. Give.
#WeekendWarrior #TheBlackFerrisBueller #EarsToDaSkreets #CommunityFirst