Cardinal Stage performs 'Hedwig' while 6 Foot Blonde sings at Bluebird this weekend

June is bustin' out all over, as Rodgers and Hammerstein said, and so are local events. Author Scott Russell Sanders discusses his latest book today; 6 Foot Blonde performs at the Bluebird; and performers share the stage for a celebration and picnic for Middle Way House. For theater, try "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" at Cardinal Stage, or enjoy time outdoors at Bloomington Garden Club’s Summer Garden Walk.

Pay what you will at transgender rock musical 'Hedwig and the Angry Inch'

Hedwig Schmidt is a rock and roll marvel from East Germany and is an “internationally ignored song stylist."  She's also at the wrong end of mishandled gender reassignment surgery, which has left her with a mere “angry inch.”

"Hedwig and the Angry Inch" by John Cameron Mitchell (text) and Stephen Trask (music and lyrics) will be performed to music by a live band including Frances Bolley's gutsy guitar solos. It all comes to Cardinal Stage today through June 26 at the Waldron Auditorium, 122 S. Walnut St., for mature audiences.

More music: America's Dewey Bunnell and Gerry Beckley perform at Brown County Music Center

The unusual Obie-winning Off-Broadway drama-comedy musical also grabbed awards for its film version.With monologs and songs, Hedwig tells her story, which involves betrayal, landing her in a Kansas trailer park. She seeks solace in music and faces further betrayal. Hedwig, however, is resourceful if not endowed. Stirring and funny, it may appeal to anybody who went a mile and got an inch. "Pay what you will" on most seats. Find tickets at https://cardinalstage.org/mainstage/hedwig/.

Middle Way House celebrates five decades with concert, picnic

Middle Way House is celebrating 50 years of daily aid to survivors of abuse and everyone is invited to the 50 Years of Caring Concert and Picnic in the Park from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday at Switchyard Park, 1601 S. Rogers St. The celebration is free, as are the agency's services.

Performers Krista Detor, Janiece Jaffe, Amanda Biggs, Lara Lynn and the Kid, Second Baptist Church Choir, Bethel AME Church Choir and emcee Nell Weatherwax.

Bring your own food for picnicking if you want but there will be free baked goods and other treats donated by Rainbow Bakery, Baked! of Bloomington, and Bloomingfoods. Food trucks for buying goods will be onsite. Bring a blanket or lawn chairs. Visit http://www.middlewayhouse.org.

6 Foot Blonde —  they really are — at the Bluebird

All members of this band are 6 feet tall or blond or both. Saturday at 9 p.m. see them at the Bluebird Nightclub, 216 N. Walnut St., for $10. Doors open at 8 p.m. This eight-piece group originated in Bloomington and plays rock, pop and alt  — from Cream to Childish Gambino. Tickets, available at https://bit.ly/3MsjE2P, are $10 per person (age 21 or older).

Global Warblers and Wingspan to sing a cappella

A cappella comes to the FAR Center for Contemporary Arts at 7 p.m. Wednesday, as two groups perform songs from madrigals to modern.

Global Warblers is a 10-voice ensemble that performs jazz, folk, classical and pop. The concert is free, and donations are welcome.

Wingspan is a quartet that does pop and folk, focusing on popular tunes from the 1960s to '80. The big bay doors of the FAR center will be open to invite a breeze, and the singers will be masked when not singing. Please wear a mask.

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Scott Russell Sanders talks 'Small Marvels'

Bloomington author Scott Russell Sanders has worked as a contributing editor for Orion magazine and has won such awards as the John Burroughs Natural History Essay Award, the Indiana Authors Award and the Mark Twain Award. You can hear him speak about his latest book "Small Marvels" at 6:30 today at Morgenstern's Bookstore and Cafe, 849 S. Auto Mall Road.

Part folktale and part romantic comedy, "Small Marvels" celebrates daily life while it follows Gordon Mills and his family.

Bloomington Garden Club’s Summer Garden Walk includes flower arranging

American poet James Russell Lowell got right to it when he wrote, "What is so rare as a day in June?" As part of its Summer Garden Walk, Bloomington Garden Club is offering its once-a-year flower show along with its garden walk through six area gardens. The walk and show are open 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Flower arrangements will follow a theme, "flags and flowers," and this year, it's at Indiana University's Hilltop Garden and Nature Center, 2367 E. 10th St., where visitors may also stroll IU's Shakespeare Garden plus the Shade Gardens. Tickets are $10 (cash only) and are good for both days of the Summer Garden Walk. You can buy them at Hilltop during the Garden Walk or at local vendors. Members of Bloomington Watercolor Society will be in the gardens painting.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: 6 Foot Blonde, 'Hedwig and the Angry Inch' part of Bloomington events