First Friday Art Walk, live music and more: Fun things to do this weekend in Ocala/Marion

THIS WEEKEND

First Friday Art Walk

The Art Walk returns to downtown Ocala every first Friday of the month through May 2023, starting Oct. 7 from 6 to 9 p.m. Hands-on art activities and demonstrations for all ages, local art on sale, extended business hours, and live music with My Uncle’s Friend, Sean T Music, and Fareeza performing in the Downtown Square. Free and open to the public. More at 352-629-8447, artinfo@ocalafl.org or www.ocalafl.org/artwalk.

'Best of the Best' fourth annual juried exhibit

From 5-7 p.m. Oct. 7 at The Brick Gallery, 23 SW Broadway St., Ocala, there will be a reception and awards ceremony for the Marion Cultural Alliance's fourth annual "Best of the Best" juried show. This year's prompt was “Through the Looking Glass.” This year's judge was James O'Leary, a Florida-based artist and educator.The exhibit will be up through Oct. 29, featuring artworks in various mediums by 50 MCA artist members. All exhibit pieces are for sale, with a percentage of sales supporting MCA and its mission.

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Reilly Noir: Jane Kozhevnikova

Jane K. is a composer, pianist and educator using various styles and tastefully blending them. In 2022 she released an album of her art songs, "Lift Up Your Hearts." She speaks at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 7 at the NOMA Black Box, 500 NE Ninth St., Ocala. Tickets $25 per person; VIP table $175. More at www.reillyartscenter.com.

Orange Blossom Opry

Friday Night Live at the Opry, 16439 SE 138th Terrace, Weirsdale, features former Sawyer Brown band member Bobby Randall at 7 p.m. Oct. 7 for an evening of rollicking country music with the Orange Blossom Opry Band. Tickets from $25. More at www.obopry.com.

A Whimsical Wonderland

The Marion Cultural Alliance's 15th annual Applaud the Arts presents “A Whimsical Wonderland” at NOMA Black Box in the Reilly Arts Center, 500 NE Ninth St., Ocala, at 7 p.m. Oct. 8. Enjoy an evening of tapas, cocktails, interactive art experiences and music while celebrating the MCA’s Cultural Grant and Arts Awards recipients. Cocktail attire requested; wonderland costumes and whimsical accessories encouraged. Tickets starting from $35; VIP tickets available at $85. More at 352-369-1500 or www.mcaocala.org.

Blow Up II - Inflatable Contemporary Art

Larger-than-life inflatable art will transform the Edith-Marie Appleton Gallery and museum lobby from Oct. 8 to Dec. 11 at the Appleton Museum, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala. The museum is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. This exhibition explores the imaginative and often whimsical ways artists use air as a tool for creating large-scale sculpture, with work from eight renowned artists of the medium. Special events will be announced throughout the life of this exhibit. More at www.appletonmuseum.org or 352-291-4455.

Hispanic Heritage Festival

Editor's note: This festival has been rescheduled from Oct. 1 to Oct. 8. In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, the College of Central Florida hosts a Hispanic Heritage Festival from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 8 at the Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala. Free kid-friendly art activities, music and giveaways, community resources and vendors, food trucks. Museum admission will be free in connection with the Museum’s Free First Saturday program. Discounted memberships for festival attendees. More at visit www.cf.edu.

Legends of the Fort

Ocala Recreation and Parks Department presents the first “Legends of the Fort” from 4 to 8 p.m. Oct. 8-9. Take a step back into history to meet the legend of Fort King’s past and enjoy a guided lantern tour. Old-fashioned games of horseshoes, checkers, cornhole and live music will round out the evening, and refreshments will be available for purchase. Tours start every 10 minutes at Fort King National Historic Landmark, 3925 E. Fort King St., Ocala. More at www.ocalafl.org/recpark, 352-368-5517 and @OcalaRecPark on Facebook.

COMING SOON

Ira Holmes International Film Series

The College of Central Florida Ira Holmes International Film Series continues with the award winning Chilean film "Tony Manero" on Oct. 11 at the Appleton Museum, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, at 2 p.m. and at the CF Ocala Campus, 3001 SW College Road, Building 8, Room 110, at 7 p.m. The film follows a middle-aged criminal obsessed with impersonating the Travolta character from "Saturday Night Fever." Set against the backdrop of Augusto Pinochet’s military dictatorship, his aspirations turn dark and lead to a life of crime. Free to all museum and film series members; nonmembers pay museum admission. For additional information, contact Wendy Adams at 352-854-2322, ext. 1546, or email adamsw@cf.edu.

'FAFO' will be Oct. 22 and 23

The annual Ocala Arts Festival ("FAFO") will be held Oct. 22 and 23 in downtown Ocala. More than 150 artists, local performers, food trucks, entertainment and more. More at fafo.org

Appleton Museum 35th Anniversary

The Appleton Museum celebrates 35 years with the Ira Holmes International Film Series, hosting a special double feature Oct. 25 with "House of Dracula" and "Babette’s Feast." The double feature begins at noon at the Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, and at 5 p.m. at the CF Ocala Campus, 3001 SW College Road, Building 8, Room 110. Special guest Patricia Tomlinson introduces "Babette’s Feast" at 6:30 p.m. and will lead a discussion after the screening. Films may contain mature content. Free to all museum and film series members; nonmembers pay museum admission. For additional information, contact Wendy Adams at 352-854-2322, ext. 1546, or email adamsw@cf.edu.

Second annual Ocala Food & Wine Festival

This festival will be Nov. 4-6 at the World Equestrian Center, 1750 NW 80th Ave., Ocala. Organizers describe it as a "celebrity chef-led celebration featuring three days of culinary competition, beer, wine and spirits education and samples of extraordinary cuisine." Ticket details and more information at https://www.ocalafoodandwinefest.com/

McIntosh 1890s Festival

This festival will be 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 5 in downtown McIntosh. Shopping, food, vendors, arts and crafts, antiques and more. More at https://mcintosh1890sfestival.com/

ONGOING

'Next Text'

This exhibition, which highlights visual art that features words, is up at the College of Central Florida Webber Gallery through Oct. 27. "The collection of work by multicultural artists from across the country will showcase an intriguing display of storytelling through the use of text in the visual arts. The exhibition was curated by CF Professor of Art Tyrus Clutter and Sheila Goloborotko, an associate professor of printmaking at University of North Florida," CF said in a news release. The gallery is located at the CF Ocala campus, 3001 SW College Road. Hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Thursday. Admission is free. More at 352-854-2322, ext. 1664.

Artoberfest

Through October, The Hope House at Fort King Presbyterian Church, 13 NE 36th Ave., Ocala, comes to life with the mural and visual art of the Ocklawaha River and the Great Florida Riverway. From photographers to painters to a sculptor and mural artist, the wildlife and people of the region are shown in all their splendor and struggle. Mondays (Oct. 10, 17, 24) from 5 to 7 p.m.; Fridays (Oct. 7, 14, 21, 28) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Sundays (Oct. 9, 16, 23, 30) noon to 4 p.m. All events are free and open to the public. More information about artist talks at mhspontak@gmail.com or call 352-229-2887. The next artist talk is scheduled for 6 p.m. Oct. 10. Margaret Spontak, chair of the Free the Ocklawaha Coalition, presents: "Stories of the Ocklawaha Drawdown."

‘Looking on the Brighter Side'

This exhibit from Jennifer Weigel is up through Jan. 9 at the Ocala Recreation and Parks Administration building, 828 NE Eighth Ave., and Eighth Avenue Adult Activity Center, 830 NE Eighth Ave., 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Free and open to the public. A city news release describes Weigel as "a multi-disciplinary mixed-media, conceptual artist" whose work "utilizes a wide range of media to convey her ideas, including assemblage, drawing, fibers, installation, jewelry, paint, performance, photography, video and writing." More at www.jenniferweigelart.com, 352-629-8447, artinfo@ocalafl.org or www.ocalafl.org/artincityspaces

'Colorful Pleasures'

This art exhibit from Christine Dozier is up through Jan. 17 at the Ocala International Airport, 1770 SW 60th Ave., Suite 600. Free and open to the public. Dozier, an Ocala resident and Memphis native, works in oils and acrylics. More at www.christinedozier.com, 352-629-8447, artinfo@ocalafl.org or www.ocalafl.org/artincityspaces

'A Floral Retrospective'

This exhibit of Gregory Dirr's work is up through Dec. 9 at the Clerk’s Office in Ocala City Hall, 110 SE Watula Ave. Free and open to the public. Boca Raton-based Dirr is described in an Ocala city news release as "an interdisciplinary visual artist, creating work as a cathartic response to his surroundings with a focus on environmental conservation." The clerk's office is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. More at www.gregorydirr.com, 352-629-8447, artinfo@ocalafl.org or www.ocalafl.org/artincityspaces

'Squares Without Stitches'

This exhibit is up at the Barbara Gaskin Washington Adult Activity Center, 210 NW 12th Ave., Ocala, through Jan. 12. Hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free and open to the public. More at www.ocalafl.org/recpark, 352-368-5517 and @OcalaRecPark on Facebook.

Photographs by Steven Benson

The Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, presents “Invented Observations: Photographs by Steven Benson,” on exhibit through Nov. 6 in the Balcony Gallery for Florida Arts. Benson is a professor at Daytona State College and is the recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Midwest Fellowship. His work has been displayed in numerous collections, including the Museum of Fine Art Houston, Detroit Institute of Arts and Museet for Fotokunst in Denmark. More at 352-291-4455 or www.AppletonMuseum.org.

'Finding Beauty'

This exhibit features costumes, set photos, interactive experiences and sketches, along with a plethora of fabrics and video of the costume design process. These objects, from the Appleton Museum’s permanent collection, inspired the art and design for the Ocala Civic Theatre’s recent production of "Beauty and the Beast." This exhibit runs through the winter of 2022. The museum is at 4337 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala. More at  www.appletonmuseum.org.

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Weekend entertainment list in Ocala, Florida includes monthly art walk