Live music, art and more: Fun things to do this weekend in Ocala/Marion County
Orange Blossom Opry
Friday Night Live at the Opry, 16439 SE 138th Terrace, Weirsdale, features former Sawyer Brown and Confederate Railroad member Bobby Randall at 7 p.m. Aug. 5 for an evening of rollicking country music with the Orange Blossom Opry Band. Tickets from $25. For more details, visit www.obopry.com.
Art of Aging Exhibit: The Secrets of Life
This exhibit is up Aug. 5-27 at the Brick Center for the Arts, 23 SW Broadway St., Ocala. It celebrates aging in photos, poetry and paintings from 27 Marion Cultural Alliance artists who are older than 55 and features work by local photographer Ralph Demilio. Opening reception at 7 p.m. Aug. 5. Free and open to the public. More at mcaocala.com
Appleton Museum Free First Saturday
Admission is free for everyone at the Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, the first Saturday of each month from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. The next free Saturday is Aug 6.
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Ongoing:
'Transitional Moments in Nature’s Landscape'
This art exhibit from Julijana Prest will be up through Sept. 30 at Ocala City Hall, 110 SE Watula Ave. It is free and open to the public. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday. Prest, a Florida-based visual artist, has shown her work in New York, Missouri, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. For more information: 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
Spy Science Exhibit at Discovery Center
Discover the history, science and even the Hollywood connections within the spy industry with this new exhibit, which takes visitors inside the world of espionage. The exhibit is up at the Discovery Center, 701 NE Sanchez Ave., Ocala, through Sept. 17. Admission is $8 per person and $28 per group of four. The center is open Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call 352-401-3900 or visit www.mydiscoverycenter.org
Ocala Summer Hunter/Jumper Horse Show
The World Equestrian Center, 1750 NW 80th Ave., Ocala, hosts the USEF sanctioned hunter/jumper competitions every weekend through Aug. 14 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free and open to the public. For more information, visit https://worldequestriancenter.com/event
'Journey to My Soul: Landscapes of My Mind'
This art exhibit from Kelley Batson-Howard is up at the City of Ocala Recreation and Parks Administration building, 828 NE Eighth Ave., and the Eighth Avenue Adult Activity Center, 830 NE Eighth Ave., through Sept. 13. Hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free and open to the public. According to a city news release, Batson-Howard is "a contemporary painter creating abstract works" who moved to Central Florida in 1988. More at www.Kbatsonart.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.
Summer Kids Film Series
The Marion Theatre, 50 S. Magnolia Ave., Ocala, is hosting a Summer Film Series for kids each Wednesday-Friday through Aug. 5. Showtimes are 10 and 11 a.m. Films include "Shrek," "Aladdin," "Madagascar," "How to Train Your Dragon," "Where the Wild Things Are" and "Sing 2." Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for children 12/under and include a summer Snack Pack. For showtimes, titles and to purchase tickets online, visit www.reillyartscenter.com/summer-kids-film-series or call 352-820-3049.
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. For more information, call 352-291-4455 or visit 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. For additional details and admission fees, visit www.appletonmuseum.org.
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Fun things to do in Ocala, Florida this weekend includes live music
