Live music, a new photo exhibit and more: Fun things to do this weekend in Ocala/Marion

Ocala Star-Banner
·4 min read

The Levitt AMP Ocala Music Series

The Marion Cultural Alliance in partnership with the City of Ocala presents free, family friendly outdoor concerts for the public on Fridays through July 1 from 7-9 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Complex, 1510 NW Fourth St., Ocala. The series is sponsored in part by the Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation, which funds and empowers communities to inject new life into underused spaces. The April 29 performer is scheduled to be LPT, with salsa music. For more information and concert schedule details, visit www.ocalafl.org/levittamp or call 352-629-8447.

The Reilly Arts Center in Ocala.
The Reilly Arts Center in Ocala.

'Assisted Living - The Musical'

This musical is onstage at the Reilly Arts Center, 500 NE Ninth St., Ocala, April 29 at 7:30 p.m. For information or to purchase tickets, visit www.reillyartscenter.com or call 352-351-1606.

Orange Blossom Opry

Friday Night Live at the Opry, 16439 SE 138th Terrace, Weirsdale, features former Sawyer Brown and Confederate Railroad member Bobby Randall. The show begins at 7 p.m. April 29. Tickets from $16-$25. For more details, visit www.obopry.com for venue information and purchase.

Biscuits, gravy and Monster Omelettes: In Belleview, Mary's Place is like home. Maybe better.

On the water: Marion County boat ramp and park at Orange Lake to undergo nearly $2 million in renovations

Checking in: Marion Sovereign to be restored to boutique hotel, continue downtown Ocala revitalization

Steven Benson, “Under New Bridge,” Sandouping, China, 1999, Archival Pigment Print.
Steven Benson, “Under New Bridge,” Sandouping, China, 1999, Archival Pigment Print.

Photographs by Steven Benson

The Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, presents “Invented Observations: Photographs by Steven Benson,” on exhibit April 30 to 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.

Marion Civic Chorale

The Marion Civic Chorale announces its Spring concert series with “The Journey Home,” featuring the poetry of acclaimed American poet and Pulitzer winner Sara Teasdale. Performances will be at 3 p.m. May 1 at Fort King Presbyterian Church, 13 NE 36th Ave., Ocala, and 3 p.m. May 15 at St. George Anglican Cathedral, 5646 SE 28th St., Ocala. Free and open to the public; donations gratefully accepted to help fund the Grat L. Rosazza music scholarship. For more information, email President@marionchorale.org or visit www.marionchorale.org.

Ocala Youth Symphony

The Ocala Youth Symphony presents its 23rd Spring Concert at the Reilly Arts Center 500 NE Ninth St., Ocala, at 3 p.m. May 1. Please join these talented musicians for an afternoon of musical selections ranging from classical to contemporary. Free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.reillyartscenter.com or call 352-351-1606.

Ongoing:

A sketch for the character of Belle by Ocala Civic Theatre Costume Designer Eryn Brooks Brewer.
A sketch for the character of Belle by Ocala Civic Theatre Costume Designer Eryn Brooks Brewer.

'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 upcoming production of "Beauty and the Beast." This exhibit runs at the Appleton 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.

'Horsemanship' by Walter Israel

The work of this German-American artist and Ocala resident has been displayed in art galleries and publications across the world, and he is the recipient of the Western Art Rodeo Association’s “World Finals Dry Medium” competition. Horsemanship is on display through May 26 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Recreation and Parks Administration building, 828 NE Eighth Ave., Ocala. This exhibit is free and open to the public. For more information, call 352-629-8447 or visit www.ocalafl.org/artincityspaces.

'Mixed Messages'

This collaborative art exhibit by Esta Mann and Rich Schleicher is on display at the Brick City Center for the Arts, 23 SW Broadway St., Ocala, through April 30.

2022 CF Student Art Exhibition

The College of Central Florida showcases the talents of Visual Arts and Digital Media students in this annual show, providing artists with an opportunity to present their work in a professional environment. Judged by Carla Poindexter, professor of studio art at the University of Central Florida. The exhibition will be on display at the CF Webber Gallery, 3001 SW College Road, Ocala, through May 5 from 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. Admission is free. For more details, visit www.CF.edu or call 352-854-2322, ext. 1664.

'Encounter' by Tom Hundersmarck

An abstract and landscape painter based in Gainesville, Hundersmarck began painting as a child and has worked extensively as a psychologist with combat veterans. The exhibit is free and open to the public through July 19 at Ocala International Airport, 1770 SW 60th Ave., Suite 600, Ocala. For more information, contact the City of Ocala Cultural Arts and Sciences Division at 352-629-8447 or visit www.ocalafl.org/artincityspaces.

This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: List of fun in Ocala, Florida includes concerts, new Appleton exhibit