In and near South Bend this weekend, catch old and new blues or enjoy area parks and more

Blues from the 1920s and blues from now power the first two of this week's Five Things to Do offerings. The weekend also has an adults-only event at the zoo, family activities at two parks and a concert that celebrates the "American Landscape." Don't forget to check The Tribune's online events calendar for more ideas.

Civic continues Wilson cycle with ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’

SOUTH BEND — South Bend Civic Theatre continues its 10-play August Wilson Century Cycle with “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” from May 18 to 28 at 403 N. Main St.

Written in 1982 and set in 1927 in Chicago, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” takes place in a recording studio where blues singer Ma Rainey’s band has gathered for a recording session.

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As musicians Cutler, Toledo, Slow Drag and Levee wait for Ma Rainey’s arrival, tensions within the band grow, with the younger Levee revealing his desire to lead his own band and his contempt for his older colleagues.

When Rainey arrives, the situation becomes more tense as she argues for control with her white producer as Wilson explores the economic exploitation of Black artists and cultural conflicts of the time.

In 1984, the play became the first of Wilson’s to be produced on Broadway and is the only one in the Century Cycle not set in Pittsburgh.

Although Wilson’s story is fictional, Ma Rainey was a legendary, influential and independent-minded blues singer and he titled the play after one of her biggest hits, the dance-craze song “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.”

Known as “The Mother of the Blues,” Rainey’s other hits include “I Ain’t Got Nobody,” “Prove It on Me Blues,” “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” and “See See Rider Blues.”

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The play also refers to Rainey’s bisexuality with the implication that she and the character of Dussie Mae are lovers.

Rated PG-13 for language, murder and talk of rape.

Performances are at 7:30 p.m. May 18-20 and 25-27 and at 2 p.m. May 20-21 and 28.

Tickets are $35-$27.

For more information, call 574-234-1112 or visit sbct.org.

Blues guitarist Toronzo Cannon and Joanna Connor perform at The Acorn in Three Oaks

THREE OAKS — The Acorn presents a blues guitar double-header with Toronzo Cannon and the Chicago Way and The Joanna Connor Band at 8 p.m. May 19 at 107 Generations Drive.

Born on Valentine’s Day 1968 in Chicago, Cannon grew up in the shadows of Theresa’s Lounge, one of the city’s most famous South Side blues clubs, and often stood on the sidewalk outside to hear the music played inside.

From 1996 to 2002, he played as a sideman for Tommy McCracken, Wayne Baker Brooks, L.V. Banks and Joanna Connor.

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Since 2003, Cannon, who recently retired as a Chicago Transit Authority bus driver, has worked exclusively as a band leader. He’s released five albums of original blues music: 2007’s “My Woman,” 2011’s “Leaving Mood,” 2013’s “John The Conqueror Root,” 2016’s “The Chicago Way” and 2019’s “The Preacher, The Politician Or The Pimp.”

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and raised in Worcester, Mass., Connor moved to Chicago in 1984 and spent four years playing in the city’s blues clubs along side Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Otis Rush, Pinetop Perkins, Koko Taylor and many others as a member of the Checkerboard Lounge’s house band, Dion Payton and the 43rd St Blues Band.

She formed her own band in 1988 and released her debut album, “Believe It,” in 1990.

Since then, the guitarist, known for her incendiary slide guitar solos, has released 13 more albums, including “Rock & Roll Gypsy,” “Slidetime,” “Nothing But The Blues (live in Germany),” “Live 24 (live at Kingston Mines)” and her latest, 2021’s “4801 South Indiana Avenue,” which Joe Bonamassa produced and plays on.

Tickets are $55-$35.

For more information, call 269-756-3879 or visit acornlive.org.

South Bend’s Potawatomi Zoo hold ‘Eat and Drink at the Zoo’ on May 20

SOUTH BEND — The annual food and beverage sampling event “Eat and Drink at the Zoo” takes place from 5 to 8 p.m. May 20 at Potawatomi Zoo, 500 S. Greenlawn Ave.

The event includes unlimited food and drink samples, a variety of zookeeper chats, unlimited rides on the Potawatomi Zoo Express and Endangered Species Carousel, performances by the South Bend Symphony Orchestra wind quintet and Jake from Starheart, a free photobooth, and a champagne wall.

Some of the vendors include Mission BBQ, Texas Roadhouse, Fresh Thyme Market, Franky’s Tacos, The Cellar Winery, Ironhand Vineyard, Allie’s Café and Catering, Two Fillies on the Move and Sweet G’s Ice Cream, among others.

VIP tickets also include an hour of early access beginning at 4 p.m., exclusive giraffe feeding, a VIP specialty cocktail and some unique food samples.

The zoo will close to the public at 1 p.m. for this event.

Must be 21 or older.

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Tickets are $90; $130 for VIP tickets.

Tickets must be purchased online at potawatomizoo.org/eatdrink.

For more information, call 574-235-9800.

VPA holds family-friendly events at Pinhook and Potawatomi parks on May 20

SOUTH BEND — South Bend Venues Parks & Arts (VPA) plans two family-friendly events for May 20:

● Nature Cat Day from 10 a.m. to noon at Pinhook Park, 2801 Riverside Drive: Co-presented with PBS Michiana, this backyard adventure will include a scavenger hunt, leaf rubbing art station, appearances by Nature Cat and Spark the Firefly, and a trail mix station.

"Nature Cat" is a PBS children's series about a daring, brave, adventurous cat whose backyard nature explorations teach about and encourage children to connect with the natural world as he explores his family’s big backyard, the woods, parks, ponds, caves, gardens, marshes, ravines, swamps, canyons, nature preserves and mountains. The voice cast includes Taran Killam, Kate McKinnon, Bobby Moynihan, Kenan Thompson and Kate Micucci.

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"Nature Cat" airs at 12:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays on Channel 34.1.

● Kids to Parks Day from 1 to 4 p.m. at Potawatomi Park, 500 S. Greenlawn Ave.: The event features field games, activities, rock wall climbing, music, live entertainment, food trucks, and information about community resources, including previews of local children’s events planned for the summer.

Kids to Parks Day is an initiative of the National Park Trust, designed to connect kids and families with their local, state and national parks.

Admission is free for both events.

For more information, call 574-299-4765 or visit sbvpa.org.

South Bend Chamber Singers presents ‘American Landscapes’ at Saint Mary’s

SOUTH BEND — The South Bend Chamber Singers presents “American Landscapes: From the Great Lakes to the Wild West” at 7:30 p.m. May 21 at Saint Mary’s College’s O’Laughlin Auditorium.

Penn High School’s select chamber choir, Viva Voce, will join the Chamber Singers for several works.

The concert features texts by American poets set to music by American composers Libby Larsen, Gwyneth Walker and Z. Randall Stroope.

Featured guest composer Gwyneth Walker’s new work, “The Great Lakes,” is a musical journey across the magnificent five lakes bordering the Eastern U.S. and Canada. Texts by American and Canadian poets make up the cantata’s lyrics.

The journey moves from East (Lake Ontario) to West (Lake Superior), stopping to explore the unique character of each lake enroute.

Walker’s piece is originally composed for large orchestra, but she has transcribed it for wind sextet, piano and percussion for this concert.

Larsen’s “The Settling Years” is a three-part collection based on poetry by American pioneers. The texts are full of a kind of raw energy, swashbuckling attitude, and profundity of heart and commitment characteristic of those settlers west of the Hudson. Larsen’s piece features an accompaniment for woodwind quintet and piano.

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Stroope’s “Northwest Passage” is a set of three “poetic landscapes” that reflect on three elements of the great Northwest of the United States — rivers, mountains and prairies — each distinct but part of one vast expanse.

Stroope’s piece is for woodwind quintet and string quartet, but he has transcribed the string parts for piano for this concert, which will feature woodwind players from the area.

Tickets are $25.

For more information, call 574-284-4625 or visit saintmarys.edu/american-landscapes or southbendchambersingers.org.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: South Bend Potawatomi Zoo and Park, Civic Theatre, Chamber Singers