New season at Ocala Civic Theatre tops list of fun things to do this weekend in Ocala
'Hands on a Hardbody'
The live stage musical kicks off the 2022-23 season for Ocala Civic Theatre, 4337 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala. The show runs Sept. 1-18. This feel-good country/pop musical is inspired by the 1997 documentary of the same name, directed by Jason Bartosic and choreographed by Greg Thompson. Tickets: $30 adults and $15 ages 18 and younger. For purchase and additional details, visit www.ocalacivictheatre.com or call 352-236-2274.
First Friday Art Walk
The Art Walk returns to Downtown Ocala Sept. 2 from 6-9 p.m. in the iconic Downtown Square. The event is held every first Friday through May. Hands-on art activities and demonstrations from local arts and cultural organizations, extended business hours, local artists and artwork, and live music throughout the evening. Free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.ocalafl.org/artwalk or contact The City of Ocala Arts Division at 352-629-8447 and artinfo@ocalafl.org.
Orange Blossom Opry
Friday Night Live at the Opry, 16439 SE 138th Terrace, Weirsdale, features former Sawyer Brown band member Bobby Randall on Sept 2 at 7 p.m. for an evening of rollicking country music with the Orange Blossom Opry Band. Tickets from $25. For more details, visit www.obopry.com.
Where the locals eat: At Scrambles Cafe in SE Ocala, they get breakfast, lunch just right
Good food: New restaurant Zella's Pizzeria serves pizza, chicken wings in south Ocala near Belleview
'Little Man BIG Mouth': Ocala author Dave Schlenker gets seriously funny in new book
Appleton Museum Free First Saturday
Admission is free for everyone at the Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, every first Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Visit the permanent collection, special exhibitions, or make art in the gallery’s Artspace, then relax in the museum’s beautiful outdoor spaces for lunch all day Sept. 2. Big Lee’s BBQ truck will be on site 11 a.m.- 2 p.m. For more information, visit www.appletonmuseum.org.
40th annual Ocala Shrine Rodeo
This event will be held Sept. 2-3 at 7:30 p.m. at the Southeastern Livestock Pavilion, 2200 NE Jacksonville Road, Ocala. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. Tickets $25, with children 5 and younger admitted free. Children 6-11 pay $10 with paying adult. For more information, visit https://www.ocalamarion.com/events/40th-annual-ocala-shrine-rodeo/.
Coming soon:
The Rocket Man/Elton John Tribute Show
Rus Anderson is Elton John’s official body double for the Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, chosen by the man himself. Rus performs as a young Elton (formerly known as Reginald Dwight) with spot-on vocals, fierce piano, flamboyant costumes, and a feast of Greatest Hits. Part of the Feel Whole Concert Series sponsored by AdventHealth Ocala. The Crocodile Rock takes the stage at the Reilly Center, 500 NE Ninth St., Ocala, Sept. 8 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets from $25. For additional details, visit www.reillyartscenter.com or call 352-351-1606.
After Dark in the Park: 'The Karate Kid'
The City of Ocala Recreation and Parks Department hosts the “After Dark in the Park” movie series with the classic "The Karate Kid" movie. Film begins at 8 p.m. Sept. 9 at Tuscawilla Park Oak Grove, 500 NE Ninth St., Ocala. Free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.ocalafl.org/recpark.
Reilly Noir Series - Dayve Stewart
Known for his engaging style and masterful command of smooth jazz, bop and bebop music, Dayve Stewart brings his flair and imagination to the Reilly Arts Center, 500 NE Ninth St., Ocala, on Sept. 9 at 7:30 p.m. This performance is part of a series of nine shows each month at NOMA Black Box through May 2023. Tickets $25 for general seating; VIP tables available for $175 and include four tickets, reserved seating and a round of drinks per package. For more information, visit www.reillyartscenter.com or call 352-351-1606.
Ira Holmes International Film Series
Films celebrating humor and the indefatigable perseverance of the human spirit take center stage in this year’s Festival at the College of Central Florida, kicking off Sept. 13 with “Wild Men” at 2 and 7 p.m. The 2 p.m. matinee will be screened at the Appleton Museum, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, and the 7 p.m. screening is at CF Ocala Campus, 3001 SW College Road, Building 8/Room 110. All films at the CF campus are free and open to the public and free to all museum and film series members at the Appleton (nonmembers pay museum admission). Films may contain mature content. To see a full list of this year’s films and for more details, visit cf.edu/filmseries.
An Evening with Judy Collins
The legendary Grammy-winning singer/songwriter takes the stage of the Reilly Arts Center, 500 NE Ninth St., Ocala, at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 17. Tickets available at www.reillyartscenter.com, at the door, or call the box office at 352-351-1606.
Who’s Your Hero?
Join David Fritz conducts the Kingdom of the Sun Concert Band at Marion Technical Institute, 1614 SE Fort King St., Ocala, as it presents “Who’s Your Hero” at 2 p.m. Sept. 17 and 3 p.m. Sept. 18. Free and open to the public. Donations are gratefully accepted. For more information, call 352-390-0491 or visit www.kingdomofthesunband.org
Stearns Speaker Series: Robert Watson Discusses Alexander Hamilton
Fans of the Pulitzer-winning and groundbreaking Broadway musical "Hamilton" may be interested in Robert Watson’s presentation, “Alexander Hamilton: Man, Myth, Musical,” at 12:30 p.m. Sept. 19. This lecture is the inaugural event of the College of Central Florida Stearns Speaker Series, presented at the Dassance Fine Arts Center, 3001 SW College Road, Ocala. Free and open to the public. Watson’s lecture is followed by a 2 p.m. reception at the Clifford B. Stearns Learning Resources Center. More at CF.edu or 352-854-2322, ext. 1440.
Ongoing:
CF Webber Gallery Presents Competitive Printmaking
The 2022 Extreme Pressure Biennial of American Prints is an inaugural competitive national exhibition organized by the Webber Gallery of the College of Central Florida, 3001 SW College Road, Ocala. It will be up through Sept. 22 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday-Thursday. Open to all forms of traditional printmaking, this exhibition presents a celebration and examination of contemporary printmaking by artists from across the United States. Admission is free. Call 352-854-2322, ext. 1664 for more information.
'Transitional Moments in Nature’s Landscape'
This art exhibit from Julijana Prest is 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
'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.
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: New musical at OCT tops list of fun weekend events in Ocala, Florida
