Welcome to the weekly Port City Life newsletter with me, StarNews cultural issues reporter John Staton.
One thing about me is, if I’m driving around in my car or working from my desk at home, I’m often listening to classical music. Simply put, classical is part of the soundtrack to my life.
If you love classical music and want to experience it in a live setting, the Vivace International Music Festival, which started July 30 and runs through Aug. 9 in Wilmington, is a great opportunity to do that.
The festival has a packed schedule of master classes and youth recitals, as well as five showcase concerts featuring world-class musicians including Grammy-nominated pianist Marc-André Hamelin, pianist Alexander Kobrin, cellist Andrew Shulman, violinist Amy Schwartz-Moretti and many more.
This weekend’s showcase concerts are Saturday and Sunday evening at St. James Episcopal Church in downtown Wilmington. You can find the full festival schedule and ticket information at VicaceMusicFoundation.org.
Now let’s see what the rest of the weekend has in store.
Weekend weather outlook
It’s going to be blessedly cooler this weekend, but in exchange for lower temps we’re going to have some clouds and rain. Highs near 90 Friday with a good chance of afternoon thunderstorms, then cloudy or mostly cloudy Saturday and Sunday, with highs in just the low 80s and low temps near 70 (!).
Go | See | Do
This weekend will see the Port City Rock Jam on Saturday, a day-long music festival at Bowstring Burgers & Brewyard on Princess Street featuring a dozen acts from Wilmington and beyond. The Jam benefits Play it Forward Wilmington and Cape Fear River Watch.
Plus, we’ve got top-notch touring comics at the Dead Crow Comedy Room (Malik Elassal) and at Cape Fear Community College’s Wilson Center (Nashville’s Henry Cho); a whole raft of film screenings at Thalian Hall; and a cool art show at Art in Bloom Gallery in Mayfaire.
Check the full list, link below.
The Dish with Port City Foodies
A bar in downtown Wilmington has made USA TODAY’s list of the best bars in the country. Food and dining writer Allison Ballard has the details.
Plus, AlBal has a list of food and drink events for August, and info on how to watch “The Great Food Truck Race” episode filmed in Wilmington.
Getting to know Isabel Holmes
Since 1988, the name of Wilmington native Isabel Stellings Holmes has been attached to the heavily-used bridge across the Northeast Cape Fear River north of downtown.
We take a look at Holmes’ story, and her legacy.
News you can use
We’ve got a big list of the concerts coming to the Wilmington area in August.
Plus, an experimental art festival returns to Wilmington, and we’ve got an overview of area disc golf courses to check out.
Let’s get social
For updates to food and entertainment stories, follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/StarNewsMedia.
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