Here we are, less than a week into Fall, and there are loads and loads of cool things happening all over the area this weekend, in and around the Mountain State. and this is probably a good time to remind you that THIS IS NOT A COMPLETE LIST OF EVENTS.  It’s just a starting point, so don’t expect anything comprehensive, and if you feel strongly about me leaving anything out, feel free to mention it in the comments.

First up this week is the final weekend for the Mountain Roots Theater production of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.  This is sort of the bonus weekend, after it was delayed for a week due to illness.  Mel and I went to see this show last Sunday, and we had a blast.

It was our first time at Mountain Roots, and we were impressed by the space. It reminded us a bit of the storefront theaters in Chicago. This production, brilliantly directed by Mandy Petry, mines all the laughs of one of Shakespeare’s most celebrated comedies, and a large cast headed by Kevin Pauley, Brian Hatcher and Kayla Lynn Marcum absolutely slays the audience with their comedic prowess.

As they say on their FB page, “set in the Roaring Twenties, where gangsters, flappers and suffragettes have replaced fairies. This magical tale has been adapted by Mandy Petry to a reasonable 90-minute length, without losing any of the original magical elements.” It’s loads of fun and you can see it Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Mountain Roots Theater in Quincy.

Live Music is back at Taylor Books. There is no cover charge, and shows start at 7:30 PM.  Friday the legndary Carpenter Ants, take the stage. Saturday Sean Richardson & David McGuire with SeaScout featuring Arthur Deras work their magical music at the beloved bookstore/cafe/art gallery.

Saturday, Alien Super J3SUS hosts an open mic night at the Nitro Antique Mall starting at 7 PM. I think this may be the first time they’ve had music there.

The World Famous Empty Glass Cafe has some great stuff this week  to tell you about.  Thursday at 5:30 PM, Swingstein and Robin return with Swing for a good cause. Later Thursday, it’s Shred Night with RFC‘s show-opener for this week, Kenny Booth, at 10 PM.  Friday Tim Courts plays during happy hour.  We have graphics below for the rest of the weekend shows at The Glass.

Please remember that the pandemic is not over yet. It’s still a going concern with the ‘rona surging again. And now there are seasonal allergies, the flu, summary judgements, released WWE talent, stray loons who don’t like Martin Short and other damned good reasons to be careful. Many people who have very good reasons are still wearing masks, and many of us, understandably, are still nervous about being in crowds, masked or not. Be kind and understanding  while you’re out.

Keep in mind that all shows are subject to change or be cancelled at the last minute.

If you’re up for going out, here are a few suggestions for the weekend, roughly in order…