If We Were You

WEDNESDAY 7.24

FILM at the Erie Art Museum "To the Wonder"

With an all-star cast including Ben Affleck, Olga Kurylenko, Rachel McAdams, and Javier Bardem, this Terrence Malick-directed film is an exploration of love in its many forms. Show up early to chat with fellow movie buffs, eat good food, and enjoy a drink in the beautiful Erie Art Museum. 

When: 6 p.m.

Where: 10 E. Fifth St.

Contact: Facebook.com/FILMErieArtMuseum

THURSDAY 7.25

Erie Downtown Partnership Block Party

This week, The I-90's and Geek City hits Park Place and The Boardwalk for the Block Party! Get all the food, beverage, and entertainment you can fit into your Thursday night and help benefit Therapy Dogs United. July is nearing an end, folks, so enjoy the Block Party while summer is still here.

When: 6 to 10:30 p.m.

Where: 28 North Park Row

Contact: 455.3743

"Leading Ladies"

If you haven't seen this Erie Playhouse production yet, we suggest you plan on it - Struggling Shakespearean actors Leo Clark and Jack Gable fight to survive on the Moose Lodge circuit in 1950s Pennsylvania. How far they will go to make it big?

When: 7:30 p.m.

Where: 13 W. 10th St.

Contact: 454.2852

FRIDAY 7.26

Discover Presque Isle 2013

Friday is the opening day for this year's Discover Presque Isle, a celebration of the crown jewel of the Gem City, Presque Isle State Park. Crafts, volleyball, sand sculpture contests, bonfire, live entertainment, and plenty of food can all be expected; for even more information, be sure to read Matthew Flowers' piece in this issue. 

When: Starts at 7 a.m., continues through the weekend

Where: Presque Isle State Park

Contact: 838.5138

SATURDAY 7.27

TREC Garden Tour

If you're looking for something a little more calming than Beer on the Bay, take a free walk through the garden at Tom Ridge Environmental Center. Garden Coordinator Jen Salem will be there to tell you about the best way to grow a healthy garden. Meet at the TREC welcome desk.

When: 10 to 11:30 a.m.

Where: 301 Peninsula Drive

Contact: 833.7424

Cocomama at the Romolo Chocolates Summer Music Series

Local confectioner Romolo Chocolates has plenty of cocoa on its premises, but on this Saturday, the Summer Music Series is about to get a big shipment of Coco. International all-female act Cocomama will bring their Afro-Cuban, Jazz, and South American-styled tunes to the sweet Saturday series, a treat for fans of world music.

When: 6  to 9 p.m.

Where: 1525 W. Eighth St.

Contact: 452.1933, romolochocolates.com

The Irving Klaws w/ The Couchriders and Planet Claire

When it comes to fun Saturday night activities, we like to suggest going out and having fun with friends, perhaps seeing a cool show like garage-rock band The Irving Klaws at the crooked i. Of course, you could always just hang out in your garage with gardening tools and that rusty can of leftover paint that you always forget about. We'll kindly stick with garage rock instead.

When: 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Where: 1013 State St.

Contact: facebook.com/thecrookedierie

SUNDAY 7.28

Third Annual Afternoon for Equality Fundraiser

According to their website, the greater Erie Alliance for Equality is a non-profit organization whose mission is "supporting the region's LGBT community and its straight allies through education, open dialogue and public visibility." So, if you are or know an L, a G, a B, a T, or an ally thereof - which should be pretty much everybody - you'll want to get your tickets to this event, (held in the stunning La Rue Dix just off State) to support this worthy cause.  

When: 4 to 7 p.m.

Where: 21 W. 10th St.

Contact: geaeinfo@gmail.com or 866.229.1974

TUESDAY 7.30

Jake's Blues at 8 Great Tuesdays

This particular Tuesday marks the halfway point, since it's Tuesday No. 4 out of 8. And it's being headlined by locals Jake's Blues, a rock, blues powerhouse in The Gem City. Expected to release a new album soon, the band just may be testing out some new material, as well as churning out past favorites and searing covers of blues legends. Oh, and this event features Erie's favorite F-word – that's right, FREE – since admission to this event won't set you back at all.

When: 6 to 10 p.m.

Where: Liberty Park, 726 W. Bayfront Pkwy

Contact: 455.7557

WEDNESDAY 7.31

Molly Gene One Whoaman Band

While some bands feel the need to pack enough people on stage to fill a venue to capacity with just its percussion section (we're looking at you, The Polyphonic Spree), others manage to rock with just a single person. The Molly Gene One Whoaman Band is coming to the crooked i with enough soul and grit to pack the State Street establishment even without robed backup vocalists.

When: 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Where: 1013 State St.

Contact: facebook.com/thecrookedierie

THURSDAY 8.01

Erie Downtown Partnership Block Party

This free outdoor event at the Plymouth Tavern not only features the musical talent of Stiletto and New Wave Nation, but the event will benefit the Autism Society of Northwestern Pennsylvania as well, so it's a party with a purpose!

When: 6 to 10:30 p.m.

Where: 1109 State St.

Contact: 453.6454

FRIDAY 8.02

Coconut Joe's Happy Hour with Small Town Revolution

Enjoy the sound of Small Town Revolution, a popular local band, while you drink. The sounds of their guitars, bass, and vocals lend one a better appreciation for Erie culture. Happy hour sees no cover charge until 10 p.m.

When: 4 p.m.

Where: 28 North Park Row

Contact: 814.455.4705

Ode to Fran the Art Man 

All of Erie loves Fran the Art Man Schanz - so much, in fact, that a certain subset thereof has endeavored to construct a lyrical stanza comprised of a strophe, an antistrophe, and an epode. Okay, maybe they didn't literally create a classical greek ode, but they did create a figurative ode to him at PACA - an art show, which is much more fitting for Fran than an ornately crafted epic poem. 

When: 7 p.m.

Where: 1505 State Street

Contact: paca1505.comMovies 

Movies at the Arboretum

Steal away from your laptop, tablet, smart phone, and television by escaping into the sublime natural beauty of Frontier Park - for a movie! Yes, it's kind of a contradiction, but who cares? The Lorax, that's who. He looks mean enough to rip your face off and wipe his fuzzy little feet with it, but in reality he just want to hug trees, and after screening this 2012 animated feature, you probably will too. 

When: Dusk

Where: The Arboretum at Frontier Park

Contact: Leaferie.org

Saving Abel

We can probably conclude by now that the guys from Saving Abel are fans of The Flagship City. The Biblically-named hard rock band from Corinth, Miss. is returning to Sherlock's, ready to give Erie another taste of Southern post-grunge for fans of old and any newcomers to their musical craft.

When: 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Where: 508 State St.

Contact: 453.7760

SATURDAY 8.03

The Tony Lelo Project

Not all projects are that fun. Take re-tiling the bathroom for example. Well, instead of the ol' grout and pout, try something much more exciting in your life by heading out to Sandbar Draft House to see The Tony Lelo Project dole out plenty of smooth original R&B tunes, as well as some choice covers.

When: 8 p.m.

Where: 2835 W. Eighth St.

Contact: 464.8880, sandbarerie.com

Waiting for Never

After a decade, Waiting for Never is still going strong, so Sherlock's is ready to throw them an anniversary party. Traditionally, we should be getting the local band a tin or aluminum gift for their 10th year together, but instead, we'll be treated with a blast of hardcore metal throughout the night.

When: 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Where: 508 State St.

Contact: 453.7760

Eerie Roller Girls Double Header!

So we've been absolutely ga-ga over the Eerie Roller Girls all season long - we love our home team; we love their home rink, the Presque Isle Skating and Events Center (formerly Evan's Skateland); we love the sport of roller derby, and we especially love the players and their silly names. If you haven't yet had the pleasure of seeing Meredeath Loosewheel, Sally Jesse Rough-as-Hell, and the Naughty Professor in action, this evening's doubleheader should do the trick. 

When: doors at 6:30, bouts at 7 and 8:30 p.m.

Where: 3162 West Lake Road

Contact: EerieRollerGirls.com

SUNDAY 8.04

Lagoons by Pontoon

The lagoons of Presque Isle State Park are teeming with life and beauty, and this hour-long family friendly "interpretive boat tour" will get you up close and personal with both! Sign up at the Pontoon Pavillion at 10 a.m. for the 11 a.m., 1 or 2 p.m. launches, and experience a side of nature most people never see.

When: Varies

Where: Peninsula Dr. 

Contact: trecpi.org

TUESDAY 8.06

Thumpdaddy at 8 Great Tuesdays

Call him the Sultan of Slap, the General of the Groove, the Bastion of Bass -- Thumpdaddy is bringing his bottom-note-heavy R&B, soul, and funk to the Bayfront. So head down to get down -- and while you're there, swing by the Erie Reader tent to grab our August 7 issue a day early, so that you can tell your friends you got "tomorrow's news today."

When: 6 to 10 p.m.

Where: Liberty Park, 726 W. Bayfront Pkwy

Contact: 455.7557