MAY 19 – WEDNESDAY
The Muscular Dystrophy Association’s annual fundraising event welcomes the public this year, offering the chance to hobnob with some of the city’s hottest celebrities and athletes. Muscle Team 2004 pairs up local sports stars with children affected by neuromuscular disease. Jeff Burton, Jake Delhomme, Ric Flair, Mike Rucker and Panther’s head coach John Fox are among the celebs attending. The evening will feature interactive games, auctions, sports memorabilia and, of course, food and beverages. Held at the Charlotte Coliseum from 6-10pm. Proceeds will benefit local families affected by neuromuscular disease, and research for Muscular Dystrophy and ALS. Tickets are $100 ($250 for VIP) and may be purchased by calling 704-567-2912. (Grossman)
MAY 20 – THURSDAY
The Ashtons and the Ravenswoods have been feuding for ages amid the braes of Scotland. Bad news for young Lucy Ashton, heroine of Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, for she has the misfortune of loving Sir Edgar, er Edgardo, the last of the Ravenswoods. In case you haven’t heard, it doesn’t end happily — and there’s a mad scene that makes Ophelia look like Pollyanna. Or it should if Lucia is sung and acted with the requisite skill and intensity. Opera Carolina brings in renowned soprano Sumi Jo for the coloratura fireworks, slated for three performances through Sunday at Belk Theater. Anguishing note for note with Jo will be tenor Joseph Wolverton as Edgardo. Both will be plagued by baritone Oziel Garzas-Ornelas as Lucia’s diabolical — and cash-strapped — elder brother, Enrico. You’ve done something, laddy, when your turgid opera actually succeeds in magnifying the melodrama of Sir Walter Scott. Tickets are $10-$79. Call 704-372-1000. (Tannenbaum)
Ageless rockers Fleetwood Mac will play the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre beginning at 8pm tonight. Having fought drug problems, inter-band squabbling, inter-band dating, and loads more over the last 30 years, the band has still managed to sell about as many albums as McDonalds has hamburgers. However — even before the current wave of revisionist rave reviews being given them by the likes of Stephin Merritt (The Magnetic Fields) and others — the band could always be counted on to bring the goods. The group’s uncanny harmonies and empathic guitar work (not to mention the understated shuffle provided by drummer Mick Fleetwood) all combined to create a sound that, for many folks, came to embody a decade. The fact that they’re still somewhat relevant two decades later (albeit not on a radio/MTV level) probably says as much about the band’s ability as it does the musical clime we currently inhabit. Tickets are $35-100, depending on how many wrinkles you wish to see. Call 704-522-6500 for more information. (Davis)
MAY 21 – FRIDAY
The Charlotte Sting hit the ground running with their season opener against the four-time champion Houston Comets at Charlotte Coliseum. The Sting are lookin’ sharp, coming off their preseason victory over Washington last week, 56-51. Tip-off tonight is at 7pm. Single tickets range from $10-$59 and may be purchased by calling 704-424-WNBA. (Grossman)
MAY 22 – SATURDAY
The Nextel All-Star Challenge begins today at 9pm at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. This is the 20th running of NASCAR’s all-star race, which was formerly called “The Winston” before they went and got all uppity on us. Tickets for the paint-tradin’, sheet metal-grindin’, under-the-lights spectacular are $21-$91, available at lowesmotorspeeday.com or by calling 704-455-3200 or 1-800-455-FANS. (Davis)
Fans of concrete ponds, unite! The Methodist Home Skatepark (3200 Shamrock Dr.) is throwing a Skatemosh skateboard and inline skating competition today, beginning at 10am. The cost is $15 per event, and registration starts at 9:00am (note: all participants must wear helmet, elbow & knee pads). The day’s activities include events in street course and half-pipe, with classifications of beginner, intermediate and advanced. For more information, call Terry Weatherford at 704-568-3363. (Davis)
Yoga, tai chi, origami, brush painting and martial arts are just a few of the ethnic activities that will be represented at the 5th annual Asian Festival, held today at Wachovia Atrium and Plaza from 1-9pm. Indulge in Asian cuisine offered by local restaurants or give Chinese calligraphy a whirl. The celebration runs the cultural gamut with food and entertainment for all ages. Sponsored by the Carolinas Asian American Chamber of Commerce. Admission is $2 per person before 6pm; free to children 10 and under. Call 704-583-9421 for details.
MAY 23 – SUNDAYCars, art and culture combine for Lowrider Magazine’s Lowrider Evolution Tour 2004. The car show features customized vehicles ranging from traditional lowriders and bombs — defined as 1955 and older — to trucks, SUVs, luxury models, sport compacts, bicycles and even tricycles. You’ve seen Lowrider at the grocery store, where a buxom babe is as much exposed on the cover as the featured car. What began as a predominantly Hispanic cultural art form in Southern California now includes wide-ranging participants. The lowriders make a personalized statement through customizing and lowering a wide range of vehicles, which include custom paint jobs and snazzy interiors. The show concludes with the (drum roll) bikini contest and the exhibitor awards ceremony. At Charlotte’s Metrolina Expo Center, 7100 Statesville Blvd., 11am – 5pm. Tickets are $30, kids under 10 free with paying adult. Details: 704-596-4650 or www.metrolinatradeexposhow.com (Shukla)
The 2004 Carolina Thunder Charity Ride is a 65-mile police-escorted motorcycle ride benefiting the Muscular Dystrophy Association, The Thomas Children’s Home, The Mecklenburg Chapter of the Autism Society of NC, and the Bridge Jobs Program. As part of the ride, there will be something called Thunder in the Streets downtown beginning at noon today, and will feature the bands Joystick, Zoso (a Led Zeppelin tribute band), Sign of the Times, and Rhythm Pigs. The riders are expected to arrive in uptown around 3:30pm. Registration for cyclists begins at 10:30am at the Ben Mynatt Megastore (281 Concord Parkway South, Concord). Bikers will leave at 1:30pm and arrive in Center City Charlotte for Thunder in the Streets around 3:30pm. The cost is $25 per rider, and $15 per passenger. Call 704-339-5548 or send an e-mail to info@thunderstreet.org for more information. (Davis)
MAY 25 – TUESDAY
Connie Nelson and Floyd Harris will autograph copies of their book Film Junkie’s Guide to North Carolina from 1pm to 3pm this afternoon at Books-A-Million at Concord Mills Mall, and then at 7pm this evening at Park Road Books. Wilmington residents Nelson and Harris have provided an invaluable resource for anyone interested in tracking the history of regional filmmaking, serving up an entertaining book that’s packed with trivia facts, anecdotes, and even contact information for the state’s film commissions. And local movie buffs will be especially interested in the lengthy section devoted to “The Charlotte Area,” where readers can learn, for example, that Gwyneth Paltrow enjoyed eating at Phillips Place’s Upstream restaurant while in town shooting Shallow Hal, or that the Hilton at University Place can briefly be spotted in Days of Thunder. For more info, contact Books-A-Million at 704-979-8300 or Park Road Books at 704-525-9239. (Brunson)
This article appears in May 19-25, 2004.
