The Levitt AMP Ocala Music Series
The Marion Cultural Alliance in partnership with the City of Ocala presents free, family friendly outdoor concerts to the public on Fridays through July 1 from 7-9 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Complex, 1510 NW Fourth St., Ocala. The series is sponsored in part by the Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation, which funds and empowers communities to inject new life into underused spaces. The May 20 performer is scheduled to be The Drifters featuring Rick Sheppard (R&B/Soul.) For more information and concert schedule details, visit www.ocalafl.org/levittamp or call 352-629-8447.
‘Beauty and the Beast’
This Disney musical is onstage through June 5 at the Ocala Civic Theatre. “Based on the beloved 1991 Disney film, this ‘tale as old as time’ is brought to life in a spectacular stage version of the classic fairytale. All the songs from the movie are here, plus half a dozen new hits written for the stage musical,” OCT said in a news release. More at (352) 236-2274 and www.ocalacivictheatre.com.
Classic Albums Live
The final show of Classic Albums Live season at the Reilly Arts Center, 500 NE Ninth St., Ocala, features music from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ “Damn the Torpedoes” on May 20 at 7:30 p.m. Guests can experience the album note for note, performed by the professional musicians of Classic Albums Live. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets from $20. For more information, visit www.reillyartscenter.com or call 352-351-1606.
Bakery by day, dessert bar by night: Soleil Bakery & Social House opens in downtown Ocala
Safe dining: Marion County restaurant inspections for May 9-14
‘Old school and down to earth’: The Marion County Airport, near Dunnellon, is having a moment
Orange Blossom Opry
Friday Night Live at the Opry, 16439 SE 138th Terrace, Weirsdale, features former Sawyer Brown and Confederate Railroad member Bobby Randall on May 20 at 7 p.m. for an evening of rollicking country music with the Orange Blossom Opry Band. Tickets from $16-$25. For more details, visit www.obopry.com.
Dance Divine School of Ballet 40th Anniversary
A special presentation of “Zechariah: The Lord Remember” will be presented at the Reilly Arts Center, 500 NE Ninth St., Ocala, on May 21 at 2 and 7 p.m. Admission is free to the public; seating available on a first come/first served basis. For more details, visit www.reilllyartscenter.com or email [email protected].
Opera Tampa
The resident opera company at Tampa’s Straz Center for the Performing Arts visits Ocala and once again performs at Circle Square Cultural Center, 8395 SW 80th St., on May 22 at 1 p.m. with a selection of arias and popular Broadway tunes. Free tickets are not available online and must be picked up at the CSCC box office during business hours; limit two per household. For more information about Opera Tampa, visit StrazCenter.org/OperaTampa/About-Opera-Tampa
Ongoing:
Summer Spotlight Exhibition
“Town and Country” is the theme for the Visual Artists’ Society Summer Spotlight, showcasing the work of local and regional artists in a variety of mediums. The exhibit will be on display at the College of Central Florida Webber Gallery, 3001 SW College Road, Ocala, from May 16-July 28 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Opening reception and awards ceremony is May 24 from 5-7 p.m. For more information, call 352-854-2322, ext. 1552 or visit www.cf.edu.
‘Landmarks’
The “Landmarks” exhibit, featuring works from Marion Cultural Alliance members, is on display through May 28 at the Brick City Center for the Arts, 23 SW Broadway St., Ocala. Admission is free. There are more than 60 original artworks including sculpture, photography, mixed media, oils, acrylics and pastels.
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 production of “Beauty and the Beast.” This exhibit runs at the Appleton 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.
‘Horsemanship’ by Walter Israel
The work of this German-American artist and Ocala resident has been displayed in art galleries and publications across the world, and he is the recipient of the Western Art Rodeo Association’s “World Finals Dry Medium” competition. Horsemanship is on display through May 26 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Recreation and Parks Administration building, 828 NE Eighth Ave., Ocala. This exhibit is free and open to the public. For more information, call 352-629-8447 or visit www.ocalafl.org/artincityspaces.
‘Encounter’ by Tom Hundersmarck
An abstract and landscape painter based in Gainesville, Hundersmarck began painting as a child and has worked extensively as a psychologist with combat veterans. The exhibit is free and open to the public through July 19 at Ocala International Airport, 1770 SW 60th Ave., Suite 600, Ocala. For more information, contact the City of Ocala Cultural Arts and Sciences Division at 352-629-8447 or visit www.ocalafl.org/artincityspaces.
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Music and more: Fun things to do this weekend in Ocala, Florida