It’s time to look at upcoming events for this weekend. There’s a great mix of activities for folks to enjoy, such as a Hot Chocolate Race, a winter beer festival, a donut festival and a live performance from the Latin crooner Marc Anthony -- he’s in town this weekend.
Joining WFAE's "All Things Considered" host, Gwendolyn Glenn, to talk about him and other events for this edition of Weekend In Entertainment is Brittney Johnson, an anchor for WSOC.
Gwendolyn Glenn: Hi Brittney.
Brittney Johnson: Hi Gwen.
Glenn: Brittney, Marc Anthony will be live at the Spectrum Center on Friday. I’ve never seen him live so what can people expect from his performance?
Johnson: This is Marc’s OPUS Tour. Last May, he released OPUS, his first new studio album in six years, and his eighth salsa album since his 1993 debut. So Marc’s been around for a while and still going. Some of Anthony’s hits people may know are "Vivir Mi Vida," "You Sang to Me," "Y Hubo Alguien" and many, many more. Anthony is also a top-selling salsa artist of all time. This is sure to be a great show.
Glenn: Yes, he’s a great dancer so it’s sure to be a high-energy performance. Where will he be performing?
Johnson: That’s at the Spectrum Center on Friday night.
Glenn: OK, and on Saturday there’s something for those who enjoy running and hot chocolate. It’s the Allstate Hot Chocolate 15k/5k. Tell us about it.
Johnson: Well, will you run for chocolate? This is dubbed "America's Sweetest Race. "It starts at First Ward Park, and runners can tackle a 5K or a 15k. Either way, when they're done, they will get a finisher's medal that looks like chocolate and a mug filled with chocolate.
Glenn: Can you eat the award?
Johnson: Yeah, it'd be nice.
Glenn: That sounds like a ton of fun. Also on Saturday, the Winter Beer Festival is happening … any season is good season for a beer festival in my opinion. What are the highlights of this one and does it have a good number of breweries participating?
Johnson: Yes, there are many local breweries, about 10 from the area that people are going to be familiar with. And each is going to be bringing 2-3 types of beer. So a ticket will get you a nine-ounce cup. And with that, you've got unlimited sampling for the duration of the event. So people should take their time.
Glenn: What time and where?
Johnson: That’s from 1 – 4 p.m. at Lucky Dog Bark & Brew Charlotte. And you can bring your pet.
Glenn: Let’s trackback to Thursday night, Brittney. There’s the Cotton to Caviar – In the World of Eartha Kitt event. She is an iconic actress and singer with a distinctive style and easily recognizable voice; she sang the classic Christmas tune, "Santa Baby." Brittney, what’s in the lineup for this Eartha Kitt event?
Johnson: It’s funny you mentioned "Santa Baby" makes you think of snow. And while we're expecting a little, that shouldn't interrupt this event. This is a part of Color of Jazz, it's a Dapper Street production. This is put on by Culture Block. So they bring lots of cultural activities. This is going to be a solo performance and there's going to be guest vocalists involved. So it should be a great musical event.
Glenn: I'm sure it's gonna be great. So moving on to Sunday, there's the inaugural Donut Festival for those with a sweet tooth.
Johnson: All the sugar, all the carbs -- another sugar event. And as you mentioned, this is a first. Festival-goers will get to sample like crazy. Each ticket will get you a quarter of a donut, and an early bird ticket gets you 10 samples.
Glenn: Oh, my.
Johnson: Yes. And you can also sample the coffee and the smoothies. I'd like to consider this the ultimate cheat day, but you can also maybe work some of it off. They will have games like Cornhole and Jenga.
Glenn: And also on Sunday, there’s the Lauran Daigle and Johnny Swim World Tour. Daigle has an interesting story.
Johnson: She does, because of the tone and the quality of her voice, she's been nicknamed "the Christian Adele." She's a Christian artist, but she's had huge crossover success. And it's interesting because about 10 years ago, she was rejected from "American Idol."
Glenn: Really?
Johnson: Now she's a Grammy winner.
Glenn: Wow. When and where can folks see her?
Johnson: That’s Sunday evening at Bojangles Coliseum.
Glenn: And also Thursday, QCity Metro is holding a discussion with Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times contributing writer David Zucchino about his book "Wilmington’s Lie" — a riveting account of the 1898 bloody coup in which white supremacists used the media’s help in violently overthrowing an elected multiracial government in Wilmington, North Carolina — killing many blacks, destroying black businesses, running others out of town and permanently banishing them and their white allies. I’ll be moderating that discussion at 6:30 p.m. at First Baptist Church West on Oaklawn Avenue.
Brittney, thanks for joining us for this edition of Weekend in Entertainment.
Johnson: Thanks Gwen.
Glenn: That’s Brittney Johnson, a WSOC morning anchor.
