Welcome to the weekly Port City Life newsletter brought to you by me, StarNews cultural issues reporter John Staton.
In April, I sat down with Wilmington photographer Brownie Harris to talk about his sprawling new book retrospective, which was published May 1. It includes more than 50 years of images from Harris’ life photographing celebrities, street protests, film productions and much more.
Harris will celebrate his book’s release on Thursday, May 22, with a book signing from 7-9 p.m. at The Penthouse in downtown Wilmington. It’ll be a fun event in a cool setting with some of the best views of the city you can find.
Now let’s check out what’s going on for your big Memorial Day holiday weekend.
Weekend weather outlook
After a brutally hot and muggy Wednesday we’ll get a bit of a cooldown this weekend. Mostly sunny skies with highs near 80, and lows dipping down near 60. Sunday and Monday could be a wash, though, with a 50-50 or better chance of rain.
Go | See | Do
As you might expect, there are tons of entertainment options this weekend.
Musical comedy “Legally Blonde” runs for its final weekend at Thalian Hall downtown (you can read my review), with Tony-nominated play “What the Constitution Means to Me” opening in the studio upstairs.
Plus, the long-running Orange Street Arts Festival returns to downtown Saturday and Sunday, and there’s a range of concerts for most all musical tastes both inside and out. Check the full list below.
The Dish with Port City Foodies
The readers have spoken: Here’s where you can get the best shrimp and grits in the Wilmington area.
Plus, downtown is getting yet another pizza restaurant, and Havana’s restaurant in Carolina Beach gets a new look.
Getting to know Wilmington history
Pappy Gay’s Soda Shop was in a building that no longer exists at Market Street and Kenwood Avenue, near where the Amoco gas station is today. But even 50 years after it closed, former patrons keep strong memories of the old-school diner, which one person likened to being straight out of the movie “Back to the Future.”
News you can use
Federal budget cuts are hitting some arts groups in Wilmington. Find out how the community is being impacted, and what the groups plan to do about it.
Plus, Wilmington ranks high — very high — on a new list of most-moved-to cities, and speaking of growth, we’ve got the latest on several area infrastructure projects.
Let’s get social
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