The Weekend: Father’s Day, Music, Theater, and More

Another great June weekend with music, theater, and Father’s Day happenings.

We told you about:

• “Friday Night Flicks” at Essex County Kip’s Castle
• “Ever After” at Paper Mill Playhouse
• The Fine Art and Crafts Show at Brookdale Park
• The Essex Summer Music Free Concert Series
• The StrangeXchange Pop Up Flea Market
• Montclair Make Music Day

Here are some other great ways to spend your weekend:

Over at Trumpets Jazz Club & Restaurant in Montclair, enjoy a fun Variety Showcase with Denise Hamilton & Friends. Enjoy DJ oldies, karaoke, live music, dancing and more. Eat, drink and be merry!

Variety Showcase with Denise Hamilton & Friends
Thursday, June 18. 5 pm – 10 pm
Trumpets Jazz Club & Restaurant, 6 Depot Square, Montclair, NJ, 07042
$5 pp all evening long!
 
 

Go to the Cabaret! New Jersey Youth Theatre will present Cabaret the musical opening on July 17 at the Westminster Arts Center in Bloomfield. “As the Nazis are rising to power in 1931 Weimar-era Berlin, “Cabaret” draws you immediately into the razzle-dazzle nightlife of the popular, but seedy Kit Kat Klub. Here, you “forget your troubles, live dangerously and celebrate! This perception ignites a promising romance between a sassy, young, English, Kit-Kat performer, Sally Bowles, and a handsome American writer, Cliff Bradshaw. Also revealed is the heartfelt love lost between an ederly German boarding-house owner Fräulein Schneider, and a gentleman suitor Herr Schultz, a Jewish fruit vendor. But all the while, and the center of the show, is the most captivating, manipulating Master of Ceremonies/Emcee in command of the Klub. You’ll love it.”

NJYT Presents Cabaret
June 17 – 26
Westminster Arts Center, 467 Franklin Street, Bloomfield, Nj
Tickets are $36 and can be purchased online here
 
 
Brother to Brother Mentoring Program will host its 7th Annual Father’s Day Breakfast and Awards Program on Saturday at Montclair High School. The keynote speaker will be Pastor Troy Davis. This is the organization’s end of the year Awards Ceremony where they salute graduates and the mentors who volunteered this year to make our program a success. All are invited to attend.

Brother to Brother Father’s Day Breakfast and Awards Ceremony
Saturday, June 20 from 9 am – 11 am
Montclair High School 9th Grade Academy Atrium, 141 Park Street, Montclair, NJ, 07042
Adults $20 / Students $10 / Kids undder 5 free
 
 

Dad a Star Wars fan? Then go see One-Man Star Wars at NJPAC on Saturday. One-Man Star Wars, written and performed by Charles Ross, is the comedic off-Broadway hit that condenses the original Star Wars trilogy into a whirlwind of fun and geek-ness. Ross has toured the globe for the last 11 years, delighting audiences with his unique and frenetic solo shows. After spending his early years longing for galaxies far, far away, he became an actor and eventually formed a friendship and partnership with actor and director TJ Dawe, who directs One-Man Star Wars and some of Ross’ other solo ventures, including One Man Lord of the Rings.

One-Man Star Wars
Saturday, June 20 at 3 pm and 8 pm
NJPAC, 1 Center Street, Newark, NJ
Tickets are $35 – $65 (VIP) A VIP package includes best available seats, a meet-and-greet with the artist and a signed tour poster. Purchase online
 
 

OSPAC in West Orange is welcoming Rude Boy George, a band all about the 1980s with a modern twist, to kick its 2015 season into high gear. There will also be a wine and beer garden too! The opening lineup also features the Pidgin Droppings, a band formed from a stew of musicians from different genres who’ve found common ground with hip-hop, funk, dub, and various types of African music. For those looking for a cold drink, visit the outdoor beer garden starting at 6 pm for a variety of craft beers. Several other vendors will also be on hand with food, snacks and collectibles.

Summer Kickoff 2015-Beer Garden Opening at OSPAC
Saturday, June 20 at 6 pm
Oskar Schindler Performing Arts Center, Crystal Lake, 4 Boland Drive, West Orange, NJ
Admission is free
 
 
Enjoy an evening of great music on Church Street at Montclair on Saturday. Montclair Center Stage has a great line-up in store for you this weekend:

• 5 pm – 7 pm: Thousand Mile Stare / folk/Americana
• 7:10 pm – 7:30 p,: Ava Otterbein / pop
• 8 pm – 10 pm: Elvie and the Boys /folk

Another Saturday night option is to go to Montclair’s intimate Adinkra House which will host soulful singer Rhonda Thomas. Vocalist Rhonda Thomas continues sharing her unique styling, her definitive sultry voice and her dynamic songwriting.

Rhonda Thomas at Adinkra House
Saturday, June 20 at 8 pm
Adinkra House, 26 Pleasant Avenue, Montclair, NJ, 07042
Donation $25 at the door/ $20 in advance online
 
 

If Dad likes cars, then a visit to Van Vleck is a must for its annual Cats in the Gardens IX. The New Jersey Jaguar Touring Club returns for the only New Jersey Car Show to feature Jaguars exclusively. Enjoy decades of vintage, classic and modern Jaguars on display.

POSTPONED DUE TO WEATHER FORECAST – Cats in the Gardens IX
Sunday, June 21 from 12 – 3 pm
Van Vleck House & Gardens, 21 Van Vleck Street, Montclair, NJ
$10 per person / free for children under 10
 
 

Take Dad on an Eco-Cruise! Eco-Cruises are fun, educational tours of the Hackensack River and the NJ Meadowlands aboard Hackensack Riverkeeper’s specially-rigged pontoon boats, the Robert H. Boyle and the Edward Abbey. Captain Bill Sheehan started the Eco-Cruise program in 1994 to increase awareness of the lower Hackensack River watershed as a vital natural and recreational resource. Since then more than 25,000 people have traveled with us. Eco-Cruises generally take between 2 and 2 1/2 hours and are fully narrated by a US Coast Guard-licensed Captain. Sunday’s Eco-Cruise will take you to the mouth of the Hackensack River and beyond into Newark Bay – an integral part of New York Harbor. Among other sights, you’ll pass Kearny Point, the former site of Federal Shipbuilding, see the region’s last remaining WW2-era shipbuilding crane and pass the container terminal of Port Newark with its array of ocean-going vessels being loaded and unloaded. We will also explore the bayshore of Bayonne, home to numerous parks and historic sites.

Eco-Cruise
Sunday, June 21 from 9 am – 6 pm
Board at Laurel Hill Park, Secaucus, NJ
Donation of $30 per adult (ages 13 and up) / $10 per child ages 4-12.
 
 

Take a Day Trip for Father’s Day and head down to the beautiful Grounds For Sculpture in Hamilton, NJ. They’ll be firing up the barbeque to celebrate Dad’s special day, so go gab a drink and enjoy some all-American favorites straight from the grill.

Father’s Day BBQ at Grounds For Sculpture
Sunday, June 21 from 11:30 am – 3:30 pm
Grounds for Sculpture, 18 Fairgrounds Road, Hamilton, NJ
BBQ is free with park admission. Café fees apply.
 
 
Check out our Calendar for other local happenings and have a great weekend!