Bluegrass music in Titusville, art in Cocoa Beach, Sip & Stroll in Cocoa, murals in EGAD
Fiddle during Black Friday
Fiddler extraordinaire Michael Cleveland, 10-time winner of the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Fiddle Player of the Year award, visits Titusville with his band, Flamekeeper, for a concert at 7 p.m., Friday, Nov. 24, at Faith City Church, 5195 S. Washington Ave.
Five-time recipient of Instrumental Group of the Year, Flamekeeper is also no slouch when it comes to awards. Together, Cleveland and Flamekeeper are bluegrass royalty.
Cleveland, who has been fiddling since age 4, made his Grand Ole Opry debut at 14.
“For people who appreciate bluegrass, this concert is truly a fiddler's dream,” said promoter JT Shealy.
“Fiddler's Dream” by Compass Records is the name of the band’s seventh album.
Tickets are $21. Purchase at 321-222-7797 or at JTsBluegrass.com.
All lit up
The Avenue Viera’s impressive 35-foot Christmas tree officially heralds the holidays at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 24. It is located between Moe’s Southwest Grill and Panera Bread off Lake Andrew Drive.
To make the event even more festive, two dozen young musicians from Quartet Movement will be on hand to play holiday favorites. The free event is part of Space Coast Symphony’s Holiday for Everyone at The Avenue. Quartet Movement is the Symphony’s youth outreach program.
"The annual lighting of the Avenue Viera Christmas tree is starting to become a new holiday tradition for folks in Viera," said Aaron Collins, the Symphony’s artistic director and conductor.
For more information, call 855-252-7276 or visit SpaceCoastSymphony.org.
Life’s a Cocoa Beach Art Show
Thanksgiving weekend may hold plenty of turkey leftovers for most of us, but it also has the promise of plenty of art at the Cocoa Beach Art Show and Music Fest. In its 54th year, the event runs Friday through Sunday, Nov. 24 to 26, in downtown Cocoa Beach.
Music, street party and food will be available from 5:30 until 11 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 24. The art show runs from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday, but the music continues until 11 p.m. On Sunday, the art show and music begin at 10 a.m. and end at 5 p.m.
The festival features 150 artists from around the country competed for $15,000 in prizes. Admission is free.
For more information, see cocoabeachartshow.com.
Therefore, I create
Instead of fighting crowds at the mall, head to the Studios of Cocoa Beach to lift your spirits with “Therefore, I Create,” an exhibition of the Studios’ 33 artists. The exhibit will include painting, graphics, watercolor, photography, jewelry, pottery, fibers, basketry, sculpture and more.
The show, which dovetails the Cocoa Beach Art Show, includes refreshments and beachy bites from Coconuts on the Beach during the opening reception from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 24. View the art, vote for the People’s Choice award, indulge in leisurely holiday shopping and enter a free drawing for “Fantisea Fish in a Kelp Forest,” a work by Debbie Tweetie, the gallery’s November featured artist.
The gallery show runs through Jan. 19.
For more information on the show and the slate of classes, call 321-613-3480 or visit studiosofcocoabeach.org.
Sip, shop, repeat
Historic Cocoa Village invites you to Sip & Stroll while you Shop Small from 5 until 9 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 25. Sip & Stroll tickets, $20 in advance and $25 on the night of the event, entitle guests to a commemorative wine glass, a nifty Cocoa Village shopping bag and a map of participating merchants who will have wines, treats and special deals on unique gift items that evening.
The event is usually a sellout, so purchase tickets at Ossorio in the Village or online at Eventbrite.com (search "Sip and Stroll" in Cocoa).
Got questions? Call 321-749-3407.
Dino is back in town
Alfie Silva again unleashes his impressive inner Dean Martin at Melbourne Civic Theatre’s “Christmas with Dino,” which opens Friday, Nov. 24, and runs through Christmas Eve.
Under the direction of Peg Girard, Silva pays tribute to the legendary singer with a variety show designed to get you feeling warm and cozy.
Showtimes are 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sundays.
Tickets are $30. Purchase at 321-723-6935 or visit mymct.org.
Melbourne Civic Theatre is at 817 E. Strawbridge Ave., in the Galerie plaza in downtown Melbourne.
Going caroling
The Brevard Chorale and Vocal Choral Ensemble, all 60 of them, will sing “Carols Secular & Sacred” to kick off the holidays in two Brevard locations.
The first concert will be held at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 29, at the Community Church of the Great Outdoors RV-Nature & Golf Resort, 144 Plantation Drive, Titusville.
The group, led by James Boyles, will perform favorite secular Christmas carols followed by a sacred collection.
“Our holiday concert is filled with music that reminds us how special this time of year really is,” said Boyles.
Admission is free to the Titusville concert.
The second show will be at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 2, at Easter Florida State College’s Simpkins Fine Arts Auditorium, 1519 Clearlake Road, Cocoa.
Admission to the Cocoa concert is $10 for adults and $5 for students.
For more information, call 321-501-0833 or visit BrevardChorale.org.
Gravity-defying
The Eau Gallie Arts District will celebrate its Anti-Gravity Project with murals, music, food trucks, games and more from noon until 10 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 2, along Highland Ave.
A dozen-plus murals will be installed by local and international artists as well as community volunteers to help build an outdoor museum in the art district.
For more, see anti-gravityproject.com.
Email toastofthecoastfloridatoday@gmail.com.