The unofficial kick off of summer, Memorial Day weekend, is right around the corner.  You’re planning to enjoy a little time away from work, celebrating what it means to be an American.  Bring on the brats, beverages, and burgers! In between those cookouts we have some great events for you to check out that weekend.

Start your holiday weekend a little early with these events on Friday:

“Hotel California: A Salute to the Eagles” at Foellinger Outdoor Theater.  You’ll be singing along with your favorite hits like “Get over it”, “Take it Easy” and “Hotel California”.  Tickets are just $13.

Tincaps take on South Bend Silver Hawks.  Go for the game and stay for the fireworks that light up the downtown sky. The first pitch will be thrown at 7:05 at Parkview Field.  Tickets start at $5.

“Wild Minds: What Animals Really Think” will give you and your kids insight into what your pets are thinking. This exhibit takes place at Science Central and runs from April 19 – September 8.  Admission starts at $7.

Enjoy the first day of your long weekend with these events on Saturday:

Fort4Fitness CycleFest provides a family-friendly environment for bicycle riders to enjoy the sights of Fort Wayne. Events will start from One Summit Square and will offer 3 different distances for riders to choose from.  Cost is $30 for adults and $15 for children ages 7-12.

Take in the arts with exhibits at various museums and galleries around Fort Wayne.  The 33^rd Annual National Print Exhibition and the HALO Project and Ceramic Wall Work exhibit will both take place at Artlink Contemporary Art Gallery.  Additional exhibits include Live2Love at Northside Galleries and Afros: A Celebration of Natural Hair by Michael July at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art.

Honor our troops and veterans at the Amateur Radio Military Appreciation Day (ARMAD) “A Tribute to Those Who Serve” at Parkview Memorial Regional Hospital Park.  The event will take place from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.  The public is welcome

If you’re not exhausted from Friday and Saturday, check out these events on Sunday:

Butterflies with an African Beat is at the Botanical Conservatory.  This event runs from April 13-June 7 and is sure to mesmerize visitors.  Admission starts at $3

And of course, be sure to celebrate Memorial Day with a Parade on Monday.

The Memorial Day parade and Ceremony will begin at the corner of State and Parnell at approximately 11 a.m. and end at the Coliseum.  Enjoy this great parade and honor those who have served our great country.

For information on these events, and many more, please check out our detailed Calendar of Events online!

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ACT NOW!
AS OF PRESS TIME, ONLY A FEW SINGLE SEATS REMAIN FOR THIS SOON-TO-BE SOLD OUT SHOW!

Fort Wayne’s War Memorial Coliseum continues to feature the best that popular country music has to offer. If you missed Jason Aldean or Zac Brown you can make up for it by catching country music star Carrie Underwood. On April 14, 2013, at 7:30 p.m. the coliseum will be rocking to the sounds of five-time Grammy winner. Ms. Underwood is touring in support of her fourth studio album, Blown Away.

Blown Away features fourteen new songs ranging from the rocking anthem “Good Girl” to the message piece “Blown Away,” as well as tropical tunes such as “One Way Ticket.” This album is characterized the singer’s most “ambitious.”

Ms. Underwood has sold more than 15 million albums and is known for her talented vocals and high energy performances. Her awards are many and include three Country Music Association female vocalists awards, the two Academy of Country Music entertainer of the year trophies, and she is a member of the Grand Ole Opry.

The tour also features Hunter Hayes whose tune “Somebody’s Heartbreak” is moving up the Billboard Hot 100 country music chart. Mr. Hayes was the Country Music Associations’ best new artist in 2012.

Get your tickets and cowboy boots ready for an evening of country music at its best! Visit www.ticketmaster.com to snag one of those few remaining seats!

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Get ready to let your hair down and take your shoes off. The artist known for his laid-back, summertime-loving anthems returns to Fort Wayne, Indiana once again this spring. The one and only country music star — Kenny Chesney.

Chesney brings his “No Shoes Nation Tour” to the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum on Thursday, May 16. The show includes special guests the Eli Young Band and Kacey Musgraves.

Showtime is 7 p.m. Chesney’s tours are incredibly popular and most of his shows do sell out! Don’t hesitate to buy tickets now for the best seats available! Tickets start at $25 each and go up to $79.50 each, depending on seating. They can be purchased in person at the Memorial Coliseum Ticket Office or online via Ticketmaster.com or at any Ticketmaster outlet.

Chesney’s national tour kicked off this week in Florida and is sure to be a crowd pleaser. Due to the popularity of Chesney’s shows they are only held at very large venues. Fort Wayne is fortunate to be one of the few chosen cities for this 2013 tour! The Memorial Coliseum and box office are located at 4000 Parnell Avenue on the city’s northside. For more information call 260.482.9502.

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Over the last couple years, I’ve written about a number of musical acts who have performed here in Fort Wayne, acts I was really excited to see. Most recently, I’ve covered Journey, Matchbox Twenty, the Avett Brothers,  Kid Rock, and Carrie Underwood. But I have to tell you, the show I am – out of all the shows I’ve written about – the most excited to see is Barry Manilow. He’ll be performing live at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum on Thursday, April 18, 2013.

Awesome.

Whenever I write event posts, I like to include enough information for the reader to make an informed decision about whether to attend, like a personal experience or some historical context. I try to make a case for why someone should go to this concert or that festival. I don’t have a particular logic for this one, though. I just think Barry Manilow is awesome. Genuinely, unironically awesome. Always have. Seriously, show me someone who’s written a better song about a crazy drunken former showgirl whose boyfriend was murdered. You can’t, can you? I didn’t think so.

It’s funny. In my Kid Rock post, I noted that I’m at the tail end of the “TRL generation” (read: old). For this show, I’m at the other end – I’d guess I’ll be one of the younger fans in attendance. And I think that movement along the musical spectrum really speaks to the beautiful agelessness of music. I’ve never let my age steer me toward or away from a particular kind of music. Because of that, some of the music I listen to makes me feel old. Some of it makes me feel young. But it always makes me feel alive.

Barry Manilow is truly one of the greatest living performers. Don’t miss your chance to see him. Tickets are still available and range in price from $7.99 (that’s not a typo) to $127.99 (additional fees may apply). Check out www.barrymanilow.com or www.ticketmaster.com for more information.

AND – YOU CAN WIN TICKETS! CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TO WIN!

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I can’t really tell you much about the artists who’ve found success on American Idol the past few seasons, but I was a fan in the early going. There were a lot of standout performances during those first few seasons but only a handful I can still remember.

• Clay Aiken singing Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water,”
• Ruben Studdard singing The Carpenters’ “Superstar,”
• Fantasia Barrino singing “Summertime” from the Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, and
• Carrie Underwood singing Heart’s “Alone,” the performance that proved that, win or lose, she was a star (spoiler alert: she won)

Get Blown Away by Carrie Underwood

Eight years after being crowned the Idol winner, Carrie Underwood is one of country music’s – and, well, music’s – brightest stars (she just won a Grammy for Best Solo Country Performance, her sixth overall). Carrie returns to Fort Wayne, Indiana, on her Blown Away Tour, performing live at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum on Sunday, April 14, 2013.

In my post on the Avett Brothers, I talked about the changes the world of country music has gone through over the last several years. I mentioned stars like Taylor Swift, a country act who has crossed over into pop music (see this year’s Grammy performance as proof). Carrie Underwood is another such artist. Even if you aren’t a fan of country music, I guarantee you’ve heard some of her songs, “Jesus, Take the Wheel” and “Before He Cheats” among them. Sure, they’re country hits, but they work as straight-up pop songs. And without that pop sensibility, I think it’s unlikely that she would have won Idol. But she did, and music is better for it.

Come see The Blown Away tour when it – ahem – blows into Fort Wayne in April. The show also features rising country star Hunter Hayes. Tickets range in price from $41.50 to $61.50 (additional fees may apply). See www.carrieunderwoodofficial.com or www.ticketmaster.com for more details.

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