The American Legion will hold a memorial at the Cambria American Legion Flag Memorial at 11am on Memorial Day May 30. The public is invited.
The Post 432 Sons of the Legion squadron will hold a BBQ open to the public following the memorial service.
Enjoy a day of live music, food, drinks and fun while supporting the SLO Food Bank during Hunger Awareness Day. The 2nd Annual Good Fruit: A SLO Food Bank Benefit Concert takes place May 29 from 1p.m. – 8 p.m. on the SLO Brew Rock Main Stage and will feature a headlining set of music with the Damon Castillo Band with support sets from Carbon City Lights, Resination and the Shawn Clark Family Band.
All ticket revenue goes directly to the SLO Food Bank to help provide nutritious and wholesome meals to neighbors in need. The prices are as $30 for general admission and does not include food and drinks and $75 for
VIP ticket including food, drinks and a special viewing area.
•••
By the Sea Productions, Morro Bay’s live theater company, presents “Church & State” by Jason Odell Williams, the last of a series of four staged readings.
After a school shooting, a senator, in the middle of his re-election campaign, begins to question his stance on guns and God, upsetting his wife and his campaign manager. Sometimes funny, sometimes shocking, this play is non-judgmental but definitely thought provoking.
“Church & State” is directed by Janice Peters and features Daniel Freeman, Kristen Saunders, Nicolette Tempesta, Sam Gottlieb, Jatzibe Sandoval, and Sonya Jackson. It runs one weekend only, May 27-29, at 545 Shasta Ave. Tickets are $15 at bytheseaproductions.org or call 805-776-3287. A photo ID and proof or full COVID-19 vaccination is required.
Join the first ever weekend-long SLO Pride Festival Laguna Lake Park May 20 – 22. This event is a fundraiser for Gala Pride & Diversity Center. Their mission is supporting and empowering people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and expressions in order to strengthen and unite our Central Coast Community.
The weekend starts Friday night with an all ages drag show, Hosts of the Coast Queens and rolls right into Saturday and Sunday with a full music line up on the main stage and a new DJ Sound stage. Activities happen all weekend in the Kids Area, Teen Lounge and Family Game Zone. Also included are interactive art, selfie stations, photo booths, food trucks, Central Coast Brewery, wine, vendors, community resource outreach and an art show.
Pets are not allowed. All events excluding the Friday Night Drag Show, are free. For more details, a schedule of activities and to purchase tickets to the drag show, go to SLOPride.com
•••
The Cal Poly Wind Bands’ Spring Concert, “Sounds of Color,” is 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 27, in Miossi Hall of the Performing Arts Center. It is the season finale of the Wind Ensemble and Wind Orchestra.
The title “Sounds of Color” is inspired by composer Robert Russell Bennett’s “Suite of Old American Dances,” which will be performed by the Wind Orchestra. Bennett’s inspiration was attending an amusement park as a child and hearing the sounds around him.
The Wind Orchestra will also perform William Grant Still’s “Fanfare for American Heroes,” Katahj Copley’s “Wildheart,” and Nicole Piunno’s “Image of Truth.”
The Wind Ensemble will perform Dmitri Shostakovich’s “Festive Overture” and a suite of five selections from John Williams’ film scores from the original “Star Wars” trilogy.
Tickets are $15 and 20 for the public and $10 for students. Event parking is sponsored by the Performing Arts Center. Tickets are sold at the Cal Poly Ticket Office between noon and 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. To order by phone, call 805-SLO-4TIX (805-756-4849).
•••
Clark Center for the Performing Arts presents Perondi’s Stunt Dog Experience Sat., May 21, 3-5 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. Chris Perondi and his incredibly talented and well-trained troupe of dogs bring the ultimate stunt dog experience to the Clark Center featuring amazing tricks, high jumps, sensational stunts, cute comedy, and dancing doggies. Tickets are $20-$35 and are available at clarkcenter.org.
•••
Join free Qi Gong Classes at the Cayucos Library. Learn slow, flowing qi gong movements and meditations with certified qi gong instructor Devin Wallace at the Cayucos Library at 310 B St. in Cayucos. The free drop-in classes begin at 10 a.m. every Wednesday in June.
Wallace, teaches basics of qi gong particularly beneficial for older adults. He has also trained with leading masters Mantak Chia, Mingtong Gu, Ken Cohen and Michael Winn.
Call the Cayucos Library at 805-995-3312 for more information.
•••
Cal Poly’s Jazz Ensemble and Vocal Jazz Ensemble presents the Spring Jazz Concert at 7:30 Saturday, May 28, in Spanos Theatre.
The concert celebrates the digital release of the Vocal Jazz Ensemble’s new single, “Sunlight,” which is an arrangement by Cal Poly Director of Jazz Studies Arthur White of a tune by Esperanza Spalding. Music major and vocalist Danna Dumandan and Grammy award-winning drummer Gregg Bissonette are featured on the recording, and White performs the other instruments. The single will be available from streaming music services the week of May 23 and is part of a full album that is scheduled to be released in the fall.
New, original music by Jazz Ensemble members Bryce Yuen and Wyatt Willard will be premiered. Yuen, a materials engineering major, composed “Stay at Home,” and Willard, a music major, composed “Big Fish.” The big band also features music major and vocalist Mady Frei.
The groups will also perform music by Bob Mintzer, Stephen Sondheim, John Clayton, Charles Mingus and others.
Tickets are $20 for the public and $10 for students and Jazz Federation members. Event parking is sponsored by the PAC. Tickets are available at the Cal Poly Ticket Office between noon and 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. To order by phone, call 805-SLO-4TIX (805-756-4849).
There is still a chance to see Cuesta College’s nationally renowned Theatre Arts Department’s presentation of the Tony Award-winning musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at the Harold J. Miossi Cultural and Performing Arts Center (CPAC) through May 22. The heartfelt musical comedy celebrates the triumphs and tragedies of adolescence as a group of six ragtag pre-teens (all played by adults) compete in a spelling bee. Pandemonium ensues as they vie for the top spot and spell their way to nationals. The high-stakes competition puts each contestant at the mic and in the spotlight as we learn about their hilarious and touching stories.
Remaining shows are May 19 and 20 at 8 p.m. and May 21 and 22 at 2 and 8 p.m. The show has a run time of 90 minutes with no intermission and contains some PG-13 humor. General admission tickets are $20 plus processing fees and $15 for students. Tickets may be purchased online at tickets.cuesta.edu or the box office one hour before the performance.
The SLOFunny Comedy Show is a monthly comedy show held on the last Saturday of the month. Starting May 28, the SLOFunny Comedy Show takes place at the Veterans Memorial Building in Morro Bay with shows at 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. For more information and Show lineups, go to facebook.com/slofunny.
The May 28 show is hosted by Jay Washington who is featured this month at the Netflix Is A Joke Festival and can be seen opposite Channing Tatum in “Dog.”
The headliner is Dave De Vito. Dave was voted Best of the Fest at the SLO Comedy Festival. He is also a master of misdirection as corporate magician and World Series Poker player.
Tickets for the show are available on Eventbrite.
The Cal Poly Music Department’s student production ensemble RSVP presents “RSVP XXVII: Multimedia Showcase” at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, May 31 and June 2, in the Pavilion of the Performing Arts Center.
Students from the music department’s sound design classes have collaborated with members of the Composition Forum Club, a group dedicated to learning about music composition; dancers from the theatre and dance department; and guest visual artists to premiere original interdisciplinary works for fixed and live interactive media.
This year’s production will deliver a multi-stylistic experience with the theme of “The Myriad.”
Tickets are $20 general, $10 students and can be purchased from the Cal Poly Ticket Office between noon and 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. To order by phone, call 805-SLO-4TIX (805-756-4849). Event parking is sponsored by the PAC.
Send your event listing at least three weeks in advance to Editor@EsteroBayNews.com. Make sure to include the who, what, why, where and when of the event and contact information. Please, type out in paragraph form rather than attaching flyers.
