Events
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FreeObserver Editor
Open Board Games: Sylvan Factory
MoreEvery Sun. All invited to play one of a wide variety of board games in a casual, friendly atmosphere. Instruction provided. Also, on Aug. 2, game playtesting with Michigame Design Lab (2 p.m.), during which players are invited to try out new board and card games from local designers Bruce Bielawa & Joe Hopkins and provide feedback. Noon–6 p.m., 2459 W. Stadium. Free. sylvanfactory.com.
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Community Listing
Free Laser Tag Day: Best In Games
More4095 Carpenter Rd, Ypsilanti, MI, United States, 48197, Ypsilanti
🎉 FREE Laser Tag Day is Here! 🎉
Celebrate the anniversary of our Guinness World Records achievement with us and enjoy FREE Laser Tag all day!
Bring your friends, experience the excitement, and be part of our record-breaking legacy. Arcade cards, day passes, and delicious food will be available for purchase in-store.Gather your crew and celebrate with us for an action-packed day!
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FreeObserver Editor
Michigame Design Lab Game Playtesting: Bløm Mead + Cider
MoreAll invited to try out new board and card games from local designers and provide feedback. 2–6 p.m., 100 S. Fourth Ave. Free, but purchase of food & drink encouraged. (734) 548–9729, drinkblom.com/events.
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Nightspots
Phil Ogilvie’s Rhythm Kings: Zal Gaz Grotto
MoreZal Gaz Grotto 2070 W. Stadium, Ann ArborLocal 10-piece big band led by tubaist Chris Smith that specializes in the old-time big band music of the late 1920s and early 1930s associated with Jelly Roll Morton and King Oliver.
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Observer Editor
“Tales from the Cryptid: An Improvised Urban Legend”: Hear.Say Brewing + Theater
MoreAug. 9 & 16. A fully unscripted one-act theatrical show about the appearance of a new cryptid that shakes up a small town. 6–7 p.m., 2350 W. Liberty. $15 in advance at heardotsay.com/events & $18 (if available) at the door.
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Community Listing
Braxton Cook: Blue LLama Jazz Club and Restaurant
More309 S. Main St., Ann Arbor
This event features live music from Braxton Cook, a vocalist, saxophonist, and multi-instrumentalist whose sound defies easy category, with Dinner & Show or Cover Only tickets available
A rising force in the space where jazz and R&B meet, Cook has built a devoted following across albums that blur genre lines with effortless grace, earning comparisons to the great soul-jazz hybrids. His latest release, “Not Everyone Can Go”, is his most personal and collaborative work yet with a warmth and sound that’s deeply alive. On the Blue LLama stage, Braxton Cook brings music that is soulful, intimate, and impossible to categorize.
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Nightspots
Braxton Cook: Blue LLama
MoreBlue LLama 314 S. Main, Ann ArborAcclaimed jazz vocalist & multi-instrumentalist whose music is a blend of hard-edged tightly-arranged contemporary jazz instrumentation and soaring 90s R&B–style vocals. “Cook stands at the crossroads of jazz and contemporary R&B, and the album thrives in that space,” writes Shatter the Standard in a review of his most recent album, Not Everyone Can Go. “It’s a deliberate blend he has pursued for years, and here he doubles down. The production balances in-the-pocket warmth—buttery keys, laid-back bass lines—with the spontaneity of a live session.” Dinner shows: 6 & 8 p.m. $85.
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Observer Editor
Ballroom Dance Club at the U-M
MoreEvery Sun. Ballroom dancing to recorded music, including foxtrots, waltzes, cha-chas, rumbas, tangos, swing, and more. No partner necessary. Preceded at 6 p.m. by beginning lessons and practice. 7–9 p.m., Michigan Union Ballroom. $5 ($10 includes lessons). (734) 763–6984.
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FreeObserver Editor
Traditional Irish Session: Conor O’Neill’s
MoreEvery Sun. All invited to join or listen to an instrumental jam session. 7–9 p.m., 318 S. Main. Free. (734) 665–2968.
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Nightspots
Unkle Lay Lee & the Moonshine All-Stars: Old Town
MoreOld Town 122 W. Liberty, Ann ArborLocal quintet led by vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Gray Motsinger that plays an eclectic brand of outlaw country with punk, funk, and rock influences.
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Nightspots
American Patchwork Quartet: Ark
MoreArk 316 S. Main, Ann ArborRoots music ensemble led by Hindustani classical vocalist Falu Shah and veteran guitarist & arranger Clay Ross, best known as the frontman of the acclaimed Gullah group Rank Tanky. Its music is a forward-thinking homage to America’s past with an eclectic blend of Appalachian folk, gospel, and Indian classical music that one Mix Magazine reviewer calls “a breathtaking confluence of heritage roots, jazz, and world music influences.” $29.
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Nightspots
“The Sunday Circle.”: Ziggy’s
MoreZiggy’s 206 W. Michigan Ave., Ypsilanti, YpsilantiA set by a house band led by local jazz trumpeter Ingrid Racine. Followed by an open mic for vocalists, instrumentalists (including electronic), MCs, & poets.
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Nightspots
Jazz Jam Session: Ann Arbor Funhouse
MoreAnn Arbor Funhouse 207 E. Washington., Ann ArborJazz ensemble led by Kenji Lee, a local saxophonist whose expressive brand of jazz draws on Japanese folk music, Western classical music, and punk.
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FreeObserver Editor
“The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie”: Michigan Theater
MoreFilm screenings every day. Tickets $11.75 unless otherwise noted (children under 12, students, seniors age 65 & older, and U.S. veterans, $9.75; Marquee Arts members, $8) in advance online (recommended) & at the door. For updated schedule, see marquee-arts.org/calendar.
Aug. 16: “The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie” (Stephen Hillenburg, 2004). Animated undersea adventure based on the popular Nickelodeon cartoon, about a happy-go-lucky oddball sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea. FREE with preregistration at marquee-arts.org/calendar. 11 a.m.
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FreeObserver Editor
“Independence Lake Gravel Ride”: Ann Arbor Bicycle Touring Society
MoreEvery Mon. Slow/moderate-paced 23-mile ride to Independence Lake on mostly dirt roads. See aabts.org for weather cancelations or delays. 9 a.m. sharp, meet at Old St. Patrick Catholic Church, 5671 Whitmore Lake Rd. Free. (412) 302–9960.
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Observer Editor
Duplicate Bridge: Ann Arbor Senior Center
MoreEvery Mon. & Thurs. Play open to all skill levels age 18 & up, both non-sanctioned (Mon.) and ACBL-sanctioned (Thurs.). Noon–3:30 p.m. (Thurs., $9) & 12:30–3:30 p.m. (Mon., $5); $1–$2 less for AASC members. 1320 Baldwin. (734) 794–6250, a2gov.org/senior, annarborbridge.com.
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FreeObserver Editor
“Adult Art & Nature: Sun Prints”: Ann Arbor Parks & Recreation
MoreAdults invited to learn the technique of cyanotype printing by gathering local plants and using other found objects to make unique works of art with guidance from local artist Cheryl Boc-Chidester. No experience necessary; all materials provided. 5–7 p.m., Ann Arbor Senior Center, 1320 Baldwin. Free, preregistration required at tinyurl.com/a2parksrec or (734) 794–6250. [email protected].
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FreeObserver Editor
Group Runs: Ann Arbor Running Company (AARC)
MoreEvery Sat., Mon., & Thurs. (different AARC locations). Runners of all abilities invited to join either a beginner or advanced group run (Sat.) or a 5K mapped route (Thurs. & Mon.). AARC Traver Village (7 a.m. Sat.), 901 W. Eisenhower; Corner Brewery (6 p.m. Mon.), 720 Norris, Ypsi; and AARC Colonnade (6 p.m. Thurs.), 2621 Plymouth Rd. Free. annarborrunningcompany.com.
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FreeObserver Editor
Group Ride: Ann Arbor Velo Club
MoreEvery Mon. Moderate-paced 20-mile ride to Dexter and back, often with a rest stop along the way. Riders must wear a helmet and bring water and supplies to fix a flat tire. 6 p.m. (nonmembers must come 10 minutes early to sign a club waiver), Barton Nature Area, 1010 W. Huron River Dr. Free. annarborveloclub.org.
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FreeObserver Editor
“Beginner Needle Felting: Cat Roll”: Ann Arbor District Library
MoreAdults and teens invited to learn needle felting basics, then make a burrito-cat, cat-roll, or tater-tot-shaped feline to take home. Involves the use of sharp needles. This craft will take the entire time to complete. 6–7:30 p.m., AADL Downtown, 4th fl. Free. (734) 327–4200.
