Events
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FreeObserver Editor
Dressage Shows: Waterloo Hunt Club
MoreJuly 31–Aug. 2 & Aug. 13–16. Equine competition combining artistry and technical abilities highlighted by graceful freestyle routines set to music. No pets. Concessions. 8 a.m.–5 p.m., 11500 Glenn at Katz (west off Mount Hope Rd. from I-94 exit 150), Grass Lake. Free. [email protected].
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Observer Editor
35th Birthday Celebration: Sunday Artisan Market
More50+ local artisans, live music, food trucks, and more to celebrate 35 years of the Sunday Artisan Market, a juried market where artists and craftspeople show their work every Sunday, from April through the Sunday before Christmas. Work includes paintings, prints, ceramics, jewelry, woodcraft, drawings, candles, fabric & textile products, soap & personal care goods, repurposed items, and more. 11 a.m.–4 p.m., Kerrytown Farmers Market pavilion. Free admission. (734) 913-9622 (voicemail only), [email protected], sundayartisanmarket.org.
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Observer Editor
“Creature Encounters & Adult Open Hours”: The Creature Conservancy
MoreEvery Sat. & Sun. and Fri. Aug. 7 & 21. On Sat. and Sun., conservancy staffers present and give insights into some animals with superpowers, including an African crested porcupine, a three-banded armadillo, and a frilled dragon at 1 & 4 p.m., and an animal keeper shows a Gila monster at 2 & 3 p.m. During the Friday Adult Open Hours (age 18+ only), conservancy staffers show all four animals at 7:30 p.m. All tickets include a chance to see the conservancy’s other animals. Noon–5 p.m. (Sat. & Sun.) & 7–9 p.m. (Fri.), 4950 Ann Arbor–Saline Rd. $15 (kids ages 2–12, $13; under age 2, free) cash or credit at the door only. (734) 929–9324, thecreatureconservancy.org.
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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
“Hand-Sewing Marathon: Adorable Felt Ice Cream Cones”: Ann Arbor District Library
MoreCraft activity for adults & teens. Involves the use of sharp needles. 1–4:30 p.m., AADL Malletts Creek. Free. (734) 327–4200.
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DonationFreeObserver Editor
“Midsummer Greenway Delight Nature Walk”: Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy
MoreAll invited to join a naturalist to celebrate SMLC’s 28th anniversary by taking a 1.5-mile walk through LeFurge Nature Preserve’s 325 acres of diverse terrain, including rolling hills, wetlands, meadow, and woods. Dress for the weather. No pets. Refreshments and socializing start at 1:15 p.m. 2–3:45 p.m., park and meet at Conservancy Farm, 8383 Vreeland, Superior Twp. Free, donations welcome. (734) 482–5957, [email protected].
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FreeObserver Editor
Invited Artists’ Talk: WSG Gallery
MoreTalk by and discussion with several of the nine artists featured in the gallery’s Summer Invitational 2026 show (July 22–Aug. 29). The show includes work in a variety of media by 15 WSG member artists, along with 9 artists they’ve invited to join the exhibit. 2–4 p.m., WSG Gallery, 111 E. Ann. (734) 929–2621, wsg-art.com.
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Nightspots
“Ann Arbor/Ypsi Acoustic Jammers.”: Ypsi Alehouse
MoreYpsi Alehouse 124 Pearl, #100, Ypsilanti, YpsilantiAll acoustic musicians invited for an open mic followed by an hour of jamming. Participants welcome to bring chord-and-lyric sheets of any well-known song for the jam.
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FreeObserver Editor
Farmstead Tours: Pittsfield Township Historical Society
MoreGuided tours of the historic 1832 Sutherland-Wilson farmstead. Also, in the house, Somewhere in Time, an exhibit mounted by the Ann Arbor Modern Quilt Guild. 2–5 p.m., Sutherland-Wilson Farm, 797 W. Textile. Free. [email protected], pittsfieldhistory.org.
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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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FreeObserver Editor
“Megafauna Mystery”: U-M Museum of Natural History Discovery Demos
MoreEvery Sat. & Sun. Hands-on 20-minute family-oriented demo for kids age 5 & up that uses museum specimens to explore paleontology and what can be learned from giant bones and fossils. 12:30 & 2:30 p.m., 1105 North University. Free. (734) 764–0478, ummnh.org.
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FreeObserver Editor
A2 Summer Streets Music Series: Main Street Area Association
MoreEvery Thurs.–Sun., June 4–Sept. 28. Local musicians TBA perform at several locations along Main downtown. Rain cancels. 4 p.m. Thurs.–Sun., S. Main between E. Washington & W. William. For the complete lineup, go to mainstreetannarbor.org/a2-summer-streets. Free.
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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.
