The Tennessean – No plans for your weekend in Nashville? No worries, once again Things to Do Nashville has a best list for your consideration Friday-Sunday, April 7-9, 2017. Be sure to download our free Things to do Nashville app from the App Store or Google Play, like us at Facebook.com/ThingstodoNashville and on Twitter @ThingstodoNash.
1. See the spider monkeys, visit Nashville Zoo
The showcase of the monkey species, native to Central America’s rainforests, is one part of an effort by the Nashville Zoo at Grassmere to focus heavily on conservation of threatened animals. It’s also the first monkey species to be housed at the zoo in over four years. Visit the zoo between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. every day.
The zoo is located at 3777 Nolensville Pike. Admission is $16. Children under 2 are free; children 2-12 are $11 and adults 65 and up are $14.
2. Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival, Saturday
The Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival is from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Public Square Park.
The event includes an Artist Avenue, exhibitors, cultural performances and lectures, Japanese and Japanese-style vendors at the Ginza Marketplace plus more. Learn more at www.nashvillecherryblossomfestival.org.
This is a free event.
3. Dance to your soul’s content at Third Man Records, Saturday
NY Night Train Soul Clap and Dance-off with DJ Jonathan Toubin and a live set from The Nude Party starts at 10 p.m. and will end by 4 a.m.
This is a fun soul party, so put on your dancing shoes to the “sweaty 60s soul 45 magik” of Toubin. The dance contest will be judged by Brer Sunshine of The Black Gold Historical Society (first prize is $100).
The Blue Room at Third Man Records is located at 623 7th Avenue S.
Tickets are $10.
4. East Nashville Beer Fest, Saturday
Check out the East Nashville Beer Festival presented by 3 Crow Bar in East Park. This event is for those 21 and up. Enjoy a variety of Belgian and import beers courtesy of Woodland Wine Merchant, plus a music lineup curated by The Basement East and Grimey’s Record Store.
The festival begins at noon and ends at 5 p.m.
East Park is located at 700 Woodland St.
Tickets are between $20 and $100 and are available on Eventbrite.
5. Poetry reading at Refinery Nashville, Saturday
The Porch hosts Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib for a reading and poetry workshop. Local poets Ciona Rouse and Dan Hoy will open. Willis-Abdurraqib is a poet, essayist and cultural critic from Columbus, Ohio.
The event goes from 6-8 p.m.
Refinery Nashville is located at 438 Houston St. Suite 263 in Nashville.
6. Nashville Vegfest, Saturday and Sunday
Nashville Vegfest is a nonprofit that promotes plant-based, healthy and cruelty free lifestyle. They also encourage sustainability and minimal environmental impact.
Children 15 and under are free.
Single day pass is $10. Weekend pass is $15. Processing fees on Eventbrite range from $1.49-$1.74.
7. Check out the Nashville outdoor rec fest and expo, Saturday
The Seventh Annual Nashville Outdoor Recreation Festival and Expo is at Bells Bend Park from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
It’ll be a great opportunity to check out the latest outdoor equipment.
Free to attend.
8. Ragin’ Cajun Crawfish Boil, Saturday
The Nashville tradition hosted by the Nashville Junior Chamber is the largest of its kind with all-you-can-eat crawfish, Louisiana-style sides, premium beer and live music from 4 to 9 p.m. Expect more than 2,000 at this event at Cumberland Park’s riverfront and listen to live music. There will be more than 4,000 pounds of crawfish, 80 kegs of beer and Nashville’s hottest local bands. Proceeds go to Greenways for Nashville and the junior chamber.
Tickets range from $4.95 to $79.95.
9. Sista Strut 3k Walk at Centennial Park, Saturday
The Sista Strut is a 3K breast cancer awareness walk dealing with its impact on women of color.
African American women in the US have a 41 percent higher death rate from breast cancer than Caucasian women, according to stats provided by the Susan G. Komen foundation.
The event is at 10 a.m.
For more information visit racesonline.com/events/sista-strut-nashville.
$25 per person, $30 per team.
10. Fundraise for food insecurity, Saturday
The Little Pantry That Could hosts a fundraiser for the nonprofit’s building fund with “The Little Pantry’s Big Adventure” a two-hour scavenger hunt, where teams of five will compete to find clues and perform stunts around Nashville, with the winning team receiving a large prize package.
The aim is to get a new building, help families and allow for a wider variety of food to be distributed. The Little Pantry That Could currently works out of the 600-square-foot basement of The McGruder Family Resource Center. Each week, it serves 200 families and provides up to 13,000 pounds of food.
“It’s been extremely difficult serving such a large number of people with the small space we have,” said Stacy Downey, director at The Little Pantry That Could. “We hope that — through team registrations and corporate sponsors from The Little Pantry’s Big Adventure — we’ll be one step closer to affording a space that fits our needs.”
Team check in is at 1 with the scavenger hunt following at 2 p.m. and afterparty beginning at 5 p.m. The event takes place at Springwater Supper Club and Lounge, 115 27th Ave. N. in Nashville.
Corporate sponsorships and donor opportunities are available. Event participants must be 18 years or older and should visit www.thelittlepantrythatcould.org for more information.
$250 team registration fee.
11. Enjoy Nashville violinists in concert, Friday
The Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University will present Serafin String Quartet and Blair String Quartet in a joint performance at 8 p.m.
The two Quartets share close ties through violinist, Kate Ransom, and Blair String Quartet violinist, Cornelia Heard. Both musicians studied together through high school at the Blair Academy, precursor of Vanderbilt’s Blair School of Music, and both are alumni of the University School of Nashville.
The collaborative performance is part of an exchange partnership between the two Quartets and culminates a week of master classes led by Serafin String Quartet at Vanderbilt University. In the fall of 2017, the Blair String Quartet will visit the University of Delaware, where the Serafin String Quartet serves as Quartet in Residence, for similar activities.
The concert program features the Serafins playing quartets by Haydn (Op. 77#1 in G Major) and Mendelssohn (Op. 44#1 in D Major), and they will join the Blair String Quartet on the second half of the program for Mendelssohn’s famed Octet for Strings.
The performance is at Turner Recital Hall at Blair School of Music, Vanderbilt University, 2400 Blakemore Ave.
(Turner Recital Hall is located inside the front entrance of Blair School of Music.)
Parking for Blair events is sometimes available in the West Garage which is located directly across from Ingram Hall.
Free.
12. Enjoy Nashville Fashion Week through Saturday
NFW is in its seventh year and kicked off April 4. Proceeds benefit the Nashville Fashion Forward Fund which is managed by the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. This year’s fund winner is photographer Brett Warren.
Friday the theme is “Ready-to-Wear Runway Shows” at BMI; recording artist Erin McCarley will kick off the show of experienced designers such as NFW regular Lagi Nadeau (Chicago); Fauxgerty (St. Louis) vegan line; Shea Steele (Brooklyn), founder of Nashville’s Local Honey; Michael Drummond (St. Louis) from Project Runway and Patrick Assaraf (Canada), Levy’s.
The Fashion Forward Gala follows on Saturday: with a performance from Shelly Covin and speeches from Butch Spyridon and Natalie Chanin of Alabama Chanin plus much more.
All NFW ticket holders receive free admission to the Frist Center for the Visual Arts through April 16 to see the exhibit of iconic fashion photographer Irving Penn: Beyond Beauty.
Gala sales are now closed. To inquire about the waiting list, contact Amy Fair at afair@cfmt.org or 615-321-4939 ext.102.
Reach digital producer Tabitha Waggoner at twaggoner@tennessean.com, 615-664-2167 and on Twitter @hAfrolocks.