Start your weekend Thursday by cooling off for a good cause. Ben & Jerry’s and the  Red Cross  are teaming up with WBTV for their “Give a Pint, Get a Pint” blood drive. Donate blood and you’ll get free ice cream plus a coupon for a free pint. Listen to the sounds of the band Heartbeat and Rare Form on Friday night, as Mooresville hosts an open-air rock show at John Franklin Moore Park. There’s more live music Friday night (and Saturday night): Visit Campania or Summit Coffee or Galway Hooker Pub for live shows. Start early Saturday morning with the Lake Norman Excursion bike ride and running races. A  5K run starts at 7 a.m., followed at  8 a.m. with 40-, 60- and 100-mile rides around the Lake Norman area. Or tour the grounds at the Latta Plantation site during Saturday’s Living History event. If you miss Thursday’s blood drive, other drives are Sunday — at The Bridge Church of the Nazarene in Mooresville and Regal Theaters Birkdale 16. Live music continues Saturday night when Jewish Council of Lake Norman presents singer-songwriter Batsheva in concert at St. Alban’s in Davidson. And on Sunday night, The Backbeat Beatles tribute band plays a Davidson Concert on the Green.

“The Amazing Spider Man” has joined “Magic Mike” and “Brave” this week at Our Town Cinemas in Davidson. Movie showtimes are on this page at the right.

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The Backbeat

The Backbeat will bring the classic tunes of The Beatles to the Davidson Village Green this Sunday, July 15, from 6-8 p.m. The Chapel Hill-based tribute band plays the Beatles and other 1960s rock-and-roll, in a show aimed at alla ges. Besides hits from the Fab Four, they play other hits from The Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry, The Kinks and more. Read the full story

This second week of July offers events that will get you outside — though not necessarily in the heat of the day. Cornelius offers “Dolphin Tale” on Wednesday night as part of its outdoor movies series, while on Friday night the bands “Heartbeat” and “Rare Form” perform in Mooresville in the latest free open-air rock shows. On Saturday, Latta Plantation is hosting a living history day, where you can take tour sand see back-country life skills demonstrations. End up your weekend outdoors with a concert on the Davidson green featuring “The Backbeat” Beatles tribute.   If you prefer to stay indoors, however, there’s still plenty to do. Library summer programs are in full swing, blood drives will be held at area Ben & Jerry’s and at Birkdale Village, and various public boards and commissions will be meeting  — including the Cornelius Planning Board, the Lake Norman Marine Commission  and the Cornelius PARC Commission. And don’t forget a siren test by the Duke Energy’s McGuire Nuclear Station at 11:50 a.m. Wednesday.

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The holiday is past, the fireworks spent, and the summer is now in full swing. Whatcha got planned this weekend? There’s lots of live music around town, a Beer and Chocolate tasting at Davidson Beverage Co., and an International Antiques & Collectibles Show all weekend at the Metrolina Expo. Davidson Farmer’s Market returns Saturday, where you’ll also be able to offer the town of Davidson feedback on local street designs. Meanwhile, there’s a 5K race Saturday in Huntersville, and the local Habitat for Humanity ReStores have document shredding events Saturday. Read on for the full schedule.

On the big screen this weekend, it’s summer movie season. “The Amazing Spider Man” has joined “Magic Mike” and “Brave” this week at Our Town Cinemas in Davidson. Movie showtimes are on this page at the right. Read the full story

What are your plans for Independence Day? Celebrations in our area begin Tuesday, July 3, and continue through the 4th, offering many ways to enjoy fun and, of course, fireworks. More than 20,000 people are expected at the area’s biggest celebration, Tuesday night at Lowe’s YMCA in Mooresville. Apart from Independence Day, there’s also plenty going on play “Garden Party” continues its run at Warehouse Performing Arts Center in Cornelius. And there’s live music at local venues including Summit Coffee and Flatiron Kitchen. Read on for the full schedule. Read the full story

Shaggie Maggie plays Sunday on the Davidson Green.

The last weekend of June in the Lake Norman area includes two “Celebrate America” outdoor symphony concerts that wind up with fireworks – in Kannapolis Friday and Bailey Park Cornelius on Saturday. A pair of theatrical productions can be seen on local stages: “Garden Party: The Adventures of Adam & Eve” at Warehouse PAC in Cornelius, a new comedy combining writings of Mark Twain, George Bernard Shaw, John Milton and nursery rhymes, and Davidson Community Players’ “Crazy for You” at Davidson College, a musical comedy by George and Ira Gershwin. Listen to live local music at Campania Cafe and Summit Coffee. There’s sailing, music and fireworks over the water Saturday and Sunday during the Independence Day Regatta at the Lake Norman Yacht Club. And the next Davidson Concert on the Green is coming up Sunday, as part of the town’s Independence Day celebration. It begins with a a small-town parade from McEver Fields to the Green, then the sounds of the variety band Shaggie Maggie.

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