Lake Norman Big Band plays in the Cornelius Concert Series Friday.

The unofficial first week of summer features plenty to do outside. Events include an outdoor movie at North Mecklenburg Park  in Huntersville Friday and a Davidson Concert on the Green Sunday with reggae band The Dickens. Ultra-marathoner and Davidson resident Jeff McGonnell will be running laps around the Village Green in Davidson for 24 hours in the 2nd annual “Loopy for a Cause,” to raise funds for Batten Disease research — he’s looking for runners to help in two-hour shifts. On Friday, Lake Norman Big Band plays at Mt. Zion United Methodist Church in Cornelius. And come celebrate the automobile with the comedy play festival “Car Craze” at Warehouse Performing Arts Center in Cornelius. Now in its second year, the festival opens Thursday and runs Thursdays through Saturdays through May 9.  And it’s graduation season:  Pine Lake Preparatory Upper School will have its ceremony in Mooresville Saturday.

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Mark Sutch as The Librarian in Glen Berger's "Underneath the Lintel"

Actor Mark Sutch of Davidson brings his self-produced one-man play “Underneath the Lintel: An Impressive Presentation of Lovely Evidences,” to the Warehouse Performing Arts Center in Cornelius this weekend. Meanwhile, we also have news of Davidson Community Players’ production of “Crazy for You” June 21-30 and about a “Summer Scene Study” workshop for young adults hosted by Davidson Community Players’ Connie Company. Read the full story

What’s your fancy this week? Interior design using items found at the Habitat ReStore? Local music, a choral concert or a bit of local history? Our calendar this week has them all. Highlights include the annual Town Day Road Race and Davidson Town Day as well as a day of music to honor the memory of Davidson Professor Robert Whitton, all Saturday in downtown Davidson. Cornelius library has an open house Wednesday. And the annual Charlotte Asian Festival and Dragon Boat Races is Saturday on Lake Norman in Cornelius. Read on for a full list of the week’s events.

Also, see our movie listings at right for Our Town Cinemas, where it’s your last chance to see “The Lucky One” and “Hunger Games,” and “The Avengers” hits the screen. Read the full story

Michael Reno Harrell plays outdoors at Mt. Zion United Methodist Church Sunday afternoon.

Lectures, fundraising road races, a dog-lovers’ Bark in the Park at Rural Hill, and an outdoor concert at Mt. Zion United Methodist Church are on the calendar across the area this week. Davidson College’s basketball players and alumni host their annual BUZZKILL fundraising 3-on-3 tourney, plus an evening party and other events, to fight malaria in Africa. On stage, Davidson College theater students continue their one-act play productions this weekend, and Davidson Community Players’ Connie Co. wraps up the run of “A Bear Called Paddington.” Read on for the details, or see our day-by-day calendar at right on this page.

See also the latest movie listings at Our Town Cinemas, on this page at right. On the schedule there: “The Lucky One,” a tale about a soldier returning from Iraq; “The Hunger Games” is still on view, along with “Three Stooges,” “American Reunion” and “Mirror Mirror.” Read the full story

A customized zucchini racer from last year's Zucchini 500 at Stewart-Haas Racing in Kannapolis. This year's event is Saturday, part of the NC Science Festival.

Davidson’s Art on the Green festival is back for another year, running Saturday and Sunday in downtown Davidson. This weekend also brings the season’s first Concert of the Green, a performance by the Davidson College Symphony and Jazz Ensemble on Sunday. The Jazz Ensemble also plays Friday, alongside Latin jazz composer arranger Bernardo Hernandez. The region’s Jewish community gathers at Davidson College Thursday night for Yom HaShoah, a Holocaust Remembrance ceremony. In Huntersville, get on your kilt for the 19th annual Rural Hill Scottish Festival and Loch Norman Highland Games. Saturday morning brings Earth Day activities in Cornelius and around Lake Norman, there’s a breakfast at Davidson Presbyterian Church and the Davidson Farmer’s Market is open until noon. Read on for the details, or see our day-by-day calendar at right on this page. Read the full story

Rixey Terry has the lead in "A Bear Called Paddington," opening this weekend at Davidson Community Players' Armour Street Theatre.

Davidson Community Players’ Connie Company youth theater group presents “A Bear Called Paddington” beginning this weekend, with 11-year-old Davidson Elementary fifth grader Rixey Terry leading a cast of local youth actors. (Interview below). Meanwhile, Davidson College also has theater on offer the next two weekends, in the annual one-act play series directed and produced by college seniors. Read on for details. Read the full story