By Catharine Hadley, Arts and Entertainment Editor, catharinehadley@gmail.com

The theme of this column is "trying new things." I'm happy to be starting this new project of writing the entertainment column for Leisure Living Magazine! I've done all I could to make the entertainment listing complete and varied, so there should be something for everyone. Although I've done my best to make sure all the information is accurate, please go online or call ahead to confirm your plans.

Any suggestions and details of your upcoming events can be sent to me at catharinehadley@gmail.com.

August

Through Aug. 26 - "Hamilton," KeyBank State Theatre, Playhouse Square, Cleveland

Through Sept. 30 - FRONT International: Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art presents "An American City: Eleven Cultural Exercises." Museums, civic institution, and alternative spaces across Cleveland, Akron, and Oberlin will host performances and works by area-based artists. Visit frontart.org for more information.

Through Nov. 15 - Celebrating Libbey Glass, 1818-2018, Toledo Museum of Art

Through Jan. 13, 2019 - Rebecca Louise Law: Community, site-specific installation using thousands of plants and flowers native to the region, Toledo Museum of Art

Through May 27, 2019 - World War I exhibit, Hayes Presidential Library and Museums

13-18 - Huron County Fair

14 - Lakeside Symphony Orchestra closing night concert with guest conductor Michael Chertok and pianist Dror Biran

Aug. 16 - Third Thursday Music, Flowers, and a Sunset, downtown Vermilion

Aug. 16-19 - Northwest Ohio Rib Off featuring performances by Morris Day on Friday, Michael McDonald on Saturday, and Lee Brice on Sunday, Lucas County Rec Center, Maumee

Aug. 16-19 - "Crack the Code: Genetics Weekend," Imagination Station

Aug. 17 - Jazz @ 8 presents "A Girl Singer: Tribute to Rosemary Clooney," Sandusky State Theatre

Aug. 17 - All Classics car and boat festival, Huron Boat Basin

Aug. 17 - Firefly Nights, downtown Bowling Green

Aug. 17-19 - Bellevue Society for the Arts Children's Theatre presents "Aesop, Come Back!"

Aug. 18 - Herman's Hermits featuring Peter Noone, Hoover Auditorium, Lakeside

Aug. 18 - Cooke-Dorn House Museum's Antique Appraisal Fair, downtown Sandusky

Aug. 18 - Founders' Day Parade, part of the Sandusky bicentennial celebration, downtown Sandusky

Aug. 18 - Big Splash Raffle benefitting Sandusky Maritime Museum

Aug. 19 - Elks Lodge 1718 Cruise In, Port Clinton

Aug. 19 - Firelands Symphony Orchestra presents Sandusky Bicentennial Free Concert featuring guest vocalist Dan May, Sandusky Bay Pavilion

Aug. 20 - Erie County Chamber of Commerce Golf Classic, Plum Brook Country Club

Aug. 21 - Historic Walking Tour of the Jamestown Area of Marblehead, Marblehead Peninsula Public Library

Aug. 21 - Michael Shirtz Quartet presents "Blue Skies," Hoover Auditorium, Lakeside

Aug. 22 - Verandah Concert series presents North Coast Big Band performing World War II-era music, Hayes Presidential Library and Museums

Aug. 23 - Fourth Thursday ARTWalk, downtown Port Clinton

Aug. 23 - Brass Band of the Firelands, Hoover Auditorium, Lakeside

Aug. 24 - McGuffey Lane, Hoover Auditorium, Lakeside

Aug. 24 - Friends of Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge presents Shoreline Cruise, via the Jet Express. Visit the www.friendsofnwr.org for information

Aug. 24-26 - Citywide Merchant Sidewalk Sale, downtown Vermilion

Aug. 25 - Celebration for First Lady Lucy Hayes' 187th birthday, Hayes Presidential Library and Museums. Some of her dresses will be on display through Tuesday, Aug. 28

Aug. 25 - Stray Cats' Slim Jim Phantom, Hoover Auditorium, Lakeside

Aug. 25 - Lakeside Antique Show

Aug. 25 - U.S. Brig Niagara, Put-in-Bay

Aug. 26 - Counting Crows, Blossom Music Center

Aug. 26 - Perry's Victory Triathalon, 5K, and Family Races

September

Sept. 1 - Island Singers Show, Kelleys Island Town Hall

Sept. 1 - Labor Day weekend fireworks, Lakeside

Sept. 1-3 - Milan Melon Festival

Sept. 2 - "Glacial Glimpses" program, Kelleys Island Glacial Grooves

Sept. 2 - Yankee Air Museum WWII B-25 Mitchell Air Adventure Rides, Liberty Aviation Museum

Sept. 6 - Sandusky Art Walk

Sept. 7 - State of Comedy, Sandusky State Theatre

Sept. 7-9 - Liberty Aviation Museum's 1928 Ford Tri-Motor "City of Wichita" rides

Sept. 7-9 and 14-16 - "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," Bellevue Society for the Arts

Sept. 8 - Lindsay Bonilla's World of Difference, Ida Rupp Public Library and Marblehead Peninsula Branch Library

Sept. 8 - IPMS Plastic Model Contest and Hobby Shop, Liberty Aviation Museum

Sept. 8 - Kelleys Island Treasure Island Day and Butterfly Fest/Yard Sale

Sept. 8 - Perry's Victory Heritage Festival and Art in the Park, Put-in-Bay

Sept. 9 - Spiegel Grove Squires vintage base ball game versus Canton Cornshuckers, Hayes Presidential Library and Museums

Sept. 13 - Art in the Park from Crooked Canvas, Erie Room at Osborn MetroPark

Sept. 14 - Jazz @ 8 presents "Music and the Movies," Sandusky State Theatre

Sept. 14 and 15 - "A Wrinkle in Time," Marblehead Branch Public Library

Sept. 15 - Wine Fest and Art Fair, Kelleys Island Wine Co.

Sept. 15 - New Year's Eve at the Bay, Put-in-Bay

Sept. 16 - Firelands Symphony Orchestra presents Samba Joia in the Vermilion Pops Outdoor Concert, Victory Park Gazebo

Sept. 20 - Third Thursday Music, Flowers, and a Sunset, downtown Vermilion

Sept. 21 - Michael McDermott, the Listening Room in Port Clinton

Sept. 21 - 7th Annual North Coast Oktoberfest, Sandusky State Theatre

Sept. 22 - Feathers & Foliage Bird Festival, Kelleys Island

Sept. 22 - Erie Metro Live Steamers miniature steam-power engines train rides, Eagle Point

Sept. 22 - Halfway to St. Patrick's Day, Put-in-Bay

Sept. 22-23 - Lake Erie Wing Watch, Osborn MetroPark

Sept. 23 - Woollybear Festival, downtown Vermilion

Sept. 25-26 - 10th Annual Vintage Sports Car Road Race Reunion, Put-in-Bay Airport

Every attempt is made to provide accurate information, however,
we encourage you to double check the details of these events!

Sophie's Light

"Sophie's Light" is a new musical that will premiere Aug. 24 and 25 at the Sandusky State Theatre. The story blends fact and fiction. It's set in Sandusky in 1928, during the Prohibition Era, when the first vaudeville performers take the stage at the theatre. The drama unfolds backstage, and centers around a ghostly presence.

Marlee Carpenter of Port Clinton will play the lead female role. I recently saw her play Fanny Brice in "Funny Girl" at the Bellevue Society for the Arts, and I was blown away by her talent. She studied theater in New York City before returning to the area a few years ago, and that experience truly shows when she's on stage. Marlee is excited about being the first to tackle a new role in a new musical and having the opportunity to make it truly her own.

A VIP event is scheduled Aug. 23, which includes drinks and dinner at the Sandusky Yacht Club. Call the box office at 419-626-1347 or visit www.sanduskystate.com for more information.

Admission for the Aug. 24 and 25 performances is free.

Proceeds from the event will go to the Sandusky Bicentennial Celebration.

Rock the Light Music Festival

Waterworks Park in Port Clinton will be the site of a huge music festival Sept. 7 and 8.

Gates open at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. The Junk and Hey Monea will perform before the headliner, Here Come the Mummies. They're described as an eight-piece funk-rock band of 5,000-year-old Egyptian mummies. "Some claim they were cursed after deflowering a great Pharoah's daughter. Others say they are reincarnated Grammy-winning studio musicians," the website reads. I'm not sure which story is true, but I have heard a story about them: mummies - not humans - are seen checking into hotels in the cities where they perform.

On Saturday, the gates open at 1:30 p.m. The Eric Sowers Band and Emily Keener will perform before the headliners, Aaron Carter and hometown favorite Crystal Bowersox.

Elliston native Bowersox won the hearts of fans during Season Nine of "American Idol," and she has not stopped producing music since. Her newest project is a live album titled "Alive."

I love the fact that the prices for the festival are great! Tickets are $25 for Here Come the Mummies, $35 for Crystal Bowersox and Aaron Carter, and $50 for an all-weekend pass. For Ottawa County residents, the cost is even better - $20 for Friday night, $30 for Saturday night and $40 for the all-weekend pass. In order to get the hometown discount, you must have proof of residency and purchase tickets in-person at the Port Clinton Area Chamber of Commerce or the Great Lakes Popcorn Company (and get some vanilla butternut popcorn while you're there).

Hot Diggity Dog Day

Hot Diggity Dog! Pups and their people are invited to Hot Diggity Dog Day on Saturday, Sept. 15, at the Main Street Beach in Vermilion. The event features games and activities, plus vendors with pet-related products. Local merchants and restaurants will also participate. The event ends with the "Strut Your Mutt" parade which will end in the downtown Vermilion area.

For information and to register, call the Main Street Vermilion office at 440-963-0772.

updated 08.13.18 CAE