Weekend Planner: Entertaining Events in the Dexter Area

As July comes to a close, head outdoors and check out some of these fun events happening around the Dexter area.

For Kids

• Explore the Universe

and Dynamic Assemblies Present: “Our Amazing Universe” Friday at 11 a.m. Explore the mysteries of outer space as your captain takes you on an incredible journey through time and space. You will learn how rockets were developed, see space vehicles from past and present and journey through space from the heart of the sun, through the solar system and beyond. Planets, stars, galaxies, black holes, comets and asteroids are just a few of the topics covered in this very visual presentation. “Our Amazing Universe” is a 45 minute program geared for ages 5 and up.

• Muppet Mayham

Fiddlers ReStrung of Saline will perform a concert at Wilson Park in Milan on Friday at 7 p.m., followed by an outdoor screening of the movie The Muppets.

• Look Mom! Drawing and Painting for Parents and Children

Guided by an Ann Arbor Art Center instructor, families will learn how to talk about what they see and to create art themselves. In each workshop, parents and children will explore a different artist, artifact, or art movement from the permanent collections. Sign up for one class or sign up for the whole series. Price includes instruction for two family members and supplies for one shared project. No children under 5; all children must be accompanied by an adult. The event takes place on Saturday at the University of Michigan Museum of Art, 525 S. State St., from 1-4 p.m. The cost is $28.

Families

• Chelsea Sounds & Sights Festival

Downtown Chelsea’s popular summer music series, Sounds & Sights on Thursday Nights, expands to three days this week. The includes an art market and demonstrations, children’s entertainment and activities, a classic car show, open-air art market, and more. The festival is open from noon to 11 p.m. Most events are free. There is a $5 cover for the festival social tent.

• Pinckney Palooza

A visit to Pinckney Palooza is the perfect way to spend a fun and affordable summer weekend with your family. Rides, interactive games, unique crafts, and music are all part of the excitement. The Palooza is being held on St. Mary’s festival grounds located south of M-36, at 10601 Dexter-Pinckney Road in Pinckney. The festival is open from 7 p.m. to midnight on Friday; 8 a.m. to midnight on Saturday; and 12:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday.

• Sing-a-long "Mary Poppins"

Sing-a-long “Mary Poppins” will be at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor on Sunday. Join in the fun as you step back in time and sing along with Mary, Bert and all the “Mary Poppins” characters. The film adaptation of the Mary Poppins books by P.L. Travers tells the story of the Edwardian-era British Banks family: the banker father (David Tomlinson), suffragette mother (Glynis Johns), and the two “impossible” children (Karen Dotrice and Matthew Garber). The kids get the attention of their all-business father by bedevilling every new nanny in the household. When Mr. Banks advertises for another nanny, the kids ask for someone with a little kindness and imagination, and soon Mary Poppins (Julie Andrews in an Academy Award-winning performance) answers the call. Get advanced tickets through Ticketweb.com or by phone at 866-777-8932.

• Ruhlig Farm Benefit Concert

This is a benefit concert to help protect the Ruhlig family vegetable farm in Dexter Township. The concert takes place at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. For more information, contact Barry Lonik at BLonik13@aol.com.