Entertainment writer Ed Balint suggests fun things to do in the Canton-area entertainment scene in May.
1. Tina Turner pops concert
A Tina Turner pops concert will be 7:30 p.m. May 16 at Umstattd Hall at Zimmermann Symphony Center in Canton.
“Simply the Best: The Music of Tina Turner” will feature guest conductor Jason Seber leading the Canton Symphony Orchestra and vocalists Tamika Lawrence and Shaleah Adkisson in a performance of popular Turner songs.
Tickets, $37 to $112, can be purchased at cantonsymphony.org/. The box office can be reached at 330-452-2094.
2. Fun in downtown Louisville
The 2nd Friday event in downtown Louisville has morphed into a May 15 event after a bad weather forecast altered plans for the May 8 party.
Journey tribute band ESC4P3 will perform. Food vendors will be serving burgers, hot dogs, Mexican fare, chicken and barbecue, plus ice cream, smoothies, popcorn and fruit bowls.
Event hours are 5 to 10 p.m.
3. ‘Matilda’ at Players Guild Theatre
“Matilda the Musical” will run weekends from May 15-31 at Players Guild Theatre on the campus of Kent State University at Stark in Jackson Township.
Performances will be 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays in the Mary J. Timken Theatre in the Fine Arts Building.
Tickets, $25 to $45, can be purchased at playersguildtheatre.com/. The Players Guild can be reached at 330-244-3224.
4. The Boogie Woogie Kid
Matt Ball, known as “The Boogie Woogie Kid,” will perform at 4 p.m. May 17 at United Methodist Church in Lake Township.
Ball is a pianist and popular YouTube influencer who will perform music from Gershwin to The Beatles and Elvis, with classic songs across genres.
The United Methodist Church is at 13370 Cleveland Ave. NW in Lake Township. The event is free, but donations will be accepted.
5. Justin Michael Will art show at Strauss Studios
“Various Flowers and Their Surprising Strengths,” an exhibition by Cleveland-based artist Justin Michael Will, opens May 16 at Strauss Studios in downtown Canton.
The reception is 5 to 9 p.m. and features new paintings by Will, live music, refreshments and an opportunity to meet the artist. Strauss Studios is at 236 Walnut Ave. NE.
“I like to draw every day, offering to myself and my audience an ample dose of joy and whimsy to help focus on being present in the moment,” Will writes on his artist website. “… I dance around the boundaries and spaces between illustration, design, and fine art, using color and shape as a visual language to connect with my work.”
6. Lizzi Aronhalt art show at Cyrus Gallery
Check out the vibrant artwork of Lizzi Aronhalt at Cyrus Custom Framing & Art Gallery, 2645 Cleveland Avenue NW in Canton.
“Elsewhere” will be on display through June 30. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays. Cyrus is closed Sundays and closed the first Saturday of the month.
Aronhalt is a Northeast Ohio-based artist “whose work centers on painting and drawing as tools for understanding memory, place and the passage of time,” Cyrus said in an announcement. Aronhalt works primarily in acrylic and mixed media, creating semi-abstract landscapes and cityscapes.
7. Indoor Canton Farmers’ Market
An indoor Canton Farmers Market will run 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 16 at the Cultural Center for the Arts in downtown Canton.
Parking is free in the lot at the Cultural Center, 1001 Market Ave. N.
Vendors and artisans will sell items including food, baked goods, crafts, essential oils, soap and body lotions.
Vendors include Top Flight Pasta of Louisville and 3 Sweet Freaks, as well as the Rambling Rose Kitchenette food truck.
8. 720 May MKT in North Canton
The 720 May MKT will be in downtown North Canton from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on May 16.
Food, art and music will be featured along Main and Maple streets at North Canton City Square and in the St. Paul Community Lot. Vendors include artisans, crafters, bakers, brewers, growers and food trucks set up in an open-air, street market.
9. Oddmall at Stark County Fairgrounds
An Oddmall event will be May 16-17 at the Stark County Fairgrounds.
Oddmall “Inside Out” will feature bands, artists and around 100 vendors selling art, collectibles, toys, games, comics and other items, plus cosplay and food trucks. Hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. May 16 and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 17 at the Stark County Fairgrounds Exhibition Hall.
Admission and parking are both free for the benefit event, but organizers are asking attendees to bring non-perishable food donations that will be given to Akron Food Not Bombs.
10. COMPASS with Canton Symphony Orchestra
COMPASS, a pop rock band of teen siblings from Jackson Township, will perform with an ensemble from the Canton Symphony Orchestra at 7:30 p.m. May 21 at the Auricle Venue + Bar in downtown Canton, 201 Cleveland Ave. NW.
Tickets for the Divergent Sounds Series concert cost $20 presale at cantonsymphony.org/compass/ and $25 day of the show. The Canton Symphony Orchestra box office can be reached at 330-452-2094. Doors open at 7 p.m.
11. The Hoppers in Sugarcreek
Award-winning Southern gospel singing group The Hoppers will perform at 7 p.m. May 16 at Ohio Star Theater in Sugarcreek.
Tickets start at $42 and can be purchased at dhgroup.com/theaters/the-ohio-star-theater/. The box office also can be reached at 855-344-7547.
Formed in 1957 in rural North Carolina, the family-based group has performed across the world while charting songs in their genre on Billboard. The group was inducted in the Gospel Music Association Hall of Fame and Southern Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
12. Bob Seger tribute in Massillon
A Bob Seger tribute band will perform May 15 at Lions Lincoln Theatre in downtown Massillon.
The tribute, featuring the 10-member band Against the Wind, will play Seger’s hits, including Old Time Rock & Roll, Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man, Against the Wind, Turn the Page, Night Moves, Still the Same and Katmandu.
Tickets for the 7:30 p.m. concert range from $36 to $76 and can be purchased at lionslincolntheatre.org/. The box office can be reached at 330-481-9105.
Reach Ed at [email protected]. On Instagram at ed_balint and TikTok @edwardbalint.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.cantonrep.com ’
