Fall festivals, live music and more: Fun things to do this weekend in Ocala/Marion County
This weekend
Brown & Brown Farms Fall Extravaganza
Brown & Brown Farms, 13940 U.S. 301, Oxford, has re-created its traditional 8-acre Corn Maze. Also featured: pumpkin house/patch, crafters, artisans, vendors, live music, food trucks, special events and activities for the whole family. The extravaganza runs every weekend through Nov. 13. It is open 3-10 p.m. Fridays, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturdays and noon to 6 p.m. Sundays. Free and open to the public. More at 352-615-4419 or Suzanne@BrownandBrownFarms.com .
The Lumber River Quartet
Friendship Baptist Church, 9510 SW 150th St., Ocala, presents an evening of gospel music with the Lumber River Quartet at 6 p.m. Oct. 14. The concert will be in memory of Judy Van Hillyer. Free and open to the public; donations gratefully accepted. More at 585-259-0202.
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Orange Blossom Opry
Friday Night Live at the Opry, 16439 SE 138th Terrace, Weirsdale, features former Sawyer Brown band member Bobby Randall at 7 p.m. Oct. 14. Tickets from $25. More at obopry.com.
Ocala Cars and Music Show
Join Jenkins Auto Group in Tuscawilla Park, 829 NE Sanchez Ave., Ocala, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 15 for live music, food, trucks, local arts and vendors and the chance to see the latest lineups from Jenkins Auto. Bring a blanket and chairs. Musical performances by Glass Onion, Kimber Davis Band and Left on Broadway. Beer and wine available for purchase; partial proceeds from this event support the New Ocala Symphony Community Music Conservatory. Free and open to the public. More at reillyartscenter.com or 352-351-1606.
Phantasmagoria XIII: 'Poe, Through the Tales Darkly'
Journey with this critically acclaimed troupe at the NOMA Black Box, 500 NE Ninth St., Ocala, as they bring the tales and poetry of Edgar Allan Poe to life through storytelling, dance, puppetry and projections. Featuring the haunting and foreboding classic “The Raven,” the terrifying “The Tell-Tale Heart” and Poe’s famous “The Bells,” plus other selections. Showtimes are 2 and 7 p.m. Oct. 15. Tickets $25. More at reillyartscenter.com or 352-351-1606.
Coming soon
'Dracula'
This show will be onstage at the Ocala Civic Theatre Oct. 20-Nov. 6. Note: The subject matter in this play is not appropriate for children. More at ocalacivictheatre.com.
Music that Spans the Generations
Christ’s Church of Marion County, 6768 SW 80th St., Ocala. welcomes back the Ball Brothers Oct. 21 at 6:30 p.m. for an evening performance of Christian music, with distinctive four-part harmonies and a mix of musical styles. Free and open to the public; donations gratefully accepted. More at 352-861-6782 or ccomc.org.
'FAFO' will be Oct. 22 and 23
The annual Ocala Arts Festival ("FAFO") will be held Oct. 22 and 23 in downtown Ocala. More than 150 artists, local performers, food trucks, entertainment and more. More at fafo.org.
Appleton Museum 35th anniversary
The Appleton Museum celebrates 35 years with the Ira Holmes International Film Series, hosting a special double feature Oct. 25 with "House of Dracula" and "Babette’s Feast." The double feature begins at noon at the Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, and at 5 p.m. at the CF Ocala Campus, 3001 SW College Road, Building 8, Room 110. Special guest Patricia Tomlinson introduces "Babette’s Feast" at 6:30 p.m. and will lead a discussion after the screening. Films may contain mature content. Free to all museum and film series members; nonmembers pay museum admission. For additional information, contact Wendy Adams at 352-854-2322, ext. 1546, or email adamsw@cf.edu.
Lit & Hoobastank: Tried and True Tour
The two iconic, post-grunge rock bands take the Main Stage at the Reilly Arts Center, 500 NE Ninth St., Ocala, on Oct. 27 with special guests Alien Ant Farm and Kris Roe of the Ataris. Performance begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $35; VIP packages available from $145 to $250. More at reillyartscenter.com or 352-351-1606.
'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow'
Expect a haunting with plenty of humor when the CCF Visual and Performing Arts students present the Washington Irving classic Gothic ghost story. Shows will be Oct 27-30 at the Dassance Fine Arts Center, 3001 SW College Road, Ocala. Shows at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday. Tickets $12 for adults, $6 for non-CF students, and free for CF students, faculty and staff with valid ID. More at cf.universitytickets.com or 352-873-5810.
Ocala Symphony Orchestra's 2022-23 season premiere
“Spellbinding Beginnings” will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 29 and 3 p.m. Oct. 30 at the Reilly Arts Center, 500 NE Ninth St., Ocala. More at reillyartscenter.com.
Second annual Ocala Food & Wine Festival
This festival will be Nov. 4-6 at the World Equestrian Center, 1750 NW 80th Ave., Ocala. Organizers describe it as a "celebrity chef-led celebration featuring three days of culinary competition, beer, wine and spirits education and samples of extraordinary cuisine." Ticket details and more information at ocalafoodandwinefest.com/
McIntosh 1890s Festival
This festival will be 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 5 in downtown McIntosh. Shopping, food, vendors, arts and crafts, antiques and more. More at mcintosh1890sfestival.com/
ONGOING
'Best of the Best' fourth annual juried exhibit
This exhibit is up at The Brick Gallery, 23 SW Broadway St., Ocala, through Oct. 29. The prompt for the Marion Cultural Alliance's fourth annual "Best of the Best" juried show was “Through the Looking Glass.” This year's judge was James O'Leary, a Florida-based artist and educator. The exhibit features artworks in various mediums by 50 MCA artist members. All exhibit pieces are for sale, with a percentage of sales supporting MCA and its mission.
Blow Up II - Inflatable Contemporary Art
Larger-than-life inflatable art has transformed the Edith-Marie Appleton Gallery and museum lobby at the Appleton Museum, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala. The museum is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. This exhibition, up through Dec. 11, explores the imaginative and often whimsical ways artists use air as a tool for creating large-scale sculpture, with work from eight renowned artists of the medium. Special events will be announced throughout the life of this exhibit. More at appletonmuseum.org or 352-291-4455.
'Next Text'
This exhibition, which highlights visual art that features words, is up at the College of Central Florida Webber Gallery through Oct. 27. "The collection of work by multicultural artists from across the country will showcase an intriguing display of storytelling through the use of text in the visual arts. The exhibition was curated by CF Professor of Art Tyrus Clutter and Sheila Goloborotko, an associate professor of printmaking at University of North Florida," CF said in a news release. The gallery is located at the CF Ocala campus, 3001 SW College Road. Hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Thursday. Admission is free. More at 352-854-2322, ext. 1664.
Artoberfest
Through October, The Hope House at Fort King Presbyterian Church, 13 NE 36th Ave., Ocala, comes to life with the mural and visual art of the Ocklawaha River and the Great Florida Riverway. From photographers to painters to a sculptor and mural artist, the wildlife and people of the region are shown in all their splendor and struggle. Mondays (Oct. 10, 17, 24) from 5 to 7 p.m.; Fridays (Oct. 7, 14, 21, 28) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Sundays (Oct. 9, 16, 23, 30) noon to 4 p.m. All events are free and open to the public. More information about artist talks at mhspontak@gmail.com or 352-229-2887. The next artist talk is scheduled for 6 p.m. Oct. 17, when Drake Arnold presents "The Ocklawaha River Wildlife Mural Design and Other Works."
‘Looking on the Brighter Side'
This exhibit from Jennifer Weigel is up through Jan. 9 at the Ocala Recreation and Parks Administration building, 828 NE Eighth Ave., and Eighth Avenue Adult Activity Center, 830 NE Eighth Ave., 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Free and open to the public. A city news release describes Weigel as "a multi-disciplinary mixed-media, conceptual artist" whose work "utilizes a wide range of media to convey her ideas, including assemblage, drawing, fibers, installation, jewelry, paint, performance, photography, video and writing." More at jenniferweigelart.com, 352-629-8447, artinfo@ocalafl.org or ocalafl.org/artincityspaces
'Colorful Pleasures'
This art exhibit from Christine Dozier is up through Jan. 17 at the Ocala International Airport, 1770 SW 60th Ave., Suite 600. Free and open to the public. Dozier, an Ocala resident and Memphis native, works in oils and acrylics. More at christinedozier.com, 352-629-8447, artinfo@ocalafl.org or ocalafl.org/artincityspaces.
'A Floral Retrospective'
This exhibit of Gregory Dirr's work is up through Dec. 9 at the Clerk’s Office in Ocala City Hall, 110 SE Watula Ave. Free and open to the public. Boca Raton-based Dirr is described in an Ocala city news release as "an interdisciplinary visual artist, creating work as a cathartic response to his surroundings with a focus on environmental conservation." The clerk's office is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. More at gregorydirr.com, 352-629-8447, artinfo@ocalafl.org or ocalafl.org/artincityspaces
'Squares Without Stitches'
This exhibit is up at the Barbara Gaskin Washington Adult Activity Center, 210 NW 12th Ave., Ocala, through Jan. 12. Hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free and open to the public. More at ocalafl.org/recpark, 352-368-5517 and @OcalaRecPark on Facebook.
Photographs by Steven Benson
The Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, presents “Invented Observations: Photographs by Steven Benson,” on exhibit through Nov. 6 in the Balcony Gallery for Florida Arts. Benson is a professor at Daytona State College and is the recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Midwest Fellowship. His work has been displayed in numerous collections, including the Museum of Fine Art Houston, Detroit Institute of Arts and Museet for Fotokunst in Denmark. More at 352-291-4455 or AppletonMuseum.org.
'Finding Beauty'
This exhibit features costumes, set photos, interactive experiences and sketches, along with a plethora of fabrics and video of the costume design process. These objects, from the Appleton Museum’s permanent collection, inspired the art and design for the Ocala Civic Theatre’s recent production of "Beauty and the Beast." This exhibit runs through the winter of 2022. The museum is at 4337 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala. More at appletonmuseum.org.
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Weekend entertainment for Ocala/Marion County, Florida includes music