It Ain’t Ova ’til It’s Ova
Break out your baskets, sharpen your elbows and hop to it for the Easter Egg-Stravaganza from 10 a.m. to noon at Burlington City Park (1333 Overbrook Rd., Burlington). The Easter lagomorph has done his usual hatch-it job of hiding candy- and prize-filled eggs throughout the park. Your mission, should you and your kiddies choose to accept it: Find the eggs, fill your baskets, enjoy some amusement park rides, face-painting, cookie-decorating and say “Cheese!” as you mug for the Easter photo booth. Info: btwoneventsnc.com.
Garden Variety
Nothin’ like groovin’ on a Sunday afternoon. April 30 sees the return of Groovin’ in the Garden, courtesy of Greensboro Beautiful. From noon to 5 p.m. at Gateway Gardens (2924 East Gate City Blvd.), you can chill to the strains of live jazz on two stages, create musical instruments from recycled materials, commune with critters at a petting zoo and chow down on eats available for purchase. Or simply stroll among the green and blooming things — and be glad that spring is here. Info: greensborobeautiful.org.
May the Fourth Notes Be With You
Will conductor Nate Beversluis trade his baton for a light saber? Find out on April 29 at 8 p.m. at Westover Church (505 Muris Chapel Rd.) as “The Symphony Strikes Back!” With a program that includes scores from sci-fi classics, Star Trek, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and — cue the brass section — Star Wars, Greensboro Symphony winds up its pops series with a universal big bang. Tickets: (336) 335-5456 or greensborosymphony.org
Batter Up!
Sorry, Aesop, but we applaud Grasshoppers who play in the sun! April 6 is Opening Day (and Thirsty Thursday!) for the Greensboro Grasshoppers, who’ll take on the Hickory Crawdads at 7 p.m. at the rechristened First National Bank Field (408 North Bellemeade St.). Can’t make the season opener? No worries! You’ll have plenty of opportunities to catch the Hoppers in the days following, during the week April 20–23, and of course, all summer. Keep an eye on various promotions, such as “Jim Boeheim (No) Value Night” on the 11th, which offers to any fan with a valid Syracuse, N.Y., drivers license a free ticket, $20 worth of free concessions and a meet-and-greet with retired Hall of Famer bat dog, Miss Babe Ruth. Reason enough not to, er, (Syr)recuse themselves from the Gate City. Tickets and info: (336) 268-2255 or milb.com.
Any Wednesday
Forgo the woe, Wednesday’s children: Starting April 19 through December 22, the Greensboro Farmers Curb Market (501 Yanceyville St., Greensboro) is restarting its midweek hours. Every Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. (and Saturday, of course, from 7 a.m. to noon), you can restock your larder with turnips, lettuce, snow peas, carrots, greens, herbs, plants for setting out, farm-fresh beef, pork, lamb or chicken and eggs aplenty. Or pick up a bunch of flowers for your sweetheart or something sweet and sinful for an office meeting. Info: (336) 373-2402 or gsofarmersmarket.org.
Waxworks
Color your world and that of underprivileged youth on April 22 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the fifth annual fundraiser, Crayons Matter (Tyler White O’Brien Gallery, 307 State St.). The effort provides children in North Carolina, Africa, Central America and Dominican Republic with backpacks containing crayons, notebooks, colored pencils and pieces of art created by local school children. So come out and mingle and bid on crayon-inspired art at a silent auction. Info: (336) 379-1124 or tylerwhitegallery.com
Shelf Life
In Catalonia, April 23 (St. George’s Day and Shakespeare’s birthday) marks the publishing industry’s homage to itself, as books and roses are exchanged as tokens of love — and a love of reading. In the Gate City, the entire month of April is an unofficial celebration of the written word, given myriad opportunities to browse and buy tomes of all genres. Through the end of May, the libraries are going full tilt with the children’s Spring Reading Fun initiative consisting of crafts, movies, nature exploration, book parties and lots of storytimes (including Thursday mornings at LeBauer Park). Central Library hosts its annual used book sale from the 6 through 8, as does the pre-eminent book extravaganza, the St. Francis Book Sale (April 27–29). Topping off the month is Independent Bookstore Day on the 29th, so patronize Scuppernong (304 South Elm St.) or Sunrise Books (7 Hillcrest Place) in High Point or whatever your favorite book nook happens to be, and see what the next chapter of your reading life holds. Info: greensborolibrary.org; stfrancisgreensboro.org; scuppernong.com; sunrisebookshp.com.
