12 Cool Things To Do in Cleveland This Weekend (March 3-5)

Public Conscience through Graphics and Illustration

Fri, March 3
Heights Arts Gallery, 2175 Lee Rd., Cleveland Hts., 216-371-3457
At a time when our country’s social and political future is perhaps its most uncertain, the latest group exhibition in Heights Arts’ main gallery is perfectly timed to explore and express both hopes and anxieties. Public Conscience through Graphics and Illustration showcases local artists with a shared graphic influence and a mutual interest in contemporary socio-political issues. Public Conscience features work by emerging and established local artists (including this writer). Co-curated by local artists Leslye Arian and David King, the exhibit opens at Heights Arts with a reception from 6 to 9 tonight and remains on view through Sunday, April 16. Admission is free. (Usmani)

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Fish Fry Days

Fri, March 3
Prosperity Social Club, 1109 Starkweather Ave.. 216-937-1938
Through the month of March and for the first few weeks of April, Prosperity Social Club hosts its fish fry, dubbed Fish Fry-Days, every Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. The special Lenten menu includes the Big Fish Fry, a seasonal staple that features a generous portion of haddock covered in a fluffy blanket of beer batter and complemented by homemade coleslaw, house tartar sauce and old-school-style mac and cheese. Last year, the event received national attention when the home-cooked Big Fish Fry was featured on TV chef Andrew Zimmern’s Delicious Destinations. New this year: Chef Ed Kubitz has added a lemony shrimp piccata pasta to the list of Fish Fry-Day offerings. (Niesel)

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CAN Launch Party

Fri, March 3
Museum of Contemporary Art, 11400 Euclid Ave, 216-421-8671
Each issue of CAN Journal, Northeast Ohio’s premiere visual arts quarterly, seems to get bigger and better. Be the first to pick up a copy of the latest CAN Journal during a Spring Issue Launch Party at MOCA Cleveland from 6 to 8 tonight. The night includes free admission to MOCA Cleveland’s current exhibitions and features a Cuban theme thanks to the Cleveland Foundation’s new Creative Fusion international resident artists (check out the new issue of CAN for more information). Enjoy mojitos, beer, wine and food, as well as live Afro Cuban music from the Neil Chastain trio. The cover of CAN’s Spring 2017 issue features a watercolor flower by renowned local artist and professor/former chair of Cleveland State University’s Art Department George Mauersberger. The issue includes 15 bilingual pages featuring the aforementioned Creative Fusion Cuban artists. Admission to the event is free. (Usmani)

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Pauly Shore

Fri, March 3
Improv Comedy Club & Restaurant, 1148 Main Ave., 216-696-IMPROV
A fixture on MTV in the '80s, flamboyant comic Pauly Shore might be the man who popularized upspeak. His comedic style often borders on becoming completely obnoxious as he rapidly delivers lines that sound so unstructured, you gotta think he just makes much of his material up on the spot. Shore, who also once somehow wrangled a movie deal with Disney — a true mystery since he regally uses obscenities on stage — takes a casual, stream-of-consciousness approach to performing. Expect each show to be wildly different from the previous one. He takes the stage at 7:30 and 10 tonight and at 7 and 9:30 tomorrow night at the Improv. Tickets start at $22. (Niesel)

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MIX:Vino

Fri, March 3
Cleveland Museum of Art, 11150 East Blvd., 216-421-7350
Each month, the Cleveland Museum of Art hosts a new, themed installment of its MIX special event series. Although the theme changes each month, the events typically feature live music, art demonstrations, activities and dancing, with special drinks and food available. Tonight, the museum invites guests to celebrate the millennia-old link between wine and art through wine tastings in the atrium and wine-themed tours of the museum’s permanent collection during MIX: Vino. Although admission to the museum’s permanent galleries is free, MIX is a ticketed special event. Admission is $10 in advance, $15 at the door, free for members. Guests must be 18 to attend. (Usmani)

Photo via clevelandmuseumofart/Instagram

Winter Warmer

Sat, March 4
Windows on the River, 2000 Sycamore St., 216-696-4884
More than 50 breweries will be on hand for Saturday’s Winter Warmer Fest, an annual event that servers as a fundraiser for the Ohio Craft Brewers Association. Blues musician Austin “Walkin’” Cane and local singer-songwriter Chris Allen will perform and food trucks on site include Fired Up Taco Truck, Scott’s Fire and Ice, Streat Mobile Bistro, Sweet! Mobile Cupcakery, Slyman's Tavern and Zydeco Bistro will be on hand. Tickets are $45 in advance and that includes a souvenir glass and 40 tickets for two ounce samples. VIP tickets are $55, and they include early admission. The fest runs from 2 to 6 p.m.; the early admission ticket allows entry at 1 p.m. (Niesel)

Photo Via Facebook

MOCA Free First Saturday

Sat, March 4
Museum of Contemporary Art, 11400 Euclid Ave., 216-421-8671
Thanks to a generous gift from PNC, admission to MOCA Cleveland is free on the first Saturday of each month. Stop by from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. today to view MOCA Cleveland’s new Winter/Spring 2017 exhibitions, including Adam Pendleton’s largest solo museum show to date, Lisa Oppenheim’s first solo show in the United States, as well as a site-specific sound installation, Transport Empty, in MOCA Cleveland’s Stair A by artists Zarouhie Abdalian and Joseph Rosenzweig. MOCA Cleveland’s Winter/Spring 2017 exhibitions remain on view through May 14. Free. (Usmani)

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'1984'

Sat, March 4
Cleveland Cinematheque, 11610 Euclid Ave, 216-421-7450
Lately, the Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque has screened some films that mirror the current social and political milieu, and their latest offering couldn’t be more apropos. 1984,/i>, an adaptation of George Orwell’s highly acclaimed novel, will screen at 9:35 tonight and at 6:30 tomorrow night. This dystopian film (which was released in 1984 and is pictured above) features bold, surrealist visuals and a soundtrack composed by The Eurythmics. The film features the late John Hurt in the lead role and also stars Hollywood great Richard Burton (in what became his last screen appearance). Tickets are $11, $8 for members and patrons 25 and under. (Cook)