FOLIO
FAST TALKERS
PECHA KUCHA 27
If people say they know how to pronounce Pecha Kucha, don’t believe them. The pronunciations are as creative as the seven fast-talking presenters, who each show 20 slides and talk for 20 seconds per slide. Think of it like a Ted Talk on speed — creative types gather and share expansive ideas quickly. Pecha Kucha events began in Tokyo and have been held in 700 cities worldwide. At this local one, international One Spark executive director Joe Sampson (pictured) rapidly rhapsodizes about growing businesses here. Presenters for the Party, Benefit & Jam event (PB&J, get it?) are writer Jesse Wilson, Performers Academy director Kathryn McAvoy, photographer Paul Figura, Litter Free Planet CEO Cathleen O’Bryan Murphy, sports broadcaster Cole Pepper and nGen Works advisor Carl Smith, expeditious explainers all. 6 p.m. Feb. 25 at Burro Bar, Downtown, free.
THEATER
WAR HORSE
Last time you heard about a horse on stage was probably when Daniel Radcliffe (aka Harry Potter) appeared nude in Equus on Broadway. (Dear local theaters, when can we get that around here?) This horse play is somewhat tamer, but it did famously move Steven Spielberg to tears, leading him to direct the film adaptation that was nominated for Best Picture. The stage production of War Horse hinges completely on whether you believe three puppeteers can make a horse real. If you’re dubious, check out the online vids, especially of Joey the puppet horse interacting with real-life horses. Continues Feb. 19-23 at the T-U Center, Downtown, $32-$82.
HURRAY, BEER!
RIVERSIDE CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL
Shake up some tasty craft beer with Grandpa’s Cough Medicine and you get a rollicking good time under the Fuller Warren Bridge. Northeast Florida’s breweries are out in full force, offering more than 60 of their finest consumables. (Challenge accepted.) Riverside Rotary Club puts on the festival to fund a track at Stockton Elementary School. Each $2 ticket entitles guests to a 7-ounce pour; VIP guests get an all-you-can-eat lunch from Mojo No. 4. Everyone else has to chow down on food truck delights — helluva consolation prize. Noon-5 p.m. Feb. 22 at Riverside Arts Market, Riverside, free general admission, $100-$125 VIP.
LORDS OF MOTOWN
THE TEMPTATIONS & THE FOUR TOPS
Glitter-suit dress code, funky moves and tons of soul (and perms to spare) — step aside, boy bands, the road-pavers are back in town. Even if you’re not familiar with The Temptations or The Four Tops, you’re likely still versed in their hits. There’s a reason these Motown legends have endured over the last half-century. It’s their Motown feel, a sound honed sharp in the musical melting pot of the Sixties, an infectious blend of jazz, blues and rock ‘n’ roll that can coax, at the very least, a head nod out of the most inhibited listener. 8 p.m. Feb. 20 at The Florida Theatre, Downtown, $53-$78.50.
AMERICANA
THE CRAZY DAYSIES
The Crazy Daysies are a healthy slice of apple-pie Americana for your ears. The duo — South Carolina-born sisters Rebecca Day (right) and Jen Thompson — employs the tried-and-true blend of country-music staples: crisp acoustic guitar, soaring viola and a fiery belle with a voice powerful enough to fill every corner of the room. The sisters’ signature sound is clean, simple and heartfelt, evident in their stripped-down cover of Carrie Underwood’s Blown Away — there’s not enough wind in Oklahoma to rip that song’s hook out of your head. But don’t mistake them for just another cover band. The Crazy Daysies’ debut studio EP, out later this month, includes three original songs and one cover. 7:30 p.m. Feb. 21 at North Beach Bistro, Atlantic Beach, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 27 at Wipeouts Grill, Neptune Beach, and 9 p.m. Feb. 28 at Seven Bridges, Southside.
PLANT PARTY
ROOT BALL
“When great trees fall, rocks on distant hills shudder, lions hunker down in tall grasses, and even elephants lumber after safety,” Maya Angelou wrote. Greenscape of Jacksonville looks to make great trees again with its 27th annual Flowering Tree Sale, offering trees and shrubs starting at $10, with Division of Forestry experts, arborists, Duval County Master Gardeners and more on hand. The seventh annual Root Ball is where tree lovers go to have a good time. Tree sale, 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Feb. 22 (pre-sale for Greenscape members, 3-6 p.m. Feb. 21, $25 membership dues) at Metro Square Park, Philips Highway. The Root Ball is 6:30 p.m. Feb. 22 at The Museum, reservations required, 398-5757.
BALLET
SWAN LAKE
Directors have interpreted Swan Lake in vastly different ways, from children’s cartoon to psychological thriller. Darren Aronofsky added girl-on-girl action with Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis to score a 2011 Best Picture nom in Black Swan. Don’t expect any of that from this more traditional interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s 19th-century classic story, about a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer’s curse, told through elegant dancing and an engaging musical score. 7 p.m. Feb. 23, Thrasher-Horne Center for the Arts, Orange Park, $16-$48.
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