We’ve got your weekend: The art, music, movies, and movement are yours for the taking

Sidewalk Steppers, a photo by Charles Lovell who will be spotlighted at Something Old, Something New at Second Story Gallery on Saturday, July 13. (Photo by: Charles Lovell)

Wednesday, July 10/Orpheum Theater (129 Roosevelt Way): The summer fun is still making its way to the Orpheum Theater with their free movie screenings on Wednesdays. This Wednesday they are showing Bayou Maharajah, the debut feature-length documentary from director Lily Keber (recently included in Gambit’s 40 Under 40 list for 2019), exploring the music of New Orleans piano legend James Booker. Bayou Maharajah took home the Audience Award and Jury Special Mention when it played as the Closing Night selection at New Orleans Film Festival in 2013 and also won the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities’ Documentary Film of the Year Award that year. Doors open at 6:30 PM, and the movie begins at 7:00 PM.

Wednesday July 10/The Dragonfly (3921 St. Claude Avenue): There’s nothing quite like a balmy night filled with beautiful poetry, and that’s what the Blood Jet Series is bringing you on Wednesday night. Elizabeth Gross, a poet/translator/teacher/artist in New Orleans, will be reading from this body/that lightning show, her first poetry collection, which was published by The Word Works in 2019, and was selected by Jericho Brown for their Hilary Tham Capital Collection. That evening will also include a reading by Geoff Munsterman, who is from Plaquemines Parish and has been writing, performing, and publishing poetry in New Orleans since 1999. Lavender Ink published his debut collection in 2013 and in December he released the limited-run handmade chapbook Abandon, of which a special edition has made available for this reading. The reading begins at 8:00 PM. This is a BYOB event, and there are usually delicious light snacks. For full details, check out their event page here.

Thursday, July 11/House of Blues Parish Room (225 Decatur Street): Now that it’s too hot for even the most adventurous of tourists and the students have officially cleared out of the city, it is the best time of year to hit up the concerts around town. The Steel Woods, whose music centers around the vocals of lead singer Wes Bayliss and the instrumental prowess of guitarist Jason “Rowdy Cope, are a band steeped in Southern culture with a modern approach and powerful intensity. So if you are looking for some powerful intensity to jump start your Thursday night, then head over to the House of Blues. Doors open at 7:00, tickets are $14, and you can find out full details here.

Saturday, July 13/Bellegarde Bakery (8300 Apple Street): Yes, you read that right. Bellegarde Bakery has a new site, a new 3200 square foot building, and a new way of bringing their bread to the city. The new bakery will feature a second stone mill and oven, and walk-in customers will have the opportunity to purchase freshly baked breads available only in-store, freshly stone-milled flour and heirloom grits, custom-blended drip coffee from Congregation Coffee, and branded merchandise. The menu will continue to expand throughout 2019 with additional pastry, pizza, pasta and bread options. In order to celebrate this new bakery breakthrough, Bellegarde is hosting a public open house from 3:00-5:00 PM, giving guests the opportunity to receive a behind-the-scenes tour of the bakery and meet with its team of talented bakers. Go get your bread on! *Due to impending weather conditions, Bellegarde will be closed (both wholesale and retail) Friday, Saturday and Sunday.The bakery team is waiting to see how the storm affects the new space before confirming a retail opening date.The bakery will re-open for wholesale orders on Tuesday, July 16.

Saturday, July 13/Second Story Gallery (2372 St.Claude Avenue): It’s the second Saturday of the month, which means Bywater’s art galleries will have their doors open and some wine flowing. The Second Story Gallery is hosting an opening reception for Something Old, Something New, an exhibition of works by members of the artists’ cooperative, on Saturday from 6:00 to 9:00 PM. In Something Old, Something New, Second Story Gallery member artists juxtapose works from earlier in their careers with new works. Featured artists are Michael Alford, Ron Bennett, Amy Bryan, Belinda Flores-Shinshillas, Natori Green, Sara “Saharah” Hollis, Gina Laguna, Charles Lovell and Cynthia Ramirez. The reception to meet the artists is free and open to the public.

Tuesday, July 16/The Lafitte Greenway (2101 St. Louis Street): If you haven’t gotten your sweat on yet this summer (who are we kidding), we have the perfect opportunity to pour out all of your insides. Friends of the Lafitte Greenway are putting on 12 weeks of free, all-levels, body positive outdoor yoga on the Greenway. That’s right, 12 weeks of moving, stretching, sweating, breathing, and sweating. All you need to bring is a friend (okay, that’s optional), water, and a towel. Also, this series is rain or shine. In the event of rain, yoga will move to the covered patio at Greenway Apartments, 2606 St. Louis St. (at Dorgenois). For full details on the event, you can check out their event page here.