The best things to do around Sarasota for July 14-20

Thursday

Movie Matinee
1 p.m. at The Paradise Center, 546 Bay Isles Road, Longboat Key
$10 for nonmembers; members free
Call 383-6493.

"The Hundred Foot Journey" will be projected indoors at The Paradise Center. Popcorn and refreshments are included. Walk-ins are welcome.

Jazz Thursday: The Ruckus Late Night's
5:30 p.m. at Sarasota Art Museum, 1001 S. Tamiami Trail
Free for art museum members; $20 for nonmembers
Visit SarasotaArtMuseum.org.

This drummer knows how to raise a ruckus. Miami-based Rodney Ruckus leads his band of jazz and hip hop fusion artists for an evening of music at the Sarasota Art Museum's Marcy & Michael Klein Plaza. The galleries will be open until 7 p.m., and the event will run until 8. Cocktails will be available as will light bites in the museum's Bistro.

Helen Keaney
7 p.m. at McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre, 1923 Ringling Blvd.
$25
Visit McCurdysComedy.com.

Helen Keaney has built her act playing comedy clubs all across America, and she's even entered your living room through hosting stints on TBS and HSN. Keaney planned to start touring again in 2020, but life got in the way. Now she's back making people laugh, and she'll play six shows at McCurdy's running through July 17.

'Ariella Live!'
7:30 p.m. at Bownes Lab, 1265 First St.
$25
Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

Sarasota-based artists Ariella McManus and her husband, Nicolaas Kraster, are hitting the Florida Studio Theatre stage twice in July; once on July 14 and again two Thursdays later on July 28. Ariella's powerful voice and dynamic stage shows have built a local following, and the duo effortlessly moves through genres and even songs in other languages.

Friday

Claws for a Cause
From 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Whitney Plaza, 6838 Gulf of Mexico Drive, Longboat Key
Free admission
Call 387-9807.

Shop the plaza. The Maine Line food truck will serve lobster rolls. Save Our Seabirds will have a booth and be receiving 10% of the event’s proceeds from participating merchants. 

Friday Fest: Kettle of Fish
7 p.m. at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail
Free
Visit VanWezel.org.

Things are pretty quiet at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall during the summer, but Friday Fest is a notable exception. The fest went on a two-year hiatus during the pandemic, but it returned in June and will also feature events in August and September. Kettle of Fish will keep things rocking on Friday, and a sunset over Sarasota Bay will be their backdrop. Kettle of Fish will play rain or shine; If it rains, the show will move indoors to the Grand Foyer or the main stage.

In-Studio Performance featuring Melissa Cobblah Gutierrez
7 p.m. at Sarasota Contemporary Dance, 1400 Boulevard of the Arts
$20
Visit SarasotaContemporaryDance.org.

It's the final in-studio performance of the season for Sarasota Contemporary Dance, and they'll welcome Miami-based dancer and choreographer Melissa Cobblah Gutierrez to perform her work in progress entitled "Los Recuerdos de Mi Casa." Cobblah Gutierrez will be asking the audience what specific things remind them of being at home and dancing out her own answers.

Roald Dahl’s 'Matilda The Musical Jr. Show'
7 p.m. at Manatee Performing Arts Center, 502 Third Ave. W., Bradenton
$9.80-$20
Visit ManateePerformingArtsCenter.org.

Come get in on the fun in a Manatee Performing Arts Center production of the Roald Dahl classic for kids and by kids. The Tony Award-winning hit and beloved film have made a generation of kids feel more at home in expressing themselves, and in this case, they're ready to win your hearts with their high-energy dance numbers and singing.

Play Reading: 'Baton'
3 p.m. at Keating Theatre, 1241 N. Palm Ave.
$10
Visit FloridaStudioTheatre.org

This is a work in progress spelling out a specific moment in time. Support this developing piece by playwright Deneen Reynolds-Knott, which follows a couple on a first date interrupted by the civil unrest in Baltimore following the death of Freddie Gray while in police custody. Can the couple navigate differing views on the world they live in?

Hermitage STARs
2 p.m. at Hermitage Great Lawn, 6660 Manasota Key Road, Englewood
$5; registration required
Visit HermitageArtistRetreat.org

Join the Hermitage as they fete five of Florida's best arts educators. Brooke Adkins, Charles Eady, Jessie Leasure, Jennifer Rodriguez and Zoe Stayman will chat about their artistic disciplines, and this event will basically be an "arts buffet" that allows guests to sample from each of their respective creative practices.

'Rock & Roll Reignited'
9 p.m. at Bishop Museum of Science and Nature, 201 Tenth St. W.
$36
Visit. FloridaStudioTheatre.org.

I'm going to tell you how it's going to be: You're going to hear some Buddy Holly. Jared Mancuso and Nick Gallardo and their band, Not Fade Away, have brought their roots rock revival act all around the country, and now that they're in Sarasota for an extended run, they've had a chance to reimagine their act for their specific setting. The show plays six nights a week, taking Mondays off, and will be at Florida Studio Theatre until Aug. 7.

Saturday

Lotus Cars on the Circle
From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at St. Armands Circle Park, 1 St. Armands Circle
Free
Call 388-5550.

Join Lotus Car and British car owners as they line up their cars in the park.

‘Flora Imaginaria’ Exhibition Opening Day
10 a.m. at Selby Gardens, 1534 Mound St.
$25, free for members
Visit Selby.org.

The "Year of Photography" will continue at Selby Gardens with this exhibit, which will feature the work of 49 internationally acclaimed photographers including Pedro Almodóvar, Valérie Belin, Vik Muniz and Viviane Sassen. Their target? Flowers and the many different ways they can appear through the lens of a gifted photographer. This exhibit is just opening up to the public, and it will be on display until September 29 if you're not able to see it immediately.

Limelight Market
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Bazaar on Apricot and Lime, 821 Apricot Ave.
Free
Visit BazaarOnApricotAndLime.com.

The monthly pop-up market will have vendors showcasing dog rescues, tie dye designs, clay creations and more.

WBTT’s Stage of Discovery: We Dream
7:30 p.m. at Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, 1012 N. Orange Ave.
$27 adults, $17 students
Visit WestcoastBlackTheatre.org.

It's the precocious performers of tomorrow getting their own chance at being on center stage. The Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe's Stage of Discovery students will present a pair of live performances to punctuate the end of the theatre's five-week summer training program. The show — created, adapted and directed by Jim Weaver — will feature students singing songs envisioning the vision of a future world where peace, love and understanding are the norm.

Poets Unplugged
3 p.m. at Fogartyville, 525 Kumquat Court
$60
Visit WSLR.org/Fogartyville.

Learn how to express yourself with spoken word artist Melanie Lavender. This is the start of a six-week writing workshop that will help you develop your thoughts and your ability to communicate them to an audience. Students will learn different writing techniques and how to deliver them, and the program will culminate with a live performance on August 26.

Laser Light Nights: Aerosmith
9 p.m. at Bishop Museum of Science and Nature, 201 10th St. W.
$15
Visit 

Janie's Got a … Laser? It's the first of two Laser Light performances for the iconic rockers who burst on the world scene back in the 70's and have maintained their star-power for nearly a half-century. What will you hear? Who knows? It could be "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)" and "Love in an Elevator" timed to pulsing lasers in the Bishop Museum's planetarium.

Monday

Dragon Boat Racing
8 a.m. at Nathan Benderson Park, 5851 Nathan Benderson Circle
Free admission
Visit USDBF.org.

The 2022 International Dragon Boat Federation Club Crew World Championships is held at Nathan Benderson Park. More than 3,000 rowers will participate in various classes, skill levels and age divisions. Admission is free, but there will be a charge for parking at the site. Runs through July 24.

Monday Night Jazz at the Cabaret
7:30 p.m. at John C. Court Cabaret, 1265 First St.
$34-$39
Visit JazzClubSarasota.org.

It's "Love & Bossa Nova" night at the cabaret, which means that Nate Najar and Daniela Soledade will take their intimate act full of love songs and jazz to the stage. Doors will open at 6:30 for food and beverages, and the show will start an hour later.

Wednesday

Pat Godwin
7 p.m. at McCurdy’s Comedy Theatre, 1923 Ringling Blvd.
$25
Visit McCurdysComedy.com.

Pat Godwin's comedy includes his own signature songwriting and singing, and his website boasts that he's never done any job outside of entertainment since the age of 20 except for a two-month stint at TGI Fridays. Godwin, the son of a theater professor and an actress, has the stage in his blood, and he'll play six shows for the McCurdy's faithful audience.