This weekend on a shoestring

Thursday, May 9

• “Want to help support school summer gardens and locally-grown food within our community? Then come check out the Hall Fletcher Elementary Student Run Farmer’s Market,” invites a Facebook page for the event. “Students will be selling tomato, eggplant, pepper and basil plant starts they themselves have grown. You can then transplant these starts into your own garden or containers and enjoy fresh produce all summer long.” Held in the front breezeway of Hall Fletcher Elementary, 60 Ridgelawn Road. 2:30-3 p.m.

• From a recent Xpress review, “Jeff Markham is kind of the 2013 guy version of Hope Sandoval, writing those dusky, delicate rockers. Songs in soft focus and close to the mic, with hints of rock grit and country jangle. So comfortably broken, so beautifully wounded. And then he disappears and takes his bittersweet catalog with him. The good news is that Markham is back now, with new project Even the Animals, and a stunningly-pretty EP by way of introductions. … The album has a light touch — it’s gentler, more twilit and wistful than Markham’s past projects. Which is a good thing. Even the Animals shows the songwriter’s evolution; the music is well-matched to his hazy tenor. Spillmann’s drumming, often with brushes, at turns echoey and jazzy, sets the perfect pace from lead track “Heaven forbid.” Even the Animals plays Isis Restaurant and Music Hall on Thursday. 7:30 p.m. Free.

Friday, May 10

• Marshall’s monthly French Broad Friday will celebrate Mother’s Day with an old-time jam on the island, carriage rides, open art galleries and a performance by Shake It Like a Caveman (blues, rock, one-man band). Held throughout downtown Marshall. 5-10 p.m. Free.

• The Classic World Cinema Film Series, a weekly screening hosted at the Courtyard Gallery’s upstairs Railroad Library (109 Roberts St., River Arts District), presents Trafic (France 1971) by Jacques Tati, about “a bumbling automobile designer who works for Altra, a Paris auto plant,” according to a Wikipedia synopsis. “He, along with a truckdriver and a publicity agent (Maria Kimberly), takes a new camper-car (designed by Hulot) to an auto show in Amsterdam. On the way there, they encounter various obstacles on the road.” 8 p.m. Free.

• From a Montford Park Players’ post for The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, “Can three guys really cover 37 Shakespeare works in less than two hours? This fast-firing comedy parodies all of the Shakespeare plays (plus the sonnets!) with only three performers in two acts. Freshly revised every year to suit our changing world, the guys on stage make a valiant, if misguided, effort to show us all how relevant Shakespeare still is to our daily lives. How will they do it this year? Well, that anybody’s guess, but knowing them, it’s going to be a wild ride. May the Bard forgive us.” Held at the Hazel Robinson Amphitheater in Montford. 7:30 p.m. Free; donations appreciated.

• From a Smart Bet in this week’s Xpress, “Local indie-psychedelic outfit Warm the Bell (Sean Robbins, Vickie Burick, Sam Brinkley and Rick Shore) has been busily working on its debut, You Are the Sun. The album was recorded at Collapseable Studios; an early listen reveals hints of Americana, ‘60s rock, tight percussion and bright slashes of steel guitar through fuzzed-out melodies. Tracks are both languid and heavy, all of which bodes well for the live show. Warm the Bell holds its album release party at The Grey Eagle on Friday, May 10. Wayne Robbins & the Hellsayers and Camp David also perform. 9 p.m., $8.” 185 Clingman Ave.
Story by Alli Marshall

Saturday, May 11

• “Find a treasure at Brother Wolf Animal Rescue‘s ‘Thrifty Paws at The Bywater’ event on May 11 from noon to 4 p.m.,” invites the local animal rescue. This family-friendly event will include fabulous items for sale from BWAR’s Second Chances Thrift Store and awesome dogs for adoption. Located at 796 Riverside Drive, The Bywater offers picnic tables and an acre alongside the French Broad River to enjoy outdoor games. Enjoy tasty food truck fare or bring your favorite barbecue goodies and charcoal and use one of the outdoor grills. The Bywater features 18 beers on tap, spiritous liquors and unique and tasty cocktails. As it is a ‘private club,’ a $5 membership fee is required; all new membership fees from the day of the event will be donated to BWAR. (Members may have as many guests as they like.) Individuals 17-20 years of age are not permitted on the premises.”

• The Cradle of Forestry, Route 276, Pisgah National Forest, will celebrate International Migratory Bird Day with bird walks for beginner and intermediate birders, along with games and crafts for children in the afternoon. $5/children under 16 free. 8:30 a.m.-dusk.

• “Spend Saturday, May 11 on the Courthouse Square enjoying downtown’s newest event, The Morganton Jazz Festival,” invites a page for the event. “A special TGIF concert May 10 will kick off this New Orleans-themed weekend. Saturday, enjoy an afternoon of jazz on the square and an authentic New Orleans food feast. The Festival begins Saturday at 3 p.m. with the first of five jazz bands, while members of the Patton Band Boosters and local restaurateur extraordinaire, Phil Scarboro, serve up a feast of New Orleans cuisine.” 3-8 p.m. Free.

• Waynesville‘s Whole Bloomin’ Thing Spring Festival will feature local growers, nature-related arts and crafts and eco-friendly vendors at Historic Frog Level, Depot Street and Commerce Street. Free.