Lots of options for fun for all
♦ A variety of events this weekend leave no excuse to stay at home.
With the summer heating up, so too is the weekend event list in Rome. Airplanes, music and art highlight today’s offerings.
Top aerobatic pilots will fly into the final day of the Southeast Bear Creek Bash competition at Richard B. Russell Regional Airport, 304 Russell Field Road. The event is free and open to the public, who can come and witness the maneuvers this morning and into the afternoon. Spectators can set up lawn chairs in the parking lot of the terminal and along the fences, but they must stay off the tarmac area.
The lineup features members of the U.S. National team, who after this event will head to Romania for the world championship in August. Those pilots will join a competitive field of around 40.
Another event starting this morning is the 43rd annual Cave Spring Arts Festival at Rolater Park, 13 Cedartown St. The festival opens at 9 a.m. and closes at 6 p.m. today, and then picks back up Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $5, with kids 12 and under getting in for free.
In addition to surveying the art filling vendor booths in the park, a kids’ area will be filled with inflatables. Food vendors will be serving up meals. Visitors can also take a dip in Rolater Lake, the Cave Spring pool, go in the cave and peruse the downtown antique shops.
Ridge Ferry Park will once again be rocking as annual Rome River Jam returns. Country singer and songwriter Kane Brown headlines the show, with a set time scheduled for 9:30 p.m. Also taking the stage will be Josh Bagwell, 5:20-5:50 p.m.; Tyler Braden, 6-6:45 p.m.; Jobe Fortner, 7-7:45 p.m.; and Riley Green, 8-9 p.m.
Tailgating will start at noon and run to 4 p.m., when gates open. General admission tickets are $35 can be purchased online at www. romeriverjam.com — anyone over the age of 3 needs a ticket. Pit passes, camping passes and tailgate parking passes are all sold out.
Only clears bags are allowed into the concert, with purses or chair bags not permitted. Chairs, which must not be inside a bag, are allowed to be set up in the general admission area. Other items prohibited include coolers, outside food and drink and pets.
To drink alcohol at the event, those 21 and older must receive a wristband after their ID has been checked. There is no reentry to the concert.
For music lovers looking for a more jazzy sound, the Rome Symphony Orchestra is holding the Summer Jazz Fantasy, featuring a 14-piece jazz orchestra, at 7 p.m. The concert is at the shaded cove on the Darlington Upper School campus at 1014 Cave Spring Road.
Ticket prices are $22 for adults, $12 for seniors, $7 for students and $6 for children. Tickets can be purchased at romesymphony.org, as well as Kroger and the Rome Visitor’s Center.
The last two chances to take in the theatrics of the Rome Shakespeare Festival at the Town Green will be this weekend.
Tonight at 8:30 p.m., there will be a performance of “Macbeth,” which is preceded by Celtic music starting at 7 p.m. Then on Sunday, “Much Ado About Nothing” will come to the outdoor stage at 8:30 p.m., preceded by the “Mystery on the Green” at 7 p.m.
Blanket seating is free while table and chair seating can be purchased online at romeshakespearefestival.com or by calling 706-331-1006.