Chalk the Walk

May 5 and 6, 2012

Mount Vernon’s main street will become a canvas for more than a half-ton of chalk in the hands of 200-plus artists this weekend. First Street, lined with restaurants and shops, will be filled with 7,000 artists and spectators for Chalk the Walk, a mix of food, music, individual and group chalk drawings and a juried art show. Want in on the act? For $10, visitors will receive pastel chalk sticks to create 2-foot squares that all together, form a 22-foot-by-37-foot re-creation of a photo showing Uptown Mount Vernon in the 1920s. The whole project is rooted in history, based on the 16th century Italian “Madonnari” public art form, in which street artists typically drew religious symbols in hopes of drawing coins from passers-by. 

Chalk the Walk: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday (5/5) and Sunday (5/6), downtown Mount Vernon; free admission, Visitmvl.com

‘On Golden Pond’

May 3 through 27, 2012

The Old Creamery Theatre opens its Main Stage season with a nostalgic trip to Golden Pond. Join Norman and Ethel Thayer as they spend another summer on their beloved lake, where the loons welcome them back. This time, their daughter joins then, with her fiance and his son in tow. This funny, bittersweet look at family ties, life and love stars Tom Milligan of West Amana and Kay Francis of Naples, Fla., in the roles made famous by Henry Fonda and Katharine Hepburn. Watch how Norman and Ethel discover that even at their age, life can be quite surprising.

“On Golden Pond”: 3 p.m. May 3 to May 27, Old Creamery Theatre, 39 38th Ave., Amana; 3 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday; $17.50 and $27, 1-(800) 352-6262 or Oldcreamery.com

B.J. Novak

Friday, May 5, 2012

B.J. Novak, the temp-turned-boss-turned-temp, on “The Office,” will close out the Campus Activity Board’s Friday Night Comedy Series this week. Novak, an actor, writer and comedian, is best known for his contributions to NBC’s Emmy Award winning comedy “The Office.” In addition to starring as Ryan, Novak is also co-executive producer for the series and has written many of the show’s most memorable episodes. Before “The Office” he gained recognition for his improvised performances on the MTV hit Punk’d.

 B.J. Novak: 10 p.m. Friday (5/5/12), Iowa Memorial Union, University of Iowa, Iowa City; $5 in advance or $7 at the door; Cab.uiowa.edu 

BONUS

Iowa Dance 2012: Dancing our Visions

Friday, May 4, 2012

Ballet to Bollywood, African to Irish steps will keep area dancers on their toes Friday night, uniting Iowa dancers and choreographers in their athletic, aesthetic art forms. Produced by InterDance-Nora Garda, Iowa Dance 2012 is the area’s sixth annual National Dance Week and International Dance Day celebration, moving this year to the new Coralville Center for the Performing Arts. Dancers from the Quad Cities and Des Moines will join those from the Corridor in a family-friendly program with ethnic and classical flair. Audience member are invited to stay for an after-show reception in the theater lobby.

Iowa Dance 2012: Dancing our Visions: 8 p. m. Friday (5/4), Coralville Center for the Performing Arts, 1301 Fifth St., $3 to $8, (319) 248-9370 or CoralvilleArts.org