QuickTake:

If you’re into flowers, thrifting, drag shows, symphony concerts or Paul McCartney, the week ahead is teeming with events for you.

The list of activities for you to get to this week is in full bloom — literally, as we have two flower-related events to cultivate the days ahead. (No fertilizer-grade events here, though.) Let’s get into it:

Floral splendor 

Rhody Fest in Florence

If you missed out on the Mother’s Day rhododendron frenzy, you can pack up and head out to the coast this weekend for the four-day Rhody Fest in Florence featuring the Grand Floral Parade down Highway 101, the rhododendron displays and plenty of small town Oregon Coast charm to soak up.

Mount Pisgah Wildflower Festival

It’s hard to think of a more wholesome way to spend a Sunday than celebrating the beauty of local flora. This festival will feature more than 250 local species of wildflowers, a nature trail with ephemeral art installations, guided nature walks and local vendors galore. 

  • When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, May 17
  • Where: Mount Pisgah Arboretum, 34901 Frank Parrish Road
  • How much: Tickets are available online for $15 plus a $1.88 fee.

Performances 

Eugene Concert Choir: ‘Liverpool Oratorio’

Paul McCartney heads have the opportunity to catch the Eugene Concert Choir’s performance of the “Liverpool Oratorio,” a loosely autobiographical coming-of-age story inspired by McCartney’s Liverpool upbringing. The Eugene performance will feature four soloists and the California-based All-American Boys Chorus.

  • When: 2:30 p.m. Sunday, May 17
  • Where: Silva Concert Hall at the Hult Center in downtown Eugene
  • How much: Tickets are available online and start at $29. 

Men at Werk: ‘Once Upon a Grind’

It’s a fairy-tale themed drag show! If you’re not delighted, that’s on you. Sherwood Ryder, Haus of Créme, Drake Demonwing, Edd Zackly, Luke N. Good, Ryan Heartz and Richard Rider will be your guides to a storybook tale that slays, no dragons required. 

  • When: 8 p.m. Friday, May 15
  • Where: The Hybrid Gallery, 941 W. Third Ave., Eugene
  • How much: Tickets are $18 in advance and $20 at the door.

Eugene Symphony: ‘Forces of Nature’

The symphony’s Masterworks concert “Forces of Nature” is this Thursday, bringing Gabriella Smith’s 12-minute “Tumblebird Contrails,” Edvard Grieg’s piano concerto and Carl August Nielsen’s Symphony No. 4, “The Inextinguishable,” to the Hult Center. This is the final show of the symphony season, and your last chance for months to see the orchestra in action.

  • When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 14
  • Where: Silva Concert Hall at the Hult Center, in downtown Eugene
  • How much: Tickets are available online and start at $22.

Thrifting

Both of these events are on the same day, so I hope you’re game for a full slate of popping around to check out the finest of someone’s former finery.

Eugene Vintage Fest

I once saw a coat at a thrift store that made me look half Wild Bill Hickock, half Penny Lane “Almost Famous” and entirely out-of-place in knee length tan, fur-lined, tasseled suede. I fell in love, but had to be honest with myself and admit the jacket (and its price tag) and I were not meant to be. But maybe I’ll find the cool outfit of my dreams at this weekend’s Eugene Vintage Fest in downtown. 

This vintage vendor take-over — with vintage clothes, home goods, a live DJ set, food and drinks — is the brainchild of Founded Vintage, the store on Willamette Street downtown that was visited last fall by pop star Madison Beer and her boyfriend-slash-Ducks legend Justin Herbert, where I’ve also had difficult heart-to-hearts with cool jackets that were not my destiny — but I remain hopeful.  

  • When: Noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, May 17
  • Where: Farmers Market Pavilion and Plaza, 85 E. Eighth Ave, Eugene
  • How much: Free to attend, but be ready to spend money on a cool something-or-other that catches your eye.

Picc-A-Dilly Flea Market

Maybe your vintage vibe is less devastatingly cool closet picks and more along the lines of, give me an explosion of knickknacks and little corners to poke around in and fall in love.

Then the Picc-A-Dilly Flea Market this weekend could be your spot to find a tchotchke that speaks to your soul. (Grab any charming yet slightly off-putting ceramic animals for me, please.)

  • When: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, May 17.
  • Where: Lane Events Center, Expo Halls 1-3, 796 W. 13th Ave., Eugene.
  • How much: Early bird tickets for 8 to 10 a.m. are $7.50, while general admission tickets for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. are $1.50. Tickets are available at the front desk, not online in advance. 

Movies

Box office

I can’t watch the “The Sheep Detectives” trailer without tearing up. Guys, it’s about sheep solving a mystery when their beloved shepherd, played by Hugh Jackman as a tender caretaker who reads detective novels out loud to his flock, is murdered. The CGI sheep are really well done, and when they look sad, I get sad. (Historian and sheep owner Jill Lepore had a critical take in the New Yorker, but I can suspend any sheep disbelief long enough to be delighted.) Playing at Regal Valley River Center and Cinemark Eugene Springfield 17. 

“Is God Is” sees two sisters sent on a mission by their mother: “Make your daddy dead. Real dead.” Kara Young, a standout Broadway actress, stars as one of the sisters; her casting alone is reason enough to get out to the theater. I was able to see Young in a production of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ play “Purpose,” which she won her second consecutive Tony Award for, and was floored. Playing at Regal Valley River Center and Cinemark Eugene Springfield 17.

Everyone who has ever had an awful crush on someone else (so, the entirety of the human population) can relate to the “Monkey’s Paw” dynamic in “Obsession,” a new horror movie from 26-year-old YouTube sketch comedian-turned-director Curry Barker. A young man has a crush on his friend, and makes a wish-gone-wrong for her to love him more than anyone else. Things, as you might expect, devolve from there. Playing at Metro Cinemas, Regal Valley River Center and Cinemark Eugene Springfield. 

Special screenings

There are some under-the-radar films on local screens this week, notably “Palestine 36,” a historical drama about Palestinian villages revolting against British rule, and “Erupcja,” a Charli XCX-starring drama about a woman who runs away from an impending engagement to reconnect with a friend in Warsaw, both at Metro Cinemas. 

But the special screening to call out is “The Sandlot Special Cast Event” at McDonald Theatre this Saturday, where cast members from the baseball classic will discuss the filming in a post-screening Q&A. Tickets range from $27.50 to $61.25, with VIP tickets available for $150.

Thank you for reading, Lookout members. If my picks aren’t up to your liking, check out our events calendar for more things to do. As always, if there are any events I should include here, or any feedback for this weekly list, drop me a line at annie@lookoutlocal.com.

Annie Aguiar is the Arts and Culture Correspondent. She has reported arts news and features for national and local newsrooms, including at the Seattle Times, the Washington Post and most recently as a reporting fellow for the New York Times’ Culture desk covering arts and entertainment.