18 excuses to get out of the house this week (8/24-8/30)

Wednesday, 8/24
Bell’s Takeover
@ Ale Mary’s Craft Beer Hall
One of our favorite beer spots in Royal Oak (and dare we say the one with the best pun?) is bringing a little bit of Kalamazoo to Royal Oak. The beer hall is having a Bell’s extravaganza with a takeover of 14 Bell’s beers. Favorites like Two Hearted Ale, Oberon, and Oarsman along with some lesser known, yet equally delicious brews like Poolside, Milchkaffee, Lager of the Lakes, and one called Double Two Hearted, which just sounds like pure heaven for those IPA lovers (us), will be featured.
Begins at 11 a.m.; 316 S. Main St., Royal Oak; 248-268-1939; alemarysbeer.com; Event is free, beer is not.

Thursday, 8/25
O.A.R.
@ Royal Oak Music Theatre
Oh, the modern hippies are here to stay, as is evidenced by the fact that this appearance is a stop on O.A.R.’s “XX Tour.” You heard that right: This jam band has been going for 20 years, at this point. While it would be close to a decade before they achieved mainstream success with their fifth album Stories of a Stranger in 2005, the group’s delicate interaction, righteous instrumentation, and drawn-out groove-heavy jams have made them a favorite with very righteous devotees of the devil’s lettuce since the get-go.
Doors at 7 p.m.; 38 W. Fourth St., Royal Oak; royaloakmusictheatre.com; advance tickets $49.75-$79.75.

Thursday, 8/25
Andy McKee
@ The Ark
Remember that dude playing those ridiculous-looking guitars on YouTube? That’s this guy. Popular for his amazing technical capabilities and creative use of altered tunings, tapping, percussive hits, and the ability to look really sad while playing amazing music, he at one point held the top three positions on YouTube’s list of top-rated videos of all time. A master craftsman and innovator, Andy McKee is truly a virtuoso of our time.
Doors at 8 p.m.; 316 S. Main St., Ann Arbor; theark.org; $15.

Thursday, 8/25
Danny Kroha, Craig Brown
@ El Club
A night of old-meets-new here. Danny Kroha is of course more than a bit of a local legend, for a reason. And although Craig Brown Band and Ohtis aren’t exactly the new kids on the block, they are in some new spotlights recently. While these rockers each indulge more twangy/country/ folk sides of the musical spectrum than they might have before, but they’re still likely to cause a ruckus.
Doors at 8 p.m.; 4114 W. Vernor Hwy, Detroit; elclubdetroit.com; $5 in advance, $10 day of show.

Friday, 8/26
George Clinton and P-Funk
@ Campus Martius Park
Downtown Detroit’s monthly music celebration “4th Fridays” will wrap up in a fabulously funky fashion as none other than George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic take over the Campus Martius Park main stage. There will be music all day, beginning at noon, featuring Alise King, D Sorrell & S World, the Strange, and Nik West. Call in sick to work or skip whatever obligations you have to enjoy some refreshments and refreshing music in the heart of our awesome city.
Doors at 9 p.m.; 800 Woodward Ave., Detroit; Free.

Friday, 8/26
Date Night
@ Go Comedy! Improv Theater
Relationship experts always say that incorporating a “Date Night” into a couple’s routine will surely save the relationship, so why not have a date night with your SO and spend it at Go Comedy! Improv Theater for a show that makes fun of date nights? This improv show will play with the idea of date nights and all the classic romantic comedy troupes. It will be like watching When Harry Met Sally live; just don’t expect Meg Ryan to make any cameos.
Show runs from 8 p.m.- 9:30 p.m.; 261 E. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale; 248-327-0575; gocomedy.net; Tickets are $15.

Friday, 8/26
Catalina Wine Mixer
@ Belle Isle Casino
It’s the f**kin’ Catalina Wine Mixer! (PAHH PAHH!) OK, sorry. We had to get our Step Brothers reference in there. But how much fun does this sound? You and all your friends can head out to the Belle Isle Casino (fun fact: The casino was built in 1908 with two levels of gambling fun) where you can try different types of wine and munch on delicious hors d’oeuvres and listen to great music courtesy of Dirty Basement Blues.
Event starts at 7 p.m. and ends at midnight; 1 Sunset Dr., Detroit; 313-224-1100; eventbrite.com; Tickets range from $50-$85.

Fri-Sun, 8/26-8/28
Chesterfield Arts and Music Festival
@ Brandenburg Park
It seems that almost every town in metro Detroit has some sort of arts and music festival, but it’s great to see community engagement in small towns. This week’s festival comes from Chesterfield as they celebrate their second installment of their music and arts festival. There will be over 60 vendors showing off their hand-crafted art at Brandenburg Park. Food and drinks will be handled by Hamlin Pub, and fun events for all ages will be around like a cornhole tournament and canvas painting that involves wine.
Friday: 6:30-10:45 p.m. Saturday: noon-10:30 p.m. Sunday noon-5 p.m.; 50050 Jefferson Ave., Chesterfield; 586-949-0400; parks.chesterfield.org; Event is free.

Fri-Sun, 8/26-8/28
Medical Cannabis Country Fair Cup
@ Clio, Mich.
We don’t care what anyone else says, but this has to be the holy grail of summer festivals. Taking place just a little bit north of Flint in Clio, High Times is presenting a three-day festival entirely devoted to medical marijuana. Yes, people — there may actually be a God. The festival’s website says that only people with medical cards will be permitted, but there are doctors on sight just in case. There will be performances from Laith Al-Saadi and Royce 5’9’, along with activism talks, seminars, a Heady Village, something called a Sunday POTathon, and the first 420 (hehe) attendees get a limited edition pen. Oh, and everyone will most likely be super stoned so get ready for the nicest group of people you’ve ever encountered!
Doors at 2 p.m. on Friday and noon on Saturday and Sunday; 10205 N. Saginaw Rd., Clio; 810-686-9500; cannabiscup.com; One day pass is $50, weekend pass is $135.

Saturday, 8/27
Detroit Burger Brawl
@ Eastern Market
Restaurants from around Detroit will compete at the street fair-style Burger Brawl for the title of Detroit’s Best Burger, and MT’s own dining editor Serena Maria Daniels is serving as a judge on a five-member panel. Tickets include all-you-can-eat burgers, and attendees can vote for their favorite. This year’s Burger Brawl is emceed by Ken Daniels, the voice of the Red Wings.
10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; 1313 Erskine St., Detroit; tickets $25; $55 for VIP; visit detroitburgerbrawl.com for more information and to purchase tickets.