There are a few free and discounted events this week throughout town! One local favorite musician is bringing his new lineup to Downtown’s latest venue, and a dance studio is showcasing free classes for the whole family in the park! A free bike ride will honor a University of Louisiana at Lafayette student with a dazzling community ride, and the arts community will conduct a Zoom meeting for potential artists to showcase their work in a gallery.
7/23: Derrick Savoie Quartet at the Hideaway: Singer-songwriter Derrick Savoie is bringing his new full band to the Hideaway on Lee thus Thursday for a free outdoor concert! Savoie’s new lineup includes slide guitar, upright bass, violin and rhythm guitar. Hailing from Lafayette, Savoie’s unique brand of indie-folk, resonant vocals, and inspired picking style has permeated the Acadiana music scene since branching out as a solo artist in 2015. The show runs from 8-10 p.m.
7/25: Family Fun Day at Girard Park: LCG Parks & Recreation and Basin Arts have partnered to create a fun, free and safe way for families to get outside and get moving this Saturday from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. at Girard Park. For National Parks & Recreation Month, families are invited to join the Movement Arts Challenge with socially distant dance and fitness classes. Classes include Stretch-N-Grow, Kabuki Dancers, Fire Expressions, Lafayette School of Performing Arts, and Zydefit. Indoor classes include karate at 9 a.m., fencing at 10 a.m. and Zumba at 11 a.m. The Lafayette Public Library’s Bookmobile will be on site for all your summer reading needs, too!
7/25: Drive-thru Animal Encounter: First United Methodist Church and Schoolhouse Safari will host a drive-thru encounter this Saturday from 10 a.m.-12 p.m.! For a fee of only $10/per car (or $20 for any vehicles carrying more than 8 passengers), you’ll meet colorful, talkative birds, spikey, furry and hairless mammals, giant beetles and other fascinating insects from The Beetle Experience and friendly snakes, tortoises and lizards of all shapes and sizes! This event can be completely contact-free, only rolling your windows down enough to hear the handlers at each station — who will be wearing face covers at all times. Attendees are welcome to roll their windows down and pet almost all of the animals creatures in a safe, fun and educational environment.
7/25: Gleaux Ride: BikeLafayette invites cyclists of all levels of experience to join in on the very fun, festive Gleaux Ride! Cyclists are encouraged to light up in their way of choice: string light wheels, blinking handlebars, you name it. Cyclists will meet at Café 329, located behind South Louisiana Community College, at 8 p.m. for the hour-long ride, which will begin at 8:30 p.m. On this particular ride, BikeLafayette will have a moment of silence for Mickey Shunick.
7/28: BARE Walls Artist Webinar: Calling all artists! Basin Arts is holding a special webinar for the visual arts via Zoom next Tuesday at 1 p.m. central time. The goal of the webinar is to inform creators on how to join the artist roster during the month of August. Any Acadiana-area artist is eligible! Current BARE Walls artists are encouraged to join as well. Everyone in the zoom meeting can ask questions, get feedback and guidance. The Zoom meeting can be found at us02web.zoom.us/j/83978841646. The meeting ID is 839 7884 1646.