A special movie for seniors at Brown County Playhouse, two days listening to some of the best fingerstyle guitarists, three last days of music at the Orbit Room, some gaming options at the library and ScienceFest at WonderLab — that’s some of the entertainment in the Bloomington area this weekend.
Last nights of music at Orbit Room
At 5 p.m. Thursday, July 23, COTOR (Closing of the Orbit Room) #3 featuring Jfbronto, Step Twins, Badkill, T.I.M.G and Neko begins at the Orbit Room. Tickets for the show are $11.33. The all-ages show begins at 6 p.m. Donations and a portion of the ticket sales will go to Exodus Refugee.
Friday, COTOR #4 will have The Foolins and The Hammer & the Hatchett and possibly more. Tickets are $13.60 in advance and will cost more the day of the show. Food or drink purchase is required at the all-ages show that begins at 6 p.m.; doors open at 5.
COTOR #5 is Saturday, featuring The Lowlanders, Lacey Guthrie, Orbit Room All-Stars and more. Tickets are $17. Doors open at 5 p.m. with the show at 5:30. Food or drink purchase is required. It’s the last concert for Orbit Room, which announced earlier this year that it would close at the end of July.
Tickets for all the shows are available online at the Orbit Room events page, www.orbitbtown.com/events. The Orbit Room is at 107 N. College Ave., Suite 001 (underground).
‘Thelma’ screening at Brown County Playhouse free to seniors
As part of the Senior Movie Series at Brown County Playhouse, “Thelma” will be shown at 2 p.m. Thursday, July 23. “Thelma” is a 2024 American comedy-drama that stars June Squibb as a woman who falls victim to a phone scam. She sets out to find the perpetrators with help from her grandson and a friend. The film premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
Admission is free for guests aged 60 and older. There’s complimentary popcorn and soda, with additional concessions available for purchase. Doors open at 1 p.m. Tickets are $7 for guests age 59 and younger. Brown County Playhouse is at 70 S. Van Buren St., Nashville.
15th annual fingerstyle guitarist contest and concert
On Friday and Saturday, Brown County Playhouse will be busy with the 15th annual Indiana State Fingerstyle Guitar Festival that features a Saturday morning guitar competition and an evening concert.
Everyone is welcome to attend the festival, 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m. July 25. The competition will run 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. with acoustic guitarists from around the world taking the stage. The competition features two rounds of performance, showcasing a wide range of styles, techniques and original music. The top three players will be awarded grand-prize guitars and earn the honor of performing in the evening concert.
The evening concert begins at 7:30 p.m. with performances by the top 3 winners and then will feature Muriel Anderson, one of the most celebrated fingerstyle guitarists in the world. Anderson will be joined by special guests Tim Thompson and Jack Wilson.
Tickets are available separately for each, or an all-day pass is available. More info and ticket info: https://app.opendate.io/e/indiana-state-fingerstyle-guitar-fest-july-25-2026-659460.
3 events on 1 day at the public library
Beginning at noon on Saturday, July 25, the downtown branch of the Monroe County Public Library will have three events. Dirt Fest: Dinosaur Dig Edition will begin at noon outside in the library plaza for ages birth to 8. Dig for fossils and play with dinosaurs in our dirt pit. Note: Expect to get gloriously dirty! We recommend bringing a towel and even a change of clothes for kids. Soil provided by Good Earth Composting, LLC.
Also beginning at noon, inside, is Casual Video Gamers Club meeting to play and discuss “Hidden Folks” video game. The game will be available to play at the video game station. For ages 17 and older.
From 2 to 3 p.m. Saturday will be a board game swap. All ages of gamers are welcome to find the missing piece of their board game collection. People are welcome to bring games they have that don’t get the play they deserve and swap them with others.
The downtown library is at 303 E. Kirkwood Ave.
2 days of ScienceFest at WonderLab
From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, July 25, and 1:30-5 p.m. Sunday, all the favorite exhibits at WonderLab will be available for a weekend of fun at ScienceFest. The science museum’s most popular labs and live demonstrations will take over the museum. From hands-on experiments to build-your-own creations, there’s something to interest everyone. Get close to some animals, experiment with chemistry or let your curiosity lead you to try something new.
WonderLab Museum’s weekend event is free to members (and teachers who apply online) and costs $14.50 for non-members. The museum is at 308 W. Fourth St.
Contact Carol Kugler at ckugler@heraldt.com.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Last nights of music at Orbit Room, music, ScienceFest this weekend
Reporting by Carol Kugler, The Herald-Times / The Herald-Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Carol Kugler, The Herald-Times | USA TODAY Network
