•Edison Extravaganza
Saturday, Aug. 15
Whitehall House and Gardens
3110 Lexington Road • 585-5247
$50 (adv.), $60 (door); 7-10 p.m.
Even if you aren’t really a fan of Thomas Edison (“I invented the light bulb, look at me, look at me …”), this year’s Edison Extravaganza looks like fun for the ages. If you are looking for an excuse to dress up in the formal attire of the 1880s, here it is.
The event will be sponsored by the Louisville Bedding Company and Brown-Forman, which will provide the event’s signature cocktail, the Woodford Honey Pear Tea. A silent auction will be held and hors d’oeuvres will be served along with other cocktails. Sounds a bit like a dinner party in a Tennessee Williams play, doesn’t it?
Come out and greet all the swells. —Dennis O’Neil
•Team Givestrong Benefit
Saturday, Aug. 15
Monkey Wrench
1025 Barret Ave.
584-2433
ky09.ridetovictory.org
$5 (suggested donation); 7 p.m.
Tour de force cycling legend Lance Armstrong’s post-cancer survival campaign continues to reverberate nationally. On Saturday, Louisville’s singer-songwriter swath plays a benefit for the Ride To Conquer Cancer, a cycling event held Sept. 26-27 in which registrants bike from here to Lexington and back to raise money to fight cancer.
Leigh Ann Yost, Audrey Cecil, Justin Lewis, Edgehill Ave. acoustic, Nick Peay, Adam Hardesty, Mindy Tolle and Amanda Lucas perform. Art by Trish Griffin, Bates Webster and Joy Wilson will be donated for silent auction. All proceeds go to Team Givestrong’s fundraising efforts. More info is at ky09.ridetovictory.org. —Mat Herron
•‘Grosse Pointe Blank’
Saturday, Aug. 15
BBC Taproom
636 E. Main St.
287-2772
Free ($5 donation suggested); 8 p.m.
Did that scene with the boombox over the head in “Say Anything” just really captivate you? Well, they showed that movie last month, but this month the kind folks from Bon Vivant Savant are rolling out another Cusack gem, “Grosse Pointe Blank,” as part of their “Spend Your Summer with John” film series.
Local artist Ashley Burchett will provide live music before the film screens at sundown, with all donations going to the Food Literacy Project. Patrons are invited to lay down a chair or an air mattress and enjoy late ’90s Cusackian brilliance. Should be fun, and there’s free popcorn. —Dennis O’Neil
•Tribute to Simon & Garfunkel
Saturday, Aug. 15
Iroquois Amphitheater
1080 Amphitheater Road
www.simonandgarfunkeltribute.com
$10; 8 p.m.
Louisville seems to know a thing or two about troubled water. Luckily, this might ease your mind: Despite suffering widespread damage from last week’s random burst of Weather Channel hellfire, events will go on as scheduled at the Iroquois Amphitheater. So it is only appropriate that this Saturday’s event is a tribute concert to the men who suggested building a bridge. Tribute bands are oft-lampooned signatures of prom and weddings, but A.J. Swearingen and Jonathan Beedle take it to a whole new level. (Obviously — they’re performing in an amphitheater!) The doppelganger duo have been re-creating the music of the folk pop sensations for more than a decade, performing their show all over the world. —Kathleen Keish
•Out in the Parks
Sunday, Aug. 16
Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom
www.outinevents.com
$30 (adv.), $32 (gate); 11 a.m.-8 p.m.
“Out in the Parks” at Kentucky Kingdom Sunday is part of the official 2009 LGBTI Six Flags Tour, which benefits the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund. Those out and about and/or supportive of the LGBT community are encouraged to spend the day riding rides, eating junk food and playing carnival games … all in the name of a good cause. There’s even a special party starting at 3 p.m. hosted by The Imperial Court of Kentucky and features DJ Seth Gold. Rainbows optional. —Sara Havens