Neighbors, you turned it up last month! We’re going to keep the party going for MoRA’s Thursdays Live from 6-8pm on August 19th, and we’ve got another set of surprises up our sleeves. Drumroll please…
… now add some bass, guitars, and vocalist….
Thursdays Live on August 19, 2021
It’s The Swingin’ Richards!
These guys are some of the best musicians in the whole Southeast, and you’ll never guess how the band made its debut back in 2001.
By opening for James Brown!
The members all play in different bands too, but when they get together for The Swingin’ Richards, it’s really something special. We are thrilled to have them playing at Embrace this month.
MufukaWorks Dance Exhibition
Performing a mini exhibition of Afro Russe—a fusion of Zimbabwean African, Ballet, and Contemporary style of dance—will be MufukaWorks Dance Company. MufukaWorks was founded in 2010 by local artist and educator, Elsie Mufuka, who lives on our side of town. She offers classes for both youth and adults, as well as workshops and professional performances. Her Dance Tribe can be booked for festivals, stage performances, and public or private events.
MufukaWorks Dance Tribe
Elsie Mufuka
Elsie Mufuka is a Diamond Award Winner for McClintock Middle School, the standing NC Dance Educator of the Year, Teacher of the Year of Benton Heights Elementary, and Top 20 Teacher of the Year of UCPS.
Emcee
Brian Lafontaine, emcee
Rocking the mic as emcee this season is “one of Charlotte’s most recognizable, non-famous, best kept secrets,” Brian Lafontaine, who has performed and worked professionally as an actor “since the late 1900’s.” Lafontaine’s body of work includes film, stage, and TV—Ozark, Stranger Things, and Homeland to name a few—as well as countless commercials.
Food & Drink
A Tana Empanada—a local, Veteran-owned food truck out of Mint Hill—will be serving tantalizing empanadas and burritos, along with spicy parsley dipping sauce or pico de gallo. Hawthorne’s NY Pizza and Edge City Brewery are once again offering pizza and drink specials. $5 for two slices or $15 for a whole pie: Pepperoni or Cheese. Full menu of options available inside.
A Tana Empanada, Edge City Brewery, and Hawthorne’s NY Pizza
Special Guests: local nonprofit, Cakeable Charlotte
Finally, to sweeten the August 19 experience, you’ll want to stop by Cakeable Charlotte’s table and try their assortment of baked goods. Cakeable Charlotte is a nonprofit working to bridge the disability employment gap in our city.
Transferrable job skills and training
We believe that baking skills are functional, employable skills that bring people together, and we envision Cakeable as a community where our students and employees learn meaningfully, contribute purposefully, and move confidently into opportunities which enhance independence and inclusion.
Cakeable Charlotte recently co-located with Sweet Spot Studio at 4412 Monroe Road (behind Common Market and Iron Tribe Fitness).
Cakeable will have baked goods for sale.
MoRA’s Thursdays Live 2021 is presented by Edge City Brewery and supported by several community-minded sponsors (see below). Please thank them when you see them!
What to know about Thursdays Live 2021:
WHEN: Concerts take place 6p – 8p on the third Thursday of each month, from June through October in 2021:
- June 17 – a brass quintet of the Charlotte Symphony
- July 15 – Party of Six
- August 19 – The Swingin’ Richards
- September 16 – check back, to be announced
- October 21 – check back, to be announced
WHERE: The venue is the iconic Embrace sculpture located at 6697 Monroe Rd., at the intersection of Monroe Road and Conference Drive in Charlotte.
HOW: As always, admission is free. Food and drink is available for purchase from the great businesses in Meridian Place near the Embrace sculpture: Edge City Brewery, Hawthorne’s Pizza, and Wingstop.
Guests may bring a chair or pack a picnic, but no outside alcohol permitted on the premises.
In addition to Edge City Brewery, sponsors include these local businesses and partners:
- Pet in the City
- Hawthorne’s NY Pizza
- Savvy & Co – Josh Starnes
- Meridian Place
- On the Move Charlotte
- NoDa Yoga
- The Mother’s Best
- Wanda Smith & Associates
- Iora Primary Care
- The Barker Lounge
- Rama Swim
- Williams Subaru
- GrindHaus Studios
- Key NC Homes
- Social Pet Hotel
- Action Plus Ideas
Free parking is available onsite at Meridian Place (6697 Monroe Rd), and overflow parking is available across the street at East Mecklenburg High School (6800 Monroe Rd).
HEALTH AND SAFETY NOTE: ** MASKS ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED FOR ALL **
