This week in Wichita

Confirm details of in-person events you plan to attend in case of last minute changes. Protect yourself and others from COVID-19 by avoiding close contact, washing your hands often and covering your mouth and nose with a mask.

Free: Facebook Live tour of latest Mark Arts exhibition

5:30 p.m. Friday, virtual

The opening reception for the “100 Years of Instruction” exhibition was canceled because of restrictions on gatherings, but you can watch a Facebook Live tour at 5:30 p.m. Friday or find the recorded tour on Mark Arts’ Facebook page to watch later. The exhibit is tied to the arts hub’s 100th anniversary and includes more than 85 works from Mark Arts’ skilled instructors past and present. You can also make an appointment to see the exhibition by calling 316-634-2787.

Virtual Star Night with Music Theatre Wichita

6 p.m. Friday and on-demand, virtual

Brian J. Marcum, associate artistic director for Music Theatre Wichita, is hosting a virtual cabaret style revue featuring talent from the 2019 resident ensemble. Tickets are $20 at MTWichita.org and the show debuts online Friday.

Free: Automobilia Moonlight Car Show

4 p.m. to midnight Saturday at 4615 S. Oliver

The 26th annual event has moved from downtown Wichita to 47th and Oliver to allow more space for spectators. The event typically draws 1,000 show vehicles, and there are also bands, food concessions and vendors. There’s no charge for spectators to park or walk the show.

Blake Shelton drive-in concert experience

9:30 p.m. Saturday at Starlite Drive-In, 3900 S. Hydraulic

See a prerecorded concert by country star Blake Shelton at Starlite as part of the national Encore Drive-In Nights series. Gwen Stefani and Trace Adkins also perform during the family-friendly concert. A $114.99 general admission ticket admits up to the number of legal seat belts in the vehicle, with a maximum of six. Tickets are only available online through Ticketmaster, not at Starlite box offices. Concessions and bathrooms are open and spaces are marked for distancing.

Free: Virtual artist talks

6 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, virtual

While the galleries are closed at the Ulrich Museum of Art, there are two free Zoom artist talks scheduled this week. On Tuesday, sculptor Alice Aycock will join live from her studio in SoHo, New York, previewing the installation of her Twister Grande sculpture on the Wichita State University campus in August. On Thursday, Patrick Duegaw is the guest artist. He co-founded Wichita’s Fisch Haus in 1990 and his work in part of the Ulrich’s community billboard project that launched this month. The events are free but you’ll need to register at ulrich-new.wichita.edu/programs to receive the Zoom links.

“Great Bear Rainforest” in the Digital Dome Theater

Various days at Exploration Place, 300 N. McLean Blvd.

See one of the rarest bears on earth on Exploration Place’s 60-foot dome screen, along with other inhabitants of the Great Bear Rainforest on Canada’s remote Pacific coast. Ryan Reynolds narrates this 2019 film showcasing the last intact temperate rainforest in the world. Dome admission is $5 ages 12 and older, $4 seniors, $3 for ages 3-11 and free for ages 2 and younger and members. You do not have to pay exhibit admission to see the film. Space is limited in the theater for distancing but the movie plays four times daily, with an extra showing when the science center stays open late on Thursdays.

Free: Live Q&A with a NASA Artemis engineer

3 p.m. Monday, virtual

Newton Public Library and Newton Public Schools will host a Facebook Live event with a member of the NASA Artemis engineering team. NASA aims to land the first woman and the next man on the Moon by 2024 with the Artemis program. Watch live and ask questions on the library’s Facebook page.

Free: “Kansas Legends & Folktales” with Jim Hoy

7 p.m. Tuesday, virtual

Folklorist and a native plainsman Jim Hoy will explore some of the many Kansas tall tales and help audiences decipher between a myth (folk religion), legend (folk history) and tale (folk literature) in this streaming event sponsored by Humanities Kansas and hosted by the Newton Public Library. Watch the livestream on library’s Facebook page or join via Zoom with the link provided on the Facebook event page.

Free: Cosmosphere online Perseverance rover launch event

6:30 a.m. Thursday, virtual

Join a Cosmosphere Camp alumnus and principal engineer for Lunar Missions at Northrop Grumman for a virtual event leading up to the live launch of the next Mars rover: Perseverance. This event is timed with NASA’s scheduled launch, watch that schedule for any changes and tune in through the Cosmosphere’s Facebook page.

Free: Online fall gardening series

6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, virtual

Thursday is the start of a free five-week fall gardening series offered by the Wichita Public Library and K-State Research and Extension – Sedgwick County. The sessions start with “Planting in Fall for Spring Color” and conclude with “Fall Lawn Care: Tips for Growing the Best Lawn on the Block” on Aug. 27. See the full schedule and register at wichitalibrary.org/gardening.