Feast your eyes on these fests

By Pat Clark
pclark@modbee.com

E-Mail

Comments (0)

Text Size:

tool goes here

Start your festival engines, folks.

It's a veritable festival of festivals next weekend, with communities across the region celebrating things from frogs to bicycling to chocolate to jazz.

It's kind of shocking that everything under the sun in the area happens during the same two days in May every year, but that's the way it's been for a while.

The first one actually begins Thursday: the Calaveras Jumping Frog Jubilee and County Fair. The celebration of the Mark Twain classic hops right on through May 17.

Also running May 16-17 are the Oakdale Chocolate Festival and the Eleventh Street Jazz Fest. On May 16, only, is the Modesto Criterium Family Cycling Festival and the Coulterville Coyote Howl.

Surely at least one of these events will capture your festival-going fancies.

I received an e-mail after writing a few weeks ago about Jeremy Renner's new TV show, "The Unusuals." The reader also is a fan the Modesto native's dramedy/

cop procedural on ABC and wanted to be kept up to date on how the show does in the ratings.

Unfortunately, it's not doing so hot. According to numbers posted in online blogs by the New York Times and Nielsen Wire, it debuted in early April with 6.8 million viewers. That was well off the 12.5 million who watched its prime competitor in the 10 p.m. Wednesday time slot, CBS' "CSI: NY." Things haven't really improved, with about 6 million viewers regularly tuning in.

Going head-to-head with one of the members of the popular "CSI" franchise is no easy task. I'm not a fan of the "CSI" shows, but I am a fan of "The Unusuals," so it's disappointing.

Maybe ABC will move it to a better hour on a different night and give it a second chance. Otherwise, blog word has it that the show, sadly, is pretty much toast.

Speaking of Wednesday night and ABC, "Lost" is getting seriously intense. If you're still following the action on this incredibly original show, you know that answers to the mysteries abound.

It's truly been worthwhile to be one of the early viewers who has stuck with this crazy good show.

Whatever the final secrets are on the island, where the show's cast has been attached in so many forms now it's too hard to keep them straight, they must be nothing short of amazing because multiple characters actually have sacrificed their children -- literally as well as figuratively -- to protect them. Or further them. Or whatever else they might be doing to them.

I have zero doubt the final payoff for this show will be shocking and tremendous.

Elsewhere around the Scene: A benefit show for Relay for Life sprints into the Queen Bean Coffee House on Saturday. Performing in the show that begins at 6 p.m. are LD50, Colour, Alyssa Poppin and A La Lune. Relay for Life is an annual fund-raiser for the American Cancer Society and all proceeds from the show go to the society. A $3 donation fee is set for the Queen Bean program at 1126 14th St., Modesto. To learn more, call 551-6690.

Heavy/mellow band -- yes, that's what the press release says, heavy/mellow -- Arizona pulls into The Partisan in Merced on Tuesday for a free show. The North Carolina-based rock group -- yes, Arizona is from North Carolina ... I just report these things, I don't make them up -- features shows with "exotic instrumentation, adventurous guitar work and vocal harmonies that recall Queen and CSNY," the release promises. The Merced show begins at 9 p.m. at 432 W. Main St.

Reach Scene editor Pat Clark at pclark@modbee.com.