Lock in your weekend plans with these 10 cool events happening in Columbus

When singer-songwriter Carole King sang, "It's Too Late," she obviously wasn't referring to your chances of seeing her life story — especially her meteoric rise to fame — chronicled in a bio-musical by Short North Stage. Featuring several of the legendary artist's world-renown hits, “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” will open its four-weekend run with a "Pay What You Want" performance at 7 p.m. Thursday.

There also are plenty of opportunities for outdoor entertainment including the Summer Jam West community arts festival and 150th birthday celebration activities at the Columbus Metropolitan Library's main branch, both on Saturday. Columbus organist Tony Monaco will get jazzy during his appearance in the Concerts on the Green series in Worthington on Sunday, and the Westerville Area Chamber Music & Arts Festival is back for its 49th year on Saturday and Sunday.

Early next week will be anything but a drag when Jinkx Monsoon — a two-time victor on "RuPaul's Drag Race" as well as a Broadway performer — brings her big, brassy personality to Kemba Live on Tuesday.

Read on for more details about these and other upcoming fun-filled outings. To get these events in your inbox every week, sign up for the Life in the 614 newsletter.

Musical chronicles Carole King's 'Beautiful' life

A four-weekend run of “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical” is the latest undertaking by Short North Stage, 1187 N. High St. The jukebox bio-musical follows King’s rise from teen songwriter to international star known for hits like “I Feel the Earth Move,” “It’s Too Late,” “You’ve Got a Friend” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.” Thursday’s performance at 7 p.m. will be "Pay What You Want" and Friday’s 7 p.m. show will be followed by an opening night reception. Other performances are at 7 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through July 30. The July 23 show will feature an American Sign Language interpreter and a talkback with the cast after the play. Tickets start at $33.33. (cbusarts.com)

Goodguys nationals race into Expo Center

Thousands of hot rods, customs, muscle cars, trucks and classics from across the country will be on display this weekend at the Ohio Expo Center, 717 E. 17th Ave., during the Goodguys 25th Summit Racing Nationals presented by PPG. The three-day event will offer 300-plus vendor exhibits, timed racing, a used automotive swap meet, Cars 4 Sale Corral, model car show, live entertainment, a kids' zone and more. Awards will be given, including the crowning of the Goodguys 2022 PPG Street Machine of the Year and Classic Instruments Street Rod of the Year. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday-Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Tickets can be purchased online for $25 (age 13 and older) and $10 (ages 7-12). Children 6 and younger admitted for free. Parking is $7. A schedule of activities is available on the event website. (good-guys.com)

Summer Jam returns to Westgate Park

Forty-five artist vendors, 10 diverse food vendors, six professional chalk artists, six bands in the music lineup, and two kids' arts areas. These numbers add up to a full day of experiencing various art forms and fostering community ties at Hilltop Arts Collective's Summer Jam West. The free annual community arts festival will run from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday in Westgate Park, 455 S. Westgate Ave. New this year is indoor arts programming in the park’s enclosed shelter house, where two of Hilltop Arts Collective's community partners will hold events. The Wexner Center for the Arts will host an elder open mic storytelling event, while Latino Arts for Humanity will provide activities including yoga and mindfulness, drum circles, folklore dance, and more. (hilltoparts.org)

Festival to feature wine au naturale

If you're a vino virtuoso who hasn't tried the increasingly popular wines made without sugars, preservatives and other additives, then the Columbus Natural Wine Festival is where you need to be at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Hosted by The Bottle Shop, Accent Wine, Law Bird, Coast Wine House, Comune, Chapman's Eat Market, Agni, Fyr Short North and Stories on High, the first-ever festival will be held in the Galleria of the Lazarus Building at 50 W. Town St. While you're sipping, enjoy a bite from one of the food trucks lined up on Town Street. All guests must be 21-plus and show a valid ID at the event. Tickets are $39. Part of the proceeds will go to Love Boldly, a faith-based charity that creates safe spaces for members of the LGBTQ+ community. (eventbrite.com)

COSI to get hands-on at main library

The Columbus Metropolitan Library will continue its year-long sesquicentennial celebration by partnering with COSI to present the Hands-on Science program at the main library, 96 S. Grant Ave., at 1 p.m. Saturday. The family-friendly event, which will take place on Kaufman Plaza, will offer activities like demonstrations with dry ice and liquid nitrogen, among others. Also on Saturday, a story time celebrating 150 years of the library will be held from 11-11:30 a.m. in Meeting Room 1 at the New Albany branch, 200 Market St. The entertainment will include stories, songs and puppets, and is geared toward children 3-6 years old. Free. (events.columbuslibrary.org)

Organist to jazz up Worthington's Village Green

The next performer in the Worthington Parks & Recreation Department's Concerts on the Green series will be Columbus jazz organist Tony Monaco, who will play at 7 p.m. Sunday during his first visit to Worthington's Village Green, located at the corner of High Street and Dublin Granville Road. Monaco began playing the accordion at age 8 but switched to organ four years later after hearing iconic jazz organist Jimmy Smith, who helped popularize the Hammond B-3 organ and later became Monaco's mentor. DownBeat magazine's international critics poll ranked Monaco in the Top 5 jazz organists of 2005–2011. His most commercially successful album, "East to West," reached No. 4 on Jazzweek's Top 100 in 2006. Concerts on the Green are free and will be held each Sunday through Aug. 13. In the case of inclement weather, the show will be canceled. (worthington.org)

Westerville fest spotlights music and arts

Popular '80s dance and party band The Reaganomics will be among the 30-plus musical and theater performances at the 49th Annual Westerville Area Chamber Music & Arts Festival being held this weekend at Heritage Park and Everal Barn, 60 N. Cleveland Ave. Hosted by the Westerville Area Chamber and sponsoring Chamber member businesses, the fest will be held from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. In addition to more than 20 food trucks, 125 artists, and beer from Zaftig Brewing and Rhinegeist Brewery, there will be youth crafts, mini art workshops for adults, balloon artists, magic shows, a silent auction, a youth art exhibit, games and more. Admission is $1 for ages 11 and older; cash or Venmo will be accepted. For entertainment schedules, food trucks, parking and other information, see the event website. (westervillechamber.com)

Jinkx Monsoon's tour to stop in Columbus

Two-time "RuPaul's Drag Race" winner and Broadway breakout star Jinkx Monsoon's "Everything at Stake" tour will land at Kemba Live, 405 Neil Ave., on Tuesday (doors open at 7 p.m.). The show, open to 18 and older, will feature Jinkx and her musical main squeeze, Major Scales, with a full rock band playing a decades’ worth of covers and original music, plus songs from her upcoming three-part album, "The Virgo Odyssey." Jinkx gained an international fanbase after her win on season five of "Drag Race." She went on to be crowned "Queen of All Queens'' on the 2022 all-star edition of "Drag Race." This year, Jinkx made her debut on the Great White Way as “Mama” Morton in Broadway’s longest-running show, "Chicago." Limited tickets remain for $58.50. Guests should be prepared to use contactless forms of payment. All major credit cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay will be accepted. (promowestlive.com) 

Columbus State to present 'On the Verge'

Join Victorian-era sojourners Mary, Fanny and Alexandra as they bushwhack their way through Terra Incognita — the last uncharted, unexplored territory on the globe — and test their friendship while facing cannibals, Yetis and … Cool Whip?! Theatre Columbus State will present this whimsical work, “On the Verge; or, The Geography of Yearning” in Nestor Hall Auditorium, 488 Mt. Vernon Ave., from July 12-15. Eric Overmyer's imaginative, language-rich play, which spans 67 years, will take audiences on a decidedly unusual expedition! Showtimes are 8 p.m. July 12 through July 15, and 2 p.m. July 15. Admission is free. (cscc.edu, 614-287-5353)

NF to bring his rap game to the Schott

Michigan-born rapper NF, whose recently released album, "Hope," reached No. 2 on the U.S. Billboard 200, will come to the Schottenstein Center, 555 Borror Drive, at 7 p.m. July 12. NF credits Eminem as his primary influence — an impact evident in his rhymes and flow; he's also been likened to Logic and Machine Gun Kelly. NF's singles include this year's "Hope," "Motto" and "Happy," as well as "Let You Down," a sleeper hit from his 2010 debut album released under his real name, Nathan Feuerstein. Supporting act Cordae released his first studio album, "The Lost Boy" in 2019, earning nominations for Best Rap Album and Best Rap Song for the single "Bad Idea" at the 62nd Grammy Awards. In addition to working with Eminem and Stevie Wonder, Cordae is featured on "Careful," the third song on NF's "Hope." Tickets for the show start at $39.50. (schottensteincenter.com)

bpaschal@dispatch.com

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 10 things to do in Columbus this weekend