Akron Life April 2023

PAGES

RADAR

by Shawn Davis

seen + heard

SAUCE BOSS Barbecue and beer — find that scrumptious combo at the new Big Dog Daddy’s barbecue joint next to Medina Brewing Co. in the historic Farmers Exchange building. The team that runs a food truck serves farm-fresh brat burgers made by building tenant Keller Meats and sweet and zesty tacos with light ingredients like pico de gallo, chili lime aioli and cabbage drizzled with an original barbecue sauce over juicy house-smoked brisket. Pair the latter with Medina Brewing’s fruity Wild Thornberry India pale ale. Rest assured, owner and pitmaster Kirk Davenport also fires up plenty of good old-fashioned hearty barbecue fare like tender, fall-off-the-bone ribs on weekends. 320 S. Court St., Medina

photo by Dale Dong photo by Shawn Davis

BREAKING WALLS Fluid movements, props and thoughtful stage lighting immerse audiences in a new psychologi cal contemporary dance, “Floating Walls,” that Cleveland choreographer Antonio Brown is pre miering with GroundWorks DanceTheater at the Akron Civic Theatre’s Knight Stage April 14 and 15. “You can feel like you get put into this box,” he says. “I kept trying to think, What were the ways that I can break through that? ” Plus, witness a world premiere work by Sidra Bell, the first Black female choreographer commissioned by the New York City Ballet, who is known for creating poi gnant, surreal movements with avant-garde flair. 182 S. Main St., Akron, groundworksdance.org

GROW TOGETHER Do your part for the environment on Earth Day April 22 by making your yard more sustainable through Summit Metro Parks’ Wild Back Yards challenge. Plant free Eastern Great Lakes Native Pollinator seed packs that contain flowers such as the magenta anemone-like liatris spicata and attend workshops to start composting, learning about building healthy soil and properly caring for bird feeders. Emerge with a beautiful nature-filled yard that’s better for the planet. summitmetroparks.org

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akronlife.com | APRIL 2023