Summer arts and entertainment preview

Eric Sonnakolb / The Bulletin

The Dewayn Brothers play Wheat State Grille. The band will be returning to the venue on Friday with Radio City and Squish Bug.

On Friday, the Emporia Arts Council, 618 Mechanic Street, will be displaying pencil, ink and watercolor drawings by Josh Finley with a reception at 4:30 p.m. Finley is also the mandolin player for the local bluegrass band The Dewayn Brothers. Finley and his band will be celebrating his art opening with a performance at 9 p.m. at Wheat State Grille, 707 Commercial, with Emporia’s Radio City and McPherson’s Squished Bug (ex-Fast Food Junkies).

The Wagon Wheel, 2909 W. 9th Ave., is keeping the scene alive over the summer with a number of metal and punk acts appearing. Local acts The Dead Idols and Portrait of Malice will be performing on May 10th with Paola’s Five Star Disaster and Topeka’s Whoracle. On June 7th, The Dead Idols will return to the Wagon Wheel to play with Emporia’s Like A Phoenix, Lawrence’s KTP and Manhattan’s Product of Theory.

The Emporia State theater department is putting on its 54th season of summer theater with “Some Enchanted Evening: The Songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein,” Van Druten’s “Bell, Book and Candle,” “The Complete History of America, Abridged,” and “I Love You Because.” Check out http://www.emporia.edu/theatre for dates and show times.

Also look out for Flint Hills Music’s summer concert series called “Live in the Lot.” The local music store, 715 Commercial, hosts outdoor concerts in their back parking lot on just about every Wednesday in June and July featuring some of the area’s best bands.

For links to area bands and an updated concert calendar, check out The Dead End of Emporia on MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/deadendemporia.