From spring blooms to classical music to a squeezebox competition, your weekend is here.
Temperatures on Saturday are expected to reach the 90s and San Antonio Water Systems' Lilliana Gonzalez said their Spring Bloom event is giving away 1,000 water-stingy plants.
"You can get one of three plants,” she said. “This year, those plants are lavender, rosemary, and a salvia, and there's actually two kinds of salvia. They have red blooms this year. All of them are water saver plants."
IF YOU GO What: SAWS’ Spring Bloom Where: 2800 U.S. Hwy 281 N. (at Mulberry Ave.) When: 9 a.m. Saturday Cost: free
Free plants are available to the first 1,000 people to arrive. But, if you miss out, other participating organizations will be selling drought resistant plants.
"You can buy some unique plants from some of our partner organizations that are here,” she said. “You can attend workshops so that you can learn how to use some of these water saver plants so that your garden looks great without you having to spend a lot of water. There's activities for the kids, and it's all free."
On Friday and Saturday, the San Antonio Symphony is playing a concert of “all American” music.
"Bernstein is very, very American," said cellist Ken Freudigman.
Leonard Bernstein's 100th birthday will be marked with the symphony playing three dance pieces from “On The Town.” Then Freudigman will be featured out in front of the symphony on a raised podium.
IF YOU GO What: San Antonio Symphony Where: Tobin Center for the Performing Arts When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday Cost: $20-$96
"The work that I'm performing — the Bloch ‘Schelomo’ — is a very big work for cello; one of our major works,” Freudigman said. “And then something that's probably even more American, and I think a lot of people don't even know about it but the Dvořák New World Symphony was written in Spillville, Iowa.”
The Czech composer spent three years living in the U.S., and his most successful piece was written while living here.
Then, on Sunday, it's the Big Squeeze Accordion Competition.
Andi Garcia-Linn, who is hosting the competition, said there's a wide range of squeezebox talent with young San Antonians.
"The age range is 21 and under. Last year I'd say most of them were probably 10 and up,” she said. “They compete in different cities in Texas and then from those cities they choose finalists."
IF YOU GO What: Big Squeeze Accordion Competition Where: Guadalupe Theater When: 2 p.m. Sunday Cost: free
The contest is put on by Texas Folklife, a statewide non-profit organization based in Austin. So will the state champ come from San Antonio? Find out Sunday.
Jack Morgan can be reached at jack@tpr.org
