Weekday Fun: The Best Events July 21-23

It’s warming up again this week, but don’t let a little bit of heat keep you inside — there’s plenty of hot stuff to check out in the neighborhood! From a spicy cocktail competition to the blazin’ work of some young filmmakers, you’ll find it’s worth venturing out of the air conditioning. Details on those events and more:

Spicy Cocktail Competition
When: Monday, July 21, 4-10pm
Where: Backyard, 388 5th Avenue
What: Four bartenders are working with Salamander hot sauces to create their own unique cocktails. Competition starts at 4pm, and after the competition they’ll be serving up cocktails and food — and free beef jerky samples — for the rest of the evening.
How much: Free!

Size Matters: Neal Kirkwood Big Band
When: Monday, July 21, 8:30pm
Where: Tea Lounge, 837 Union Street
What: Pianist and composer Neal Kirkwood brings his 17-piece big band to perform several works including The Light of Birds, from a jazz piano concerto in progress, and Jim Knew, an extrospective Duke Ellington-inspired opus composed in honor of New York playwright Jim Neu.
How much: Free!

Secret Science Club Presents Marine Biologist & Explorer David Gruber
When: Tuesday, July 22, 8pm
Where: The Bell House, 149 7th Street
What: He’s going to tell you all about the glow-in-the-dark sharks, rays, eels, and other fishy beasts he recently uncovered in the inky depths!
How much: Free!

Hands-On Film
When: Tuesday, July 22, 8:30pm
Where: The Old Stone House, 3rd Street between 4th & 5th Avenues
What: Students in the 7th-10th grades from a Piper Theatre summer workshop will present the digital films they wrote, acted in, shot, and edited.
How much: Free!

Celebrate Brooklyn Benefit Concert: Neutral Milk Hotel
When: Wednesday, July 23, 7pm
Where: Prospect Park Bandshell, 9th Street/Prospect Park West entrance
What: It looks like Tuesday’s Neutral Milk Hotel show is sold out, but if you’re still hoping to catch the indie rockers in action, there are still tickets available for the Wednesday night performance. Benefit concerts help fund the free shows that run throughout the summer, so snag a seat, rock out, and feel good about showing a little love for BRIC.
How much: $39.50 available on TicketMaster.

The Legend Of Redwall
When: Wednesday, July 23, 7pm
Where: The Old Stone House, 3rd Street between 4th & 5th Avenues
What: Students ages 11-15 from a Piper Theatre summer workshop present a story of heroes and warriors and the strength in doing what is right.
How much: Free!

Christopher Beha In Conversation With Maud Newton
When: Wednesday, July 23, 8pm
Where: Community Bookstore, 143 7th Avenue
What: Harper’s Deputy Editor Christopher Beha discusses his second novel, Arts and Entertainments — a satirical romp about an adulthood-resistant high school drama teacher who stumbles into the downside of our culture’s monstrous obsession with fame.
How much: Free!

William Shakespeare’s Land Of The Dead
When: Wednesday, July 23, 8:30pm
Where: The Old Stone House, 3rd Street between 4th & 5th Avenues
What: Students ages 11-15 from a Piper Theatre summer workshop present this comic zombies-meet-Shakespeare epic, and a completely true account of the Elizabethan zombie plague in London, 1599.
How much: Free!

Photo via Neal Kirkwood