Wednesday, Aug. 21, 7 p.m.

Love him or hate him, Lil Wayne is at the top of the entertainment game, and he’s about to bring it to Oklahoma City. The rap superstar behind multiplatinum-selling albums (Tha Carter III) and the powerhouse hip hop recording label Young Money Entertainment (with includes Drake and Nicki Minaj among its contracted artists) takes a break from making tabloid headlines and dissing other rappers for a show at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 21, at the Chesapeake Energy Arena, 100 W. Reno Ave., Oklahoma City. Special guests T.I. and 2 Chainz open for Lil Wayne. Tickets are $49.75-$89.75, available at www.chesapeakearena.com. The “2013 America’s Most Wanted Music Festival” looks on track to at least match his 2009 tour, which took in about $42 million and made Lil Wayne into one of the most recognizable names in music. Where will this next tour take him? No one ever called Lil Wayne predictable.

Friday, Aug. 16-Saturday, Aug. 17

It’s man versus bull again with the top 35 riders in bull riding taking a turn at 8-seconds of glory and big cash prizes. The BOK Center hosts the Professional Bull Riders Built Ford Tough Series Tour. Not only will you see PBR champions such as Silvano Alves, Renato Nunes, Guilherme Marchi and Mike Lee, but also watch for favorites J.B. Mauney, Luke Snyder, Shane Proctor and defending PBR Tulsa event champion Kody Lostroh as well as Oklahoma cowboys Ryan Dirteater of Hulbert and Austin Meier of Kinta. These nice guys go head-to-head with some bad bulls with names like “Bushwacker,” “Meat Hook,” “Smackdown” and “I’m a Gangster.” PBR action happens Friday, Aug. 16-Saturday, Aug. 17, at 200 S. Denver Ave., Tulsa. Tickets are $17-$102. Get them at www.bokcenter.com.

Continuing

When viewers of Oklahoma Contemporary’s latest exhibit look deeply into its geometrics, patterns and colors, they are getting a personal look into the life of its creator. Laurie Frick: Walking, Eating, Sleeping continues at the gallery, 3000 General Pershing Blvd., Oklahoma City, through Aug. 23. When Frick set about creating the installations, she measured her activities and body. Quantifiable patterns (such as her heart rate, sleep rhythms and body weight) inspired everything from the colors to shapes of her work. Step into her world – Oklahoma Contemporary is open 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday-Saturday. There will be a last look showing with refreshments from 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 22, and it is also free and open to the public. For more, visit www.cityartscenter.org.

Thursday, Aug. 15-Sunday, Aug. 18

Community theater is most true to its name when everyone can be involved with a play from start to the stage. The fourth annual Heller Shorts Festival is community theater at its most essential and complete – short plays written, directed and staged by your family, neighbors and friends. Eight plays were selected from this year’s submissions and include dramas, comedies and everything in between. This fun new tradition opens Thursday, Aug. 15, at 7:30 p.m. at the Henthorne Performing Arts Center, 4825 S. Quaker Ave., in Tulsa. The festival continues at the same time through Saturday, Aug. 17, and includes a matinee at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 18. Tickets are $10. To see a list of works selected for the festival and learn more, visit the theater group’s Facebook page or call 918.746.5065.

This Week

It’s been a while since Oklahoma experienced a mild August, and the cooler temperatures leave few excuses to avoid the park. But if the weather isn’t enough to convince you, maybe a fun action flick will. Sonic Summer Movie Nights on the Great Lawn of the Myriad Botanical Gardens, 301 W. Reno Ave., Oklahoma City, finds treasure with Pirates of the Caribbean, the 2003 hit featuring Johnny Depp’s toddling scamp, Jack Sparrow. Food trucks will be onsite Wednesday, Aug. 14, but feel free to bring your own picnic along with chairs and blankets. The series (Wednesdays at 9 p.m. throughout August) is free and open to the public.
Tulsa’s Guthrie Green will echo with the crack of a whip when it screens the 1981 classic Raiders of the Lost Ark at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 15. The first Indian Jones movie is a classic and still makes archaeology look fun. And who could forget melting Nazis? The screening is free. Bring your park blankets, snacks, chairs and good humor to 111 E. Brady St. arrive early and enjoy the pre-show live music.
For more about Sonic Movie Nights, visit www.myriadgardens.org. For more about movies at the Guthrie Green, check out www.guthriegreen.com.

Continues through Sept. 29

Printmaking is a unique art requiring a whole other set of precision skills and considerations than that of painting. For all that, however, the medium can share the depth of fine art as it fulfills a purpose. Tulsa's Henry Zarrow Center for Art and Education, 124 E. Brady St., continues the run of America in Ink 2 through Sept. 29. The exhibit features work from invited artists assigned to focus on a single year and create a print that reflects it. This installment specifically covers the years 1810-1843, the period of the young American democracy rife with change from expansion and immigration and unrest over slavery and labor. America in Ink 2 is the second installment of The Visual History of the United States series. View it from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday at the Zarrow Center. Admission is free. For more, go online to www.gilcrease.utulsa.edu.

Saturday, Aug. 10, 9 p.m.

Some people run for health. Others run for a cause. You’re sure to meet both and then some at the Midnight Streak 5k Run, Saturday, Aug. 10. Previously known as the City Arts Midnight Streak, the event nine years in the making dropped “City Arts” from its title when the City Arts gallery and institution adopted the new name of Oklahoma Contemporary. The event, however, continues to raise funds for the organization’s endeavors to support creativity and inspiration. Runners will take their marks at Oklahoma State Fair Park, 3001 General Pershing Blvd., in Oklahoma City for the USATF-certified 5k at 11 p.m. Arrive early for festivities and children’s activities beginning at 9 p.m. For more, visit www.cityartscenter.org.

Saturday, Aug. 10, 7 p.m.

Lecrae brings Christian hip hop to Frontier City’s summer concert stage Saturday, Aug. 10. Blending his love for rap, the influence of his faith and a drive to motivate youth, Lecrae has all the earmarks of mainstream popular music but with a meaningful message of hope and community. See the Dallas recording artist at Frontier City, 11501 N. Interstate 35 Service Road, Oklahoma City. The concert is free with theme park admission. Gates open at 6 p.m. Special guest act Gospel Lee opens at 7 p.m. before Lecrae takes the stage at 8 p.m. Regular daily admission starts at $22.99, available online at www.frontiercity.com or at the gate.

Friday, Aug. 9, 8 p.m.

Ron White, aka “They call me Tater Salad,” brings his new stand-up comedy show “A Little Unprofessional” to the Joint at the Hard Rock Tulsa Hotel & Casino, 777 W. Cherokee St., in Catoosa. As part of the famous Blue Collar Comedy Tour, White was pinpointed as the brazen comedian with a glass of fine Scotch in one hand and a cigar in the other. Now flying solo, White has become one of the top-grossing comedians touring the U.S. His televised comedy specials have drawn in huge audiences, and his CD release of “You Can’t Fix Stupid” earned him a Grammy nod. Catch his live show while he is in town on Friday, Aug. 9, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $60-$70 and are available at www.hardrockcasinotulsa.com. Show is for ages 21 and over only.