photo by: Kathy Hanks

The cast of the Lawrence Arts Center Summer Youth Theatre production of "Mary Poppins Jr." is pictured Wednesday, June 12, 2019, at Theatre Lawrence.

The Lawrence Arts Center’s Summer Youth Theatre program is bringing a “supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” show to the stage this weekend — “Mary Poppins Jr.”

In this abridged version of the popular musical about the “practically perfect” nanny, more than 60 students in sixth through eighth grades will be singing and dancing to such familiar tunes as “Chim-Chim-Cher-ee” and “Let’s go Fly a Kite,” said Elizabeth Sullivan, the Arts Center’s associate director of performing arts.

“Mary Poppins Jr.” is one of six shows that make up this year’s two-month Summer Youth Theatre season. In the past few years, Sullivan said, response to the summer program has been so positive that the Arts Center has decided to split up the season into age groups to give kids more opportunities.

“People get more spotlight time,” Sullivan said.

Evening performances begin at 7 p.m Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. matinees are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday at the Lawrence Arts Center, 940 New Hampshire St. Tickets are $7.50 for students and $10 for adults and may be purchased at the door or online at lawrenceartscenter.org.

Summer Brew Fest

Breweries from both coasts, around the region and here in Lawrence will be represented at this weekend’s Summer Brew Fest, a fundraiser for the Lawrence Board of Realtors Community Foundation.

Attendees can sample beers from 24 breweries from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday at Abe & Jake’s Landing, 8 E. Sixth St. There will be beers from as far away as Alaska and Boston, but many Kansas breweries will also be offering samples, said Jenna Logan, co-owner of Abe & Jake’s.

“We will have a solid local representation,” Logan said.

Tickets are $25 and can be purchased online or at Abe & Jake’s. The beer samples are included with admission. Food vendors will be available at the event, and the Board of Realtors Community Foundation will be selling cigars on the patio.

photo by: Contributed photo

Lawrence residents watch the flooding of the Kansas River from the bridge in this 1908 photo from the Watkins Museum of History collection. The photo is part of a temporary exhibit on historic floods, which will be on display at the museum through September 2019.

Flood exhibit at the Watkins

When students from the University of Kansas were working on a museum installation last fall on historic floods in Lawrence, they had no idea how timely the exhibit would become, with the rising water levels on the Kaw and at area lakes in recent weeks.

Their temporary exhibit will be on display through September at the Watkins Museum of History, 1047 Massachusetts St. It tells the stories of three major local floods — in 1903, 1951 and 1993 — and also includes a display of the items people should have on hand in the event of a natural disaster.

This weekend, the museum will also be putting on a special program for families, “Our Fragile World,” with kid-friendly, environment-related games and crafts. The event, slated for 2 to 4 p.m., is a partnership with Prairie Park Nature Center, the Lawrence Public Library, KU’s Natural History Museum, the Friends of the Kaw, Fairy Fox Design and KU’s Spencer Museum of Art.