Groundhog Fun Day
Punxsutawney Phil gets all of the accolades, but we’ve got our own fuzzy friends for Groundhog Day. Well, it’s a bit early, but Lake Erie Eddie, the veteran groundhog at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and newbie Thistle the Whistlepig are out of hibernation and ready to visit. Enjoy tunneling like a woodchuck, crafting puppets, face painting and animal encounters with other hibernators at this family event. And no, Bill Murray won’t be there. Free with $14 general admission. 10 a .m.- 4 p.m., Jan. 28, Cleveland Museum of Natural History, 1 Wade Oval. cmnh.org
Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland Winter/ Spring Season Opening Night Celebration
Start the new year with fresh art and a chance to hear from the artists that created it at this festive kickoff party that toasts the opening of two new exhibits at the Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland. Spine is artist Lisa Oppenheim’s take on the back’s relationship to the body and the nature. New work from Brooklyn artist Adam Pendleton features black-and-white poetic textures and images that span from aesthetic movements such as minimalism to cultural movements like Black Lives Matter. Catch the two in person at an artists’ talk early in the night and stick around for some drinks and dancing. Free, 7 p.m., Jan. 27, 11400 Euclid Ave., mocacleveland.org
Cleveland Winter Beerfest
Complete with more than 400 craft beers from 120 breweries throughout the region — from Sweetwater to Ballast Point and New Belgium. Plus, get your fill on food from local restaurants and food trucks, and live music soundtracks your night. And no not it’s just to an occasion to clink pint glasses: most of Beerfest’s proceeds are going to the Music Education Society, a nonprofit dedicated to aiding music programs in underfunded elementary and junior high schools. Now that’s a reason to reason to knock back another. $55, 8 p.m., Jan. 27 & 28, Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland, 300 Lakeside Avenue, clevelandbeerfest.com
Current
Root, the debut of Canopy Collective’s seven-part series to kick off the new year is a multisensory display of the collective’s in-house pieces, one that combine immersive sound, visuals and movement in one comprehensive exhibit. Root features the artists Olga Chwa, Micheal Hoffman, Genevieve Jencson and more. A suggested $10 donation benefits a local homelessness and basic needs support organization. Suggested donation, 7 p.m., Jan. 28, 3910 Lorain Ave., canopy-collective.com
Polar Fest
If you haven’t already, it’s time to embrace winter —and no better way to do it than through an interactive winter festival. The chill celebration makes way again to the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds where revelers can find demonstrations from local ice sculptors, seasonal artists and a whole lot of ice wine and craft beer tastings. Not a fan of the frost? There are indoor activities to warm you up. Free, noon-5 p.m., Jan. 28; 11a.m. -4 p.m., Jan. 29; 164 Eastland Road, Berea, clevelandpolarfest.com