Center Stage: Picks of the Week | The State

Palmetto Capital City Classic

The Palmetto Capital City Classic is more than a football game. The Benedict College tradition is a weekend-long event. Call (803) 758-5946 or visit www.palmettoccc.com for ticket information.

Some of the highlights:

FRIDAY, AUG. 29“Jazz in The City” concert featuring electric jazz violinist Ken Ford and Skipp Pearson at Seawells, 1125 Rosewood Drive, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets on sale at Sounds Familiar Music Stores and PCCC office, 2219-C Two Notch Road.

SATURDAY, AUG. 30The Classic Parade will run from the Drew Wellness Center to the Charlie W. Johnson Stadium starting at noon. A Classic Hip-Hop Pre-game Show will fill the anxious hours before the big game at Charlie W. Johnson Stadium from 1-3 p.m.

Benedict College takes on Morehouse College at 4 p.m. at Charlie W. Johnson Stadium. $10-$20

Friday, Aug. 29-Saturday, Aug. 30“Sin & Secrets” addresses “down low” living — married men carrying out secret homosexual affairs — in the African-American community. The play is at The Township at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. $18.25; (803) 783-2222 or www.ticketmaster.com

Friday, Aug. 29It is absolutely necessary to make a trip to the Village at Sandhill for the funky folk-pop of Zack Fowler & the Essentials from 6-8 p.m. at the Town Center Commons. Free; www.villageatsandhillonline.com

Saturday, Aug. 30The town of Lexington invites everyone to get “A Taste of Country on Main” from 2-9 p.m. on Main Street. Guest artists include Mark Chesnutt, Lance Miller, Heartland, Under the Sun and Hotwired. Free.

Come show off your flashy paint job, most powerful engine or classic ride at the Carolina Classic Car, Truck & Bike Show from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Main Street between Lady and Hampton. Cash prizes will be awarded. Free; (803)467-7974

Local rock band Tokyo Joe will close out the city’s 2008 Summer Concert Series from 7-10 p.m. at Finlay Park. Free; www.columbiaactioncouncil.net

Thursday, Sept. 4Join First Lady Jenny Sanford in welcoming the S.C. Philharmonic’s new director, Morihiko Nakahara, to South Carolina at a gala held at the governor’s mansion. “Morihiko at the Mansion” begins at 6 p.m. Dinner is served at 7. Cocktail attire is encouraged. $100; (803) 254-PHIL (7445) or www.scphilharmonic.com

Sandlapper Art & Frame will throw a Grand Gala to celebrate the opening of a juried art exhibition to benefit the fight against Parkinson’s disease from 7-9 p.m. at 711 E. Main St., Suite M in Lexington. Donations and sponsorships will be collected during the event, which also will feature food, beverages, music and a tango performance. (803) 785-4278 or www.sandlapperart.com/GrandGala.html

Civil rights activist and Georgia congressman John Lewis will be special guest speaker to kick off the exhibition Benny Andrews: The John Lewis Series at Sumter County Gallery of Art. Andrews’ final project was a series of works chronicling Lewis’ life and contributions to civil rights. Lewis will speak at 6:30 p.m. at Patriot Hall Auditorium, 135 Haynsworth St., Sumter. The exhibition will be up in the gallery, 200 Hansel St. Sumter until Nov. 1.

Also opening: Romare Bearden: Prints. Free; (803) 775-0543 or www.sumtergallery.org

The Gamecocks travel to Tennessee to take on Vanderbilt at 8:30 p.m. Catch the action on ESPN, cable channel 26.