Catch shock rockers Impaler Saturday for Halfway to Halloween at the Gopher Bar.

Jerree Small Thursdays in May, 5-7 p.m. Zeitgeist Arts Restaurant Jerree grew up listening to Cyndi Lauper, Madonna and her parents’ Bob Dylan and Cat Stevens records. She picked up the guitar while studying creative writing at the Minnesota Arts High School in Minneapolis and moved back to her roots in Duluth where, she says, “The stark cold is good for contemplation.”

Beats for a Change Friday, May 10, 7 p.m. Sacred Heart A memorable evening of live music with Northland musicians Sara Thomsen, Charlie Parr, Shane Nelson, Mary Bue, Ian Alexy and students in the Marshall School Choir. All proceeds go to support Red Cross efforts in Haiti and Ethiopia.

National Train Day Saturday, May 11, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Lake Superior Railroad Museum Celebrate the 155th anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869. Speeder rides, swap meet, engine cab tours, visiting locomotives on display, kids crafts, tours of special exhibits, train movies and more.

Halfway to Halloween Saturday, May 11, 9 p.m. Gopher Bar Third annual Twin Ports Horror Society event featuring the legendary Minnesota shock rockers Impaler, local legends Mr. Kickass and a costume contest, mc’d by late night horror host Uncle Clutch. Free to the general public, ages 21 and over.

Ukrainian Words Project  Sunday, May 12, 7:30 p.m. Zeitgeist Staged reading of excerpts from newly commissioned plays by Ukrainian playwrights written since the war began in February 2022. A production of Minneapolis-based Theatre Novi Most, which creates performances that build bridges across artistic and cultural barriers.

First Night May 12 & 16-19 Encore Performing Arts, Cloquet Danny Fleming had convinced himself that life’s dreams can’t be anything more than dreams, then back into his life walks his eighth-grade flame, Meredith O’Connor – only now it’s Sister Meredith Louise.

Hidden Roots of White Supremacy Wednesday, May 15, 5:30 p.m. First Lutheran Church, Duluth Bestselling author Robert P. Jones traces the roots of modern racism to the 15th-century Doctrine of Discovery, the belief that God had designated all territory not inhabited or controlled by Christians as their new promised land, and discusses the promise of a pluralistic democracy.