Top 10 things to do in Orlando this week: Sept. 25-Oct. 1

STRFKR

Wednesday, Sept. 25

with Chrome Sparks, Feelings

8 p.m.

The Social, 54 N. Orange Ave.

407-246-1419

thesocial.org

$17-$20

Electronica band and occasional cross-dressers STRFKR return to Florida, a state they like well enough to name a song after on their new album Miracle Mile. The release continues their tradition of glossy indie pop that’s hooky enough to be dance-y but crafty enough to entertain a casual audiophile. Songs like “Kahlil Gibran” will set you to swaying, while the effectively titled “YAYAYA” delivers that Architecture in Helsinki-quality bounciness. Their music is synthy and streamlined, feels instantly familiar and goes down easy. For support, they’ve brought along Chrome Sparks, whose digitized bleeps and electronic drum claps were infrequently performed live previously, so that’s a bonus treat for those patient fans who thought this day might never come. And although Chrome Sparks’ Jeremy Malvin composes his songs solo, his Facebook says he performs with friends, so hopefully we’ll hear some of those warm and windy female vocals live on standout songs like “Still Sleeping.” – Ashley Belanger

BT

Thursday, Sept. 26

9 p.m.

The Beacham, 46 N. Orange Ave.

407-246-1419

thebeacham.com

$20-$35

Grammy-nominated recording artist BT returns to Orlando with a date at the Beacham, touring in support of his ninth full-length studio album, A Song Across Wires. More than an average producer, BT is a classically trained composer, live performer and software developer whose most notable product, Stutter Edit, enables DJs to manipulate audio in real time. He is currently working on new software that will hit the NAMM show early next year (a music trade show geared toward improving the way music is made), and is scoring a soundtrack for the upcoming ABC show Betrayal. BT’s discography touches on all styles of dance music, and his engineering skills make him quite possibly the most respected artist among his contemporaries in the electronic community. – Ed Chapkowski

Bee Kind Art For the Bees: Pollinator Art Show

Saturday, Sept. 28

8 p.m.

Redlight Redlight, 2810 Corrine Drive

407-893-9832

free

Bee and pollinator-inspired artwork by local artists.

Shampooch!

Saturday, Sept. 28

9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Thornton Park, 804 E. Washington St.

407-325-5943

facebook.com/shampoochfundraiser

$10 for dog wash

Dog washing might be one of the more cumbersome processes of owning a canine. Fortunately, Lambs Eat Ivy Salon offers a respite for weary dog owners this weekend by hosting the seventh annual Shampooch! dog-washing fundraiser in Thornton Park. Not only will your pooch get the royal squeaky-clean treatment, but proceeds also benefit five pet rescue groups in the Central Florida area. And speaking of pet rescue, in case you’ve been wanting to scoop up a new pet of your own, this year the Shampooch! folks team up with the Orange County Animal Rescue crew at Barktoberfest, the annual pet adoption event, which also happens to be set up at Lake Eola Park on Saturday. What better way to bring home a new family member than by first treating him or her to a day at the salon? – James Austin

Barktoberfest

Saturday, Sept. 28

10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Lake Eola Park

407-836-3111

orangecountyfl.net/animalspets

free

Dog washing might be one of the more cumbersome processes of owning a canine. Fortunately, Lambs Eat Ivy Salon offers a respite for weary dog owners this weekend by hosting the seventh annual Shampooch! dog-washing fundraiser in Thornton Park. Not only will your pooch get the royal squeaky-clean treatment, but proceeds also benefit five pet rescue groups in the Central Florida area. And speaking of pet rescue, in case you’ve been wanting to scoop up a new pet of your own, this year the Shampooch! folks team up with the Orange County Animal Rescue crew at Barktoberfest, the annual pet adoption event, which also happens to be set up at Lake Eola Park on Saturday. What better way to bring home a new family member than by first treating him or her to a day at the salon? – James Austin

Cowboy Heritage Festival

Saturday, Sept. 28

10 a.m.

Silver Spurs Arena at Osceola Heritage Park, 1875 Silver Spur Lane, Kissimmee

321-697-3333

floridacattlemen.org

free

It might be hard to picture, but long before Walt Disney World and Kennedy Space Center planted roots in Central Florida, a herd of cowboys (and cowgirls) settled the majority of our area. They are known as Florida cracker cowmen, a nickname given for their work rounding up cattle in the fields, and still today Florida residents trace lineage back several generations. It’s that kind of nod to rural roots that spurs on events like this weekend’s Cowboy Heritage Festival at Osceola Heritage Park. And as part of the Florida Ranch Rodeo weekend, this daylong outdoor event gives spectators the opportunity to see how the ’boys lived back then (historical campsite tours), hear tales from the farm (live performances by singers and cowboy poets), learn techniques used on the land (cattle-rustling re-enactments and saddle-making demos) and even taste a down-home-cooked meal (make your way to the brisket cook-off competition). Consider it an all-around respectful tip of the Stetson, if you will. – Aimee Vitek

Orlando's Urban Excursion Bike Race

Saturday, Sept. 28

1 p.m.

Orlando Brewing, 1301 Atlanta Ave.

visit Orlando Urban Bike Series on Facebook for more info

$10 suggested donation

It’s the first ride in a series of point-to-point bicycle battles, as Orlando’s Urban Excursion Bike Race takes off this week from Orlando Brewing south of downtown. Cyclists of all ages and levels set out on anywhere from 17- to 25-mile routes, depending on which way they choose, and are given a map that includes five to 10 scavenger hunt-type pit stops, where they must snap selfies with a smartphone before moving on to the next point. Literally any type of bicycle – from pro road bikes to beach cruisers – are invited along for this jaunt, and although it’s a timed race, riders can be as competitive or as leisurely as they like. Keep in mind, however, the fastest time might potentially win a prize, not to mention you’ll get first dibs on the food and happy hour beer specials at the post-race party. And don’t worry if you can’t make this particular race, because the group has a slew of upcoming urban excursions slated for this fall. – Aimee Vitek

Museum Day Live!

Saturday, Sept. 28

various times and locations

tickets required; go to smithsonianmag.com/museumdaylive to download

free

The old debit card starts to squeak a bit more shrilly when you swipe it toward the end of the month, doesn’t it? What with all of those silly expenditures like rent and electricity and beer (look) and cable/Internet, it can make you think twice about plunking down $5 or $8 or $12 to improve the mind and entertain the eye. (After all, you’ve already paid that cable bill.) Well, Smithsonian magazine, the print arm of the Smithsonian Institution, is picking up the tab for you and a guest to gorge your brain on Saturday. Visit any or all of several local museums, including the Orlando Museum of Art, the Mennello Museum of American Art, the Orange County Regional History Center, the Cornell Fine Arts Museum, the Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Gardens, the Art and History Museums – Maitland, Bok Tower Gardens, the Museum of Florida Art in DeLand and many more (go to smithsonianmag.com/museumdaylive for a full list) for zero dollars and nil cents, then maybe you can apply that unspent money to more important stuff. Like beer. – Jessica Bryce Young

Tesla Boy

Sunday, Sept. 29

9 p.m.

Will's Pub, 1042 N. Mills Ave.

willspub.org

$10

Heads up, gear nerds, because if you don’t know about Tesla Boy by now, you’re going to want to introduce yourself this week when the Russian audio producer and musician Anton Sevidov comes to town with his collection of vintage analog synthesizers. His band’s throwback sound is definitely rooted in the ’80s for inspiration, but his attentiveness to his songcraft requires that he pull from a wider array of influences, including Stevie Wonder, Blondie and – obviously – Prince. This goes further than most knock-off new wave music that’s super-trendy now; just listen to “M.C.H.T.E.,” the album’s first single, and you’ll start to see what’s up. Unique and brazen, Tesla Boy released its sophomore album, The Universe Made of Darkness, earlier this year, and through its pounding kick drums, dark synths and funky disco tendencies, it nobly endeavors to convince us that it’s OK again to sing “whoa-whoa-whoa” choruses and roll up our T-shirt sleeves. – Ashley Belanger

Junot Díaz Reading

Tuesday, Oct. 1

6-10 p.m.

Ferrell Commons, University of Central Florida, 4000 Central Florida Blvd.

407-823-1173

ucf.edu

free

There are just a few living writers that make us seethe with jealousy, and Dominican wunderkind Junot Díaz is one of them. His books (The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Drown, This Is How You Lose Her) pull off the twisty trick of being absolutely true to his background and, simultaneously, shrugging off all stereotypes with a weird, dorky grace. As part of the University of Central Florida’s Hispanic Heritage Month, the Pulitzer Prize winner speaks about his newest, This Is How You Lose Her, a collection of diamond-bright (and diamond-hard) short stories capturing several varieties of painfully familiar experience: bad kids, bad moms, bad love, bad fights, bad scores. We don’t get a lot of visiting authors of national stature in Orlando, so don’t sleep on this. – Jessica Bryce Young