It's Here - The Summer's Biggest Weekend!

Entertainment, shopping, theater, music, athletics. This summer weekend in Racine County has it all! Here is a sampling of things to see and do.

Laughs with The King.  A comedy farce "Elvis Has Left the Building" opens at 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 13 at the Racine Theatre Guild, 2519 Northwestern Ave. It's a tale about Elvis Presley, his manager Col. Parker and multiple Elvis impersonators. It's a lot of laughs over the next two weekends. Call the Theatre Guild box office at 262-633-4218 or visit www.racinetheatre.org for show times and tickets.

Start with music.  A little free jazz is on tap from the James Yorgan Sextet from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday at Monument Square in Downtown Racine. This is part of Music on the Monument, a free weekly summer concert series.

Gallery Nights is back.  A fun, art-filled evening is promised in Downtown Racine from 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday. Gallery Nights involves nearly 200 artists displaying their works at 35 galleries and shops throughout the Downtown area. You can meet the artists, watch art being created and try your hand at the creative process. Classical music soloists will be performing during the evening. Living Statue, a troupe of statue performers, will add a bit of whimsy. The Racine Art Museum is open, with free admission, all evening. Visit: www.racinedowntown.com

Go Western. Western Days returns on Saturday! The family fun runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to the West Racine business district on Washington Avenue. Activities include a kids sidewalk parade, pony rides, bouncy house, chili cook-off, carnival games and live country music. Join in the guitar decorating contest at participating stores. The guitars will be raffled off starting at 3 p.m.

Fishing for cash.  The Salmon-A-Rama fishing tournament, one of Racine's longest-running events, starts at 12:01 a.m. Saturday and continues through July 22. There's a $15,000 cash prize for the largest overall fish caught by an individual contestant. Cash prizes will also be awarded for the largest fish in five individual categories. SAR is hosted by Salmon Unlimited which uses the proceeds for the betterment of Lake Michigan. For details, including entry information and an online tournament leaderboard, visit www.salmon-a-rama.com

The main event.  The Ironman 70.3 Racine Triathlon starts bright and early Sunday morning. The 2,200 triathletes from 14 countries and 41 U.S. states arrived this week. Drop by the check-in and Ironman Village at Festival Hall, 5 Fifth St., from 2-7 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Then, head to North Beach starting at 7 a.m. Sunday to watch the 1.2-mile swim. The athletes then make a 56-mile bicycle ride across the countryside and a 13.1-mile run along the lakeshore. The first competitors are expected to cross the finish line at North Beach about 10:30 a.m. The events schedule and course maps can be downloaded from the Real Racine website or at www.ironmanracine.com

That's not all!  Competitive cycling returns to Racine next Tuesday, July 17. The Real Racine Lakeshore Classic is a day of bicycle races at the North Beach area. The competitors are in the 2012 International Cycling Classic Superweek Pro Tour. The one-mile course is along Michigan Boulevard, Hoffert Drive and Barker Street. The races start at 10 a.m. and conclude with the Men's Pro race at 5:45 p.m.  Visit www.internationalcycling.com

Visit the Real Racine website (www.realracine.com) for a complete events calendar and ideas on things to see and do.. You’re also invited to like us on Facebook by clicking HERE or follow us on Twitter by clicking HERE.