23 Triangle events to check out this week

RALEIGH, N.C. — There's a lot to do in the Triangle this week. Here are our top picks.

Cooking for a Classic continues this week at 1705 Prime in Raleigh. Ticket holders can enjoy a great, six-course chef-prepared meal with drinks in an elegant setting while supporting the Lucy Daniels Center.

Whiskey Kitchen in downtown Raleigh is hosting their first Whiskey Lounge at 6 and 9 p.m. Attendees will celebrate Irish whiskey, its history, its science and its flavors while learning the spectrum and processes of preparing it. Appetizers and dessert will be served.

At 6 p.m., join Nofo at the Pig for their Spring Forward Cocktail Event featuring Norm's Farms, Fairgame Beverage Co., Crude Bitters and The Brothers Vilgalys Spirits Co. Tickets will be available for purchase for $40, which will include three specialty cocktails, small bites, shopping and a chance to meet some local vendors. There will also be a pianist on-site performing live music.

Have a little "fun" with Flash Chorus at Motorco tonight. The impromptu chorus will be singing "Some Nights" by Fun. and "Oh, Sailor" by Mr. Little Jeans. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and singing gets started at 7 p.m. Tickets are $7 in advance and $10 at the door.

Gordon Lightfoot has had his songs recorded and performed by artists like Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Jr. and more. See him at the Carolina Theatre of Durham at 8 p.m.

Open Mic Night starts at 7:30 p.m. at Deep South in downtown Raleigh.

The Bodyguard starts tonight at DPAC. The award-winning musical is based on the smash hit film about a former Secret Service agent turned bodyguard who is hired to protect superstar Rachel Marron from an unknown stalker. You'll love the music!

See Norah Jones, an American singer, songwriter and actress, tonight at 8 p.m. at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts.

If you love comedy, Open Mic Night at Goodnight's is a great choice. There will be 20+ musicians on stage starting at 8 p.m.

Aspergers Are Us, a Boston sketch comedy troupe made up solely of artists on the autism spectrum, will perform tonight at the DSI Comedy Theater in Chapel Hill. "The guys are not looking for sympathy laughs or polite applause," event organizers say. "Their show is not an autism awareness campaign. They want people to laugh simply because they’re funny."

The Jimi King Trio will perform as part of "Blue Wednesdays" at the Blue Note Grill in Durham.

Midtown Grille in Raleigh will host a wine dinner tonight at 7 p.m. featuring wines from the Domaine Gayda Winery. Tickets are $75 per person.

Founded in 2011 by Egyptian ethnomusicologist Mina Girgis and Ethiopian-American singer Meklit Hadero, The Nile Project is one of the tightest cross-cultural musical collaborations in history. See a performance tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the NC State's Stewart Theatre.

Join in on an Artist Talk! Three acclaimed local artists working in ceramics, mixed media and photography will hold a fun discussion at Chapel Hill's Frank Art Gallery at 6 p.m.

The Granary will celebrate Adrian Miller's cookbook with a Cooks & Books dinner event at 6 p.m. Miller's book tells the stories of the African Americans who worked in the presidential food service as chefs, personal cooks and servers for every First Family since George Washington. $110 per person includes dinner, a copy of the cookbook and beer from Fullsteam.

The Wine Walk event at Lafayette Village starts this month. On the third Thursday of each month March through October, visit the Raleigh shopping center for a wine walk in support of a local charity. Participating merchants will be offering free wine tastings from 6 to 8 p.m.

Jay Wayne Jenkins, better known by his stage name Young Jeezy, is an American hip hop recording artist from Atlanta, Georgia. See him at The Ritz at 8 p.m.

The Corey Hunt Band, started by a graduate of Appalachian State University, will perform at Deep South at 8:30 p.m.

It's St. Patrick's Day! Check out our guide to St. Paddy's Day events in the Triangle, like the Glenwood South Goes Green festival, or these other events.

It's Third Friday in Durham, which means art galleries, bars and shops will stay open late.

The Raleigh Blues Festival is tonight at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts. Artists include Bishop Bullwinkle and Sir Charles Jones.

Vanessa Carlton will perform at the Lincoln Theatre at 8 p.m.

New York R&B artist Jos James will play at Motorco at 9 p.m. Tickets are $30.