By PAM HARBAUGH

Fido might be tired of fetching the ball. Get him off the beach and into the Eau Gallie Arts District for tonight’s DOG DAYS OF SUMMER First Friday (read below and in the item about the Fifth Avenue Art Gallery). In addition, the melodramatic holy trinity of villain/hero/damsel-in-distress at Surfside Playhouse to an aromatic journey at the Ruth Funk Center, this promises to be a most unusual weekend in the arts.

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Theater:

DEADWOOD DICK or A Game of Gold opens tonight at Surfside Playhouse. Speak with director Bryan Bergeron and you’re going to want to head to Surfside Playhouse to have a fun time at the theater. This is an olde-timey melodrama, with expectations of boos and cheers from the audience. Read more about it by clicking here. “Deadwood Dick: A Game of Gold” runs through the Aug. 13 at Surfside Playhouse, 301 Ramp Road (5th Street South), Cocoa Beach. It performs 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $15 general, $13 seniors and military and $10 children 17 years and younger. Call 321-783-3127, visit SurfsidePlayers.com or click on their ad.

NOT QUITE RIGHT COMEDY IMPROV TROUPE performs Saturday evening at the Derek Gores Gallery. The full length show is all-improv with skits based on audience suggestions. The show starts at 8 p.m. Get there early, doors open at 7:30. These shows sell out. Ages 13 and older. General seating. $15/$12 for students and are non-refundable. To purchase tickets ahead of time (recommended), visit NQRComedy.com.

Nightlife:

MISS JACQUELINE JONES performs this evening at Heidi’s Jazz Club in Cocoa Beach. Also on stage is the Ron Teixeira Trio. Show from 8:30 p.m. to midnight. $10 cover. The Trio performs Saturday as well. So get your dancing shoes and arrive hungry and thirsty. And you never know who’s going to turn up in the Jam Session from 7 to 11 p.m. Sunday. Heidi’s is at 7 N Orlando Ave, Cocoa Beach, FL. Call 321-783-4559 or visit HeidisJazzClub.com or click on their ad.

DOG DAYS OF SUMMER is the theme of tonight’s First Friday along Highland Avenue in the Eau Gallie Arts District in Melbourne, FL. Running from 6 to 10 p.m., it includes pet vendors, food trucks, a rock climbing wall, pet shelters, vets, live music by Oranga Tanga, pet contests, an Instagram pet contest and more. The big deal, though, is the Fun Dog Show complete with blue ribbons. To “register” your dog in that show, post your dog’s photo in the EGAD Facebook page.

HOWL AT THE MOON this weekend at Riverside Theatre in Vero Beach featuring dueling pianos by John Kenney and Brian Wilk. This fun-packed music-filled evening has shows at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The shows invite guests to come enjoy a picnic style dinner while listening to some great music, free. Tickets start at $16. Shows sell out quickly, so purchase in advance. Riverside Theatre is at 3250 Riverside Park Drive, Vero Beach, FL. Call 772-231-6990, visit RiversideTheatre.com or click on their ad.

Exhibits:

FIFTH AVENUE ART GALLERY is an important hub in this evening’s First Friday open house which runs 5:30 to 8:30 P.M.. The gallery presents “BEST IN SHOW,” an new exhibition running throughout August. The exhibit features doggie art. During this evening’s First Friday, it will offer digital doggie portraits by Lori Jenkins, Barbara Desrosiers and Jini James. Pet owners can “pay” by donation, all of which will go to the Central Brevard Humane Society. In additiona, a portion of sales from the exhibit will go to the same charity. The Fifth Avenue Art Gallery is at 1470 Highland Avenue, Melbourne. Regular hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays. Call 321-259-8261, visit FifthAvenueArtGallery.com or just click on their ad.

FLORA & FIBER runs through Aug. 26 at the Ruth Funk Center for the Arts. The exhibit, culled from the Textile Center’s permanent collection, is designed to show how plants inspire hand-weaving and dyeing and how they also inspire both the design and adornment in textile art especially in Asia and later in Europe and America. Regular hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday. A special event, A Botanical Journey, takes place Saturday (read about by by clicking here). The center is located next to Evans Library on the Florida Tech campus, 150 W. University Blvd. in Melbourne. Admission is free. More information click here or click on their ad.

DOMINIC AGOSTINI PORTRAITS exhibition runs through Sept. 22 at the Renee Foosaner Education Center, 1520 Highland Ave, Melbourne. The works on view reveal the photographer’s keen interest in celebrating the heroic in every day people. Read more about it by clicking here. The exhibit is installed in the Frits Van Eeden Gallery. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. Admission free. Call 321-674-8923 or visit FoosanerArtMuseum.org.

Plan Ahead:

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM opens Aug. 11 and runs through Sept. 17 at Melbourne Civic Theatre.

SUMMER OF LOVE with cellist Francisco Vila-Haas and pianist Steven Lin perform at Eastminster Presbyterian Church in Indialantic.

AUDITIONS FOR BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Aug. 12 to 13 at Cocoa Village Playhouse.

SHREK THE MUSICAL opens Aug. 18 at Titusville Playhouse.

JAZZ LEGENDS will feature area jazz artists including those from “Lady Day” Aug. 19 at the Henegar Center.

SUNDAY WITH THE SYMPHONY presented by the BSO on Aug. 20 at Barnes & Noble Booksellers in West Melbourne. Visit BrevardSymphony.com.