Excited about Pokemon Go? Join this weekend's pub crawl in Fresno

“Pokémon Go” has become a full-on phenomenon.

Need proof, besides the deluge of news headlines and social media posts? How about the stark increase in Pokémon-themed pub crawls, which I’d estimate at about 1,000 percent since the game was released last week.

Fresno’s Pokémon Go Pub Crawl happens at 8 p.m. Saturday, July 16, in the Tower District, which gives you time to download the app and figure out what the heck a Pikachu is and why you’d want to capture it on your phone. The free-to-attend flash crawl is being organized by Fresno Zombie Society and Blue Shell Gaming, which will be giving away Poké prizes throughout the night. This is a 21 and older event.

Details: 8 p.m. Saturday, July 16, at Goldstein’s Mortuary & Delicatessen, 1279 N. Wishon Ave. Free. www.blueshellgaming.com, Fresno Zombie Society of Facebook.

Here are a few other entertainment options for those who aren’t excited about collecting pocket monsters.

Don’t call it a comeback

The event: Local rock band Stoneshiver plays at Visalia’s Cellar Door.

The draw: It looks as if Stoneshiver is officially a band again. The South Valley rock group mostly stopped playing in 2009, only reappearing for periodic live performances (opening for Alien Ant Farm, for example). Then, in March the band released its first new material in close to a decade and began announcing several performance dates, including a spot at Modesto’s X-Fest, Joshua Fest 2016 and this semi-hometown show with Westhoward.

Details: 8 p.m. Saturday, July 16, at Cellar Door, 101 W. Main St., Visalia. $5. 559-636-9463, www.snvfoundation.org

A hardcore celebration

The event: A very unofficial Fresno Hardcore Hall of Fame inducts its first class of punk-rock honorees.

The draw: This inaugural event honors Capital Punishment guitarist Dale Stewart and promoter Vence Barela, who ran Valley Hardcore Booking in the 1980s. Both were influential in the early days of the area’s punk and hardcore scene. The evening will also feature music from Clovis Rodeo, Cousin Fister Surf Band, The Velisha and other special guests.

Details: 8 p.m. Saturday, July 16, at Tokyo Garden, 1711 Fulton St. $5 at the door. 559-268-3596, www.tokyogardenfresno.com

Get happy

The event: The Turtles headline the Happy Together tour at Visalia’s Fox Theatre.

The draw: This could be the ultimate in 1960s and ’70s pop-music nostalgia – a perfect choice for those who grew up with “oldies” as a radio format. Along with the Turtles – playing here with vocalists Flo and Eddie – the Happy Together lineup features Chuck Negron of Three Dog Night; Mark Lindsay of Paul Revere and The Raiders; Gary Puckett & The Union Gap; The Cowsills; and The Spencer Davis Group.

Details: 6:30 p.m. Sunday, July 17, at Visalia Fox Theatre, 308 W. Main St., Visalia. $59-$89. 559-625-1369, www.foxvisalia.org

This story was originally published July 13, 2016 at 2:49 PM with the headline "Excited about Pokemon Go? Join this weekend's pub crawl in Fresno."