Shake Shack beer floats come to Wilmington

Are we there yet? Almost. (We swear.)

The first day of summer '17 is less than a month away -- June 21. But if you found yourself sitting at your work desk this week daydreaming about beach swims, Orange Crushes and barbecues, then we have good news for you: you can get started early this weekend.

The three-day Memorial Day holiday means downstate locals will have to loosen their grip on their beach towns and begin to share them with hordes of tourists once again.

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For many, it's their first time back at the beaches in a while, ready to dive back into familiar traditions and to also try what's new, including the brand spankin' new Dogfish Head brewpub on Rehoboth Avenue. (The beach's other buzzed-about opening, Big Chill Beach Club and its stunning views at the Indian River Inlet, won't quite be ready to open this weekend. It will open its doors for the first time June 1, owners say.)

Whether you're beach-bound this weekend or looking for some fun elsewhere in the state, here are some options that don't involve a backyard.

DOWNSTATE

Over at Dogfish Head's new showcase restaurant (320 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth Beach), there are bound to be plenty of beer nerds and foodies swarming this weekend, hot to trot about checking out Dogfish Head's newest release.

But music fans are curious as well. Gone is the brewpub's funky, yet achingly small stage that hosted everyone from The Strokes to Built to Spill.

Music fan and Dogfish founder Sam Calagione has poured a lot into the music side of things, putting a 220-square-foot stage at the center of the brewpub's expansive main room.

The new stage is paired with new premium sound and lighting systems to ensure that national and local acts continue to land at Dogfish for concerts.

This weekend's shows --  Delaware/Philadelphia alternative rock act Pet Cheetah (Friday night) and Philadelphia neo-psychedelic rock act Flux Capacitor (Saturday night) -- will be a prelude to the stage's official opening the next weekend.

That's when Television guitarist Richard Lloyd brings the bands Delaware connections back home to The First State on Friday, June 2, and Philadelphia-bred garage punk rocker Ron Gallo, formerly of Toy Soldiers, unloads songs from his thrilling new album "Heavy Meta." All Dogfish shows start at 10 p.m. and are free. 

A town away in "young 'n' fun" Dewey Beach, as actor Vince Vaughn once called it, Memorial Day weekend will double as the official kickoff for Bottle & Cork’s (1807 Del. 1) marathon music-fueled “Jam Session” parties.

Dewey Beach and its self-described “greatest rock ‘n’ roll bar in the world” will be rocking this weekend with back-to-back sessions on Saturday and Sunday.

At 5 p.m. Saturday, everything will stop at the Cork when the World War II-era rooftop siren wails, marking the jam kickoff -- a weekly bash that runs straight through to last call.

Saturday’s lineup of cover bands features My Hero Zero, Love Seed Mama Jump, Fish Out of Water and Kicking Sunrise with Sunday’s offerings led by Go Go Gadjet, Benderz and The Jump Off. 

And of you just can’t wait for summer ‘17 at the Cork, they will be open Friday with Benderz in charge of a happy hour set (4 to 8 p.m.) before Go Go Gadjet closes the night. 

A few doors down at The Starboard, the beach bar will welcome Mr. Greengenes' Bryen O'Boyle going solo from 2 to 6 p.m. on Saturday. 

UPSTATE

No beach? No problem.

Even though a holiday weekend mass exodus usually means a light entertainment schedule for New Castle County, there are plenty of upstate shows and events to prevent you from staying home and binge-watching Netflix's new documentary series "The Keepers" all weekend.

In Newark, Saturday's University of Delaware commencement means more than sighs of relief from parents and graduating student alike. It also means parties. And while there will be plenty of backyard bashes across town, there are also a few bars and restaurants with live music looking to capitalize on the busy weekend.

The Deer Park Tavern (108 W. Main St., Newark) will host the hard-working Newark-based cover band Radio Halo on Friday night before giving over the upstairs stage to Universal Funk Order on Saturday night. Also from Newark, this funk/soul seven-piece is the perfect party band for a celebratory I-can't-believe-I-actually-graduated throwdown.

A couple of other spots on Main Street will be filled with live music for graduation night as well, including Newark rockers Frisco paired with Mt. Nothing and Buena Puente at Home Grown Cafe (126 E. Main St.) and singer Natalie Bermudez at Grain Craft Bar + Kitchen (270 E. Main St.). Both shows are free.

But it's in Wilmington where the weekend's biggest upstate entertainment event will be held.

Poppycock Tattoo’s springtime throwback event -- Wilmo A Go-Go -- will return to the Riverfront (800 Justison St., Wilmington) on Sunday with cars, pin-ups, bands, food and even beard and mustache contests. (Admission is free for the retro hangout.)

Running from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., the seventh annual car show features only vehicles that are 1972 or older. There’s a $10 fee if you want to show your hot rod and try for a trophy. 

In addition, there’s a pinup contest to crown the new Miss Wilmo A Go-Go and a $100 prize for the best facial hair for the guys. 

Rockabilly and surf music will dominate when it comes to the bands, which will include Black Flamingos, The Twangabillies, Twitching Witches, The Open Road and Prof Ouch. Food trucks include Mojo Loco, Cajun-Sno, Delaware Provision Company, Kapow, Sweet Josephines and Outlandish.

Also on the Riverfront, Shake Shack will be making an appearance.

Unfortunately for Shake Shack devotees, we cannot report that a Shake Shack is opening along the Christina River. But we can disclose that the Constitution Yards Beer Garden (308 Justison St.) will welcome the people behind ShackBurgers for a special weekend of floats.

ShackMeister Ale Custard Floats ($8), which combine Shake Shack's vanilla custard with Brooklyn Brewery's Shackmeister Ale, will be available Friday (4 p.m. - midnight), Saturday (noon to midnight), Sunday (noon to 9 p.m.) and Monday (4 to 9 p.m.) thanks to the folks from the Christiana Mall-area Shake Shack. A 16-ounce Shackmesiter Ale ($7) and cups of custard ($4-$5) will also be available.

And if you're looking to dance off all those calories, there are a few clubs in town that will be rocking.

Firestone Roasting House (110 West St.) -- a short walk from the beer garden -- has Hot D (Friday), Chorduroy (Saturday) and Barely Rarely (Sunday).

On the other side of town, the indie rock rooms Oddity Bar (500 Greenhill Ave.) and 1984 (2511 W. Fourth St.) will each have full rock shows all weekend. Oddity hosts Eyebawl, Moonflower and CMOS (Friday) and a night of punk rock for Saturday led by Italian act Teenage Bubblegums. At the same time, 1984 goes with Weekday Warriors, No Sir E and more on Friday with a punk night of their own on Saturday: Only on Weekends, Bomb Shelter Dropouts, Welter and Mark & Margo.

Contact Ryan Cormier of The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier), Twitter (@ryancormier) and Instagram (@ryancormier).