This week offers an assorted grab bag of events to suit various interests from travel and history to theater and music.

Writer Rick Steves will come to Mershon Auditorium on Thursday to share stories from his trip from Istanbul to Kathmandu along the 3,000 mile "Hippie Trail."

Also Thursday, Otterbein University Department of Theatre & Dance will present the poignant drama "The Laramie Project," detailing the headline-making murder of Matthew Shepard.

Additionally, Gramercy Books will host a special Black History Month program in collaboration with King Arts Complex, Maroon Arts Group, Zora's House and the history departments of Ohio State and Miami universities.

Read on for more info about these and other events. To have this list delivered to your inbox each week, sign up for the Life in the 614 newsletter .

Rick Steves to tell tales of travels along 'Hippie Trail'

Trek 3,000 miles along the famed "Hippie Trail" with travel writer Rick Steves, who will share his journey at 7 p.m. Thursday at Mershon Auditorium, 1871 N. High St.

Steves details his experiences in “On the Hippie Trail: Istanbul to Kathmandu and the Making of a Travel Writer,” which features photos and journal entries from his 1978 adventure.

The book will be available for purchase and Steves will sign copies at the event, which is part of Columbus Metropolitan Library's Authors at the Library series .

Otterbein Theatre & Dance to stage 'The Laramie Project'

In 1998, 21-year-old Matthew Shepard was kidnapped, beaten and left to die, tied to a fence in the middle of a prairie in southeastern Wyoming, murdered because he was gay.

The Otterbein University Department of Theatre & Dance will tell the story of a community shocked and saddened by the tragedy in "The Laramie Project," opening at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the Fritsche Theatre at Cowan Hall, 30 S. Grove St., Westerville.

Created from 200-plus interviews with residents, the drama also will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday and 7:30 p.m. Feb. 27-March 1. The production contains mature themes and adult language.

Columbus musicians to pay homage to Quincy Jones

Known for his seven-decade career as a trumpeter, composer, arranger, record producer, conductor and bandleader, the late Quincy Jones was a pioneer in jazz, R&B, pop, film scores and other realms of the music industry.

Join vocalists Jamalia Jackson, KDNL, Monique “Maverick” Mitchell and Talisha Holmes with The Liquid Crystal Project in celebrating Jones' life and legacy during a tribute at 8 p.m. Thursday at Natalie's Grandview, 945 King Ave. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.

'All-Stars' to perform at Backstage at the Lincoln concert

The Backstage at the Lincoln concert series, which gives patrons the extraordinary opportunity to be seated onstage for performances, will continue at 7 p.m. Thursday with an "All-Stars" show at the Lincoln Theatre, 769 E. Long St.

Backstage is dedicated to dance, poetry, music, monologues, vocals, music production and art. Featured artists will include Gamal Brown, Joenathan Banks, Davitrick Brewster, Job Clarkson, Kevin Seals, Quianna Simpson, Damani Wade and Talia Walls.

Veterans to honor retired Marine Maj. James Capers Jr.

U.S. Marines Maj. (Ret.) James Capers Jr., a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War, will be honored Friday at a program hosted by the National Veterans Memorial and Museum, 300 W. Broad St. Doors will open at 6 p.m.

Capers is the subject of an episode of “BLK OPS – Uncommon Stories from U.S. Special Operations Forces (USSOF)” titled “The Real-Life Equalizer” on Amazon Prime. The episode will be screened at 6:30 p.m. Entertainment will include a set by comedian Thom Tran and music by Grammy Award-winning record producer DJ Babey Drew.

Queer author to debut memoir of growing up Mormon

At 19, AJ Romriell was forced to choose between staying with the church he'd devoted his life to or accepting himself fully as a gay man, at the risk of losing his family and community.

Now a presidential fellow at OSU, Romriell tells his story in "Wolf Act: A Memoir of Growing Up Queer and Neurodivergent in the Mormon Religion," which he'll discuss at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Stonewall Columbus , 1160 N. High St. Doors open at 6 p.m.

Glass Art Center to celebrate Mardi Gras at Glassquerade

Don your masquerade apparel and get ready for a Mardi Gras party guaranteed to be a hot time! Glassquerade is set for 6-11 p.m. Saturday at the Columbus Glass Art Center, 892 Scott St.

Enjoy baked potatoes hot from the kiln while watching glassblowing demos by guests Morgan Peterson and Jonathan Capps from Netflix's "Blown Away." Capps, of Columbus, took third place in Season 4 of the show, and Peterson was the winner.

The annual fundraiser for the center also will offer locally produced beer and wine, food by Creole 2 Geaux and activities such as a glass-smashing station, caricatures, Plinko and more.

Chamber ensemble to present evening of period music

Performing on replica instruments unique to each period, The Early Interval will present an evening of medieval, Renaissance and baroque music at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in Capital University’s Huntington Recital Hall, 2199 E. Main St., Bexley.

Hosted by the Columbus Guitar Society, the concert program will include music from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries by composers such as Strozzi, Uccellini, Biber, Handel and Telemann.

Historians to share photos, essays about Black experiences

Historians Daniela Edmeier, Damarius Johnson, Nicholas B. Breyfogle and Steven Conn will discuss their book, "Picturing Black History: Photographs and Stories that Changed the World," at 7 p.m. Feb. 26 at Gramercy Books, 2424 E. Main St., Bexley.

The book is a joint effort between Getty Images, Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective and the history departments at Ohio State and Miami universities.

Moderating the program will be Treva B. Lindsey, Ph.D., professor of women's, gender and sexuality studies at OSU and co-founder of Black Feminist Night School at Zora's House.

Indigenous art exhibit on view at Denison Museum

Explore the complex history of indigenous peoples in the Northwest Territory and their lasting connection to the land we now call Ohio in "Echoes of Ohio's Indigenous Legacy: Bridging Past and Present," on view through April 11 at the Denison Museum, 240 W. Broadway #101, Granville.

In collaboration with the Eichelberger Center for Community Voices and WYSO Public Radio, the exhibition integrates podcasts from the Ohio Country series focusing on the perspectives of the Miami, Shawnee, Wyandotte and other indigenous peoples.