www.roanoke.com

The Ardell Stone School of Dancing Performing Company recently performed at half-time of the Virginia Tech Men's Basketball game at Cassell Coliseum on the Virginia Tech Campus. The group includes two girls from Salem: Mackezie Price and Mckenna Hayes.

Members are : 1st row from left to right, Brianna Cody, April Martin, Katie Snyder, Chandler Dawes, Tess Atkinson, Maddy Dodd, Mackenzie Price

2nd row: Elyse Parker, Hayley Steele, Robyn Lewis, Hayley Leipzig, Cameron McCarty, Cheyenne Parker, Samantha Casuay, Drew Wesley

3rd row: McKenna Hayes, Devin Chavira, Lisa Myers, Ashlyn Gibson, Taylor Walton, Laura Blades, Kathryn Kallam, Zoe Rahsman, Mattie LaPrade

Not pictured: Sara Clark and Cara Beamer

Submitted by Lynn Hampton

Mama's Pizza, a New Jersey-New York-style pizza venture of Mama Maria's owner Dominic Marletta, is starting up in the former location of Picaso's Italian Grill in Lakeside Plaza across the road from Lewis Gale Hospital. Marletta plans on hosting the grand opening on the restaurant's planned first day open: Tuesday, February 16.

The space, a little under 3,000 square feet, will seat about 40 people at a time, including four or five folks at the pizza counter - which will be a slice right out of Marletta's idea of what a real Italian-American pizzeria should be. There will be at least 15 ready-made gourmet pizzas, strombollis, and calzones on hand, including chicken Caesar salad pizza, baked ziti pizza, eggplant parmesan pizza, cheesesteak pizza, along with the garden variety types and some salads and pastas.

Marletta's sister, Sonia, will take over full operation of the new location in several weeks. The two grew up in a small town called Mountainside about 15 minutes outside of Manhattan. Their father owned two pizzerias, and their family even spent about a year in Italy, near Tuscany, when the two were in their early teens.

"You stick with what you know - pizza's an Italian thing," Dominic said. Family friends of the original Mama Maria's owners, he moved to Salem in 2006 when he learned the restaurant was for sale.

Click here to see what Jenny Boone, business retail reporter, posted on her blog about Mama's Pizza.

Theatre Roanoke College will present two student-directed one act plays on February 17-20 at 7:30 p.m. in Olin Hall Theater. Both plays are for mature audiences only.

The first play of the evening is Shotgun by Romulus Linney and is directed by Jordan Henderson, Junior Theatre Major. This play is about a man who is desperately trying to regain control of his life after his wife leaves him for his best friend. The play examines issues of control and the emotional toll of keeping one's feelings locked up inside.

The second play is Barefoot in Nightgown by Candlelight written by Don Nigro and directed by Alex Munro, Senior International Relations Major. The play takes place in a boarding school where three girls play a game of chance called Mistress and Slave. The game begins innocently enough, but as the play progresses, the games become more sinister and dangerous. It explores the lengths one would be willing to go in order to be accepted.

For more information or to purchase tickets, please call the Olin Hall Box Office at (540) 375-2333 or order online at www.roanoke.edu/tickets. Tickets are $7 for general audience members, $5 for non-RC students and seniors, and free for the Roanoke College community.

Submitted by Lisa Warren

File photo 2009

On February 21, Roanoke Valley Challenger Little League Division will hold a sign-up/registration meeting to welcome children who are interested in playing baseball. This meeting is very important and will provide vital information and cover the events that will take place throughout the year. This meeting will be held at the Brambleton Center between 2 and 4 p.m. at 3738 Brambleton Ave., Roanoke, VA. (Near Cave Spring Corners).

If you wish to sign up your child for the 2010 season, please make every effort to be in attendance. Hope to see you there!

The Challenger Division of Little League is a program for mentally and physically challenged youth, helping them to enjoy the full benefits of Little League participation in an athletic environment structured to their abilities.

More than the skills of baseball learned through the experience, the value of the Little League Challenger Division is found in the proven therapeutic and socialization benefits of participating in sports, the strengthening of participant's self-esteem, the opportunities to mainstream into other divisions of play, and the disciplines of teamwork, sportsmanship and fair play, which are hallmarks of the Little League program.

The Little League Challenger Division provides the framework so Little League programs may offer a structured, athletic activity for all youth in their communities. Playing with the same equipment on the same fields, Challenger Division participants have the opportunity to experience the joys of pulling together as a team, being cheered, and earning awards for their achievements.

For more information, contact Sid Whitt Jr. at 309-6274 or visit www.roanokechallenger.org.

Submitted by Sid Whitt Jr.

ALMS chorus and director Deborah Wiley

Salem High and Andrew Lewis Middle schools are presenting "Celebration of Dedication and Leadership," a program highlighting Black History Month. A Salem city schools employee will also be honored.

The Salem community is invited to attend.

Forensics students Jarrel Ledbetter and Na'eemah Phanelson will perform, and there will be a guest speaker, Shirley Everett, former South Salem Elementary principal. The Andrew Lewis Middle School chorus will sing three songs throughout the program: "Let it shine," "Swingin' with the saints," and "Lift every voice and sing." A reception will be held afterward.

Salem City Council meets tonight at 7:30 p.m. Here's the agenda.

Anne Johnston shares this photo gallery, showing views of the snow from Lewis-Gale on Saturday.

Thanks, Anne.

Do you have snow photos from around Salem? You can share at news@sosalem.com.

We have photos from last week's River Ridge District swim meet, with special attention to the swimmers from Salem.

You can view the photo gallery from John Wimmer in the slideshow above or in this gallery format.

Do you have photos involving teams or players from Salem or Glenvar? If so, you can share at news@sosalem.com.

The Salem Public library is CLOSED today - Saturday, February 6 - and will re-open at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, February 7.

Submitted by Mike Stevens, city of Salem

The Kevin Jones Performing Arts Studio is postponing Saturday night's free show at the Jefferson Center until Sunday night because of the weather.

That means there will be two shows Sunday -- at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

People with tickets to the Sunday afternoon show will be admitted first, then all others will be admitted, as space is available, Kevin tells us.

For the Sunday night show, Saturday night ticketholders will be admitted first, then others.

That way, anyone who had Saturday tickets who want to see the show -- but not miss the Super Bowl -- can likely get into the Sunday afternoon show.

The show features Broadway showtunes performed by Kevin's students, two of which are from Salem -- Phillip Rodgers and Drew Kearns.