Looking for something to do this holiday weekend? See our picks for some fun local events.
The Roanoke Fiddle and Banjo Show will convene Saturday, April 5, at Clearbrook Elementary School, 5205 Franklin Road S.W. The show will feature the New River Trio, The Blue Ridge String Band, Against the Grain, The Blue Ridge Travelers, and Old Dominion Cloggers.
The show runs 6 to 10 p.m. and costs $7, unless you’re under 12 — then it’s free.
High Point Coffee at Brambleton Plaza has released its April line-up of music acts. For the complete list, check out our cut’n'scratch music blog
Also of note: Blacksburg-based singer-songwriter Kristi Emmons plays at High Point on April 12. We have two videos of her on our MusicCast site of local music videos.
The India Children’s Choir, on a 10-month tour of the United States, will perform at 6:30 p.m. April 11 at Cave Spring Baptist Church, 4873 Brambleton Ave. S.W. To read more about the choir’s motivation for singing, click here.
If you’re looking for something a little more lively and charming than sitting on the couch with the dog, cat, or significant other with a video store rental or the latest episode of CSI in a far away metropolitan area, “Blithe Spirit” at Showtimers could save your Wednesday to weekend night sometime in the next two weeks.
Don’t expect for it to bring you back to Roanoke, either: set in the 1930s, a British author’s information gathering during a séance goes awry when the zany Madame Arcati, played by Nancy Lawrence, conjures up his first wife. As if that weren’t enough, Charles and Ruth Condomine (Ruth is his second and current wife) must navigate through polite society as they deal with the unruly and “blithe” ghost of Elvira, played by Cris Emerson. Charles and Ruth Condomine are played by Phil Boyd and Stevie Holcomb, respectively.
Showtimers is located on Keagy Rd., right off of 419. The stage and seating area is a former Methodist chapel—but it’s very appropriate considering the players’ and members’ dedication and reverence for theatre.
North Cross School has two fundraising events coming up that offer an array of shopping options and a way to help provide financial assistance to deserving students.
The Mosaic Online Auction kicks off Friday, March 28, and runs through April 11. The auction features more than 100 items, including artwork created by students in every grade level at North Cross.
Meanwhile, the Annual Big Flea Event is just around the corner. This white elephant and clothing sale will run 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 5 in the school’s Carter Athletic Center.
For more information on either event, contact Laura Neff-Henderson at 989-6641 ext. 259 or lhenderson@northcross.org.
The Roanoke County Headquarters Library has a lot of opportunities to offer in April. Computer classes, clubs and a bus trip to Poplar Forest are all on the calendar.
Enigma Book Club
Join the Enigma Book Club on April 3 at 6 p.m. and discuss “The Amulet of Samarkand” by Jonathan Stroud.
Friends of the Roanoke County Library Annual Meeting & Dinner
Come April 11 at 6:30 p.m. for a free dinner and preview of the book sale. All members of the Friends are welcome.
Showtimers Community Theatre will hold auditions for its next show, “The Boys Next Door,” on Saturday, March 29, at 2 p.m. and Sunday, March 30 at 6 p.m. The production will include roles for seven men and two women, ages 20 through 60. For more information, call the director, Phil Boyd, at 563-2693.
Meanwhile, if you’d just like to catch a show in the next week, “Blithe Spirit” opens Wednesday, March 26 and runs through, April 6.
Do you have news about something in Southwest Roanoke County? A neighborhood event, a school achievement, or other recognition? Share it with us, and your neighbors. Send your community news to: news@swo-co.com
And if you have a photo, send that on, too. We look forward to hearing from you.
Got a favorite photo from Southwest Roanoke County? A school carnival, a bingo night, a hiking spot? Enter it in our photo contest and maybe win a prize! Email it to photocontest@roanoke.com by Friday, March 28 and you could win a $250 gift card to Best Buy. We’ll select two lucky winners — one adult and one youth. We’ll announce the winners on April 25.
Umm, some other rules: You must include the photographer’s name, address, phone number, email, when and where the photo was taken, plus the story behind the photo in 100 words or less. They must be 200 dpi resolution with the largest dimension measuring at least 10 inches. All photos must have been taken within the last year and must be local. Submitted photos become the property of The Roanoke Times. By entering, you grant the paper and its affiliates the right to publish your photo in any way.
Housing growth, coupled with the future widening of Bent Mountain Road to Cotton Hill Road and the recent purchase of the Poage farm by the Roanoke County School Board, have prompted Roanoke County to update the overall plan for the U.S. 221 area.
Roanoke County officials began studying this area back in January and are planning to start development of the plan by late 2008.
At Tuesday’s Roanoke County Planning Commission meeting, Roanoke County planner David Holladay said the county has “mailed surveys to all that live in the Route 221 area, asking for their input on potential building plans.” The county hopes to have all of the survey responses back by April 30.
Officials then plan to have one-on-one interviews with the stakeholders. The next step is to involve the community again. Holladay said county officials “want the voices of the community to be heard.”
The first meeting will be held on Saturday, April 12 at the Back Creek Elementary School from 9 a.m. to noon.
Other meetings have also been scheduled so that all who wish can have the chance to attend.
If everything goes according to schedule, another community meeting will take place in July or early August. Following that, more public hearings will take place to discuss the actual plan.
By Chelsea Arner
chelsea.arner@roanoke.com
