The Salisbury Swing Band will once again perform prior to the annual Pops at the Post concert on Saturday, June 7 from 5 until 7 p.m. The band will be set up in the old First Bank Parking lot across from the Salisbury Post loading dock, where the Salisbury Symphony will perform at 8 p.m. The Salisbury Swing Band is under the direction of Dr. Steve Etters, and features vocalist Laura Millspaugh.
The 10th annual Pops at the Post concert by Salisbury Symphony is this Saturday night starting at dusk, about 8 p.m. As always, the Symphony sets up in the acoustically excellent Salisbury Post loading dock on South Church Street, and the audience will assemble in the parking lots across the street.
There will be a sports theme this year, with guest performers David Jackson, voice of Appalachian Mountaineers and Mick Mixon, play-by-play announcer for Carolina Panthers, along with special sports-themed music.
For more information on this event, visit www.popsatthepost.org or www.facebook.com/PopsatthePost or see the special 10th anniversary Pops at the Post pullout section in the Sunday, June 1 Salisbury Post.
Center for Faith & the Arts’ St. Thomas Players will be performing “Driving Miss Daisy” in mid-June, and to prepare the interested audience, an informative evening of music and talk is planned for Sunday, June 8 from 5-6:30 p.m.
James Parks and David Post will be speaking, and there will be music by Alexis Greer and Mitch Siegel. Each speaker and musician will facilitate understanding the world in which Daisy and Hoke lived. Talks will be relevant to the South during the setting of the play and the Jewish and African-American communities living there.This free event will be held at Lee Street Theater, 329 N. Lee St., and guests are invited to stay for the wine and snack reception afterward. Call Center for Faith & the Arts at 704-647-0999 for more information.
The deadline has been extended until Friday, June 6 for the annual Summer Strings Camp, set for the week of June 16-20 at St. John’s Lutheran Church. For information and to register, contact Susan Trivette.
The Rowan County Sheriff’s Office is reviving a summer camp designed to build upon the agency’s G.R.E.A.T. (Gang Resistance Education And Training) program.
Participants must be currently in the sixth or seventh grade. The curriculum will include addressing issues such as communicating with others, conflict resolution, goal setting, healthy self-image and juvenile law procedures. The recreation component will include daily games and activities. Lunch will be provided at no cost. The camp is free for participants.
Applications are available through the Rowan County Sheriff’s Office and www.rowancountync.gov
For more information, contact Master Deputy Ryan Walker or Master Deputy Jennifer Mason of the school resource officer community relations division at 704-216-8700.
GOLD HILL — The Historic Gold Hill and Mines Foundation and The Land Trust for Central NC are hosting a hike along the Gold Hill Rail Trail and adjacent greenways to celebrate National Trails Day on Saturday. The event goes from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. Check-in is at the E. H. Montgomery General Store and the guided hike will begin with a short presentation on the gold mining history of Gold Hill and the origin of the Gold Hill Rail Trail.
Along the trail, hikers will see interpretive photos and displays as the trail passes sites and landmarks in Gold Hill Mines Historic Park and into neighboring Cabarrus County. In addition, information for the photo contest hosted by American Hiking Society for the event will be available at check-in. Hikers are urged to bring cameras to take lots of photos for entry in the photo contest.
For more information, visit www.historicgoldhill.com or see Facebook at Historic Gold Hill, North Carolina or contact Vivian Hopkins at vivian@historicgoldhill.com

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The revised schedule for The Piedmont Choral Society’s patriotic benefit concerts is Thursday, June 19 at 7 p.m. at Forest Hill UMC, 265 Union St. N., Concord; Friday, June 20 at 7 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 201 Vance St., Kannapolis; and Sunday, June 22 at 3 p.m. at First Baptist Church, 200 Branchview Drive SE, Concord.
The deadline is Monday for Old Courthouse Theatre’s second annual 10 minute play writing contest on the theme of “Thrift Shop.” Open to residents of North and South Carolina. Complete details/rules of entry at www.oldcourthousetheatre.org or 704 788-2405. 49 Spring St. NW.

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STATESVILLE — In the summer of 1755, 50 soldiers arrived on a remote hilltop near present-day Statesville with orders to build a fort to guard local settlers and mark the edge of the British Empire. Fort Dobbs State Historic Site will offer a glimpse of life on the North Carolina frontier June 14-15.
This living history program will feature historic interpreters portraying American provincial soldiers and their Catawba Indian allies. Musket firing demonstrations are at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday, cannon firings at noon and 3 p.m. on Saturday and ongoing displays of 18th century military camp life on both days will be featured. The free program is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday.
Call 704-873-5882 or visit www.fortdobbs.org

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Photographer and author Daniel Coston of Charlotte, has written a new book on music in North Carolina, which features Concord natives The Avett Brothers and the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in Kannapolis. Coston will be give an illustrated presentation on Charlotte’s 1960s rock and roll history next Thursday, June 12, at 6 p.m. at The Charlotte Museum of History.
The evening will be rounded out by a short set by the Mannish Boys, and a reception and book signing following the program. Admission is free, but register online to reserve a seat at www.charlottemuseum.org/RegisterFree.asp
CFS free concert
Charlotte Folk Society Gathering’s free June concert will be t he annual Members’ Showcase at 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 13. Admission is free. Doors open at 7 p.m. at the Great Aunt Stella Center, 926 Elizabeth Ave. See www.folksociety.org for details.
Charlotte Folk Society ticketed concert
Traditional Irish music legend Andy Irvine will play an exclusive engagement on Saturday, June 14, at 8 p.m. at the Jim Rivers Fellowship Hall in Wedgewood Church, 4800 Wedgewood Drive. Tickets are $20 at www.folksociety.org or call 704-563-7080.

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Blowing Rock — When Thomas arrives in Blowing Rock for the 2014 Day Out with Thomas he will not only take his fans for a ride, but also talk to them for the very first time on the tour. The event takes place June 6-15.
Admission to the event at Tweetsie Railroad also includes amusement park rides for all ages and live entertainment all day. Thomas the Tank Engine rides depart every 30 minutes, rain or shine. For ticket and schedule information, call Tweetsie Railroad at 877-TWEETSIE or visit Tweetsie.com

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MIDLAND — Saturday, June 14, Reed Gold Mine State Historic Site will be hosting the 2014 Pan-O-Lympics, also known as the 25th Annual North Carolina Open Gold Panning Competition.
The competition is held alongside the historic Little Meadow Creek, location of the first documented discovery of gold in the United States. Competitors will be issued 14-inch Garret Gravity Trap pans containing sand and 4 pea-sized lead nuggets. They must remove as much sand as possible, leaving all four nuggets, in the fastest time possible. Penalty time is awarded for missing nuggets. The top three contestants with the quickest time will be awarded trophies and prizes.
For rules, costs and categories, visit www.nchistoricsites.org/Reed/
Along with the competition, Reed will also be offering free activities, including the orientation film and visitor center exhibits, guided underground tours, and demonstrating the 1895 stamp mill. Panning tickets are $2 for everyone 8 and older during the event.
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GRAYSON HIGHLANDS STATE PARK — Country music star Vince Gill will headline the 20th annual Wayne C. Henderson Music Festival and Guitar Competition June 21, at Grayson Highlands State Park near Mouth of Wilson, Va., a little more than 2 hours from Salisbury, across the Virginia state line.
Also on stage will be Bill Kirchen, Dale Jett and Hello Stranger, the Snyder Family Band, Kazuhiro Inaba, and Wayne Henderson and Friends. Twenty guitar competition contestants will have the chance to win a handmade Henderson guitar, and $20,000 in scholarships will be presented to young musicians studying Appalachian music.
This family-friendly festival will be June 21, rain or shine. Bring a blanket and a picnic. There will be a children’s area. Admission is $20, and children 12 and younger get in free. Parking costs $5. The festival is open, rain or shine.
For a complete schedule, visit www.waynehenderson.org