Pecha Kucha
EastSquare ArtWorks, 122 E. Innes St., is featuring Pecha Kucha Night this Friday at 8 p.m.
Pecha Kucha is an event where designers, artists, architects and creative types are given a soapbox to present their designs, thoughts and ideas.
The format is 20 slides, 20 seconds each ó 6 minutes, 40 seconds of fame.
Presentations are short, concise, interesting. Presenters have a platform to inspire and inform. It’s an informal event to promote cross-disciplinary collaboration and connections. It will showcase a cross-section of the Piedmont area creative cultures.
Founded by Klein Dytham Architects (KDA) in Tokyo in 2003, Pecha Kucha (Japanese for “the sound of conversation”) has tapped into a demand for a forum in which creative work can be easily and informally shown. It has spread internationally to over 100 cities.
More information is at www.pecha-kucha.org.
For more information about Friday’s gathering, or if you are interested in presenting at the next event in the spring, visit www.EastSquareArtWorks.com, or call 704-754-0670.
Charity tractor ride
COOLEEMEE ó The second annual Fall Tractor and Picnic Ride for charity will be held this Saturday, hosted by the Cooleemee Civitan Club.
Members of the public are invited to bring their tractors and a picnic lunch for a good slow tractor ride around southwestern Davie County enjoying the fall colors.
The cost to enter is a tax deductible check for $20 or more, written to your charity of choice for each tractor entered. A recommended list of charities that are tax deductible will be available. Get your friends and neighbors to help sponsor your ride (an award will be given to the top fund-raiser).
This year there will be a tractor show for those who prefer not to go on the ride, but would like to show their tractors.
The ride will start and finish at the Cooleemee Civitan property located just inside the city of Cooleemee limits on N.C. 801 North. Registration and staging will start at 8 a.m. The first ride will leave at 9:15 a.m., with the second ride leaving 10 minutes later. The ride covers approximately 30 miles through rural Davie County.
There will be a couple of breaks along the way to enjoy a picnic lunch. Once the ride is completed, participants will return to join the tractor show.
The registration for the show will be 9:30 a.m. until noon.
Door prizes, sausage biscuits, Dennis Carpenter calendars and tractor catalogs will be available for as long as they last. Rain date is Saturday, Nov. 8.
Ride rules, application, route and a list of charities can be found at www.cooleemeecivitans.com
For more information and rules call 336-284-2975 or 336-284-4167.
Sculptor to speak
James Barnhill, a professor at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, will be the speaker at the 14th annual Autumn Colloquy sponsored by Center for Faith & the Arts. He will speak on “The Creative Process of Sculpting.”
The presentation by Barnhill will be held in the forum at Center for Faith & the Arts on Tuesday, Oct. 28, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Following the presentation, there will be a discussion period with an opportunity to ask questions.
Barnhill is a nationally renowned sculptor and a tenured professor at N.C. A&T, where he has been since 1996. His large sculptures can be seen throughout North Carolina, and in California, Pennsylvania, Alabama and Virginia. He has successfully executed work for corporate, public, liturgical, and garden settings.
One of his most significant works, titled “February One,” recognizes the historical event that occurred in 1960 when four freshmen from N.C. A&T walked to the F.W. Woolworth in Greensboro to sit down at the counter for coffee. This 15-foot monument was erected in 2002 on the campus of the university.
An angel sculpture commissioned by the citizens of Montoursville, Penn., honors 16 high school students and five chaperones from Montoursville who were lost aboard TWA flight 800 in 1996.
Barnhill’s most recent work, a statue of Gen. Nathanael Greene, was created for the City of Greensboro and unveiled in March 2008.
Center for Faith & the Arts is located in the education building of Haven Lutheran Church, 207 W. Harrison St. The entrance is in the rear of the building, easily accessible from the parking lot.
For more information contact faithart@bellsouth.net.
Train excursion
SPENCER ó The N.C. Transportation Museum’s Virginia Autumn Train Excursion is filling up quickly.
In association with the Watauga Valley Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, these day trips roll out from the museum grounds in Spencer Nov. 1-2. Riding on Amtrak and vintage rail equipment, passengers will enjoy a scenic journey to historic Charlottesville, Va. This rare daylight trip also features pick-up and drop-off at the newly renovated Greensboro Amtrak Station.
Departing at 7 a.m. from Spencer and 8:15 a.m. from Greensboro, the excursion will pass through the North Carolina cities of Thomasville, High Point and Reidsville, and the Virginia cities of Danville, Lynchburg and Oak Ridge. Passengers are guaranteed spectacular views of the Dan, Roanoke and James rivers.
The train will even pass by Schuyler, Va., the mountain town fictionalized in the television show “The Waltons.”
Arriving in Charlottesville at noon, travelers will have nearly three hours to explore the historic downtown area. The excursion will depart Charlottesville at 2:45 p.m., returning to Greensboro at 6:30 p.m. and Spencer at 8 p.m.
Due to the added Greensboro boarding location and great response from last year, tickets have been selling fast. Coach tickets for Nov. 2 are all that remain. Coach seating is $135 per person.
Tickets can still be purchased at the N.C. Transportation Museum in Spencer, online at www.nctrans.org or by calling Vickie Peacock at 704-636-2889 ext. 232.
Avetts sold out
GREENSBORO ó The Greensboro Coliseum Complex has announced The Avett Brothers’ Oct. 31 performance at War Memorial Auditorium is sold out. For more information go to www.theavettbrothers.com.
Craft fair
ALBEMARLE ó The annual Market Station craft fair will be Saturday, Nov. 1, at the Stanly County Farmers’ Market. It will include local handmade items. The hours of the fair are 8 a.m.- 2 p.m., with vendors inside the depot and in the market area.
The craft fair marks the last day of the farmers’ market for 2008.
Crafters are invited to contact ADDC to reserve a booth. There are several indoor spaces left for $10. Outdoor spaces are $5. For more information or to rent a space, call 704-984-9417.
Voices of Hope
The Michael Yang Foundation and Busby & Webb will present the 7th annual Voices of Hope ó Music in the Park 1-4 p.m. Nov. 2 at the Library Park in Spencer.
The event is described as “a celebration of life, healing through music.”
Performances by groups include Amadeus Youth Chorus, St. John’s Mens Chorus, North Rowan High School Chorus, Abundant Life and Voices of Praise.
Derek Daisey, Adam Broyles and Paul Saylor are just a few of the many soloists scheduled to sing.
Raffle/entry tickets are $2 Food and beverages are available. Children under 12 are admitted free. There is lawn seating. Rain location is J.F. Hurley YMCA in Salisbury.
Proceeds benefit The Michael Yang Foundation.
For information call 704-630-0319 or visit www.michaelyang found.org.