Jeremy Hopkins and his band The Thrill will be coming to The Inn, 1012 Mooresville Road this Saturday at 8 p.m.
Singer/guitarist Hopkins, born and raised in Connecticut, moved to Charlotte in early 2008 where he met current bandmates Jeremy Mullis (guitar), Evan Sheets (bass) and Dominic Geralds (drums).
A seasoned solo acoustic artist and songwriter, Hopkins has released an independent solo album (“Already Gone”) and played over 150 shows in the last three years throughout the Northeast including some choice opening slots with Teddy Geiger and Tyler Hilton. You can find out more about the band at www.jeremyhopkins.com.
For information about Saturday’s show, call 704-213-1467.
Bluegrass concert
CONCORD ń The “Jeff Whittington Presents” concert series will bring John Culbreath, Marty DeJarnette and Jon Teague to the Davis Theatre with Whittington at 7:30 this evening. Tickets are $10.
Culbreath has performed with such bluegrass greats as Vassar Clements and Mac Wiseman and is a former South Carolina State Banjo Champion. He plays regularly with Whittington as part of the Brand New Bluegrass Boys. The Decatur, Ga., native plays fiddle, guitar, mandolin and banjo. DeJarnette is a fingerstyle guitarist, singer and songwriter who has performed throughout the San Francisco bay area and North Carolina for the past 25 years. His credits include performing at the Concord Pavilion in California before concerts by Phil Collins and Crosby, Stills and Nash and as a prelude act for the Charlotte Symphony’s Pops in the Park. He has appeared on several television shows including the Bo Travis Country Music Specials and Down Home Music with Bill Reed and Friends.
Teague released his critically acclaimed debut album in 1998, and was featured on a number of radio stations including the iconic WNCW in Spindale. He teamed with fiddle and mandolin player Glen Alexander of Winston-Salem to tour regionally and record a live CD of original music at a sold-out concert at the Old Courthouse Theatre in 2002.
Whittington has played on the Grand Ole Opry and was a regular on The Arthur Smith Show, the first country music show to be nationally syndicated. He has played around the Charlotte metro area since 1970.
The Jeff Whittington Presents series will also include concerts on Feb. 26 and March 26.
The Davis Theatre is located upstairs in the former courtroom of Cabarrus County’s historic courthouse.
For more information about this and other Cabarrus Arts Council programs, call 704-920-2787 or visit www.CabarrusArtsCouncil.org.
Youth Chorus
The Amadeus Youth Chorus is currently accepting new members for the spring 2009 semester.
The chorus is for ages 8-18. Singers participate in two groups within the chorus, an older and younger division. The two groups perform both separately and together. There will be solo and small ensemble opportunities as well.
Rehearsals are Thursdays, 5:30-6:30 p.m. at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church on the corner of Church and Council Streets. There is no audition required. Rehearsals will begin Feb. 12, and the group will sing both sacred and secular music. The major performance this semester will be a Broadway review in April.
There will be no tuition fee this semester. The only cost is $15 for a shirt.
Those interested in joining are asked to contact Dr. Phillip Burgess at 704-633-3221 or Sarah Hall, 704-637-7326 or sfhall@carolina.rr.com.
Astronomy Days
RALEIGH ó The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences’ 19th annual Astronomy Days take place this Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday, noon-5 p.m.
There will be more than 50 exhibits, hands-on activities and presentations on all four floors of the museum and outside on Bicentennial Plaza over the course of this free, two-day event.
New this year, the museum’s special exhibits gallery (second floor) will be transformed into a planetary wonderland of stations hosted by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), including an opportunity to learn about the mission to repair the Hubble Telescope and a display of real space paraphernalia.
Also inside the gallery will be the Explorer Dome, a mobile planetarium, courtesy of KidSenses Children’s InterACTIVE Museum in Rutherfordton.
Visitors can also find out their weights on other planets, make and launch their own bottle rockets, and the Tripoli Rocket Association will be on hand once again to show off their amazing high-powered model rockets, some over 20 feet tall. Amateur stargazers can also use a remote control to explore the structure of the Milky Way Galaxy via a 4.6-meter radio telescope.
This year’s special guest will be astrophysicist, Frank Summers from the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. His lecture, “A Private Tour Through Hubble’s Universe” will be presented at 1 p.m and 2:30 p.m on Saturday and at 1 p.m on Sunday in the museum’s auditorium.
More information is available at www.naturalsciences.org. For more information, call 919-733-7450, ext. 503.
Art show
Carolina Artists is sponsoring the “Handicapable Art Show” at Rail Walk Studios and Gallery.
The show is open to any individual with physical, emotional, mental or developmental disabilities or receiving treatment for substance abuse. Entries are due by Jan. 30. Limit two original works of art per artist. Artwork should be display ready if at all possible.
There are no entry or commission fees levied for this show. All sales will be paid directly to the artist, and buyer may take possession of artwork at the conclusion of the show.
Each entry must be identified using the label provided with the registration. The artist may choose to include some biographical information about themselves.
An opening reception will be held 2-4 p.m., Feb. 7. First-, second- and third-place winners and honorable mention prizes of art supplies will be awarded. Each participant will receive a ribbon and certificate.
For further guidelines, visit www.carolinaartist.org. For more information, contact info@carolinaartist.org.
Call for artists
STATESVILLE ó Downtown Statesville Development Corporation is accepting applications from artists who wish to participate in the March 13 Downtown Statesville Art Crawl which will be held from 5:30-9 p.m.
Artists must submit digital images of their work, along with the application and specify the medium they use. All work must be original and attributed solely to the participating artist. The artist fee for this event is $20 and artists are responsible for all items required to display artwork in their assigned location.
The deadline for applications is Tuesday, Feb. 24. Applications are available by emailing info@downtownstatesvillenc.org or by visiting www.iredellmuseums.org.
Blackbeard program
Due to overwhelming response, The N.C. Transportation Museum is adding an additional free program by maritime historian Kevin P. Duffus on “The Last Days of Blackbeard the Pirate.” Duffus will speak at 11 a.m. and at 1 p.m. Jan. 24 in the Bob Julian Roundhouse. Call Vickie Peacock at 704-636-2889 ext. 232, to reserve seats.