Several downtown galleries within walking distance of each other will be open this Friday evening.
At Waterworks Visual Arts Center, 123 E. Liberty St., there is a free public reception 6-8 p.m. with artists Jenn Gardner Selby and Frank Selby for the exhibit “There, Not There.”
Around the corner and two blocks away, Rail Walk Studios and Gallery, 409ń413 N. Lee St., will be open 6-8 p.m. with a reception for “A Mutual Passion,” an exhibit by Patt Legg and Sharon Forthofer.
Also in the Rail Walk district, at 405-407 N. Lee St., Looking Glass Artist Collective unveils its newest show of members’ works. The gallery’s overhead door will open at 5 p.m. so those following the art trail can come in, view the art and meet the artists.
LGAC will also be the site of the Blues Showcase, hosted by Rowan Blues and Jazz Society and presented by the Charlotte Music Awards at 8 p.m.
Rowan County Fair
The Rowan County Fair opens Monday at 4 p.m. and closes Saturday at 11:30 p.m. General admission is $7 for adults, $3 for children under 12; children under 6 are free. Monday night adult admission is free with a donation of four cans of food for Rowan Helping Ministries. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thirsday, all school children are admitted for $1 or free with two cans of food donated to RHM.
Rowan Museum
The World War II exhibit: “V for Victory: Uncommon Valor, Common Virtue” opens this Sunday, 1-4 p.m., at Rowan Museum, located at 202 N. Main St.
The exhibit will run from September through January. It will display WWII items from Rowan County soldiers. The museum plans to collect many oral histories from veterans during the exhibit.
The large exhibit encompasses two rooms and a section of the hallway cases. On opening day, there will be a variety of outdoor displays and WW II interpreters.
For more information call 704-633-5946.
Carolina Ballet
RALEIGH ó Carolina Ballet is offering a special “buy one get one free” ticket offer to readers of the Salisbury Post for the upcoming production of Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake,” Sept. 17 though Oct. 4 at Fletcher Opera Theater at the Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts.
To take advantage of the special deal for our readers, go to www.carolinaballet.com and enter the code SALS0150.
Tickets may also be ordered by phone at 919-719-0900.
Know Your Farms
DAVIDSON ó Nine farms, all located within 30 miles of Davidson, have agreed to open their barn doors this Saturday from 2-7 p.m. to the public for a self-directed farm tour.
The public is invited to take a hayride, enjoy a local dinner fresh from the farms, photograph the animals (cows, pigs, chickens, ostriches, and peacocks) and purchase produce, meats, and more
Vehicle passes for the tour can be purchased in advance for $25 or the day of for $30.
Participating farms: Apple Orchard Farms (Gaston Co.); Bame Farm (Rowan Co.); Birdbrain Ostrich Ranch (Catawba Co.); Bradford Farm (Huntersville); Elma C. Lomax Incubator Farm (Concord); Grateful Growers (Denver); Landis Gourmet Mushrooms (Rowan Co.); Mary L Farm (Mt. Ulla); Wild Turkey Farms (China Grove).
For more information visit www.knowyourfarms.com or call 980-225-1020.
Mini concerts
The Salisbury-Rowan Symphony Society, in order to introduce elementary age students to string instruments and the After-School Strings program, will present a series of concerts. The concerts, sponsored by Proctor Foundation, will take place Sept. 21-25 in each elementary school in the Rowan-Salisbury School system. A trio of professional musicians will introduce the students to string instruments using a variety of musical styles.
Performers will be Susan Perkins, violin; John Pruett, viola; and Anne Sellitti, cello.
The After-School Strings Program will be taught on Monday and Thursday afternoons, beginning Oct. 1. Karen Franks, elementary music teacher at Isenberg and Bostian Elementary Schools, will teach these classes at Isenberg Elementary. She will be assisted by Martha Smith, elementary music teacher. Classes are open to anyone age 8 and up.
For more information on these activities contact Education Director Susan Trivette at 704-637-4730 or strivett@catawba.edu.
Lee Street Follies
The “Lee Street LIVE: FUNdraising Follies” will be held Saturday, Sept. 26 at the Looking Glass Artists Collective, 405 N. Lee Street. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the show starts at 8:15.
Admission to Lee Street Theatre’s one and only fundraiser is $15. Advance tickets are recommended, since seating is limited.
The party will include a live variety show of skits, reader’s theater, song, dance, and improv theater, along with beverages and food. Downtown merchants have contributed prizes to be raffled off at the conclusion of the show.
Darryl ‘D-Dawg’ Casper will emcee the evening that includes performances by Becky Lippard with guitarist Graham Carlton; crooner Carol Harris; Snooky ‘Soulful’ James; “shameless comedy” with Gary Thornburg and Brian Romans; a short play “The Stairs” with Robert Jones and Kelly Flick; Nadirah Dance Company remembers Michael Jackson; Livingstone College Step Team; and Catawba College Improv Actors.
Tickets are on sale at The Literary Bookpost at 110 S. Main St. or by contacting Robert Jones at leestreettheatre@gmail.com. Talent competition
CHARLOTTE ó As the new national tour of “A Chorus Line” makes its way to the Belk Theater Sept. 29 through Oct. 4, the tour producers and the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center have launched an online audition talent competition called “Be The One.”
The male and female who receive the most votes will each win a “Be The One” prize package, which includes two tickets to the show and admission into the cast party after the show. Plus, the top vote-getter will be crowned “Charlotte’s Singular Sensation,” winning a $500 U.S. Airways Gift Card.
To enter, go to auditions.achorusline.com/charlotte to create an online audition profile. Submissions may include video clips, photos or blog entries describing why candidates deserve to “Be The One.”
La Fiesta de Rowan
The Salisbury Rowan Hispanic Coalition invites the public to La Fiesta de Rowan from noon to 6 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 26. The event will be held at the Civic Center, 315 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave.
A welcome ceremony, including the national anthem and the traditional “Parade of Flags” is scheduled for 1:45 p.m. The event will include music, a variety of food, raffles, games,a dance competition, free information from local agencies, clown performance, a fashion show and arts and crafts.
Featured will be the music group La Dulzura Band and the dance group Danza Xochipilli.
For more information, call 704-638-2168.
YMCA trips
The JF Hurley YMCA is offering a number of trips to shows.
The deadline has been extended to make a deposit for “South Pacific” at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center in Charlotte on Nov. 12. The deposit of $50 is due Sept. 20 and the remaining payment is due Sept. 28. The price includes ticket and transportation. Dinner is on your own. The group departs the YMCA at 4 p.m.
Other shows:
“Jersey Boys,” April 1, matinee performance. Deposit of $75 due Sept. 25, remainder of $20 due Oct. 26. Leaving at 11 a.m.
“Wicked” May 20. Deposit os $75 due Sept. 22, remainder of $20 due Oct. 21. Depart 11 a.m. for matinee performance.
“Mary Poppins” Aug. 26, 2010. Deposit of $50 due Oct. 19, remainder of $48 due Jan. 10.
There is also an upcoming trip planned Oct. 10 for “An Afternoon of Barbershop” with the Triad Harmony Brigade in Winston-Salem. Cost is $20 for ticket and transportation.
Contact Barbara Franklin at 704-636-0111.
Sonic Showcase
Sonic Records is calling all bands ó rock, pop, punk, funk, ska, blues, country, alternative, indie ó to play for the Sonic Records Showcase. Original music only.
Shows will feature up to four bands per live event. The local/regional shows will feature the bands from that particular week the live event took place on Channel 20 in Greensboro (CW affiliate) to start airing in October. The winner of each one of the events will receive a video from their set and will be featured on the REELZ channel on DirecTV and Dish Network starting in October as well.
Events will take place for the next several months all over the Piedmont Triad. The first two shows have been scheduled. They are: Oct. 2 at Club Liqwid, 127 S. Main St., Salisbury; and Oct. 11 at Club 64, 1560 E. Dixie Drive (Hwy 64) Asheboro.
Tickets to the shows will be $10 at the door, and the shows are for ages 18 and up.
Interested bands are asked to call the show promoters. No entry free. For details, contact Hal at: sonicrecordsshowcase@gmail.com. For more information, go to www.sonicrecords.com
Easy Street change
The Rowan Arts Council has announced that its annual festival will move to May. The 7th Art on Easy Street Art Festival will be Saturday, May 15, after years of being held the third Saturday in June. The festival will still be in downtown Salisbury with art, music and food and held in conjunction with Family Fun Day by Waterworks Visual Arts Center and Salisbury’s Day of the Arts, For more information call 704-638-9887.