CHINA GROVE ó A special 9/11 remembrance ceremony will be held on the grounds of the Price of Freedom Museum in conjunction with the annual China Grove Backyard BBQ Cookoff.
From 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 10, the day will also include a display of restored farm equipment and vehicles as well as live gospel and bluegrass music.
Proceeds from the event, sponsored by Oak Grove Baptist Church, benefit We Care Ministry and Price of Freedom Museum.
The Museum is located at the intersection of Weaver and Patterson Roads. Call Bob Mault, 704-857-7474, or visit www.priceoffreedom.us
OCT hosts ëPortraitsí
CONCORD ó At 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 11, Old Courthouse Theatreís Living Room Reading Series presents ěPortraits,î by Jonathan Bell, in which six vibrant characters come to life in an artistís studio in lower Manhattan, each a witness to the events of September 11, 2001.
Admission is free. Old Courthouse Theatre is located at 49 Spring Street NW. Call 704-788-2405 or visit www.oldcourthousetheatre.org
Thomas visits Spencer
SPENCER ó Itís ěSteamiesî versus ěDieselsî as Thomas the Tank Engineô pulls into the N.C. Transportation Museum for the Day Out With Thomasô from 8 a.m.ń6 p.m. on Sept 23ń25 and Sept. 30ńOct. 2. Take a ride with a 15-ton replica of Thomas the Tank Engineô and meet Sir Topham Hatt.
Activities for the family include arts and crafts, storytelling, video viewing, live music, miniature golf, outdoor play areas, railroad equipment displays and turntable rides at the Roundhouse.
The N.C. Transportation Museum is located at 411 S. Salisbury Ave., 704-636-2889, www.nctrans.org
Jazz and auction
Guest emcee Frank Goodnight will host the Salisbury-Rowan Choral Society jazz concert and silent auction on Saturday, Sept. 10 at the Looking Glass Artist Collectiveís black box theater.
Doors open at 7, the pre-show is at 7:30 and the concert begins 8 p.m.
This fundraising event is being held at the Looking Glass Artist Collectiveís black box theater. Admission is free, donations are appreciated. There are more than 30 items to bid on, and beer/ wine/ soda/water are available with donation.
Proceeds from the auction go to help support the choir throughout the year.
SCCA new season
ALBEMARLE ó The Stanly County Concert Association announces its new season opener, The Frank Love Orchestra, which will perform a concert of big band music on Saturday, Sept. 24 at 7:30 p.m.
The SCCA concerts, held at the Stanly County Agri-Civic Center, are part of the reciprocal concert program in conjunction with the Rowan County Concert Association. The Agri-Civic Center is located at Hwy 24-27/Newt Road.See www.stanlyconcert.com for details.
Battle of Bost Grist Mill
CONCORD ó On Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 10-11, see hundreds of re-enactors, feel the thunder of artillery, witness first-hand Civil War medicine, talk with civilians from the 1860s, take a stroll through the military camps, see a civil war reenactment, a first-person presentation of Mildred Lee, daughter of General Robert E. Lee, a first-person presentation of a nurse during the war, a ladies fashion show and a presentation of Black Confederate history by a local historian. Also on Saturday, there will be an original 1840s hearse on display.
Host unit is the 30th NCT, Co K (www.30thnct.org ). Battles will be at 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. For details on the event, directions and admission prices, call 704-782-1600 or see www.bostgristmill.com
Tweetsieís Railfan weekend
BLOWING ROCK ó Take a journey back in time to the golden era of steam locomotives as Tweetsie Railroad hosts the seventh annual Railfan Weekend, Sept. 10 and 11.
The highlight of the weekend will be comprised of the historic original locomotive #12, pulling the 1870s vintage coach car on non-stop trips around the mountain, recreating the historic track of the narrow-gauge East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad.
Guests with a Railfan Weekend pass will be allowed to be a part of several exclusive opportunities. Details are available at 877-TWEETSIE, Facebook, Twitter@TweetsieRR or Tweetsie.com
New to the Blue Vine
On Friday, Sept. 9 at 9 p.m., The Blue Vine will host the local debut of experimental/folk/ fusion band Crystal Bright & the Silver Hands. Reviewers say ěCrystal Bright & the Silver Hands have a maddeningly eclectic sound … Crystal Bright plays accordion, keyboard, saw, and whatever other little toy she decides to pick up. Thereís one instrument that looks like a big hamburger that she hits with mallets.î www.crystalbrightandthesilverhands.com
The Blue Vine is located at 209 S. Main St., 704-797-0093, www.thebluevine.com
Call for quilts
COOLEEMEE ó The ěDays Gone Byî textiles exhibit is looking for all types of handmade textiles such as a handkerchief, apron, afghan, doll dress, doily, quilt, dress, pillow case, etc., from the past.
Cooleemeeís 20th Annual Textile Heritage Festival will feature a textile exhibit on Saturday, Sept. 24 on the historic Zachary House grounds. Judges will award prize ribbons in a number of categories. Call 336-284-6040 to let festival organizers know you are coming.
Poetry competition
RALEIGH ó High school teachers across North Carolina have until Friday, Oct. 14, to register for a national poetry recitation competition, Poetry Out Loud, sponsored in part by the NC Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Poetry Out Loud, now in its seventh year, is designed for high school students in grades nine through 12 in public, private and home schools. Last year, approximately 9,800 students across NC participated in the program, which starts in the classroom, expands to the state level and culminates at the national finals in Washington, D.C. in May.
Teachers can register online now through 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 14. To learn more the Arts in Education Director at banu.valladares@ncdcr.gov or 919-807-6502 or visit www.ncarts.org/freeform
8th Annual Kidfest
GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN ó On Saturday, Sept. 10, Grandfather Mountain host Kidfest, entertaining children of all ages with activities such as guided hikes, storytellers, face painting, crafts and games.
The day kicks off at 9 a.m. and features a guided hike, story time, a nature craft, the Dead Snag Hike, a climate science workshop, a rare chance to see birds of prey up close, face painting, storyteller Glenn Bolick and a Childrenís Nature Game.
The first 250 children ages 4-12 receive an activity packet which includes Grandfather Mountain coloring books, crayons and special Kidfest buttons.
The event is located on US Highway 221 two miles north of Linville, one mile south of the Blue Ridge Parkway at milepost 305.
For information call 800-468-7325 or visit www.grandfather.com