Lee St. Theatre presents ‘Around the World in Songs’ in the return of the popular ‘Lee Street Cafe.’ Favorite cabaret performers Patsy Parnell, Mary Ann McCubbin, Becky Lippard, Carol Harris, Matthew Newton, Kent Bernhardt, John Brincefield and accompanist Matthew Brown. The evening of song takes place at the Looking Glass Artist Center’s black box theatre, 405 N. Lee St., next Thursday, Jan. 17-19 at 7:30 p.m.
Call 704-798-7768 to reserve tickets or buy at the door. Tickets are $10 general admission. For more information visit www.leestreet.org, email info@leestreet.org, or call 704-798-7768.

Clown Jamarr Woodruff
On Tuesday, Jan. 15, Rowan Public Library is excited to present Ringling Brothers ambassador of laughter and clown Jamarr Woodruff to perform lively circus shows and read his favorite circus book to kids.
Woodruff will read a circus themed book, involving lots of “Social Silliness”, and will show just how much fun reading and imagination can be. Inspired by the book, Jamarr will put on his own circus show, complete with music, plate spinning, balancing chairs, and plenty of circus fun. Opportunities for photos with the clown will follow the show.
Join us for these lively circus performances on Jan. 15: at 4:30 p.m. at the South Rowan Regional Library in China Grove (?704-216-7727 ) and at 7 p.m. at the Salisbury Library (?704-216-8228).
Bluegrass with Clay Lunsford and Wayne Henderson
Tonight at 7 p.m., Rowan Public Library hosts Clay Lunsford and Wayne Henderson, two of bluegrass music’s most esteemed artists, in the Stanback auditorium in Salisbury.

D.G. Martin has hosted UNC-TV’s “North Carolina Bookwatch,” the state’s premier literary series, for the past 13 years. At the Jan. 15 Catawba College Community Forum, Martin will describe lessons he has learned about North Carolina’s rich literary traditions while hosting Bookwatch. The forum, which is free and open to the public, begins at 7:30 p.m. in Tom Smith Auditorium of Ralph W. Ketner Hall. Admission, as always, is free.
GOLD HILL — The E.H. Montgomery General Store will be hosting a Fiddle Workshop on Saturday, Jan. 26. The workshops will be conducted by Master Fiddler Matt Hooper, who performs with Don Rigsby and Midnight Call of Nashville, Tenn. The workshop is open to individuals of all ages. This is a one day event and will be held at the Montgomery Store in Gold Hill. Students and individuals of all levels will benefit. There will be two one and a half hour sessions for beginners, intermediate and advanced players. Intermediate and Advanced students will be combined in one session. There will be a $25 fee for workshop registration. Due to space, advance registration is required.
Workshop Schedule: 2-3 p.m., Beginners • 4-5 p.m., Intermediate and Advanced.
For more info, call Vivian Hopkins at 704-267-9439 or send a message at www.themontgomerystore.com

The six plays that will be produced in Lee Street Theatre’s fifth annual 10-Minute Play Festival “Hotel 6” (directed by Justin Dionne) are:
“Dante Six” by Andy AA Rassler • “An Old Trick in a New Way” by George Freek • “Darcy in Alabama” by Jenny Hubbard • “Break Room” by Katie Scarvey • “Hotel Maid Team 6” by Bill Greene • “Drag Strip” by Teresa Hollar.
Auditions are April 15-16 and performance dates are May 15-18. Visit www.leestreet.org for more detail.

The FirstARTS series of First United Methodist Church will host concert organist Frederick Teardo in recital this Friday, Jan. 11, at 7 p.m. Formerly the associate organist of St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue in New York City, he is the recently appointed director of music and organist at the Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham, Ala.
An avid performer, Teardo has won first prize in numerous competitions and has performed across the United States. For more information about the FirstARTS concert series, contact Matthew Brown, First United Methodist Church Director of Music, at matthew@fumcsalisbury.org or 704-636-3121, extension 104.
This Saturday, Jan. 12, Piedmont Players Theatre invites volunteers to participate in set construction for ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Lunch will be provided; no experience is required. Meroney Theater, 213 S. Main St. PiedmontPlayers.com
In conjunction with the exhibition, Art of Faiths – Religions of the World: Tolerance and Diversity, Waterworks Visual Arts Center will host a public forum led by a panel of artists, theologians, and laity on Thursday, Jan. 17 from 6-7:30 p.m. at the museum. Discussions will communicate the breadth and complexity of ideas of acceptance and social inclusiveness through art in promoting tolerance and religious diversity in our world today, and how art interacts with and supports religion present day, as it has throughout history. The forum will be followed by a question/answer session.
Included among the panelists are exhibiting artist Alice Levinson, art historian Davis Cooke, artist and clinical art therapist Diane McPhail, and professor of world religions Kendal Mobley.
Admission for the panel discussion is free, but RSVP to marketing@waterworks.org or call 704-636-1882 if you plan to attend. 123 E. Liberty St. in downtown Salisbury, www.waterworks.org, 704-636-1882.

KANNAPOLIS — The Piedmont Prime Time Community Band is accepting new members through Feb. 7 for the 2013 spring season. Rehearsals will begin on Jan. 10 and are held on Thursday evenings from 7-8:45 p.m. in the family life center of Blackwelder Park Baptist Church, 2204 Summit Ave, Kannapolis. Musicians who play the following instruments are invited to join the band: flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, saxophone, trumpet, French horn, trombone, baritone horn, tuba and percussion. Requirements are the ability to read music and attend rehearsals. If you would like to join the band or need more information, call band director Jon Hutchinson at 704-425-3508 or go to www.primetimeband.org
CONCORD — Chris and Taylor Malpass play traditional country music in the style of the old masters, people like Haggard, Johnny Cash, Ernest Tubb, The Louvin Brothers, Faron Young, Waylon Jennings and even Elvis (which might explain their retro hairstyles). Touring with Haggard has allowed the Goldsboro duo to broaden their musical talent and comedic wit all across the United States and in Canada. Listen to a sampling of their music at www.malpassbrothers.com
The brothers will be at the Davis Theatre Thursday, Jan. 17, at 7:30 p.m. The show is part of the Footlights series of regional music performances. Tickets are $12 and may be purchased at www.CabarrusArtsCouncil.org or 704-920-2753. The Davis Theatre is located at 65 Union St. S in Cabarrus County’s historic courthouse.
CHARLOTTE — Each season the Charlotte Folk Society highlights the talents of young acoustic musicians who are carrying forward a musical legacy. This year’s 12th annual Young Talent Showcase is on Friday, Jan. 11 at 7:30 p.m. in the former sanctuary of the Great Aunt Stella Center, 926 Elizabeth Ave., in downtown Charlotte. Doors open at 7 p.m.
Performers this year range in age from seven to seventeen years. Their resumes include performances at Festival in the Park, the Tosco Music Party, the Singing Christmas Tree, Historic Rural Hill, and MerleFest.www.folksociety.org
CONCORD — A group invitational exhibition exploring how artists use the old – recycled materials, memories, stories – to create something new will be on display Jan. 14-March 7 at The Galleries, and includes paintings, photographs, sculptures, quilts, mixed media and pottery by 18 artists: There is no admission charge, and volunteer docents are available to give you a tour and answer questions or you may enjoy the exhibition on your own. If you have children with you, make sure to ask for the “I Spy” artwork scavenger hunt.
The Galleries are located at 65 Union St. S, Concord, in Cabarrus County’s historic courthouse. They are open Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. For more information, call 704-920-ARTS or visit www.CabarrusArtsCouncil.org

?ASHEBORO — Next Wednesday, George Taylor, Disney Historian, internationally known Disney writer and pod-caster, will give a fascinating evening lecture on the Magic Kingdom theme park at Walt Disney World. Taylor serves as the Assistant Director of the Randolph County Public Library by day and an “all things Disney ‘imagiNERD’” during the rest of his waking life. “The Art of the Amusement Park” highlights the attraction side of the park that the public experiences, the behind-the-scenes nuts and bolts, and the little known tidbits in-between. This event is free to the public and is designed for the young and the young at heart. Feel free to wear your Disney themed attire. The lecture takes place Wednesday, Jan. 16 at p.m. at the Morings Fine Art Center, 123 Sunset Ave., downtown Asheboro.
Folk rock band Time Sawyer will perform at Looking Glass Artists Center black box on Saturday, Jan. 12. Opener CaLeb Hill will kick things off at 8 p.m.; doors open at 7:30 p.m.. Admission is just $5. Concessions will be available. Come find out why WNCW named Time Sawyer’s album “Time for a Change” one of their top 20 regional albums of 2011.
With questions, contact salisburyartists@gmail.com or 704-633-2787. You can listen and watch Time Sawyer at www.tim