Utzman-Chambers House reopens on April 11

The Rowan Museum will reopen its 1815 Federal period house museum, the Utzman-Chambers House on Saturday, April 11.

This 1819 Federal townhouse was built by Jacob Stirewalt, master builder of the period, and reflects the lifestyle of the more affluent citizens of the early 1800s with its unique curved staircase and exquisite interior moldings and details.

One of the few surviving Federal period townhouses in piedmont North Carolina, it features period rooms with Hepplewhite and Chippendale furniture as well as furniture made by Rowan County craftsmen.

The house and garden are open to the public April 11 through November 21, on Saturday afternoons, 1- 4 p.m., with a charge for admission.

It is located at 116 S. Jackson St. For more information or to schedule group tours, call the Rowan Museum at 704-633-5946, or email rowanmuseum@fibrant.com

Downtown calls for artists, volunteers

— Call for artists: Sign up to be one of the participating artists in Downtown Salisbury’s First Friday event, Gallery Gallop, on Friday, June 5 from 5 to 9 p.m. Participating artists will be assigned a sidewalk or closed street location throughout downtown to display their work. No vendor fee required! Contact the promotions director to sign up and for more information at mollie@visitsalisburync.com or call 704-637-7814 Monday-Friday 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Deadline to sign up is May 25.

— Call for volunteers: Downtown Salisbury Inc. is recruiting volunteers for upcoming festivals and events. Specific event dates include July 18, Aug. 8, Aug. 29, Sept. 4, Oct. 3, and Dec. 12. Volunteers will receive recognition at annual awards ceremony and depending on the event receive a free T-shirt and ticket. Help give back to the downtown community you love and have fun while you do it! If interested, contact  promotions director, Mollie Ruf at mollie@visitsalisburync.com or call 704-637-7814.

 

Scrabble Scramble 12 

Scrabble Scramble 12,   5:30 p.m.  April 21 at Trinity Oaks in Salisbury.  Buffet dinner, 3 rounds of team Scrabble, $30 per person,  $300 for table of ten.  Sponsored by Rowan County Literacy Council.  Call 704-216-8266 for more information.

 

Charity comic show ‘LexingCon’ 

LEXINGTON — 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday April 11: This year’s charity is the MS Society, with ALL funds coming in at the show going for research and patient assistance programs.

Held at J. Smith Young YMCA W. 3rd Ave., Lexington.

Held for the first time in 2014, this comic book show is the place to be in the local area to raise money for important causes. Last year’s effort enabled the Pastor’s Pantry to buy over $9000 worth of food for our local community.

Admission is $2 per person, with free admission for under 12 and anyone in costume. Donations will also be accepted.

There are more than 38 artists and vendors scheduled to appear. Special artists will be Marcus Hamilton, artist for Dennis the Menace strip, and Lexington native. John R. Rose, artist for the Barney Google & Snuffy Smith comic strip, from Harrisonburg Va. And Tim Rickard, creator and artist for the Brewster Rockit strip, first premiering in the Greensboro (NC) Daily News. And Dan Johnson, gag writer for print strips and graphic novel author.

The Davidson County Library will have a special booth set up to introduce its summer reading program, with a theme of heroes, with Drew Meyer, youth Library Co-ordinator in attendance.

Also, Top Hat Comics from Lexington and StormCrow Comics from Archdale, Borderlands Comics from Greenville SC, Acme Comics from Greensboro NC and Allen’s Comics from Lexington will be selling comic book issues both old and new!

Also , Charlotte vendor Chris Leger will be bringing a huge assortment of comic and cartoon related toys and collectibles.

The 501st Carolina Garrison will once again be joining us in full uniform. This group of Star Wars reenactors travels the state raising money for local charities.

Information can be found on Facebook under Lexing-Con. A special contest is being held on FB for early VIP admission to the show at 9 a.m. You may contact us on facebook or at LexingCon@yahoo.com

 

‘Itchin’ for a Kitchen’ gala in the works

Meals on Wheels of Rowan presents a “Taste of Rowan County” event with local restaurants, caterers, winers and breweries serviing their very best.

5:30-10:30 p.m. Saturday, May 2

F&M Trolley Barn, 125 E. Liberty St.

5:30 p.m. Derby Party begins. Enter a hat contest and have a mint julep

6:26 p.m. Derby race live on large scren. Cheer on your horse nad win a 50/50

6:30-8 p.m. Dinner. Sample cuisine from some of Rowan’s finest chefs and caterers

Dessert, libations, dancing and raffles.

This event will kick off our

M.o.W. Capital Campaign to help purchase, renovate, and add a professional kitchen to our new home in Spencer.

$60/person, $100/couple

**All proceeds to benefit Meals on Wheels of Rowan**

 

Early earth day at Horizons Unlimited

Join the Horizons Unlimited staff for an afternoon of fun and learning on April 11.

3 p.m.: Early Earth Day Celebration at the Tom E. Smith Nature Exploratorium. Experience ecological activities including investigating air and water quality, ecology and appreciation of wetlands.

5-6 p.m. Educational Planetarium Show: ISS: Living and Working in Space. $2. Discover what life would be like to live as an astronaut aboard the International Space Station orbiting 240 miles above planet Earth.

6:30 p.m. Planetarium Laser Show: Laser Vinyl. $2: The best of classic rock alongside some of the most stunning laser art ever produced. AC/DC, Aerosmith, Journey,  Pink Floyd. Includes a seasonal tour of our Salisbury nighttime skies • 1636 Parkview Circle. Park and enter at the rear from Lilly Ave. www.rss.k12.nc.us/horizons-unlimited-margaret-c-woodson-planetarium

 

2015 LSt Beach Blast Fundraiser 

Mark your calendar for 6:30 p.m. Saturday, May 30: Ring in the summer season with food, drinks, and dancing at Lee Street theatre at the second Beach Blast Fundraiser.

Admission is $40 in advance and $50 at the door. Call the office for more information and to save your spot at 704-310-5507.

 

Call for vendors, artists at Chickweed

4th Annual “Chickweed – Celebrating Indestructible Women,” Saturday July 18, 2015. Vendor applications being accepted for the 4th annual Chickweed, an evening street festival that features all-women artists and performers that raises funds and awareness for the Rowan Family Crisis Council battered women’s shelter. Event is at 405 N. Lee Street, Salisbury. Artists, crafters, service, and food vendors welcome. Please email wjbeeker@gmail.com for a Chickweed vendor application.

 

Call for stage crew

Piedmont Players Theatre’s upcoming comedy, “One Man, Two Guvnors,” is recruiting stage hands. If you are interested in working backstage on this hilarious British farce, call 704-633-5471 or email md@piedmontplayers.com

 

Smart Pedaling

The rubber meets the road in this workshop on how to pedal smarter and safer.

With constant demands at home and work, it’s no surprise that we struggle to fit everything into 24 short hours. At Rowan Public Library, our mission is to inspire your spirit of exploration, power your imagination, feed your joy of reading, and empower your life-long pursuit of knowledge. In January, we lauched our second series of Learn. Act. Grow. workshops running January through May to do just that. We hope that you will join us on a journey to a healthier, happier you!

In our fourth workshop, Smart Pedaling, participants will visit different stations set up by local experts to understand bicycle types, basic fitting, rules of the road, quick maintenance, bike-friendly trails and road routes, and more. This workshop will be led by local fitness expert and author David Freeze, and staffers from Skinny Wheels bike shop in Salisbury.

Join us from 5:45 – 7:00 pm on Monday, April 27th at the South Rowan Regional Library in China Grove. All ages welcome, but anyone under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Participants will be given a ticket, which may be used for entry to the final grilling workshop (complete with full meal) in May. Registration for the cookout opens April 28th, and seating is limited.

There is no charge to participate but registration is required. Visit www.rowanpubliclibrary.org or call 704-216-7841.

Meet the cast of ‘Charlotte’s Web’

NARRATOR/ FAIR ANNOUNCER: Meghan Maxey

NARRATOR: Laura Bullock

NARRATOR: Hannah Carr

NARRATOR: Camille Palmer

NARRATOR: Phoebe Shields

NARRATOR: Zaria Corpening

MRS. ARABLE: Caroline Sobolowski

MR. ARABLE: Garrett Jennings

FERN: Frances-Gray Riggs

AVERY: Caleb Laity

MR. ZUCKERMAN: Andrew Prater

MRS. ZUCKERMAN: Jadean Starcher

LURVY: Owen Teague

CHARLOTTE: Brittany Schell

WILBER: Ali Khatib

GOOSE: Ally Cress

GANDER: Cooper Fleeman

SHEEP: Sarah Beth Richard

LAMB: Abby Campion

TEMPLETON: Hayden Palmer

UNCLE: Blake Barrier

SPIDER 1: Miles Abramson

SPIDER 2: Ellie Cardelle

SPIDER 3: Saybrin Thomas

STAGE MANAGER: Keeley Watson

SOUND BOARD OPERATOR: Courtney Williams

Adapted by Joseph Robinette. Based on the book by E.B. White. Show dates are May 7-16. Tickets go on sale May 4 at the Norvell Theater, 135 E. Fisher St., 704-633-5471.

Sun-Dried Vibes concert and party

CONCORD — The taste and sounds of the Caribbean are coming to the Davis Theatre on Thursday, April 16.

Reggae rock trio the Sun-Dried Vibes will perform at 7:30 p.m. in the Davis Theatre at 65 Union St. S, Concord, in the Cabarrus County Historic Courthouse. Tickets are $15 at www.CabarrusArtsCouncil.org or by telephone at 704-920-2753.

Art on Tap is sponsoring a Caribbean-style party on the lawn outside the Historic Courthouse from 5:30 to 7 p.m. featuring Jamaican food and drinks and reggae music. The party will continue after the concert with free tropical flavored ice cream at Lil’ Robert’s Place, 25 Union St. S. The party is an Art on Tap membership event, but it is open to anyone attending the Sun-Dried Vibes performance. The cost of the party is $20, and reservations must be made by April 13 by calling 704-920-2787.

 

Spring Into Arts Festival Funky Spring Display

CONCORD — The Spring into Arts Festival committee invites you to create a unique sculpture or functional item using metal springs of any size or type, or your own interpretation of a spring. Your creation will be put on display at the Spring into Arts Festival on Saturday, May 2, 2015, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.

This display is not juried. It is purely to have fun playing off the word “Spring” in the name of our festival while adding a new visual component to this very popular event. Festival attendees will be given tokens from Downtown shops and restaurants when they make a purchase the day of the event. They will use these tokens to vote for their favorite “spring creation”. The creator who gathers the most votes will win $100 in Downtown Concord Dollars.

Additional information:

-Please submit a sketch of what you intend to produce, with an idea of the amount of space you will need to display your creation. Email sketch to info@concorddowntown.com.

-You will need to provide your own way of displaying your creation, including providing your own table or pedestal if the work needs to be elevated above the ground.

-All works will need to be firmly secured to whatever surface they are being displayed on, whether it be the ground, table, or pedestal, so they do not blow away during the festival.

-Please note your creation will not be supervised or watched-over throughout the day. – All works should be put in place by 10:00 am and will not be removed before 4:00 pm.

Questions? contact: Diane Young, diane@concorddowntown.com Kristin Bunton, kristin@concorddowntown.com 704-784-4208

 

The Rotary Express Train 

KANNAPOLIS — The Rotary Express Train will open for the season beginning this Saturday, April 4. The train will run on weekends only until June 1 when it opens on a daily basis. Hours of operation for weekends are Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m.

New this year the train will be open the week of Spring Break, April 6-10, from noon to 5 p.m. All A’board!

Cost to ride is $1 per person. The train is located at Village Park in Kannapolis. See www.kannapolisnc.gov for details.

 

CHARLOTTE — Dancing with the Stars: Live! is bringing a one-of-a-kind touring production to Ovens Auditorium on June 28. Tickets are on sale now at 800-745-3000 or Ticketmaster.com for $49.50-$79.50 (plus service charges) and are subject to change.

For more information, visit abc.com/DWTS, facebook.com/dancingwiththestars, twitter.com/dancingabc and instagram.com/dancingabc

 

Rascal Flatts Riot Tour with Scotty McCreery and Raelynn

CHARLOTTE — July 25: PNC Music Pavilion Charlotte. Tickets on sale April 10 at 10 a.m. at LiveNation.com, via the Live Nation app, at the venue box offices, all Ticketmaster outlets, charge by phone 800-745-3000.

 

NC Archaeological Council symposium deatures eesearch at Town Creek Indian Mound

CHAPEL HILL — Lectures, archaeological artifacts and a panel discussion exploring preservation of archaeological sites in North Carolina will be featured at the NC Archaeological Society’s Spring Symposium April 11. Recent research at Town Creek Indian Mound will be presented at this free public event from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. at Hanes Art Center at UNC-Chapel Hill. A panel discussion will explore envisioning new models for cultural resource conservation in North Carolina.

One of the state’s most extensively investigated archaeological sites, Town Creek Indian Mound in Montgomery County has yielded an extraordinary archaeological collection after decades of research.Housed at the Research Laboratories of Archaeology at UNC-Chapel Hill, most materials date to an intensive Mississippian-period occupation when Town Creek was a regional civic-ceremonial center. Research from recent years by several graduate students at East Carolina University (ECU) will be featured in several presentations.

Hanes Art Center is located at UNC-Chapel Hill near Franklin Street. For information contact Joe Herbert at 910-396-6680 or joseph.m.herbert8.ctr@mail.mil