Grass Tracks

GOLD HILL — Larry Pennington and Grass Tracks, a traditional bluegrass band from Mount Airy, will perform at the E.H. Montgomery General Store and Pickin’ Parlor this Saturday night.

Grass Tracks has become one of the most-requested new bands on WPAQ’s “Merry-Go-Round” in Mount Airy, as well as other regional events. Band members are Larry Pennington on guitar, Ricky Holyfield on banjo, Dean Simpson on mandolin and Randy Bledsoe on bass.

The show begins at 7 p.m. A $5 donation is requested at the door for admission. Concessions will be available.

The Montgomery hosts a bluegrass jam every Friday night and special bands on the second and fourth Saturday each month. The store is located in the Historic Village of Gold Hill.

For more information call 704-267-9439 or visit www.HistoricGoldHill.com or www.FifthStringandCo.com.

‘Rent’ rush

CHARLOTTE — Seats in the first three rows of the orchestra section will be made available for $20 for every performance of Rent at Ovens Auditorium. The $20 tickets go on sale at the Ovens Auditorium box office, on the day of performance only, two hours prior to the show and are available to anyone, cash only, with a limit of two tickets per person.

Rent makes its Charlotte debut this Friday-Sunday. Ovens Auditorium is located at 2700 E. Independence Blvd.

For general ticket information, call 704-372-1000 or visit Blumenthalcenter.org. Regular ticket prices range from $25-$58.

Musician showcase

CHARLOTTE — Former Salisburian Jeremy Aggers will be among the performers appearing when CharlotteMusician.com hosts a showcase of local music from 2-6 p.m. Saturday at Manifest Discs, 6235 South Blvd., Charlotte. Aggers will perform at 3 p.m. in this live music event that is free to the public and includes local songwriters and bands from the “Uptown Sound” CD, Vol. 1.

Aggers will also perform a “roundshow” at Starbucks at 1401 East Blvd (corner of E. Blvd, & Scott Ave.), Saturday at 8 p.m. in a show that will be broadcast over Charlotte Indie Radio, live365.com, which can be accessed through www.charlottemusician.com.

At the Manifest Discs event, Charlotte Musician.com will be collecting music for Charlotte Indie Radio, which can be heard 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Local musicians in all genres are encouraged to submit their original music for airplay. For more information or submission guidelines, interested music fans and musicians can visit www.charlotte musician.com.

Choral Society

The Salisbury-Rowan Choral Society begins rehearsals for spring Feb. 6 in the fellowship hall of John Calvin Presbyterian Church, 1620 Brenner Ave. Singers age 16 and up are invited.

The group meets 7:30-9 p.m. Tuesdays. An audition is not required, but new members are asked to come 15 minutes early to the first rehearsal to register. Membership dues for this concert will be $10.

The choral society’s spring concert will be held Sunday, May 20, when they welcome guest soloist Dan Truhitte, best known for his portrayal of “Rolf” in the movie “The Sound of Music.”

For information about joining, contact music director Sarah Fuller Hall, 704-637-7326 or sfhall@carolina.rr. com.

Quilt exhibit

LEXINGTON — From Feb. 6 to March 28, Arts United for Davidson County will display more than 30 North Carolina quilts representing 100 years or more.

Hours are 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free. Arts United is located at 220 South Main St., Lexington.

An opening reception will be held at Arts United from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 6. The public is invited.

Four years ago, Arts United hosted “150 Years of North Carolina Quilts,” a collection representing quilts from every county in North Carolina, collected by Dr. A. Everette James Jr. James donated the quilts to the Gallery of Art and Design at N.C. State University in memory of his mother, Pattie Royster James.

Since then, quilt collectors and donors have contributed additional quilts to the collection.

This year’s show in Lexington will display many of NCSU’s newly acquired quilts that represent a broad and diverse body of work from all over the state.

Erik Salzwedel, executive director of Arts United, explains “most of the quilts are not in perfect condition. Some have been well used. But they reveal the creativity and skill of North Carolina women, and their dedication to craft.”

For more information, cal 336-249-7862 or visit www.co. davidson.nc.us/arts.

Sarum Camerata

The ensembles of Sarum Camerata, a community music program hosted by St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, are gearing up to begin rehearsals for spring.

The Alla Corda Strings, directed by Mary Catherine Edwards, combines violin, viola and cello players of varying levels of proficiency. It meets 6:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and will resume Feb. 13.

The Amadeus Children’s Chorus meets 5:30-6:30 p.m. Thursdays. The group is currently accepting new members, ages 8-18 (unchanged voices). It is directed by Sarah Fuller Hall and Phillip Burgess.

Rehearsals will begin again Feb. 15.

Auditions are currently being held for Cantabile Singers, a select, 16-voice choral ensemble directed by Burgess. Janie Rollins serves as accompanist. This group rehearses at 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays, beginning Feb. 15.

All rehearsals are at St. Luke’s, on the corner of Church and Council streets. For more information, call 704-633-3221.

Logo contest

SPRUCE PINE — Entries are currently being accepted for “The Carolina Barn Dance” logo contest. The contest is open to all. Entries must be postmarked no later than March 1.

A committee composed of The Carolina Theatre Preservation Association Inc. board and staff will select the art work from the entrants and will notify the designer by April.

The winning designer will receive complimentary tickets to all of the 2007 The Carolina Barn Dances, have their design on display at the Carolina Theatre, and will be awarded $500.

Also, the designer will receive recognition as the designer of the official The Carolina Barn Dance logo throughout the year in print, on television, radio and the Internet.

The Carolina Theatre Preservation Association, Inc. will own all rights to the winning logo design.

Interested parties should contact The Carolina Theatre, Logo Contest, P.O. Box 561, Spruce Pine, NC 28777 or e mail Melissa Graham at melissamgraham@peoplepc.com. Information may also be found at www.carolinabarndance. org.