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Weekend Roundup: Exciting Things to Do This Weekend; Check ‘em Out and Make Plans Oct. 24-26

By Madison Fisler Lewis

Oct. 24, 2014. The High Country has so many exciting events to offer its community and visitors, especially on autumn weekends! Check our site every Friday for something new and exciting to look forward to while you’re watching the hour hand crawl to 5 o’clock. Find live music down the street, explore a nearby town’s local secrets or try out a new square dancing class. There’s always something fun to do in the High Country.

Weekend-Long Events

To check out this week’s movie trailers and this week’s movie review, click here.

Preseason Sale: With hopefully another stellar winter season on the horizon, Appalachian Ski Mountain presents its 17th annual preseason sale from until Sunday, Oct. 26. The 10-day sale features a lively atmosphere and includes huge discounts on last year’s merchandise, a used-equipment swap shop and a raffle to win a 2014-15 winter season pass on the mountain.

N.C. Dance Festival: The Appalachian State University Department of Theatre and Dance presents the 24th annual North Carolina Dance Festival (NCDF), a touring celebration that showcases the work of renowned and aspiring dance artists from across the state. NCDF will be presented on campus in the Valborg Theatre on Oct. 23-25 at 7:30 p.m. For more information about this event click here.

Live Music at Twigs: Twig’s Restaurant in Blowing Rock hosts live music every Friday and Saturday night, from 9 p.m. until 1 a.m. featuring great local and regional artists with no cover charge.

USAC National Championship: The nation’s top college mountain bikers will converge on Beech Mountain Oct. 24-26 for USA Cycling’s Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships. This is the second straight year Beech Mountain has hosted the championships, which feature more than 70 schools and 300 riders battling for national titles in six disciplines. For more information about this event click here.

Friday, Oct. 24

Jeff Black at Lost Province: Lost Province Brewing Company in Boone has already established itself as one of the best places to grab a bite to eat, an ice cold brew and some live music on the weekends. But on Friday, Oct. 24, Lost Province will kick off what is expected to be many future nights of major live entertainment with a full concert featuring singer/songwriter Jeff Black. For more information about this event click here.

Recess Video Premiere: Local snowboard and skateboard shop, Recess Skate and Snow, will celebrate five years of business in the Boone area with an autograph signing and a video premiere on Friday, Oct. 24. “We do this every year,” said J.P Pardy, owner of Recess. “Annually this time of year we do a video premiere to get everyone together and excited to kick off the winter season and to celebrate our anniversary too.” For more information about this event click here.

Watauga County Food Day: Friday, Oct. 24 will be an evening filled with fun, food, friends and facts! The Watauga County Food Day Campaign is excited to partner with Hospitality House to create educational and entertaining events in the Watauga community for 2014 National Food Day. Hospitality House serves seven counties in northwestern North Carolina as a nonprofit crisis agency. For more information about this event click here.

Saturday, Oct. 25

Tour de Art: The Greater Avery Tour de Art gallery and studio hop continues this weekend at numerous galleries in the greater Avery County area. The Tour is held every fourth Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. and maps can be found at at each gallery along the way. Treat yourself to a self guided tour around the Avery County area and enjoy a day full of art, crafts and fun.

Blowing Rock Halloween Festival: On Saturday, Oct. 25, ghouls, goblins, super heroes, witches and more will flock to downtown Blowing Rock for the annual Blowing Rock Halloween Festival. Held each year on the last Saturday in October, this festival has become a fall staple and something that visitors and residents alike look forward to each year. For more information about this event click here.

Beary Scary Halloween Festival: Frights and fun await kids at the Beary Scary Halloween Festival held Oct. 25, at Grandfather Mountain. The celebration offers a full day of nature programs about creepy, crawly critters; Halloween-themed crafts; animal enrichments and trick or treating all included with park admission. Kids in costume enter the park for half price. For more information about this event click here.

Steve and Ruth Smith: This season, Heritage Hall Theatre in Mountain City, Tenn. offers yet another great lineup of concerts, plays, musicals and more. As the final show of the autumn lineup for Heritage Hall Theatre, Steve and Ruth Smith will play a “unique blend of Celtic Appalachian music” on Saturday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. The show will be sponsored by State Farm Insurance and Mountain City Pharmacy. For more information about this event click here.

BRAHM Exhibit Opening: The Blowing Rock Art and History Museum’s latest exhibition, Selections from the Collection, will open to the public on Saturday, Oct. 25, in the downstairs galleries. Viewers will be able to take in more than 100 selected paintings, drawings, prints, glass, ceramic and mixed media pieces from BRAHM’s Permanent Collection. For more information about this event click here.

Blues Porch Jam: On Saturday, Oct. 25, the weekly Blues Porch Jam will take place at the Blue Ridge ArtSpace. This Blues-Centric Jam Session features the Blues but caters to the whims, interests, and favorite tunes of those present. Musicians, vocalists, foot-stompers, groupies – all are welcome to this unplugged (no amps) session each Saturday afternoon.

Mountain Home Music: On Saturday, Oct. 25, Joe Shannon’s Mountain Home Music will present Traditional Fiddle, Banjo and Song. Good friends, twin brothers Travis and Trevor Stuart and Alice Gerrard, will share the bill for the show for an evening of traditional fiddle and banjo music – plus a sampling of Alice’s best known songs from the 60’s up to her most recently penned compositions. Tickets are $20 in advance, $22 at the door, $11 students. Children 12 and under are admitted free with adult. Advance tickets may be purchased at either Mast Store, Fred’s General, the Dulcimer Shop or Pandora’s Mailbox.

Low Counts at Boone Saloon: Two-man, bluesy rock duo Low Counts will perform at Boone Saloon Saturday, Oct. 25. Statesville native Matt Walsh and Austin Hicks, from Pilot, make up the band, which formed in 2012. Walsh plays guitar finger-pick style and leads the band’s vocals while Hicks plays drums. For more information about this event click here.

Buckeye Halloween Party: Saturday, Oct. 25, the town of Beech Mountain invites children and adults to participate in a Halloween trick-or-treat event. The event is free for children 10 years old and younger. Children meet at 5 p.m. at the town hall to board a caravan that will take them to several destinations on their way to the Halloween party in the Buckeye Recreation Center, which begins at 6 p.m. and goes until 8 p.m.

Watauga County Farmers’ Market: Join us for the 40th anniversary season of Watauga County Farmers’ Market! The farmers’ market has been Boone’s Town Square since 1974. The market is open from 8 a.m.-12 p.m. through the end of October and is located in the parking lot of the Horn in the West in Boone.

Sensory-Friendly Film Screening: APPS Film Council, Innovative Approaches of Watauga County, Appalachian State University, ABLE Recreation and Parent to Parent Family Support Network of the High Country are offering families with children and youth with special health care needs a special opportunity to enjoy a favorite family film in a safe and accepting environment. On Saturday, Oct. 25, Appalachian State University will host a showing of How to Train Your Dragon 2 in the SuperCinema at I.G. Greer located in the center of campus. Doors will open at 1:50 p.m. The feature film will begin at 2 p.m. Admission is only $2 per person and the whole family is invited! In order to provide a more accepting and comfortable setting, the lighting will be dim upon entering the cinema and will remain that way throughout the film. The film audio will be played lower than at a typical theatre. To accommodate special diets, families can bring their own snacks. Audience members are welcome to get up and dance, walk, or sing along!

Spooky Duke Race: Runners, walkers and those with wheels: Parent to Parent invites you to the Spooky Duke Race on Saturday, Oct. 25 to begin and end at the Raley/Peacock Parking Lot at Appalachian State University in Boone. Activities include a certified 10K run, a certified 5L run, a costume march for all ages and supervised children’s activities. The route of the races begins at the Raley Parking lot, continues through downtown Boone, and ends at Raley Parking lot.  The Costume March, a leisurely ½ mile stroll, also begins and ends at the Raley Parking lot.  Be ready for Spooky Surprises along the routes! Free childcare is available for race participants.

Civil War Firearms Program: On Saturday, Oct. 25, a Civil War Firearms program will be held at the Linville Falls Campground Amphitheater starting at 7 p.m. In recognition of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, learn about the weapons used by both sides during engagements like the Raid on Linville Falls and others throughout the Southern Appalachian Mountains.

Home Butchery Class: The Watauga County Cooperative Extension will offer a home butchery class on Saturday, Oct. 25, starting at 9 a.m. at the Agricultural Conference Center in Boone. The class will cover whole hog breakdown, sausage making and making bacon. This is a hands-on class and participants will get to take home approximately 10-15 lbs of pork. The fee for this class is $75. Couples that take one meat portion will pay $75. Please register and pay the fee at the Extension Office by Friday, Oct. 24. Class size is limited. Please call the extension office at 828-264-3061 for more information.

Elk Knob Volunteer Trail Work Day: Warmer weather has finally returned along with the Volunteer Trail Work Days at Elk Knob State Park. Every Saturday though Nov. 8, staff and volunteers will meet at the Summit Trailhead at 9 a.m. and work until approximately 2:30 p.m., weather permitting. Tools are provided but volunteers should wear close-toed shoes and bring work gloves, lunch and water. Most of the time will be spent building our new one mile loop trail, the Beech Tree Trail, although we may include some repair work on the Summit Trail. If you would like to be involved in a fulfilling project that will fill you with a well-deserved sense of pride, then join us on Saturdays at Elk Knob State Park. For more information please call 828-297-7261.

Fall Fables: Join storyteller Sherry Lovett at BRAHM for an afternoon of seasonal fun! Lovett will present “Fall Fables: Hainted Yarns from Near and Far, spooky stories from the mountains.” The event is free and suitable for kids ages 5 to 105!

Winter Weather Hiking at Grandfather Mountain: Have you looked out your windows in the winter when the snow is softly falling on the ground and said to yourself this would be a great day to be out hiking on the trails; only to follow it up with, “But it’s too cold,” or “I don’t know how I would make it with all the layers of clothes and big pack on”? Winter hiking doesn’t have to be dreaded. Join Ranger Sicard to learn what to carry with you and how to dress properly so that a negative experience doesn’t ruin the moment or interest to pursue it again. Participants will learn how to layer properly for weather conditions, what and where to carry items in a pack, and some safety measures to take to make the hike enjoyable.

Halloween at Elk Knob State Park: Come learn about nature’s influence on this fascinating holiday and how it has changed over the years. Meet at the park office at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25.

Darkside Fairy Tales: Come out and enjoy a walk through some of your favorite childhood stories with a dark twist. This event is hosted by Boone Bellydance Collective. Bellydancers from near and far will entertain you, light snacks will be provided. Tickets are $5 at the door with all money being donated to local charities.

Howard Street Exchange Halloween: The Howard Street Exchange is brought to you by Boone Community Network, Watauga’s own non-profit social network. Come see what’s new with Boone’s local businesses and non-profits, hear some great music, and meet some new friends. Join us on our journey towards making the Howard Street Exchange a permanent fixture in Boone! This time around we’ll be celebrating the fall season with trick-or-treating, pumpkin carving, apple bobbing and other fun activities. Give your halloween get-up a test run and enter in our costume contest. Per usual we’ll be hosting workshops, demonstrations, and more, so come out and see what Boone Community Network is working on for your town.

Sunday Oct. 26

Music on the Veranda: On Sunday, Oct. 26, the Green Park Inn’s Music on the Veranda will present The Harris Brothers starting at 5 p.m. For more information about this event, call 828-414-9230.

Sunday Jazz Brunch: On Sunday, Oct. 27, Canyons in Blowing Rock will host the weekly Sunday Jazz Brunch with Todd Wright. Starting at 11 a.m., the event will feature live jazz music at Canyons located at 8960 Valley Blvd. in Blowing Rock. For more information about this event, call 828-295-7661.

Appalachian Philharmonia Performance: It is an all-Beethoven program when the Appalachian Philharmonia performs Oct. 26 at Appalachian State University. The concert, directed by Dr. Chung Park, begins at 2 p.m. in Broyhill Music Center’s Rosen Concert Hall. Admission to this event is free and the concert is open to the public. The show will open with “Overture to Heinrich Joseph von Collin’s Tragedy ‘Coriolan,’ Op. 62,” followed by “Symphony No. 4 in B-flat Major, Op. 60.” Dr. Rodney Reynerson from the Hayes School of Music will be featured on “Concerto No. 4 for Piano and Orchestra in G Major, Op. 58.” Reynerson has taught in the music school since 1980.