1) Heritage Hall News from Mountain City,Tenn.
On Saturday, March 1 at 7 p.m., Southside Freewill Baptist Church will present “Let’s Praise His Name” by their Blacklight Drama Team, a creative ministry incorporating the use of black light to perform drama, hand mime, dowel rods and puppetry to song using today’s contemporary Christian music. No admission is charged, but a donation at the door will be appreciated.
On Friday, March 14 at 7 p.m., Saturday, March 15 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, March 16 at 3 p.m., Johnson County High School Players and Johnson County Young Artists will present The Wizard of Oz – the great American classic musical, complete with the munchkins, monkeys, witches and of course Dorothy, the scarecrow, the Tin Man, the Lion and OZ himself. There’s also a great message regarding the power of identity and home. This will be quality entertainment along with enlightenment for the entire family and a great way to support local youth. $10 for adults and $5 for students and youth.
On Saturday, March 22 at 7 p.m., Violinist Amanda Gentile along with an ASU string ensemble will present chamber music, a delightful evening of classical strings and a great opportunity for all those who appreciate this level of music along with aspiring young musicians. Cost is $10 in advance, $12 at the door and $5 for all youth tickets. This program is sponsored by Modern Woodmen of American Insurance and ShayBrey Florist.
For more information about these shows an the remaining 2014 season, visit heritagehalltheatre.org. Heritage Hall is a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing quality shows at affordable pricing to Johnson County and providing a facility for local schools and organizational events. Tickets may be purchased by phone and retrieved the night of the performance at the door. For tickets or reservations, call 423-727-7444 and leave a message, or visit the box office at 126 College St. Tuesday-Friday 12-2.
2) Jim Avett ‘Coming Home’ to Caldwell County
Everyone will be in tune for the 16th annual Caldwell Traditional Musicians Showcase “Coming Home” on March 15 at the J.E. Broyhill Civic Center in Lenoir. This is the 16th showcase organized by Patrick and Kay Crouch. This long running show started with a vision to showcase local talent who have learned and played in a traditional style by sharing traditions and elements of like influences of one another. The vision became possible with a grant by the NC Arts Council and the Caldwell Arts Council which provided funding assistance for the first ten years, including an album for each showcase. This event has grown into one of the most awaited for events in the region. The 16th showcase “Coming Home” is featuring Jim Avett. The son of a Methodist preacher from Hudson, NC, Jim began to teach himself guitar hoping to escape the likelihood of trade labor which was prevalent in the region during the 60’s. He learned the guitar using traditional methods by listening to artists like Jim Reeves, Merle Haggard, The Everly Brothers and many more on wax records. He often lowered the speed on the record player to 16sp to replicate the tunes. He also enjoyed emulating artists he heard on radio shows like The Grand Ole Opry and the Louisiana Hayride. Jim’s growing music career can be attributed to his philosophy on life “Share gratitude and don’t take anything for granted.” He feels he gained his strong work ethic from growing up in Hudson and having many leaders in the community to look up to as heroes for their strong work ethic, duty to their country and sense of community. He enjoyed growing up in Caldwell County and recalls many fond memories of camping on Lick Mountain, fishing near Castle Bridge. Still to this day, Jim cherishes many strong friendships he made growing up in Caldwell County. After a time in the Navy, Jim received his undergraduate at UNC Greensboro and continued to receive his Masters in Psychology. Although enjoying music filled most of Jim’s days, he put his music career on hold to support his family by running his welding company for 35 years. After retiring he produced his first album “Jim Avett & Family” with his children in 2008. Since then he has continued to write, perform and record music. His music is a collection of beloved country tunes and original ballads. His music is only enhanced by his engaging stories and amusing anecdotes about his life experiences and philosophy. Jim now resides in Concord, NC with his wife of 45 years, Susie. They have raised three children they are very proud of Bonnie, Scott and Seth. He has always allowed them to seek their own direction in life and encouraged them to be the best that they can be. “Coming Home” is scheduled for March 15th at 7:30 in the J.E. Broyhill Civic Center. In addition to Jim Avett, the show will feature such musicians as Mitchell Clark & Masten Cloer, Groove Bucket (Jaret Carter, June Annas, L.A. Freeman, Kurt Benfield & Joe Holland), Strictly Clean & Decent (Patrick Crouch, Kay Crouch & Ron Shuffler) with special guests Keith Miller, Carolina Ray Whisnant and Cecil Palmer. Tickets can be purchased online atwww.BroyhillCenter.com or by calling (828) 726-2407.
3) Campus Emergency Siren Test Conducted March 5
Appalachian State University will test its campus-wide siren warning system Wednesday, March 5, at 11:55 a.m. The campus drill also will include a recorded message indicating the beginning and end of the test. To hear the tones that would be used during an emergency on campus, visit http://epo.appstate.edu/siren-warning-system. In addition, National Severe Weather Preparedness Week is Sunday, March 2, through Saturday March 8. This year’s theme is “Be a Force of Nature.” Make sure that you and your family are prepared for severe weather. This includes creating a disaster supplies kit and making sure that you can receive emergency messages.