1) Wilkes Playmakers to Present Sam Shepard’s “True West” on Oct. 23
Wilkes Playmakers will present True West by renowned American playwright and actor Sam Shepard beginning October 23, 2015 at Benton Hall, 300 D Street, North Wilkesboro, NC. True West has become recognized as Shepard’s signature work amongst an array of celebrated plays. Set 40 miles east of Los Angeles in the early 1980s, True West is a character study of the relationship between two brothers, Austin and Lee – sons of a desert dwelling alcoholic and a suburban wanderer. Austin, the achiever, is working on a script he has sold to producer Saul Kimmer when Lee, a demented petty thief, drops in. The brothers’ interactions with Saul set new wheels in motion. As the plot unfolds, the brothers find themselves forced to work together on a creation on which both of their lives hinge. Their mother’s appearance serves to reinforce the old family dynamic that has been boiling beneath the surface all along even though all the while, each brother secretly wishes to be more like the other.
Critical reviews include: “It’s clear, funny, naturalistic. It’s also opaque, terrifying, surrealistic. If that sounds contradictory, you’re on to one aspect of Shepard’s winning genius; the ability to make you think you’re watching one thing while at the same time he’s presenting another.” …San Francisco Chronicle
Performance dates for True West are October 23, 24, 28, 29, 30 at 7:30 pm and on October 25 and November 1 at 2:00 pm. Please note that there will be no performance on Saturday 10/31 but we will resume on November 1. This show is intended for mature audiences. Tickets are $5 – $10 with the exception of Wednesday 10/28, which will be our Pay What You Can Night performance with a minimum ticket price of $2. Both Sunday performances will have a special matinee price of $6. Regular ticket prices are $10 for adults, $8 for students and seniors, $5 military.
The cast includes Nat Padgett, Travis Collins, Jared Shumate, Paula Joines and Kathy Moffett. This show is directed by Wes Martin and Krissey Browder.
Advance tickets and further information available online at www.wilkesplaymakers.com Like our Wilkes Playmakers Facebook page for event information also! For questions, please email wilkesplaymakers2013@outlook.com.
2) Stone Soup Conference Set for Oct. 15 at ASU
Appalachian State University will host the 5th Annual Stone Soup Conference Oct. 15 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Plemmons Student Union. The purpose of the conference is to create collaborative action that leads to collective impact on non-profits in the High Country and beyond.
The conference will include eight educational sessions featuring nonprofit leaders from across North Carolina and celebrate five years of non-profit collaboration and capacity building through Stone Soup.
The keynote address will be given by Sandy Rees, founder of Get Fully Funded – a resource that guides non-profits through a seven-step process for creating long-term financial stability.
Sessions on funding, foundations, board engagement and collective impact will be led by Dr. T. Sharee Fowler, Director of the Forsyth Promise; Carrboro Alderman Bethany Chaney; Rev. Carl W. Vierling, Director of the Greater High Point Food Alliance; and Heather Murphy, Executive Director of The Health Foundation.
Early registration for the event ends Oct. 9. The early registration cost is $45, with a discount for three or more members from an organization. After Oct. 9 registration will be $50.
The registration fee includes the eight educational sessions, breakfast and lunch by Stick Boy Kitchen, and unlimited coffee by Bald Guy Brew.
Contact johnsonka1@appstate.edu for more additional information.
Stone Soup is a coalition of community partners focused on collaboration and resource sharing to provide the highest quality and more efficient services while building capacity with non-profits in the High Country.
To register, visit http://act.appstate.edu/stonesoup.
3) Audubon Society Announces Scholarship to Attend Carolina Bird Club Meeting
High Country Audubon Society (HCAS) is pleased to announce a scholarship opportunity to support a young bird-watcher who would like to attend a Carolina Bird Club meeting but lacks the necessary funds. HCAS is the local chapter of the National Audubon Society and Audubon North Carolina, serving Watauga, Ashe, Wilkes, Alleghany and Avery counties.
The HCAS Birding Scholarship will award up to $300 to a college student or recent graduate to help them attend a CBC meeting in either North or South Carolina during the 2016 calendar. Only currently enrolled students or people who have graduated within one year of the CBC meeting may apply. Applicants must be 24-years old or younger at the time of the meeting and live in the five-county area covered by HCAS.
Information about the Carolina Bird Club meetings can be found on their website at http://www.carolinabirdclub.org/meetings/
This Scholarship program is being created to encourage the participation in birding activities by a younger group than is typically found at these events. We believe that funds are one reason younger birders do not attend the CBC meetings and we hope that this scholarship opportunity will help to overcome that limitation.
In 2015 two anonymous HCAS members donated $250 to HCAS. These funds were used to allow Alexandra Vlk, a recent college graduate and intern on the Blue Ridge Parkway, to attend the CBC winter meeting at Nags Head.
Grant information and application are available on the HCAS website at http://www.highcountryaudubon.org
Applications are due by November 7, 2015 and the person selected will be announced by November 14. Funds will be available in time to be used for registration for the selected meeting.
4) Beech Mountain Holiday Market Set for Nov. 28
The 2015 Holiday Market will take place on Saturday, November 28 from 9 AM – 3 PM here at the Buckeye Recreation Center. Vendor spaces are 12’x12′ and are only $25. See the link below for a vendor application. Applications and payment are due by November 14, 2015. Please contact us with any questions, and we hope to see you at the Market! Call 828.387.3003 or visit beechrecreation.org for details.
5) See “The Magic of Bill Blagg Live” at the Walker Center in Wilkes on Oct. 30
The Walker Center, on the campus of Wilkes Community College, will present “The Magic of Bill Blagg Live!” on Friday, October 30, at 8 p.m. This performance is sponsored by InterFlex Group.
To say that Bill has had a magical life would be no exaggeration. From the moment he received his first magic kit in 1986, his world has not been the same. He launched his professional magic performing career in 1996, at the age of 16. In just two years, Bill developed a stage presence that made him stand out in the magic community, due in part to his off-the-cuff personality and his high-energy performance style.
In 1998 when he had just turned 18, Bill made magic history by becoming the youngest contestant to win the prestigious adult stage competition at the Abbott Magic Get Together in Michigan.
While in college, Bill was busy planning and staging his next big venture, a grand-scale magic and illusion show called “Beyond Imagination.” He virtually sold out all of the shows to become the nation’s top magical star. Bill prides himself with being able to consistently create and stage new illusions to thrill his audiences.
A limited number of tickets are available for this performance. For more information, or to purchase tickets, contact the Walker Center Box Office at 336-838-6260 or walker.boxoffice@wilkescc.edu. Visit the Walker Center online at www.walkercenteronline.org or on Facebook.
The John A. Walker Community Center is dedicated to being this region’s primary venue for cultural experience and to serving as the preferred gathering place for meetings, receptions, conventions, banquets and parties for our community.
The Walker Center and Wilkes Community College are 100% Tobacco Free.
Wilkes Community College, a member of the North Carolina Community College System, is a public, two-year, open-door institution serving the people of Wilkes, Ashe and Alleghany counties and beyond. Established in 1965, WCC continues to build on a strong history of meeting the educational needs and cultural interests of our students, community and workforce. WCC prepares learners for success in a dynamic world.