1) Stars of Nick Jr. Hit Show “Team Umizoomi” to Appear at Tweetsie June 19-21
They’re mighty! They’re mini! They’re math superheroes! Don’t miss Team Umizoomi at Tweetsie Railroad this June 19-21. All your favorite characters, including Milli, her brother Geo and their friendly robot named Bot, will appear daily at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., when they’ll be ready and waiting to meet and take photos with fans.
Six-year-old Milli, her brother eight-year-old Geo and their friend Bot are all from Umi City, a colorful place where the streets are paved with origami-inspired patterns. The popular superhero team uses their “Mighty Math Power” to help kids with their arithmetic problems, all while introducing young viewers to the concepts of counting, measurement, shapes and patterns. Young guests at Tweetsie Railroad will surely be thrilled to help Milli and Geo in their quest to solve whatever problem is at hand.
Guests that need a break from the challenging world of mathematics can take in all of the other Wild West family fun and adventure Tweetsie has to offer. Hop aboard a train pulled by Tweetsie’s historic steam-powered locomotive for an unforgettable three-mile Wild West adventure. Explore the streets of Tweetsie Railroad¹s very own Western town. Experience the gold rush while panning for gold at Miner¹s Mountain. Get up close and personal with the critters in the Deer Park Zoo. Or take a spin on one of many amusement rides the possibilities are endless.
Tweetsie Railroad is open seven days a week from May 29 through August 16. The park returns to the weekend schedule from Aug. 17 through Nov. 1, including Labor Day Monday. The 2015 season ends Sunday, Nov. 1. The park’s regular hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., but will be open until 9 p.m. on July 4 for the Fireworks Extravaganza and June 20 and 27 and July 11, 18 and 25 for Cool Summer Nights. Daily admission to Tweetsie Railroad is $41 for adults and $27 for children ages 3-12. Children 2 and under are admitted free. The Ghost Train Halloween Festival will take place Friday and Saturday nights September 25 through October 31 from 7:30-11:30 p.m., when admission is $34 for adults and children. Tickets and Golden Rail Season Passes are available at Tweetsie.com.
Tweetsie Railroad is located on U.S. Highway 321 between Boone and Blowing Rock, North Carolina. For more information about the 2015 season at Tweetsie Railroad, visit Tweetsie.com or call 877-TWEETSIE (877-893-3874). Find Tweetsie on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Tweetsie and Twitter and Instagram, @TweetsieRR.
2) Outdoor Drama “Otto Wood: The Bandit” Returns to North Wilkesboro, Opens on June 25
The fifth season of the outdoor drama “Otto Wood: The Bandit” opens on June 25 at The Record Park at the corner of Fourth and E streets in North Wilkesboro.
Nat Padgett returns for the fifth year to play the roll of Wood, a Depression-era bandit, known for car thefts, moonshining, womanizing and numerous jail breaks – all this with one hand and a disabled leg. Wood was killed in a shootout with Salisbury police in 1930. For the fifth season, Heather Dean directs the show, which has won multiple awards from the N.C. Society of Historians. Live music by Crabgrass will be performed before the show and between scenes.
Show dates for “Otto Wood: The Bandit” are Thursday, Friday and Saturday, June 25-27; Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, July 1-3; Thursday, Friday and Saturday, June 9-11. Tickets are $8. Call The Record at 336-667-0134 for more information.
3) Audubon Society to Meet June 16 with Mark Rose of Flannery Fork Botanical Garden
High Country Audubon will have its next meeting Tuesday, June 16 at 6:30 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Express in Boone. Mark Rose, director of Flannery Fork Botanical Garden in Boone, will present a program on butterflies and their nectar choices. Mark was appointed by the governor to the North Carolina Plant Conservation Board and has just completed two terms, serving as chairman for the last four years. He is the new chairman of the Blue Ridge Chapter of the North Carolina Native Plant Society in Boone. HCAS invites the public to attend the monthly meetings and field trips. Announcements about meeting and field trips can be found on their website www.highcountryaudubon.org
4) Bakersville Creek Walk Arts Festival Set for June 20
On June 20, the small mountain town of Bakersville will host its 11th annual Creek Walk Arts Festival — a juried fine art show drawing artisans from around the region. The festival has merged this year with the N.C. Rhododendron Festival and now will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
BCWAF showcases some of the finest art and craft to be found in the Southeast, including glass, jewelry, ceramics, metalwork, and woodcraft. Artists have been carefully selected to ensure attendees have access to the highest quality items. A silent auction will also be held to benefit Bakersville elementary and middle school art programs.
The merger with the N.C. Rhododendron Festival (June 19-20) means that visitors will also be able to enjoy the Rhododendron Pageant, craft fair, car show, square dance and can even take part in a 10K run!
Food vendors include: Small Potatoes Mobile Kitchen, a “farm to fork” enterprise offering food from locally sourced fresh ingredients; Burnsville non-profit Centro de Enlace, offering foods such as tamales and quesadillas; and Spruce Pine barbecue purveyor Mountaineer BBQ.
Musical entertainment includes: Thistle Dew, the Yves Giraud Band, Barry Stagg and Friends, Pet and Kim McWhirter, Roan Mountain Rain, Sam McKinney, and Ragged But Right.
Bakersville is approximately an hour away from Asheville, Boone or Johnson City; closer still to Penland School of Crafts and the Blue Ridge Parkway; and is also home to several fine galleries, including Mica, Anita’s Atelier, Shane Mickey Pottery and the Crimson Laurel Gallery.
Plan to spend your day in this beautiful and historic small mountain town and experience our Creek Walk Arts Festival and more!
The festival is open to the public, free of charge, with free parking available. No pets please!
For additional information, visit www.creekwalkfestival.com, or contact Brette Barron, BCWAF Executive Director, at 828-284-1913 or creekwalkfestival@gmail.com.
5) Weekly Events at Lost Province Brewing Company
TUES: Cheap date night at Lost Province. Dinner for two for only $25 6-10pm.
THURS: $3.00 Thursday-$3.00 pints on all Lost Province brewed beers (except high gravity). 8pm-10pm Live Music: Folk and Dagger. Folk and Dagger are a folk rock group from Boone, NC, whose original trio formed in 2007. The band includes singer-songwriter Doris Bazzini Crothers on rhythm guitar and vocals, Colin Crothers on lead guitar, and Colleen Tarantino Utter on vocals. Originally singing as a church choir group, the band was joined by Charlie Ochoa and then Jimmy Puchalski on percussion. More recently, the foursome includes Boone native, John Fulkerson on djembe, shaker, and tambourine. The band’s soulful harmonies and Crothers’ acoustic lead guitar style have been likened to “Indigo Girls meet the Beatles.” Bazzini Crothers’ songs focus on love and life’s dramas including annoying co-workers, juggling marriage and children, and the occasional need to carry whiskey in one’s purse. The band has released two CDs–Half Full in 2009 and Got Wine? in 2011.
FRI: Freakin’ Firkin Friday at Five continues with a Firkin of Hibiscus Orange Belgian White Beer. 8pm-Closing Live Music: Hot Club of Lenoir. The Hot Club of Lenoir (HCOL) features some of the best musicians the area has to offer. Steeped in the Americana tradition mixed with Manouche Swing flavors and modern styles, the HCOL is a family friendly musical group of amazing talent..
SAT: Now Serving Brunch at 10am. 8:00-Closing Live Music: Maureen Renihan and Friends. Maureen Renihan is a Boone based vocalist performing throughout the high country, piedmont and foothill regions of North Carolina. Influenced by great icons such as Billie Holiday, Judy Garland, and Ella Fitzgerald, Maureen sets a nostalgic tone with her soothing vocals and sincere delivery. With an ever expanding repertoire and theatrical background of over twenty years, Maureen possesses the creativity and versatility to delight audiences of all ages. Accompanied by some of the finest jazz musicians in the region, Maureen Renihan & Friends perform classic jazz standards, familiar show tunes, and jazz interpretations of popular music.
SUN: Now Serving Brunch at 10 am. Lost Province Sunday: Residents of “The Lost Province” (Watauga, Ashe, Avery and Alleghany) receive 10% off food with verification of residency. 6pm-8pm Family Night Live Music: The Forget-Me-Nots. Ledah and Willa Finck, along with Maura Shawn Scanlin have long been known to area fans of Celtic music as The Forget-Me-Nots. At Lost Province Brewing Co., on Sunday, June 14th from 6-8 PM they will present a family-friendly evening of music arranged for unaccompanied triple-fiddle. The sets will feature their own Celtic-infused original compositions, traditional tunes, and likely, more than a few surprises that are sure to delight all manner of music lovers. This is their only scheduled performance in the area for the year as the three young women currently attend out-of-town music conservatories. The Forget-Me-Nots have performed in the area for over 12 years, exciting crowds at festivals and concerts, weddings, parties and special events.