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Weekend Roundup: Exciting Things to Do This Weekend; Check ‘em Out and Make Plans Oct. 3-5

By Madison Fisler Lewis

Oct. 3, 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.

Heritage Hall Presents Yours Truly, Tom Dooley: Yours Truly, Tom Dooley will premiere at Heritage Hall Theatre on Friday, Oct. 3 and will continue until Saturday, Oct. 11. Johnson County Community Theatre presents the old mountain legend about Tom Dula, who was accused of murder and who fled to the mountains of Tennessee. For more information click here

Cinderella: Lees-McRae College’s Department of Performing Arts is proud to announce the performance schedule for its 2014 fall season. The Department will present Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella: The Enchanted Edition and Craig Lucas’ Reckless. Both shows will be held in Hayes Auditorium at Lees-McRae College. Cinderella will be performed Oct. 2-5 and Reckless will be performed Nov. 20-23. Tickets will go on sale one hour before the performance and are $12 for adults, $5 for children and free for Lees-McRae students, faculty and staff. All seating is general admission.

Live Music at Twig’s: 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 artist with no cover charge. On Friday, Mama’s Remedy will perform, with Smokey Breeze performing on Saturday evening.

Ghost Train Festival: When the eerie sound from the whistle of a steam locomotive pierces the peaceful quiet of an autumn High Country night, it can only mean one thing: it’s time for Tweetsie Railroad’s annual Ghost Train Halloween Festival. Starting Sept. 26, and continuing every Friday and Saturday night through Nov. 1, guests will enjoy a frightfully spooky ride as the Ghost Train howls its way through the Blue Ridge Mountains with new frights and delights around every corner.

Holmes: The Art of Deduction: Check your magnifying glasses at the door! Appalachian State University’s Department of Theatre and Dance presents “Holmes: The Art of Deduction,” an original work by Dr. Derek Davidson and directed by Teresa Lee, both theatre faculty members. This family-friendly play – recommended for ages 8 and above – will be presented on campus in the state-of-the-art Valborg Theatre Oct. 1 – 4 at 7:30 p.m. with a matinee performance on Oct. 5 at 2 p.m. Ticket prices start at just $9 for Appalachian students and $16 for adults.  For more information click on www.theatre.appstate.edu, or call the box office at 828-262-4046, or the toll-free number 800-841-ARTS (2787).

Friday, Oct. 3

Art Crawl Roundup: On Friday, Oct. 3, downtown Boone will be taken over by the First Friday Art Crawl. Like always, this month’s crawl will feature food, drinks and live music with work and exhibitions from local artists. And as usual, everyone is invited to come out and enjoy some Friday night fun. If you’ve never experienced First Friday Art Crawl, here is your chance to get in on what the locals already know! Head on down to downtown Boone and enjoy a Friday night out on the town. Here’s what is happening this month. For the listing, click here

Music on the Lawn: On Friday, Oct. 3, the Best Cellar presents Smokey Breeze as the last installment of Music on the Lawn for the year. The Best Cellar hosts a free outdoor concert each Friday night through the first week of October, and is located at 203 Sunset Dr. in Blowing Rock. For more information, call 828-295-9703.

Appalachian Symphony Orchestra: Dr. Chung Park conducts the Appalachian Symphony Orchestra in concert Friday, Oct. 3, at 8 p.m. in Broyhill Music Center’s Rosen Concert Hall at Appalachian State University. Admission is free. The orchestra will perform the overture to Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” and Haydn’s “Symphony No. 96 in D Major” also known as “The Miracle” symphony.

McLeod Entrepreneur Summit: Students and community members interested in owning their own business can learn from the experts during the 11th Carole Moore McLeod Entrepreneur Summit Oct. 3 at Appalachian State University. The entrepreneur summit is named for Carole Moore McLeod in recognition of her gift that provides ongoing support of the entrepreneurship program. McLeod is a 1981 business graduate of the Walker College of Business and owner of Advantage Waste Recycling & Disposal Inc. Twenty-seven sessions will run concurrently at 9 a.m., 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Oct. 3 in Peacock Hall (formerly Raley Hall), offering attendees the opportunity to select the workshops of interest. The event is free and open to the public. Parking is available in the Rivers Street parking deck.

Grandfather Mountain Sunset Opportunity: Grandfather Mountain’s sunrise and sunset opportunities are back by popular demand! Photographers and sightseers can take advantage of this rare opportunity to marvel at the nearly 360-degree views available from Grandfather Mountain’s peaks as the sun rises and sets.

Saturday, Oct. 4

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 farmers’ market is located in the parking lot of Horn in the West and takes place from 8 a.m.-12 p.m. each Saturday morning through November. 

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 beginning April 5 and running through the middle of November (except June 28 and September 13), staff and volunteers will meet at the Summit Trailhead at 9 am and work until approximately 3:30 pm, 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 Color at Grandfather Mountain: Join Grandfather Mountain’s education staff from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday for guided walks on the mountain’s trails to learn about fall foliage, including the reasons leaves change and different forces that affect the coloration. Included with park admission.

The Blues Porch Jam: 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. The intent of The Blues Porch is to bring musicians, vocalists and listeners together in a format that lets everyone participate easily and fluidly. For this, The Blues is the perfect focal point. The Blues Porch will not be a jam session confined to the Blues. That’s just our touchstone and starting point.

Coach Moore’s Hall of Fame Induction: Legendary Appalachian State University football coach Jerry Moore will be honored in conjunction with Appalachian State’s inaugural Sun Belt Conference home game versus South Alabama on Saturday, Oct. 4, the University announced on Thursday. Moore, who compiled a 215-87 record and won three NCAA Division I FCS national championships (2005, 2006 and 2007) in 24 seasons as head coach at Appalachian State (1989-2012), will be recognized during several pregame and in-game events. For more information about this event click here

Carolina Ramble and Reunion: A day full of music and cool mountain breezes will fill the autumn air at the inaugural Carolina Ramble & Reunion, hosted by band Possum Jenkins, on Saturday, Oct. 4, in Bethel. For more information about this event click here.

Foscoe Home Decor Stirabout: On Saturday, Oct. 4, for one day only, the Foscoe and Grandfather communities will host the second Home Decor Stirabout. Several business invite guests to stop in for door prizes, refreshments and one-day-only sales to kick off the fall season. For more information about this event click here

Art in the Park: The 2014 season of Blowing Rock’s Art in the Park series comes to a close after the final event on Saturday, Oct. 4. The popular event brought thousands of visitors to the High Country to enjoy the work of more than 90 artists and craftspeople at each show. “I think this year was better than last year, with the weather being better,” said Terri Bailey of the Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce. “Our estimates were about 5,000 attendees at each event, and an overall total of 35,000 people attending over the course of the summer and fall.” For more information about this event click here.

Strictly Clean and Decent: Joe Shannon’s Mountain Home Music kicks off its fall concert series with old-time Americana band Strictly Clean and Decent presenting “Remembering Earl and Doc.” The show will honor the late North Carolina legends Earl Scruggs and Doc Watson and feature songs played in their traditional styles—three-finger banjo for Scruggs and flat-pick guitar for Watson. The concert is set for Saturday, Oct. 4, at the Blowing Rock School auditorium at 7:30 p.m. For more information click here.

Brushy Mountain Apple Festival: Ushering in the cooler days of fall is the 37th annual Brushy Mountain Apple Festival, held in downtown North Wilkesboro on Saturday, Oct. 4. Started out as just an annual fundraiser decades ago, the festival has grown into an event that draws tens of thousands of excited attendees every year. The festival itself will feature more than 300 arts and craft vendors, 100 food vendors, four music stages, performances such as clogging, folk dance, rope skipping and of course, apples! For more information about this event click here.  

Art Gallery Opening Reception: The last reception of the season for The Art Cellar Gallery will be held on Saturday, Oct. 4, from 4-6 p.m. for “Animals of Farm and Field featuring artists Carolyn Blaylock, Nancy Oppenheimer, Margaret Salisbury and Walter Stanford. The exhibition features a rafter of turkeys, herds of cows, flocks of sheep, birds of prey and a sleuth of bears. Enjoy each of these talented artists’ interpretations of the animals that inhabit our farms, fields, forests and beyond. Don’t forget, during the Animals of Farm and Field exhibition, Art Cellar will be teaming up with the Avery County Humane Society to help provide for the animals in the shelter. The Gallery is collecting donations of goods and financial contributions through the end of the exhibition. You may drop off any donations to the Art Cellar Gallery or to the Avery County Humane Society.

Munchkinland: On Saturday, Oct. 4, Buckeye Recreation Center in Beech Mountain will host Munchkinland with nonstop activities for ages 8 and younger. Tickets are just $10 per person and tickets are limited so be sure to get yours soon. For more information call 828-387-3003. Buckeye Recreation Center is located at 1330 Pine Ridge Rd. in Beech Mountain. Activities include a lollipop hunt, photos with Oz characters, story time and twister, brick cookie decorating, flying monkey musical chairs, pin the tail on the lion, rainbow fruit snacks, wacky witch hunt, face painting and more!

Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day: On Saturday, Oct. 4, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., the Northwest NC Mountain Bike Alliance in conjunction with Luna Cycles will host the first annual Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day as part of the national TKMBD festivities coordinated by the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA). The event will be held at the newly built Zacks Fork Mountain Bike Trail in Lenoir. The trailhead is located adjacent to the Lenoir Rotary Soccer Complex at 1050 Zacks Fork Rd. in Lenoir. There is no cost to participate and parents are encouraged to ride with their children. There will be prizes and swag for all participants.

Sunday, Oct. 5

Foghorn String Band: The Foghorn Stringband performs at the Jones House on Sunday, Oct. 5, starting at 7:30 p.m., continuing the Town of Boone’s Fall Indoor House Concert Series. Largely responsible for an old-time music revival in the northwest, this Portland, Oregon-based band has been turning heads and bending ears amongst a new generation of traditional Americana roots music-and the old-timers are quite impressed too. For more information click here

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

Sunday Jazz Brunch: On Sunday, Oct. 5, 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.

Heirloom Apple Tasting: A heirloom apple tasting with local beer, goat cheese and bread will be held on Sunday, Oct. 5, from 3-5 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Boone. Join local apple growers, Bill Moretz and Ron Joyner as they share knowledge and harvest of old apple varieties for tasting. An incredible diversity of apples is part of the heritage of the Appalachian region. Now, many of us are familiar with less than 10 varieties offered in grocery stores. For the tasting, the history and subtleties of each variety will be discussed in detail. Products from Stick Boy Bread Company, Heritage Homestead Dairy, Blowing Rock Ale House and other libations will be available to sample. A donation of $15 per person or $25 per couple is requested to benefit Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture.

Classic Works for Wind Ensembles: Symphonic classics written for wind ensembles will be performed Sunday, Oct. 5, at 3 p.m. at Appalachian State University. The free concert will be presented in the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts on campus. Dr. John Stanley Ross will conduct the 58-member Appalachian Wind Ensemble along with guest conductors Dr. Charles Isley and Gus Perry. Dr. Drew Leslie from the Hayes School of Music will be featured.

Fall at Grandfather Mountain: Join Grandfather Mountain’s education staff from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. each Saturday and Sunday for guided walks on the mountain’s trails to learn about fall foliage, including the reasons leaves change and different forces that affect the coloration. Included with park admission. Call 800-468-7325 or visit grandfather.com/events/colors/ for more information.