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Weekend Roundup: Exciting Things to Do This Weekend; Check ‘em Out and Make Plans Sept. 5-7

Sept. 5, 2014. The High Country has so many exciting events to offer its community and visitors, especially on summer 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 of As Above, So Below, click here.

Railroad Heritage Weekend: For one weekend only, North Carolina’s first theme park will pull out all the stops as it celebrates the golden age of steam railroading, featuring Tweetsie’s historic coal-fired steam locomotives. Tweetsie Railroad’s Railroad Heritage Weekend will take place on Sept. 6-7. For more information click here.

Friday, Sept. 5

Art Crawl: On Friday, Sept. 5, 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.

Concert at the Jones House: On Friday, Sept 5, the Jones House presents Lazy Birds and Sound Traveler, beginning at 5 p.m. The Jones House Community and Cultural Center presents a free outdoor concert every Friday night from June 6-Sept. 12. The Jones House is located at 604 West King St. in downtown Boone. For more information, call 828-268-6280.

Concerts on the Lawn: On Friday, Sept. 5, the Best Cellar presents Supa Tight. The Best Cellar hosts a free outdoor concert each Friday night through the summer, and is located at 203 Sunset Dr. in Blowing Rock. For more information, call 828-295-9703.

Music in the Valle: Valle Crucis Community Park will host Music in the Valle on Friday, Sept. 5 featuring Folk and Dagger. The concert will take place at Valle Crucis Community Park located at 2892 Broadstone Rd. in Valle Crucis starting at 7 p.m. For more information about this event, call 828-963-9239.

Wilkesboro’s Weekly Open Air Market: The Open Air Market is scheduled through Sept. 19 on a weekly basis. The regular market is open every Friday from 4-8 p.m. The vendor selling are farmers with locally grown fruits, vegetables, plants and local art & craft vendors, baked goods, plus many other vendors. This market will take place in the town owned parking lot across from the 50’s Restaurant and Royall’s Framing on Main Street in downtown Wilkesboro.

Grandfather Mountain State Park Program: The wilds of the Southern Appalachians can be a useful to those knowledgeable in woodcraft and a curse to those who consume a misidentified plant. Join a Ranger for a stroll through the woods and learn some science and folklore behind our botanical bounty. We will not be collecting or consuming plants during this program. Please dress for the weather conditions and hiking approximately one mile. All ages are welcome. Please no pets.

Saturday, Sept. 6

End of Summer Bash: The inaugural Town of Newland End of Summer Bash will take place on Saturday, Sept. 6 at the Riverwalk Bandstand. The first-ever event will start at 6 p.m. with music, food and more for attendees to enjoy. The show kicks off with a boom when Jeremy Autry takes the stage, returning home with his band Crossing Avery just for this show. For more information about this event click here.

Grandfather Mountain KidFest: A full day of games, music and fun awaits families at the eleventh annual Grandfather Mountain KidFest on Saturday, Sept. 6. The annual event celebrates the nature and culture of the North Carolina mountains, from its animals and weather to its music and stories. All activities are included with park admission. For more information about this event click here.

Home and Garden Tour: On Saturday, Sept. 6, the Crossnore area will host the annual Home and Garden Tour benefitting Avery County Habitat for Humanity. During the tour, three homes, a garden and an historic church will be showcased to the public. “We raised just under $5,000 last year,” said Jordan Slagle, Development Director for Avery County Habitat for Humanity. “This year we would like to raise $5,000.” For more information about this event click here.

Plant Sale: Save the date! SNIPS Fifth Annual Fall Perennial, Herb, Bulb, Seed, Cut Flower, Garden Treasure and Yard Art Sale will be held Saturday, Sept. 6 from 8 a.m.-12 p.m. in the parking lot of Precision Printing located at 1302 Blowing Rock Rd. in Boone. All growing things come from the well-established gardens of the SNIPS Committee members who also create garden treasures and everything will be priced to sell. All proceeds will fund the low-cost spay/neuter specials offered regularly at WHS. There will be a wide variety of perennials, herbs, perennial seeds, bulbs, cut flowers, house plants and for the first time ever, fresh vegetables: corn and green beans! Plus, the SNIPS crafters will have beautiful, handmade garden treasures on display. It’s almost time to plant perennials, seeds and bulbs for blooms next spring and it’s never too early to go gift shopping. For more information about the plant sale, call 828-406-0827.

Wilderness Skills Program: On Saturday, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m., a program called “Wilderness Skills: Knot Another One” will be held at Linville Falls Campground Amphitheater. This basic skill has been used for centuries to join objects, secure things or just for show. Come learn about useful knots in everyday situations as well as those that might help you in the wilderness.

The Walker Center Presents Ronnie Milsap: The Walker Center, on the campus of Wilkes Community College, will present Ronnie Milsap on Friday, Sept. 5, at 8 p.m. This performance is sponsored by Carolina West Wireless. Born in Robbinsville, at the edge of the Smokey Mountains, he was enveloped in his early years by country – the region was crucial to such history makers as Jimmy Rodgers, Chet Atkins and Dolly Parton. Milsap subsequently received classical training at the Governor Morehead School for the Blind in Raleigh, although he notoriously frustrated his teachers by banging out Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard rock and roll on the keyboard when he was supposed to be practicing Mozart and Beethoven.

Sunrise 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.

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 Sept. 13), staff and volunteers will meet at the Summit Trailhead at 9 a.m. and work until approximately 3:30 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.

Art in the Park: A series of art and fine handcraft shows featuring juried artisans in downtown Blowing Rock. Art in the Park features 90 exhibitors in each of six shows May through October. Work includes: painting (oil, watercolor and acrylic), etching, stained and blown glass, basketry, wood carving and turning, clay, photography, fiber, jewelry and more.

Elk Knob Nature Hike: Come out for a beautiful nature hike and learn about the natural history of the area. Hiking attire to include boots is recommended. Meet at the trailhead parking lot. Program is weather dependent.

Todd Summer Music Series: Melissa Reaves has been delighting audiences throughout the U.S. for more than a decade with her rock, funk and rhythm & blues-based sound. Reaves is a powerful vocalist and guitar player whose style ranges from driving rock & roll to a funk and groove sound that lends itself to a diverse repertoire of originals as well as some occasional choice covers. Performing over 200 shows per year, Melissa spends most of her time touring with her eclectic solo show as well as with the four talented musicians from her band. In January 2000, Melissa was chosen to participate in a “Women of the Millennium” showcase at the MIDEM conference in Cannes, France and toured in both England and France which included opening for Robert Plant of Led Zepplin.

Camouflage Program at Grandfather Mountain State Park: Attendees will learn how animals use camouflage in the wild. After the presentation attendees will get to try to find several animals in the area around where the program is held. Please call the park office if you have any questions 828-963-9522.

Sunday, Sept. 7

Music on the Veranda: On Sunday, Sept. 7, the Green Park Inn’s Music on the Veranda will present The Neighbors starting at 5 p.m. For more information about this event, call 828-414-9230.

Sunday Jazz Brunch: On Sunday, Sept. 7, 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.

Baha’i Devotional Meeting: There will be a Baha’i devotional meeting in Stony Form from 10 a.m. until noon on Sunday, Sept. 7. The theme of the meeting will be “Religion Renewed.” Baha’is believe that all the major world faiths are divine in origin. All are welcome. For more information and directions call 268-2191.

Pastured Pork Workshop: Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture (BRWIA) announces a workshop and potluck focused on Pastured Pork production at Springhouse Farms. Farm Owner, Amy Fiedler, and Watauga Extension Agent Eddy Labus will give an introduction on how to produce pastured pork on a small scale for your farm or your family. The workshop and potluck will take place from 4-6 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 7, at Springhouse Farm in Vilas. Springhouse farms is located at 433 Silverstone Rd. in Vilas. Please RSVP to Suzanne Fleishman at programs@brwia.org or 818-386-1537.

ASU Concert: Flutist Nancy Schneeloch-Bingham will present a faculty recital on Sunday, Sept. 7, at 4 p.m. in Broyhill Music Center’s Rosen Concert Hall at Appalachian State University. Admission is free. Schneeloch-Bingham is a member of the Hayes School of Music faculty. She will be accompanied by pianists Christina Hayes, Rodney Reynerson and Susan Slingland. The program spans three centuries and features three modern, American sonatas for flute and piano – one of which was written for Schneeloch-Bingham by former dean of the Hayes School of Music Dr. William Harbinson. Also on the program are two songs originally composed for voice, but adapted for flute. It opens with Aaron Copland’s “Duo” for flute and piano. He said the three-movement composition was a “work of comparatively simple harmonic and melodic outline, direct in expression and meant to be grateful for the performer.” The first movement has a long soliloquy for the flute which quickens and the pianist joins in. The second movement is a somewhat mournful, reflective piece, while Copland called the third movement, “lively, bright and snappy.” Schneeloch-Bingham also will perform “Soliloquy for Flute and Piano” by Jake Heggie, “Sonata” by Harbinson and “Gute Nacht” by Franz Schubert and arranged by Theobald Boehm. The program concludes with “Sonata No. 1′ by Eric Ewazen.