by Madison V. Fisler
March 28, 2014. On the second official weekend of spring, the High Country has so many exciting events to offer its community and visitors. 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
Check out this week’s movie trailers and our weekly movie review of Mr. Peabody click here.
Banff Film Festival World Tour: On March 28 and 29, Appalachian State University’s Outdoor Programs will host the Banff Film Festival World Tour. Held at the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts, the screening is hosted by ASU Outdoor Programs, Footsloggers and Appalachian Geology. For more information on this event, click here.
Joe Murphy Honored: A 39-year career at Appalachian State University will be celebrated March 28-29 as friends, family and former students gather to honor Department of Curriculum and Instruction Professor Joe Murphy who will retire at the end of this semester. Murphy, who came to Appalachian in 1975 to teach video and audio production and documentary film, will be honored during the Joe Murphy Documentary Film Festival. Screenings of Murphy’s work will take place March 28 at 7 p.m. and March 29 at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. in room 124 in the College of Education building on campus. Admission is free. The March 28 screening will feature shorts, clips and a showing of Murphy’s 1985 film “Doc and Merle” about the late musicians Doc and Merle Watson. Screenings the afternoon of March 29 will feature student work and Murphy’s films “Auto Bond” and “Shoes Required.” The weekend concludes at 7:30 p.m. with additional short selections from Murphy’s work as well as a screening of his film about barbecue in the Southeast, “Slow Food: Fast Times.” Segments of Murphy’s work have aired on CBS’s “Sunday Morning,” ABC’s “World News Tonight,” the Learning Channel and public television stations across the country. A fellowship being established in Murphy’s name, The Joe Murphy Educational Media Endowed Fellowship, will support undergraduate students working towards the Second Academic Concentration (SAC) in Media Studies in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction or the minor in media studies, as well as graduate students in the Master of Arts program in educational media. For more information call, Jeff Goodman at 828-262-2176.
Mama Won’t Fly: The Ashe County Little Theatre presents the spring production of Mama Won’t Fly on Friday and Saturday March 28 and 29 at 7:30 p.m. and on Sunday, March 30 at 2 p.m. Mama Won’t Fly is a fun romp across country when Savannah promises to get her mother, Norleen from Alabama to California in time for her brother’s wedding. But Mama won’t fly! The road trip includes the future bride-to-be and a few mishaps! Join the fun for Mama Won’t Fly at the Ashe Civic Center in West Jefferson. Tickets are $16 for adults and $5 students are available at the Ashe Arts Center or by phone at 336-846-2787.
Wee-Cycle: Wee-Cycle Children’s Consignment, LLC is a biannual children’s consignment sale in Boone, NC, offering high quality children’s items to our community. Wee-Cycle was born out of our concern in recycling children’s clothing within our community. There is a goldmine of recyclable items in each of our homes. Our idea is to offer a cheaper path to children’s fashion and more while tapping into Boone’s green consciousness.
Friday, March 28
Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition Launch Party: On March 28, the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts at Appalachian State University will host a launch party for the April issue of Our State Magazine, which features a spread of the scenes represented in the 11th annual Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition.
Art Lecture: The Smith Gallery at Appalachian State University will present a lecture by art critic and author Eleanor Heartney on Friday, March 28 at 4 p.m. in Room 114 of Belk Library and Information Commons. The lecture, “Art Today: Tales of Plastic Surgery, Genetically Altered Rabbits and Other Acts of Art,” is free and open to the public. Heartney is a critic and author based in New York City. She is a contributing editor to Art in America and Artpress and has written extensively on contemporary art issues for publications such as Artnews, Art and Auction, The New Art Examiner, The Washington Post and The New York Times. In her talk, she will present and dissect works by contemporary artists including a group of younger women artists and the issues that their work raises. She will also show the audience items that are labeled art today and discuss what they tell us about the definition and meaning of art. The Smith Gallery, formerly the Catherine J. Smith Gallery, is in the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts at Appalachian. Hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, call 828-262-7338 or visit www.art.appstate.edu/cjs.
Saturday, March 29
Film Screening: This April marks Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month, an entire month devoted to raising awareness about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The film, Neurotypical, will be shown twice in honor of this month: March 29 at 10:30 a.m. at Harvest House Performing Arts Center located at 247 Boone Heights Drive and on April 1 from 7-9 p.m. at Appalachian State University’s Belk Library Room 114.
Charity Country Breakfast: All you can eat eggs, pancakes, bacon and country ham will be on the menu when the Boone Area Lions Club holds its annual Country Breakfast on Saturday, March 29 from 7:00 – 11:00 am in the Fellowship Hall of the First Baptist Church of Boone on King Street. All are invited to eat in or take out. Tickets are available at the door for $7 for adults and $4 for children 6 and under. The proceeds from the Country Breakfast are used to support community projects aiding the visually and hearing impaired children and adults of the High Country. Lions assist those in need of glasses, canes and hearing aids with the assistance of NC Lions, Inc. The club also assists local visually impaired residents by paying for the registration for summer camp at Camp Dogwood on Lake Norman. Local residents are also able to participate in the Visually Impaired Persons fishing tournament at Nag’s Head in October.
Empty Bowls Dinner: On Saturday, March 29, Watauga High School will host the 13th annual Empty Bowls dinner to raise money for the Hunger and Health Coalition. Patrons of this student-run fundraiser can purchase a uniquely designed handmade ceramic bowl filled with locally made soup and bread for a minimum $15 donation. Bowls are created by students and local potters and guests may keep them as a reminder of the hunger and empty bowls in our community and the world. All proceeds benefit the Hunger and Health Coalition and their ongoing effort to relieve hunger and poverty in the area. This year’s event also features live music and a silent auction. For more information, click here.
Spring Awakening: The eight-time Tony Award-winning musical Spring Awakening with music by Duncan Sheik and Book by Steven Sater will be presented March 29-30 at Appalachian State University. It is the High Country premiere of the pop rock musical that stormed Broadway in 2007. It is being produced by the Appalachian Musical Theatre Ensemble, the campus organization that previously staged successful productions of “Rent,” “Godspell,” and “The Rocky Horror Show.” Performances will begin at 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in the Blue Ridge Ballroom of Plemmons Student Union on the Appalachian campus. Tickets are $8 for students and $10 for the general public if purchased in advance. Tickets are being sold at Plemmons Student Union ticket desk Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. For ticket information, call 828-262-3030. Tickets will also be sold at the door beginning one hour prior to each performance at a cost of $10. Because this production contains mature subject matter and partial nudity, tickets will be sold only to audience members 18 years of age and older, with photo identification required for admission.
High Country Fitness and Health Expo: The High Country Fitness and Health Expo will bring fitness awareness to the High Country community on Saturday, March 29, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m at the Boone Mall. Come meet personal trainers, physical therapists, medical personnel and fitness instructors while participating in fitness class demos for Zumba, Zumba Kids and Pilates!
Around the World 5K: The Around the World 5K starts on March 29, beginning and ending on Duck Pond Field. This event will showcase cultures around the world with booths around the course featuring different countries. Appalachia Cookie Co. is also sponsoring the event. All money raised from the 5K will be going to sending AIESEC students on exchanges and to conferences around the United States.
Robotics Competition: The Watauga SUMO BOT Robotics competition will be held this year at the Student Union on the App State campus. Teams must register before March 21st. Robotic sumo is a competition where two robots, known as sumo-bots, attempt to push each other out of an arena using sensors, clever programming, and innovative design. The arena for the contest is a 4-foot diameter circle, and the time given for each round is 3 minutes. Your goal is to create a sumo-bot, using entirely Lego made components, that can push its opponent out of the arena before being pushed out of the arena by the competing sumo-bot.
Blacksmithing Workshop: Join Turtle Island Preserve to increase your knowledge of blacksmithing skills through a day of intensive workshops. Cost $95. To register call: 828-265-2267.
Sunday, March 30
Sunday Music at the Green Park Inn: Every Sunday at 6 p.m., the music gets started at the new Green Park Inn and the guests flock to the tunes to enjoy an evening of music and great food. Music starts at 5 p.m. every Sunday night and runs until 8 p.m. Winter hours on Thursday, Friday and Saturday are 6-9 p.m. For more information, click here.
Program at Elk Knob State Park: What kind of butterflies can you see at Elk Knob State Park? On Sunday, March 30 at 2 p.m., we will discuss the metamorphosis from caterpillar to butterfly and view some pictures, through PowerPoint, of the butterflies and caterpillars that call this park home. We will discuss the anatomy of the insects and, if weather allows, we will venture out after the presentation and see if there are any early fliers. Please meet at the Park Office.
Program at Mount Jefferson State Park: Mount Jefferson State Natural Area in Ashe County is offering a free program on “Fairy Houses” at 2 p.m. March 30; meet at the picnic area. Visit the mountain and use your imagination and natural materials to build a springtime woodland creature house. Each family will learn how to build a small structure for their favorite imaginary forest creature. For more information, call 336-246-9653.