1000 x 90

Weekend Roundup: Things to Do This Weekend in the High Country; Check ‘em Out, Make Plans March 7-9

by Madison V. Fisler

March 7, 2014. On this beautiful  weekend, 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 Non-Stop click here.

March is Red Cross Month: Move over March Madness, March is Red Cross Month. Recognizing and celebrating heroes of the Red Cross who reach out to serve in their communities, Red Cross Month is an annual proclamation that began in 1943 with President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Continuing today, 70 years later, Red Cross Month celebrates folks who sign up to be volunteers, but end up being heroes. From disaster relief to CPR training, no hero goes unappreciated. For more information, click here

Wilkes Playmakers Presents ‘Boogieban’: We have always known how to send our young to war, known to welcome them back with parades, garlands and trumpets. We have never known how to bring home their hearts and souls. Boogieban is the story of a young soldier returning from Afghanistan with nightmares. The story has strong elements about war but is not a play of war. It is a play of the journey of two men from two different military generations take together, a journey they take to that mystic place where hearts alter. Wilkes Playmakers will present Boogieban, featuring Ryan Walsh in the role of specialist Jason Wynsky and Justin Gambill in the role of Lieutenant Colonel Lawrence Caplan. This riveting drama will be presented as a Black Box Production allowing the audience an intimate venue for experiencing the story which is so relevant to today’s society. Seating is limited to 50 people. Due to the adult content and language of the show, it is recommended for mature audiences.  This production is an add-on to the Wilkes Playmakers 2014 season and is being presented as a fundraiser for the community theatre. Tickets will be on a Pay What You Can basis in the $2 – $10 range. Tickets may be purchased in advance at www.wilkesplaymakers.com or will be available at the box office on a first come basis. Performances will be March 6, 7, and 8 at 7:30 pm and on March 9 at 2:00 pm. Box office opens one hour prior to each performance. The Black Box Theatre is located on the first floor of Benton Hall, 300 D Street, North Wilkesboro, NC. For further information, please email office@wilkesplaymakers.com.

Friday, March 7

First Friday Art Crawl: Welcome back to the First Friday Art Crawl! On Friday, March 7, downtown Boone will be taken over by the first Art Crawl of the year. 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. To read the round-up of this month’s Art Crawl events, click here

Let’s Praise His Name at Heritage Hall: Heritage Hall Theater, located in Mountain City, Tenn. has already begun its 2014 season of theater, music and more, and looks forward to continuing with spectacular entertainment at affordable prices for the community. Check out this season’s billing of great entertainment for the whole family. For more information, click here.

Speak to a Lawyer Day: N.C. Lawyers will give freely of their time and talent on Friday, March 7 as participants in the North Carolina Bar Association’s seventh annual 4ALL Statewide Service Day. Volunteer attorneys will provide free legal information from eight call centers across the state from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. with the exception of the Spanish-language call center which will operate from 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. The NCBA provides three phone numbers in advance of the event. 1-888-442-3428 for the eastern part of the state; 1-800-638-2869 for the western part of the state and 1-855-455-4255 for the Spanish-language call center. All three numbers are accessible from anywhere in North Carolina.  

Monthly Public Observing: The Lucille Miller Observatory is located on the campus of Maiden Middle School on North C Avenue just west of downtown Maiden. This is a free event and all ages and interest levels are welcome. No reservations are needed. We will be at the observatory rain or shine. In case of bad weather, an indoor program will be presented. Light refreshments will be available. Visitors are encouraged to bring their telescopes if they have questions on how to use them or if the telescope needs adjustment. Weather permitting, we will observe Jupiter, the moon and the late winter sky. For more information please contact Jeff Whisenant at cvacomm@catawbasky.org or call 828-850-6433. 

Dragon Fresh Friday 3 at App Ski Mtn: Join ATP and Dragon for a super fun event Friday, March 7! Some brand new features will be popping up in Appaljack this week for the session, and weather looks good for Friday. Dragon will be on site awarding standout best tricks on the spot! Registration is from 5-6:30 p.m. in the Alpine Ski Shop, the event will start at 7 p.m.

11th Annual Mountain Photography Competition: Join the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts in Boone for this annual competition. One of the region’s most prestigious photography competitions, AMPC attracts photographs by amateur and professional photographers from across the country and celebrates the unique people, places and pursuits of the Southern Appalachian mountains.

Free Tax Assistance at Watauga County Library: The Watauga County Public Library is proud to participate in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (V.I.T.A.) program. V.I.T.A. is an I.R.S. grant supported initiative which offers free income tax help to people making $52,000 a year or less. All volunteer tax preparers are certified and have received training to prepare basic tax returns.

Saturday, March 8

African American History Programs: “African American history in North Carolina does not stop at the foothills, but extends west across the mountains,” said Earl Ijames, N.C. Museum of History curator of African American history. “Archival records, journals and other documents verify freedom seeking by the enslaved, and contributions by those free.” Ijames will be the guest speaker at two different programs March 8. Ijames will present a program on slavery and freedom March 8 at noon at Mountain Gateway Museum in Old Fort and again at 4 p.m. in Asheville at the Western Regional Office of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources. Both free programs are open to the public. The noontime program at Mountain Gateway is a “Lunch and Learn” event where participants bring lunch and a drink is provided. The Freedom for All exhibit is at the Mountain Gateway Museum through March 19. The exhibit examines the path from the Emancipation Proclamation to the 13th Amendment which outlawed slavery in the United States. Ijames was the curator who organized the traveling exhibit, which will tour libraries, historic sites, museums and other cultural venues through Aug. 10, 2015. His talk at Mountain Gateway will examine the exhibit and also reference documents and artifacts from that period. At the Western Regional Office, Ijames will focus on the history of struggle and documents relating to slavery and the Civil War. Many of the formerly enslaved freedom seekers sought refuge in the mountains. There are stories also of escapes from western North Carolina to New Bern. No major battles were fought in western North Carolina, but an intense and violent guerilla war raged there. THe program is part of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War administered by the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources. The traveling exhibit and the “Freedom Coming, Freedom for All” exhibition at the N.C. Museum of History are joint projects of the N.C. Museum of History and the N.C. Freedom Monument Park. 

‘Camouflage’ at Grandfather Mountain State Park: Grandfather Mountain State Park will offer a free program on “Camouflage” at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. on March 8. Join a ranger to learn the many ways animals use camouflage in the wild and also how to be more attentive when hiking out on the trails to notice more neat things than what is right on the trail.

Celestial Treasure Hunt at Elk Knob State Park: Elk Knob State Park will offer a free Celestial Treasure Hunt at 7:30 p.m. March 8. The program will on learning about the constellation, Orion and how to find other constellations in relation to it. For more information, call 828-297-7261.

Never Summer Photo Jam at App Ski Mtn: Join the Never Summer Crew at ASM Saturday, March 8 for a Demo and Signature feature photo jam. Never Summer shows up to ATP, sets up cameras, takes the photos, and posts the best photos on their Facebook Page. Riders show up, shred the NS signature feature, collect Never Summer swag and enter the photo contest. Go to: facebook.com/neversummerindustries – and tag yourself for a chance to win 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place prizes.

Free Tax Assistance at Watauga County Library: The Watauga County Public Library is proud to participate in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (V.I.T.A.) program. V.I.T.A. is an I.R.S. grant supported initiative which offers free income tax help to people making $52,000 a year or less. All volunteer tax preparers are certified and have received training to prepare basic tax returns.

Second Saturday Studio and Gallery Hop: We want to encourage you to continue your participation in the First Friday Art Crawl each month, but then on the Second Saturday, you’ll want to enjoy the Second Saturday Studio and Gallery Hop. To participate, pick up a map at the Blue Ridge ArtSpace in Boone. Check out and enjoy several of the participating studios and galleries at your leisure during the day, and get a stamp on your map. Come back to ArtSpace at the appointed hour and bring your signed map with you. Put your map in the drawing for donated work of art from one of the participating studios or galleries. Enjoy an opening of four gallery exhibits and shop in the gift shop while enjoying free refreshments and explore ArtSpace because every room will feature a different art activity, demonstration, performance or an opportunity to meet a special author.  

Sunday, March 9

Baha’i Devotional Meeting: There will be a Baha’i Devotional Meeting on Sunday, March 9, at 300 Beaver Dam Rd. from 10 a.m. until noon. The theme of the meeting will be “God has crowned you with honor.” All are welcome. For more information and directions call 297-6222. 

Forest Ecology at Grandfather Mountain State Park: Grandfather Mountain State Park will offer a free program on “Forest Ecology” at 2 p.m. March 9. Get out and enjoy the brisk mountain air for a guided walk along Grandfather Mountain State Park’s Profile Trail. Participants will learn about trees, community types, birds and forest ecology in winter.

Dick Trundy Sugar Cup: On Sunday, March 9, we celebrate the life of the late Dick Trundy, a decorated Marine Corps General and aviator who served as Sugar Mountain Ski Resort’s Director of Operations after his retirement from the service. Dick was an avid skier who enthusiastically embraced the daily life of a ski area executive. Sadly, he died of cancer in 2002. The Dick Trundy Sugar Cup giant slalom competition is a NASTAR style competition open to skiers and snowboarders from the age of four to seniors 65 and up. Event registration is from 7:30-8:30 a.m. with racing beginning at 9 a.m. on Big Red. Prizes are awarded to the top three ski and snowboard finishers in 13 categories ranging from four and under to 60 plus. Entry fee is $15 and participant lift/slope tickets are $25. 100 percent of entry fees are given to the American Cancer Society in Dick’s memory. Additional donations are greatly appreciated. For more information visit www.skisugar.com/calendar.

Sugar Bear’s Birthday Celebration at Sugar Mountain Resort: Join Sugar Mountain Resort’s resident mascot, Sugar Bear and his friends for a fun birthday celebration. Activities include the Great Bear Race, a magic show, special treats, cake and ice cream. For additional details, please contact the Sugar Bear Ski School.