Out & About: Fun and cultural events in the area starting Wednesday, August 17 | Ways of life

The Meadows of Dan Community Association will host annual Meadows of Dan Folk Fair from 10am to 4.30pm on Saturday throughout the town of Meadows of Dan.

The Blue Ridge Regional Library has a new series, “At Home: Cooking Edition.” At 2:30pm on Saturday, Darla Main-Schneider, owner of Rising Star Breads, will lead a class on how to make a classic summer recipe. Attendance is free, but registration is required: Call 276-403-5430.

Class “Canning Soups and Such” will be held at 9 a.m. on September 10 and/or September 24 at the Spencer-Penn Center. It is for people who have experience with canning. All supplies will be provided. The September 10th class is almost full. Cost is $20; call 276-957-5757 to register.

Piedmont Arts’ “Pleasant September: The Art of Tailgating” will be held from 18:30-21:30 on September 9. Jake Earles will perform music. People cooking for the event will be Connie and Elliot Stone of Stonehaus Farms; Beth Marshall and Brian Stanley; Meritha and George Alderman; Lucy Coleman and Donna McGarry; Chief D. Wilson; Clifton Barrow of Roosky’s; Larry Luck of Manny’s Restaurant; Susan Critz and Will Gravely; Keisha Rivalte; and Chef Luke Pollom of King’s Grant. Tickets are $50 at PiedmontArts.org. Raffle tickets will be sold for prizes including tickets to the Virginia Tech vs. Wofford football game, the NC State vs. Texas Tech game (with hotel accommodations), 4-day admission to Rooster Walk 13, free TAD Space rentals, chairs for receptions and cushions from Bassett Furniture, a bookshelf from Bassett Furniture and a prize pack.

Martinsville-Henry County Relay for Life will be held from 3-7pm on Saturday, September 17, at the Smith River Sports Complex in the festival grounds. Food will be available. Jus’ Cauz will perform music and students from Teresa’s School of Dance will dance. For more information, visit www.relayforlife.org/mhcva.

A series of four free genealogy classes will be held at the Bassett History Center in October, from 10 a.m. to noon every Tuesday. Each class will build on information from the class before it and will include resources and materials found in the Center, as well as navigating genealogy websites and much more. There will be something for all levels of “genealogists” and family researchers. The class series will be led by the Center’s own Cindy Headen. This series of four classes will be limited to 12 people; to reserve a seat, call 276-629-9191.

of Rockin’ River Fest group together TGIF on Friday, Smith River Fest on Saturday during the day and Uptown Music Fest on Saturday night for one ticket price: $30 (www.bgcbr.org). This combo ticket includes admission to each event, one free pour at each event, a “silipint” and a Rockin’ River Fest T-shirt.

of Smith River Fest will be held from 10am to 4pm on Saturday at the Smith River Sports Complex. Activities will include a river race, mud run, live music, demo pool, climbing wall, magic show, petting zoo, food, free tubing, kids area and free river transportation. For more information, visit www.SmithRiverFest.com.

of Bassett Heritage Festival will be held from 7 am to 4:30 pm on September 10.

Dyer’s Store Volunteer Fire Department will hold one 50th Anniversary/Community Day from 10 am to 4 pm on Saturday, September 17. Meet the firefighters; view trucks and equipment. There will be free bounce houses for the kids and free hot dogs.

The Spencer-Penn Center will host MHC is the Book Festival for Book Lovers Friday, September 16 and Saturday, September 17. The first day there will be a dinner with authors. On the second day, vendors, food trucks, authors and activities will be there from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm Admission is free.

The MHC Veterans Service Organization will host one Veterans Appreciation Day from 10am to 2pm on October 8 at Jack Dalton Park. Veterans and their families are invited for hot dogs and fries. Games including cornhole and badminton will be organized and there will be music. The main purpose of the event is to introduce veterans to various VSO organizations such as DAV, VFW, American Legion and Marine Corps League.

The Spencer-Penn Center will hold Fall Festival 2022 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Saturday, October 15. It will feature games, children’s activities, vendors and more. For seller inquiries, contact [email protected] or 276-957-5757.

Chix with Stix are knitters who meet from 10:30am to 12:30pm every other Tuesday at Piedmont Arts. Bring your own supplies to knit in the fellowship. The cost is $5 for people who are not members of Piedmont Arts. The next one will be on August 23.

or barn quilt class will be held from 1-5 pm Sunday, September 25, at the Spencer-Penn Center. Pricing is based on project size: 12 by 36 inches, $75; 25 square inches, $65; and 36 square inches, $85. Register at 276-957-5757 by September 16th.

Virginia Foothills Quilter Guild meets monthly at 9:30 a.m. on the first Tuesday (September 2) and 6:30 a.m. on the second Tuesday at Piedmont Arts.

Oldskool will perform Friday night at Kaskade School Community Center Music and Dance, from 7-9:30 p.m., at 3561 Huntington Trail. Admission is $8. The next band will be Jus’ Cauz on August 26th.

A Open the lock held every Friday at 7pm at the Willis Gap Community Centre, 144 The Hollow Road.

Mountain highway will be in concert from 7-9pm on Friday at the HJDB Events Centre. Tickets are $10 at the door.

other TGIF concert will be with The Kings at 7pm on Friday at the Bridge Street Parking Lot in Martinsville, presented by the Martinsville Uptown Rotary Club. The final TGIF concert of the year will be Slick Jr. & the Reactors on September 16th.

Second Annual Uptown Music Festival is from the Matthew Wayne Wade Foundation from 7-11pm Saturday at the Virginia Museum of Natural History. It features George Hodges, Matt Crowder, Martin and Kelly, and the Magnificents Band. Food and beverage vendors will include Hugo’s Restaurant & Sports Bar, Bahama Sno Shack, Childress Vineyards, Scuffle Hill Brewing Company and Mountain Valley Brewing. Tickets are $7 in advance and $10 at the door at EventBrite.com.

Music night at Spencer-Penn on Friday, September 11, Gap Civil will be shown. Doors will open at 5pm, and the band will start at 6:15. Admission is $5. Concessions will be sold, including hot dogs and barbecue.

Move to Martinsville and Music in the Box will present music with Blake Christiana of Yarn at 8pm on Wednesday, September 14, at Hamlet Vineyards, rain or shine. Cost is $15 per person, with tickets at hamletvineyards.com. Pickle & Ash will have a food truck there from 6-8 p.m

of 8th Annual Summer by the River Festival will be held from 2-7pm on Saturday, October 22, at the Smith River Sports Complex, hosted by the Matthew Wayne Wade Foundation. Tickets cost $10-$15. It will feature food, artisan vendors, various wineries and numerous beer distributors. For more information, visit www.winebyriver.com.

Martinsville Uptown Partnership hosts “Third Thursdays in Uptown,” from 3-9pm on Thursdays, August 18 and September 15, in the Franklin Street/Depot parking lot below the Black Box Theater.

Piedmont Arts’ Blues, Brews & Stews will be held at 6pm on Friday, October 14, at Piedmont Arts. It will feature a fire pit, Brunswick stew, a cash bar with craft beer and wine and live music by the Griffin Haley Band. A meal of Brunswick stew, cornbread, banana pudding and tea from Hylton’s Wood-Cooking Grill will be included in the ticket price. Bring a lawn chair or blanket to sit on. If it rains, the event will be held inside Piedmont Arts.

“Rook, Music and More”, every Friday from 10 a.m. to noon at the Bassett Ruritan Club on Philpott Dam Road, it’s a fun and relaxing time for people to get together to play games, do puzzles, make crafts and played rook. Feel free to bring something to do or food to share.

Front Porch Fest will be held in September 1-4pm at Spirithaven Farm in Stuart. Bands include The Vagabonds, Larry Keel Experience, Consider the Source, Little Bird, Big Daddy Love, Erin & The Wildfire, Into the Fog, Tim Sawyer, The Judy Chops, Striking Copper, The Get Right Band, The Freeway Jubilee, Free Union , Slick Jr. & The Reactors, The Jakob’s Ferry Stragglers, Annabelle’s Curse, Oh Christoperh, Dirk Quinn Band, GOTE, Isaac Hadden Project, Fluidity Performance Troupe and The Brown Mountain Lightning Bugs. Ticket options include 4-day general admission for $130.

Piedmont Arts’ Current exhibits are: “Private Domain,” large-scale oil-on-canvas paintings by Virginia Derryberry that explore contemporary aspects of alchemy; “Continuity (Color and Texture),” pattern piece by Davis Choun of Raleigh, NC; and “Seasons and Colors of the Appalachian Trail,” photographs by Bill Booz, who has hiked the entire 2,160-mile trail.

The exhibit “Forgiven But Not Forgotten,” by the Martinsville 7 Initiative, is at Fayette Area Historical Initiative Museum211 Fayette St., Martinsville.

of Virginia Museum of Natural HistoryThe latest exhibit, “The Science of Flight,” will be open until December 22.