Here are some of the top events around Southwest and Southside for the coming week. Check out our new events calendar. Got an event? You can add it there for free.
June 23: Boy Named Banjo at Birthplace of Country Music Museum
The Birthplace of Country Music presents the Nashville-based country fusion outfit Boy Named Banjo at 6 p.m. Friday.
The performance is part of the quarterly 1927 Concert Series held in the performance theater at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum in downtown Bristol. Catering, an open bar and a meet-and-greet with the band are included.
Tickets are $100. Visit the Events page at BirthplaceOfCountryMusic.org.
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June 23: Lauren Morrow, Joshua Hedley at The Spot on Kirk
Lauren Morrow and Joshua Hedley will co-headline a show at The Spot on Kirk in Roanoke on Friday.
Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 day of show and can be purchased at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lauren-morrow-tickets-601836468077
Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m.
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June 23: Tickets on sale for James McMurtry at the Harvester
Tickets for a newly announced show by singer-songwriter James McMurtry at Rocky Mount’s Harvester Performance Center go on sale Friday.
McMurtry will perform Sept. 10, with BettySoo as an opener. Tickets start at $32 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday at harvester-music.com.
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June 23 and beyond: Summer Arts Festival in Blacksburg
Blacksburg’s Summer Arts Festival kicks off its Friday night concert series this week with The What Four, a classic ’60s organ soul trio.
The Friday concerts will be held from 6-7:30 on Henderson Lawn at the corner of Main Street and College Avenue.
Upcoming shows:
- June 30: Redd Volkaert Trio (country swing/jazz/rock)
- July 7: Blacksburg Community Band (concert band selections)
- July 14: Root Down (jazz/funk/blues)
- July 21: The Domino Band (R&B)
- July 28: Music Road Co (funk/rock/reggae/afrobeat/Latin fusion)
The festival, a partnership between the School of Performing Arts at Virginia Tech and the town of Blacksburg, will offer free concerts, movies, children’s activities and more throughout June and July. For a full listing of events, visit https://news.vt.edu/articles/2023/06/sopa-summerartsfestival2023.
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June 24: Amythyst Kiah at Blue Ridge Music Center
The Blue Ridge Music Center presents Amythyst Kiah and The Foreign Landers at 7 p.m. Saturday in the outdoor amphitheater.
The Music Center is at milepost 213 on the Blue Ridge Parkway, just south of Galax.
Kiah, a Tennessee-raised singer-songwriter and musician, has played in old-time and country bands. Her diverse musical tastes span the likes of pop icons such as Michael Jackson and Tori Amos, as well as classic country artists Jimmy Rogers and the Carter Family.
Opening the show is The Foreign Landers, a transatlantic husband and wife folk duo. Mandolinist David Benedict grew up in South Carolina and banjoist Tabitha Agnew Benedict in Northern Ireland.
Tickets are $25 for adults, free for children 12 and younger. Tickets are available at BlueRidgeMusicCenter.org or can be purchased on the evening of the show at the admission gates.
Parking opens at 5:15 p.m. and is free. Admission to the amphitheater begins at 5:45 p.m. The Galax Smokehouse will offer barbecue, sides and beverages for purchase during the concert.
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June 24: House and Garden Tour of Floyd County
This year’s House and Garden Tour of Floyd County will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday.
The tour will feature four homes. Tickets are $35 and include a box lunch. Proceeds benefit the Floyd Center for the Arts. The Center will also offer a sale of handmade outdoor yard art.
Tickets may be purchased in advance at www.floydartcenter.org or by calling 540-745-2784. Same-day tickets will be available at the Floyd Center for the Arts and at each house on the tour. No pets or children under 6 years old.
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June 25 and beyond: Art show at St. Stephen’s in Forest
St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Forest is hosting a showing of work by members of the Forest Artists’ Cooperative beginning Sunday and continuing through June 29 in the church’s Parish Hall.
The exhibition begins with an opening reception from 4-5:30 p.m. Sunday and will be open to the public Monday-Thursday of that week from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and again from 7-8 p.m. each day.
The exhibition includes acrylic paintings by Barbara Nadel; watercolors by Carolyn Prince; hand-carved walking sticks, canes, and wooden boxes by Jeff Weiss; decorative paper greeting cards by Edythe Trent; ceramics by Cynthia Deutsch; and photographs by Pauline Goodman.
The work will be available for purchase, with a portion of the proceeds designated for the support of the mission and ministry of St. Stephen’s.
St. Stephen’s is at 1695 Perrowville Road in Forest.
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June 25: Independence Celebration concert in Pennington Gap
Pro-Art will host the second annual Independence Celebration concert with Symphony of the Mountains at 7 p.m. Sunday at Leeman Field in Pennington Gap.
The concert is free and open to the public. Bring a blanket or lawn chairs.
Symphony of the Mountains will play a diverse selection of musical pieces, spanning classical compositions to arrangements of popular and patriotic works. The orchestra consists of more than 70 professional musicians conducted by Cornelia Laemmli Orth.
For more information about the symphony and to see a list of upcoming performances, visit symphonyofthemountains.org.
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June 25: Lauren Morrow and Josh Hedley at Abingdon Vineyards
Country musicians Lauren Morrow and Josh Hedley will play Sunday at Abingdon Vineyards.
Doors open at 3 p.m. and the show begins at 4 p.m.
Tickets are $20 in advance and $22 at the door and can be purchased at www.Abingdonvineyards.com.
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June 29: Mindfulness workshop at TAP in Roanoke
TAP will host a free mindfulness workshop from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 29.
It will be led by Antonio Stovall, the instructor of TAP’s African American Culture and Contemporary Issues class. His workshops teach sitting meditation, breath work and body scans, as well as how to use those skills to make positive change in the community.
This workshop, which is is a part of TAP’s work with the Gun Violence Prevention Commission, is open to the public. More information is at https://tapintohope.org/event/community-healing-workshops/.