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. Want to keep up with what’s happening? We now have a free weekly events newsletter. You can sign up here.
July 14-16: Smith Mountain Lake Pirate Days
The annual Pirate Days festival at Smith Mountain Lake runs Friday through Sunday and will feature a family fun night, a Pirate’s Ball, vendors, live music, food, water activities and more.
Activities will be held at locations including the Smith Mountain Lake Pavilion, Bridgewater Plaza and Crazy Horse Marina.
A full schedule is available online.
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July 14: Jazz at Roanoke’s Goodwill campus
Goodwill Industries of the Valleys is hosting Jazz in July from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday at the Goodwill Roanoke Jobs Campus.
The event will be held outside in the parking lot at 2502 Melrose Ave. N.W.
The concert will feature Allan Walker, a Roanoke native and Motown saxophonist; Angeleisha Rodgers, trumpeter from the Lincoln Center in New York City; and a special performance by vocalist Bernadette Lark.
Jazz in July is free to the public and will happen rain or shine. Attendees should bring their own chairs, and Goodwill asks everyone to bring a canned food item for the Lion’s Share food pantry at St. Mark’s Church. Food trucks will be on-site.
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July 14: Tickets to see Atlanta Rhythm Section in Rocky Mount
Tickets to see the Atlanta Rhythm Section at Rocky Mount’s Harvester Performance Center will go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday.
The show is scheduled for Sept. 22. Tickets start at $47 and will be available at harvester-music.com.
The Atlanta Rhythm Section came together in 1970 after working on a Roy Orbison recording session. The Southern rockers have entertained audiences all over the world with their many Top 10 hits.
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July 15: Jazz in July in Salem
Salem will host its annual Jazz in July concert on Saturday at Longwood Park.
The free event will run from 3:30 to 9:30 p.m. The music starts at 3:45 p.m. with Roscoe McFadden & Friends, followed by the Jay Ware Quintet, Michael Hawkins & The Brotherhood, and Hoppie Vaughan & The Ministers of Soul.
Food trucks will be on-site, and beer and wine will be available for purchase. Attendees may bring their own food, but outside alcohol is not allowed. Chairs and blankets are encouraged. Dogs are not allowed.
A full schedule is online.
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July 15: Rissi Palmer and Martha Bassett at Blue Ridge Music Center
The Blue Ridge Music Center presents Rissi Palmer and Martha Bassett with an evening of soulful singing at 7 p.m. Saturday.
The Music Center is at milepost 213 on the Blue Ridge Parkway, just south of Galax.
Palmer made her mark in country music but is equally at home in R&B, bringing the entire spectrum of popular music to bear on music she calls “Southern Soul.” She launched the radio show “Color Me Country with Rissi Palmer” on Apple Music Country in 2020, treating listeners to in-depth conversations with artists of color including Brittney Spencer, Cam, Chapel Hart and Darius Rucker.
Opening the show is Martha Bassett, who performs in a wide array of musical genres, including jazz, folk and country gospel.
Tickets are $20 for adults, free for children 12 and younger. Tickets are available online or can be purchased the evening of the show at the gate. Parking opens at 5:15 p.m. and is free. Admission to the amphitheater begins at 5:45 p.m.