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? Sign up here for our free weekly events newsletter.
Sept. 7: Artist reception and awards at Montgomery Museum
The Montgomery Museum of Art & History will host an opening reception for artist Lois Stephens and the awards ceremony for the Railroad Theme Art Show from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday.
The reception will take place in the museum at 4 E. Main St. in Christiansburg. A cash bar will be available and food will be catered by Zeppoli’s.
Stephens’ new exhibition, “Oilful Expressions,” shows how the artist prefers to work in oil with a palette knife. Many of the paintings in the show are landscapes depicting local scenes that often include water.
The evening will also close out the Railroad Theme Art Show, which brought together works by 20 local artists. The People’s Choice voting for the awards ceremony closes at 6 p.m., with awards presented at 6:30 p.m.
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Sept. 7 and beyond: Food Truck Thursday in Roanoke County
Roanoke County Parks, Recreation and Tourism will host Food Truck Thursday on the first Thursday of September and October at Walrond Park, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
This week’s Food Truck Thursday will feature the following vendors:
- Hangrcy
- Rocky Mount Smokehouse
- Roanoke College Food Truck
- Star City Sweet Treats
- Queen’s Vegan Café
Click here for more information about the event series and list of vendors.
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Sept. 8: Tickets on sale for Cherry Poppin’ Daddies at Harvester
Swing/ska band Cherry Poppin’ Daddies will perform its Tiki Xmas show at The Harvester in Rocky Mount at 8 p.m. Dec. 16.
Tickets start at $37 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday at harvester-music.com.
The band’s new single, “Kingsized,” is available now on streaming platforms.
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Sept. 8 and beyond: Welcoming Week in Roanoke
For the fifth year, the city of Roanoke will participate in Welcoming Week by hosting events
and celebrations that foster belonging, remove barriers and build inclusion for all residents.
Welcoming Week kicks off at 6 p.m. Friday with the Roanoke Runs for Refugees 5K and 1K at the Roanoke River Greenway at Wasena Park.
Other events include:
- 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 12: Welcoming Week job fair at the Main Library
- 10 a.m. to noon Sept. 14: Municipal Building tour and open house
- 10 a.m. to noon Sept. 15: Citizenship celebration in council chambers
- 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 16: Prepareathon at the Berglund Center
A full schedule and details are online.
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Sept. 9: Plant and seed swap at Blue Ridge Institute
The Blue Ridge Institute and Museum at Ferrum College will hold its biannual Plant and Seed Swap at 10 a.m. Saturday.
The event is free and open to all. Attendees are encouraged to bring plants, cuttings or seeds to exchange for something else, but it is not mandatory to bring anything to participate in the event.
Additionally, some items will be available for purchase, such as BRIM heirloom seeds from the institute’s 1800 farm.
The next swap will be eld in the spring.
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Sept. 9 and beyond: Walk for Life fundraisers
The Pregnancy Support Center of Southside Virginia will host three Walk for Life fundraisers this month in Amelia, Farmville and Keysville.
- Saturday: 8:30 a.m. starting at the Amelia Courthouse Lawn.
- Saturday: 8:30 a.m. starting at the Main Street entrance to High Bridge Trail in Farmville.
- Sept. 16: 8:30 a.m. starting at Osborne Park in Keysville.
To register or to donate, visit www.pscsupport.org/events/
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Sept. 9: Rockbridge Beer & Wine Festival
The Rockbridge Beer & Wine Festival will be held from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday at Lime Kiln Theater in Lexington.
Individual tickets range from $15 to $50 and can be purchased in advance or at the gate. A limited number of VIP packages are available for advance purchase only.
To buy tickets, or for more information, visit www.rockbridgebeerandwine.com/.
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Sept. 9: Olde Salem Days
The city of Salem will host Olde Salem Days from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday in downtown Salem.
Admission is free, and there will be parking and shuttle service from the Salem Civic Center to downtown Salem. The festival will feature more than 275 arts and crafts exhibitors, plus food trucks, live music and a car show.
All proceeds from Olde Salem Days are distributed to charities by the Rotary Club of Salem.
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Sept. 12: Kentland Farm Field Day
Field Day at Virginia Tech’s Kentland Farm will be held Sept. 12.
The event will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will include tours of the farm and numerous demonstrations and exhibitors, including a 4 the Soil rain simulator and a weed ID collection.
Participants can tour the new Swine Center and the Beef and Nutrition Hay Shed as well as hear from experts in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Virginia Cooperative Extension.
There will be two separate wagon tours, one starting at 9 a.m. followed by another at 10:30 a.m.
A barbecue lunch will begin at noon, followed by livestock and horticulture demonstrations. Ice cream will be served at 3 p.m.
Registration is $20 per person and includes lunch.
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Sept. 13 and beyond: ‘Bright Star’ at Mill Mountain Theatre
Mill Mountain Theatre in Roanoke will present performances of “Bright Star” from Sept. 13 through Oct. 1 on the Trinkle Main Stage.
The show, written by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell, will feature Broadway stars James Moye, Mamie Parris and Nick Kepley.
For more information on tickets and performance dates, visit millmountain.org or call the box office at 540-342-5740.