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.
Oct. 5-7: Salem Museum Ghost Walk
The Salem Museum will host its annual Ghost Walk Thursday through Saturday at East Hill Cemetery.
Participants will tour the historic graveyard and meet notable characters from Salem’s past. These walking tours are family-friendly, fun and informative, but not scary.
Tours leave the museum every 15 minutes from 6 to 8 p.m. A sign language interpreter will join the 6 p.m. tour each evening.
Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students of any age and free for children 3 and younger. Tickets are available at the Salem Museum or online. Purchasing tickets in advance is recommended to reserve a preferred tour time.
Good walking shoes and a flashlight are recommended. The walking tour covers just over a half-mile, and the route goes up- and downhill, although the walk is not strenuous. In case of rain, the event will be held inside the Salem Museum.
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Oct. 6: Tickets on sale for Bob Dylan in Roanoke, Big Head Todd in Rocky Mount
Tickets for two upcoming shows in the region go on sale Friday: Bob Dylan on Nov. 29 in Roanoke, and Big Head Todd and the Monsters in Rocky Mount on Feb. 21.
General ticket sales for Bob Dylan’s “Rough and Rowdy Ways” tour show at the Berglund Performing Arts Theatre start at 10 a.m. Friday. Tickets start at $66.50, with VIP packages also available. Parking is $10.
Tickets for the Feb. 21 Big Head Todd and the Monsters show at the Harvester Performance Center also go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday. They start at $62.
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Oct. 6: Benefit golf tournament in Wytheville
Wytheville Community College will hold the Ninth Annual Dr. Thomas L. Barnes Veteran Scholarship Fund Golf Tournament on Friday at the Wytheville Golf Club.
The WCC Educational Foundation and the Appalachian Warrior Foundation host the event to raise funds for the scholarship.
A light breakfast will be served beginning at 10 a.m., and teams will tee off at 11 a.m. The cost to play is $60 per person or $240 per team. Veterans will receive a $10 discount.
To preregister, call the WCC Educational Foundation Office at 276-223-4771 or email foundation@wcc.vccs.edu. Registration can also be completed online.
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Oct. 6 and beyond: ‘Raw and Primitive Emotions’ at Riverviews Artspace
The exhibition “Raw and Primitive Emotions: Unveiling Women’s Inner Realities” opens Friday at Riverviews Artspace in Lynchburg.
The exhibition, which will run through Oct. 27, showcases the work of Lynchburg artist Monica Hebert. The pieces “delve deep into the complex and often raw emotions that women experience,” according to a news release announcing the exhibition.
Riverviews Artspace is at 54 Ninth St., Lynchburg. More information is online.
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Oct. 7: Hokie BugFest
Virginia Tech will host its annual Hokie BugFest from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Squires Student Center on the Blacksburg campus.
The free festival will include more than 30 exhibits from Virginia Tech labs, local museums and community groups as well as live arthropods, hands-on science activities and the Dan Capps Insect Collection, one of the largest private insect collections in the country.
A special pre-opening will be held from 9 to 10 a.m. for anyone with special needs.
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Oct. 7: Nick Dumas & Branchline at Blue Ridge Music Center
The Blue Ridge Music Center is presenting Nick Dumas & Branchline for an evening of bluegrass at 5 p.m. Saturday.
The concert will take place in the small indoor theater at the Music Center, at milepost 213 on the Blue Ridge Parkway, just south of Galax.
Nick Dumas was introduced to bluegrass music at a young age by his dobro-playing grandfather. He began taking fiddle lessons and then joined the family band The Three Generations. Over the years, he learned to play mandolin, guitar and banjo and to sing lead and harmony vocals. He played with bands including Northern Departure and Special Consensus.
After leaving Special Consensus and relocating to Wisconsin, Dumas released his first solo recording, “Story of a Beautiful Life,” in 2019.
Tickets are $25. Seating is limited so advance tickets are recommended and are available online at BlueRidgeMusicCenter.org.
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Oct. 7: Claytor Nature Center 25th anniversary celebration
The University of Lynchburg’s Claytor Nature Center in Bedford County will celebrate its 25th anniversary from 3-7 p.m. Saturday. The event is free and open to the public, and the rain date is Oct. 8.
The event will feature a scavenger hunt, art demonstrations, guided hikes and tours of Cloverlea Farmhouse and the Belk Astronomical Observatory from 3-5 p.m. Displays also will showcase the research of University of Lynchburg students.
From 5-7 p.m., there will be live music on the farmhouse lawn. Food and beverages will be available for purchase from Porter House Catering.
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Oct. 7: Blessing of the Animals in Forest
St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Forest will hold its annual community Blessing of the Animals from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at the church, 1695 Perrowville Road.
There will be a brief liturgy of prayers and readings followed by individual blessings for each pet, along with prayers for anyone whose pets have died.
The Bedford Humane Society will be on hand to provide information on how the public can support them and give a home to the animals they rescue and shelter, and some animals may be available for adoption.
For more information, contact the Rev. Matt Rhodes at ststephensforest@mail.com or 434-525-5511.
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Oct. 7: Day at the Point festival in Lynchburg
The 23rd annual Day at The Point fall festival will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday on the grounds of Point of Honor in Lynchburg.
The family-friendly event returns to the historic Daniel’s Hill neighborhood for the first time since 2019, with live music, local food, kids’ activities, living history, period crafts, costumed interpreters and house tours. Admission is free and open to the public.
Point of Honor is at 112 Cabell St. in downtown Lynchburg. Free parking is available along Cabell, A and Norwood streets. More information about the festival is online.
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Oct. 8: Roy Cornelius Smith in concert in Big Stone Gap
Opera singer and Big Stone Gap native Roy Cornelius Smith will join soprano Sofi Rohlman and Symphony of the Mountains for a concert at 4 p.m. Sunday at Union High School in Big Stone Gap.
Smith, who now lives in Vienna, is returning to his hometown to sing for one night only.
Smith has performed leading tenor roles at opera houses and festivals around the world including the Salzburg Festival, the Spoleto Festival, the Metropolitan Opera and the New York City Opera.
Among other favorites, this “Homecoming” concert will include “La donna è mobile” from
Rigoletto, “Granada,” “O sole mio” and “The Impossible Dream” from “Man of La Mancha.”
Tickets are $20 and are available on site, in advance online or by phone at 423-392-8423. Children, students and Pro-Art season ticket holders are admitted free.
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Oct. 12: Roanoke History & O. Winston Link Museums fundraiser
The Roanoke History & O. Winston Link Museums will host “History is Served,” its annual fundraising event, at the Hotel Roanoke on Oct. 12.
Rebecca Boggs Roberts will speak on Wytheville native Edith Bolling Galt Wilson in relation to her newest book, “Untold Power: the Fascinating Rise & Complex Legacy of First Lady Edith Wilson.”
The evening includes a cash bar reception at 5:30 p.m., a sit-down dinner at 7 p.m. and silent and live auctions throughout the evening. Tickets are $100 person, or $1,250 for a sponsor table of 10. Tickets are available online, or call 540-982-5465, or stop by the museum to purchase them.