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. 26-28: Southern Gap Elk Fest comes back to Grundy
Southern Gap Elk Fest starts Thursday and brings three days of music, mountain games, elk tours, a mountain arts showcase, a wild game dinner and more to Grundy.
Ralph Stanley II and the Clinch Mountain Boys will headline the music at the festival on Saturday. Workshops on birding, the elk restoration project, turkey calling and more will also be offered Saturday to festivalgoers. The festival also will include bonfire storytelling, an ATV Sasquatch Hunt, games, trout pond fishing, a petting zoo, hay rides, chain saw carving and more.
All of the events will be held at indoor and outdoor locations surrounding the Southern Gap Visitor Center at 1124 Chipping Sparrow Road. Admission to daily festival events is free, but there are fees for guided elk-viewing tours, the ATV Sasquatch Hunt and the wild game dinner.
For more details, including a full schedule of events and pricing, visit sgadventures.com.
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Oct. 26: Good Shot Judy at Historic Masonic Theatre
The Alleghany Highlands Arts Council will open its 2023-24 Performing Arts Series with the Williamsburg-based jazz band Good Shot Judy at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Historic Masonic Theatre in Clifton Forge.
Admission is $20. Tickets can be purchased online or in person at the box office from noon until 3 p.m.
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Oct. 27: Pink Martini plays Moss Arts Center in Blacksburg
Pink Martini brings its infectious and bubbly sounds back to the Moss Arts Center with singer China Forbes and two new guest vocalists at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
With vintage jazz vibes, the 12-member ensemble takes the audience on a musical trip around the world, from a samba parade in Rio to a French nightclub.
Tickets for the performance are $40 to $85 for general audience and $10 for students and youth 18 and under. Tickets can be purchased online; at the Moss Arts Center’s box office, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; or by calling 540-231-5300 during box office hours.
The performance will be held in the center’s Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, located within the Street and Davis Performance Hall at 190 Alumni Mall.
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Oct. 27: ‘Pearls, Pumpkins & Prohibition’ in Abingdon
The Southwest Virginia Cultural Center & Marketplace will host “Pearls, Pumpkins & Prohibition: An Enchanting Halloween Affair” from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday.
The event pays tribute to the glamour and glitz of the Roaring 1920s, and attendees are invited to dress in costume for the era.
The event will feature food and live music from Even Odds. The event is for adults 21 and older. Tickets are $60 per attendee and can be purchased at swvahalloween.com.
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Oct. 28: ‘Bonez & Booz’ at Virginia Museum of Natural History
The Virginia Museum of Natural History in Martinsville will host the Bonez & Booz Halloween and fall festival from 4 to 10 p.m. Saturday.
The event offers live entertainment and interactive activities, including fire performances, magic shows, stilt walkers, carnival games, costume contests, food trucks and a beer garden. The museum will also open its exhibit galleries for a scavenger hunt.
Admission is $10 per adult and $5 for ages 3-17. Admission is free for children under 3, museum members and members of museums and science centers that participate in the ASTC Passport program.
The museum also participates in the Museums for All initiative, offering discounted admission to EBT cardholders. Visitors who present their EBT card and accompanying ID at the gate will receive free admission to Bonez & Booz. Free admission applies to the cardholder and up to five immediate family members living within the same household.
For more information about visit www.vmnh.net/events/bonez-and-booz.
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Oct. 28: Trunk or Treat at St. Stephen’s in Forest
St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Forest is holding its second annual Trunk or Treat from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
The event will include decorated cars, candy and a visit from the Bedford Humane Society. The church’s historic sanctuary also will be open for anyone who would like to look inside and learn more about it.
The church is at 1695 Perrowville Road. For more information, email ststephensforest@mail.com or call 434-525-5511.
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Oct. 28: Halloween-themed concert in Wytheville
The 14th season of the Wytheville Concert Series kicks off at 7 p.m. Saturday at St. John’s Episcopal Church with a program of hauntingly beautiful music performed by Kevin
Matheson on violin and Judy Clark on piano.
Performances include the “Devil’s Trill Sonata” by Tartini, “Witches’ Dance” by Paganini, “Dance of the Goblins” by Bazzini and Saint-Saens’ “Danse Macabre.”
Admission is free, but donations will be accepted to support the Wytheville Concert Series and
the Wytheville Community College Food Bank.
For more information, visit www.ClassicStringsDuo.com.