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.
Nov. 17: Kriskindlmarkt in Clifton Forge
Clifton Forge School of the Arts will host the 12th annual Kriskindlmarkt on Friday and Saturday.
The German-inspired Christmas market will run from 2 to 8 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. It will offer shopping, food and drink, live music and dance performances, visits with Santa and weaving demonstrations.
Admission is $5 for adults (bring cash), with children admitted free. Proceeds support arts education programming at Clifton Forge School of the Arts.
More information is online.
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Nov. 17: Killer Beaz comedy show in Marion
Comedian Killer Beaz takes the stage at the Lincoln Theatre in Marion at 7:30 p.m Friday.
Killer Beaz, known for his more than three decades of comedy, stars in the Discovery Channel series “Moonshiners.”
Tickets range from $38 to $55. For ticketing and more details, visit www.lincolntheatre.org or call the box office at 276-783-6092.
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Nov. 18: From China to Appalachia at Floyd Country Store
Grammy Award-winning American roots artists Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer will join Chinese classical hammered dulcimer player Chao Tian at the Floyd Country Store on Saturday for a show that combines music from China to Appalachia and beyond.
Instrumentation includes yangqin (Chinese hammered dulcimer), gourd banjo, five-string banjo, ukulele, guitars, dumbek, cello-banjo and mandolin. The group’s repertoire includes traditional Chinese and Appalachian music as well as contemporary and traditional music from around the world.
The show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25 for general admission, $30 for reserved seating. The show also will be livestreamed at www.floydcountrystore.tv. For more information, visit www.floydcountrystore.com.
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Nov. 18: Good Shot Judy at the Lincoln Theatre
The big amp jazz band Good Shot Judy takes the stage at the Lincoln Theatre in Marion at 7 p.m. Saturday.
Based out of Williamsburg but touring nationwide, Good Shot Judy revives American
classics with an ensemble of jazz musicians and a performance that features powerful
vocals, electrifying percussion and a horn section.
Tickets range from $15 to $25. For ticketing and more details, visit www.lincolntheatre.org or call the box office at 276-783-6092.
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Nov. 18 and beyond: Illuminights at Explore Park
Illuminights Winter Walk of Lights kicks off Saturday at Explore Park in Roanoke County.
The annual event, a collaboration between Roanoke County and Center in the Square, features more than 650,000 lights and runs through Dec. 30.
Only advance tickets will be sold for the event (no walk-ups), with assigned arrival times. Tickets can be purchased in the following ways:
- Online: Visit ExplorePark.org/Illuminights
- Phone: Weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. by calling 540-387-6078, ext. 0, or 540-427-1800.
- In person:
- Public Service Center, 1206 Kessler Mill Road (Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
- Explore Park Visitor Center, 56 Roanoke River Parkway (Friday-Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
- Brambleton Recreation Center, 7415 Brambleton Ave. (Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
- Center in the Square box office, 1 Market Square (Tuesday-Saturday, 9:45 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.; Sunday, 12:45 to 4:45 p.m.)
Tickets are $17.50 for adults (ages 16+) and $6.50 for children (ages 3-15).
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Nov. 18: Country Boys, Slate Mountain Ramblers in Wytheville
Wytheville Community College’s monthly Bluegrass and Old-Time Jamboree will feature the Country Boys and the Slate Mountain Ramblers on Saturday.
The free concert will be held in the William F. Snyder Auditorium at the college, 1000 E. Main St. in Wytheville.
The Country Boys have been playing traditional bluegrass and bluegrass gospel music throughout North Carolina and Virginia for over 40 years. The Slate Mountain Ramblers are a family, old-time band from Mt. Airy, North Carolina.
The music begins at 7 p.m. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. The event is free and open to the public; donations will be accepted to help defray the travel expenses of the bands.
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Nov. 18: Rockbridge Symphony season kick-off
The Rockbridge Symphony kicks off its 2023-24 season with a concert at 5 p.m. Saturday at Lexington Presbyterian Church.
The concert will feature crowd favorites including Brahms’ “Hungarian Dance numbers 5 and 6,” Grieg’s “Wedding Day at Troldhaugen” and Mussorgsky’s “Great Gate of Kiev.” Concertmaster and local Suzuki violin teacher Nonie Reesor will feature as the guest soloist in Ravel’s “Tzigane.”
The concert will be “sensory-friendly” and performed in partnership with Rockbridge Area Community Services Board.
Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for all others and can be purchased at the door with cash, through www.rockbridgesymphony.com or at these downtown merchants: University Florist, Cheese to You, Artists in Cahoots and Sugar Maple Trading Company.
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Nov. 18: The Blue Ridge Opry in Abingdon
The Birthplace of Country Music presents The Blue Ridge Opry at the Southwest Virginia Cultural Center and Marketplace in Abingdon at 7 p.m. Saturday.
The show will be hosted by Kelley Breiding and feature her band, The Cowboys. Special guests include Emily Spencer & Debbie Bramer, Bayla Davis & Cary Fridley, Donna Ray Norton, Jim Lloyd, and Ashlee Watkins & Andrew Small.
For more information, visit BlueRidgeOpry.wordpress.com. Tickets are $20 (plus tax/fee) and are on sale at BirthplaceOfCountryMusic.org.
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Nov. 19: Festival of Trees in Abingdon
The Lighting of the Trees will kick off Abingdon’s annual Festival of Trees at 5:15 p.m. Sunday.
The lighting, which will take place at the Abingdon Visitor Center, will include singing, cider and Santa. Attendees can vote for their favorite tree by donating pet food, toothpaste, soap, body wash and shampoo. All collected items will be given to United United Way of Southwest Virginia charities, the Animal Defense League and Happy Tails Animal Rescue.
The Festival of Trees runs through early January.