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.
Jan. 5 and beyond: Celebrating Joe Kelley at Moss Arts Center
The Moss Arts Center celebrates the life and work of longtime Blacksburg resident Joe Kelley with a survey exhibition of his drawings, paintings and sculptures. “I am gone, expanding” opens with a reception from 5-7 p.m. Friday in the center’s Grand Lobby.
A regional artist who forged an inventive artistic path both in painting and sculpture, Kelley died unexpectedly on Oct. 9, 2022, at age 55. The exhibit brings together a comprehensive selection of artwork created over many decades and showcases his vast body of work.
The exhibition is co-curated by Kelley’s wife, Dominique Francesca, and Rude Graves. “I am gone, expanding” is the final line of a poem penned by Kelley that contemplates what happens after death.
“I am gone, expanding” will be on view in the center’s Ruth C. Horton Gallery through Jan. 13.
The Taubman Museum of Art is also currently featuring an exhibition of Kelley’s work. “Birds, Beasts, and Roots: A Selection of Works by Joe Kelley” is on view at the museum through April 7.
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Jan. 9: Discussion of Gen. Meade with the Roanoke Civil War Round Table
The Roanoke Civil War Round Table will present John Selby, former professor of history at Roanoke College and author of “Meade: The Price of Command, 1863-1865,” at 7 p.m. Jan. 9.
Selby’s talk, ”Meade’s Journey as a Commander,” will discuss Maj. Gen. George Meade, who led the Union forces that defeated Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia at Gettysburg.
It will be held at the chapel of the Residents’ Center at Friendship, 397 Hershberger Road, Roanoke.
Admission is free. For more information, contact Kevin Donovan at 973-508-8980 or kcd1861@gmail.com.
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Jan. 11: Laurie Lewis on ‘Farm and Fun Time’ in Bristol
Bluegrass artist Laurie Lewis takes center stage at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum in Bristol for WBCM Radio Bristol’s “Farm and Fun Time” live variety show at 7 p.m. Jan. 11. Shay Martin Lovette, a harmonica-wielding songwriter, will also perform.
Hosted by Kris Truelsen and his Farm and Fun Time House Band, the program is a reimagining of the classic WCYB Radio program that aired in the 1940s and 1950s. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $40 and may be purchased online through the Events page at BirthplaceOfCountryMusic.org.
For nearly four decades, Lewis has been a force in the music industry and was twice honored as Female Vocalist of the Year by the International Bluegrass Music Association.
“Farm and Fun Time” broadcasts live on WBCM Radio Bristol at 100.1 FM in the Bristol area with streaming available on the station’s Facebook page, at ListenRadioBristol.org and through the station’s free mobile app. The program will record live for later broadcast on Blue Ridge PBS, East Tennessee PBS and PBS North Carolina.