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.
Feb. 9: ‘The Space Race’ screening and Q&A with Leland Melvin in Lynchburg
The Academy Center of the Arts in Lynchburg will host a pre-release screening Friday of “The Space Race,” a National Geographic documentary produced by astronaut Leland Melvin.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with prescreening activities such as letters to space and a photo booth. The film starts at 7:30 p.m., followed by an exclusive interview and Q&A session with Leland Melvin, a NASA astronaut and Lynchburg native.
“The Space Race” weaves together the stories of Black astronauts including Guion Bluford, Ed Dwight and Charles Bolden. It also profiles pioneering Black pilots, scientists and engineers who joined NASA to serve their country in space.
The event is free, but ticket reservations are required. Call the ticket office at 434-846-8499 or visit AcademyCenter.Org.
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Feb. 10: Bill Evans and Alan Munde at Floyd Country Store
Bill Evans and Alan Munde, two legends of bluegrass banjo and recipients of the 2021 and 2022 Steve Martin Banjo Prize, join forces at the Floyd Country Store on Saturday.
They’ll perform bluegrass, old-time, jazz and much more from their new recordings in their first-ever East Coast duo tour.
The show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25 general admission, $30 reserved seating. The show also will be livestreamed on Floyd Country Store TV. Tickets and more information at www.floydcountrystore.com.
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Feb. 10: Adam McPeak & Mountain Thunder at New River Community College
The music of Adam McPeak & Mountain Thunder and Gap Civil will be featured Saturday at New River Community College.
Music will begin at 6 p.m. in 117 Edwards Hall at the college in Dublin.
Adam McPeak & Mountain Thunder is composed primarily of young bluegrass musicians from Virginia. The group began playing at fiddler’s conventions and went on to play their own shows and participate in competitions. They have also appeared on public television’s “Song of the Mountains.”
Gap Civil is an Appalachian mountain music band that honors the mountain traditions that have shaped and rooted their music. The band blends the genres of old time, country, bluegrass and Americana.
The doors open at 5 p.m. Admission is free but donations will be accepted to help offset travel expenses for the musicians.
For more information about the NRCC Concert Series, visit www.nr.edu/concerts.
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Feb. 10 and beyond: ‘The True Story of Bats’ in Martinsville
A traveling exhibit bringing the mystery surrounding bats out of dark makes its Virginia Museum of Natural History debut on Saturday, when the museum unveils Masters of the Night: The True Story of Bats.
Through a variety of multi-sensory interactive displays, a Gothic castle and environmentally lifelike settings, the exhibit dispels popular misconceptions about bats, describes their ecological importance and gives visitors an appreciation of the true wonders of the bat world.
The museum is hosting an opening day celebration from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, featuring activities including bat-themed crafts, face painting, balloon art and presentations by bat experts.
General admission rates apply for the opening day celebration. Masters of the Night will be on exhibit at the museum through Jan. 11, 2025. For more information about the museum, visit www.vmnh.net.
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Feb. 13: Country music duets through the decades in Bristol
Bailey George and Jessica Stiles, coupled in life and music, will take the stage at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum on Feb. 13 for a special Speaker Session entitled “You and Me: A Journey Through Country Music’s Rich Duet Tradition.”
The event will be held at 7 p.m. in person and virtually via WBCM Radio Bristol‘s YouTube channel. There is no cost to attend, but preregistration is encouraged.
George and Stiles, who perform together as the duo Bailey George & Jukebox Jess and with the band Bailey George and the Oscillators, will take their audience on a journey through country music’s most iconic duets, from the brother harmonies of the 1930s to the chart-topping romance of the 1970s.
For more information about the Speaker Series and other events, visit BirthplaceOfCountryMusic.org.
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Feb. 13 and beyond: A digital tour of Renaissance-era Florence at W&L
Washington and Lee University’s Staniar Gallery will present “Florence As It Was: The Digital Reconstruction of a Renaissance City,” on view in the Lenfest Center for the Arts from Feb. 13 through March 25, with a lecture and reception slated for 5:30 p.m. Feb. 13.
The exhibition and opening reception events are free and open to the public.
“Florence As It Was” is a digital humanities project that reconstructs the city of Florence, Italy, as it appeared at the end of the 15th century. The project can be accessed online at https://florenceasitwas.wlu.edu.
“Florence As It Was” merges STEM techniques with traditional art historical inquiry to tell the story of 15th-century Florence, describe the technologies and processes involved in the reproduction of Florentine landmarks, and provide examples of computer-generated 3D models that may be explored by visitors to the exhibition.
For more information about the 2023-24 exhibition and programming schedule, visit Staniar Gallery’s website: my.wlu.edu/staniar-gallery/current-season.
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Feb. 14: The music of the Carpenters in Clifton Forge
The Alleghany Highlands Arts Council will present “Close To You: Music of the Carpenters” at the Historic Masonic Theatre at 7 p.m. Feb. 14.
Singer and playwright Lisa Rock has compiled a tribute to the music and life of Karen Carpenter and brings it to the stage along with her six-piece band.
Tickets for general admission are $20 and can be purchased through the Masonic box office.
While in the Alleghany Highlands, Rock and her band will also conduct master classes at Alleghany High School as part of the Lighthouse Project, a partnership between the Arts Council, Alleghany Highlands Community Services Board and Alleghany Highlands Public Schools.
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Feb. 14: Handmade Music School Valentine’s Day dinner and concert in Floyd
The Handmade Music School hosts a Valentine’s Day dinner and concert at the Floyd Country Store on Feb. 14.
Appetizers and live music start at 6 p.m. with the meal beginning at 7 p.m. Music will be performed by Handmade Music School students and teachers, and the meal will be served by Handmade Music School students.
Donations support Handmade Music School’s Share the Music Scholarship Program and General Operating fund.
Dinner tickets are $45 per person, $80 for a two-top table, or $160 for a four-top table. Tickets and more information at www.floydcountrystore.com.