PinePitch

Conductors of Magic

The Sandhills Central Model Railroad club presents its annual Train Show on Saturday, Nov. 19, from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Founded in 1979, the Club is located in the Aberdeen Train Depot, where an HO model railroad features a beautifully constructed re-creation of the town of Aberdeen and surrounding areas. The layout depicts portions of Main, South, and Poplar Streets, U.S. 1 and Hwy. 5, and billboards modeled in detail. Admission: $5; free for children. The Historic Aberdeen Train Depot and Museum, 100 E. Main St., Aberdeen. Info: (910) 944-1115 or explorepinehurst.com.

Fare-Thee-Well

On Thanksgiving Day, 1976, Canadian-American rock group The Band performed a farewell concert that featured more than a dozen special guests, including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Emmylou Harris, Ringo Starr, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Neil Diamond and Eric Clapton. The performance, which was filmed by Martin Scorsese for a documentary called The Last Waltz, will show for free at the Sunrise Theater this Thanksgiving night (Thursday, Nov. 24), at 7:30 p.m. Rolling Stone magazine called it the “Greatest Concert Movie of All Time.” Sunrise Theater, 250 NW Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8501 or sunrisetheater.com.

Destination: Music

Best thing about a Rooster’s Wife show at Poplar Knight Spot? There isn’t a bad seat in the house. You’ll just want to make sure you snag one. Here’s what’s hot at the Spot this month:

Nov. 4 – Martin Grosswendt and Susanne Salem-Schatz deliver country blues with bottleneck and finger-busting guitar, powerful vocals, soul and wry humor.  Tickets: $10. You can also catch them on Thursday, Nov. 3, 8 p.m., at the Cameo Arthouse Theater, 225 Hay Street, Fayetteville. Tickets: $12.

Nov. 6 – Southern Pines native Sam Lewis comes home from Nashville with a full band and a new record to share his folksy roots and soulful persona with friends new and old. Tickets: $15.

Nov. 11 – Cicada Rhythm. Chilling harmonies and unbridled enthusiasm redefine so-called folk music. Tickets: $10.

Nov. 13 – Joe Walsh delivers his newest project, “Borderland,” for this CD release celebration. The Matt Flinner Trio splits the show. Talk about modern mandolin mayhem — and all things stringed. Tickets: $15.

Nov. 20 – Jordan Tice is a singular voice on the American roots music scene. Stray Local opens. Tickets: $15.

Doors open at 6 p.m. All shows start at 6:46 p.m. The Rooster’s Wife, 114 Knight St., Aberdeen. Info: (910) 944-7502 or www.theroosterswife.org.

ps-pinepitch1-11-16

Art that Pops

New work by collage and assemblage artist Louis St. Lewis will be on display at Broadhurst Gallery on Sunday, Nov. 6, at 5 p.m. Hailed as a “cunning pirate of art history,” St. Lewis is a bold and witty artist and designer whose brilliant manipulations of appropriated art grace the collections of French fashion designer Christian LaCroix, former Vogue editor André Leon Talley, The Prince of Kuwait, and Oprah Winfrey. Born in nearby Albemarle, he now divides his time between Raleigh, Paris and New Orleans. Don’t miss his “Collecting Art” talk, during which he just might explain what he means when he says artists are “social court jesters.” Broadhurst Gallery, 2212 Midland Road, Pinehurst. Info: (910) 295-4817 or www.broadhurstgallery.com.

If These Trees Could Talk

On Saturday, Nov. 5, learn about our region’s first and biggest industry — naval stores — during this fascinating excursion back in time. “Tar, Pitch and Turpentine” will be presented hourly from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. by filmmaker, historian and writer Bryan Avery. Watch Avery extract resin from a tree, light fires to distill turpentine from gum, and more. Bring a blanket or chair for the outdoor demos, and since they’re open, don’t miss the chance to tour the property’s two house-museums. Free admission. Bryant House and McLendon Cabin, 3361 Mount Carmel Road, Carthage. Info: (910) 692-2051 or explorepinehurst.com.

Enchanted Forest

The 20th annual Sandhills Children’s Center Festival of Trees will take place from Wednesday, Nov. 16, through Sunday, Nov. 20, 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. Over 200 decorated trees, wreaths, gift baskets and gingerbread houses will be featured in a winter wonderland complete with live entertainment, silent auction and a Festival Marketplace. Three words: lights, children, magic. Admission by any monetary donation at the door. Proceeds benefit Sandhills Children’s Center. Carolina Hotel, 80 Carolina Vista Drive, Pinehurst. Info: (910) 692-3323 or sandhillschildrenscenter.org/trees.

Made With Love 

The Annual Seagrove Pottery Festival, to be held Saturday, Nov. 19, and Sunday, Nov. 20, from 9 a.m.–5 p.m., celebrates the craft heritage of Seagrove, the Randolph County gem that is home to the largest concentration of working potters in the United States. In addition to pottery — both functional and sculptural— the festival features food vendors and live music, educational activities for children and adults, and demos by blacksmiths, basket makers, woodcarvers, weavers, and potters. Admission: $5. Seagrove Elementary School, 528 Old Plank Road, Seagrove. Info: (336) 873-7887 or discoverseagrove.com.

ps-pinepitch2-11-16

Boot Stomping Music

The Hackensaw Boys inject traditional Appalachian and Delta music with a heavy dose of contemporary, good-times-roll kind of spit and vinegar. If the sound of that makes you feel like putting on your dancing boots, mark your calendar for Friday, Nov. 18, 7:30 p.m. Known for their spirited and rowdy live shows, the Hackensaw Boys will perform old favorites and tunes from their latest album at the Sunrise Theater. Produced by Larry Campbell — the multi-instrumentalist wizard who has lent his talents to the likes of Bob Dylan and Levon Helm — “Charismo” has a casual, porch-front aesthetic that’s sharpened around the edges, focusing on the simple beauty of Hackensaw’s melodies and the earnestness in their delivery. Tickets: $20 (general admission); $30 (VIP). Sunrise Theater, 250 NW Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8501 or sunrisetheater.com.

Walk in the Woods

You’ve heard of Eat, Pray, Love? Why not Hike, Pray, Eat? On Thanksgiving Day, meet at the Weymouth Woods Visitor Center for a 10 a.m. discovery hike sure to help you work up an appetite for the afternoon feast. Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve is an enchanted window to the longleaf pine forests that once covered millions of acres in the southeastern U.S. The lanky pines – some of them hundreds of years old – tower over expanses of wiregrass and rare and intriguing species, including the red-cockaded woodpecker, pine barrens tree frog, bog spicebush, and fox squirrel. Who knows what else you’ll discover? Wear comfortable shoes and bring bottled water for this ranger-led two-mile hike. Weymouth Woods-Sandhills Nature Preserve, 1024 Fort Bragg Road, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-2167 or www.ncparks.gov/weymouth-woods-sandhills-nature-preserve.

PinePitch

Get Wind of This

Any member of the Golf Capital Chorus will tell you that it’s always a good day for singing, but what makes Saturday, Nov. 5, extra special is that they’ll be joined by international medalists A Mighty Mind for a 7 p.m. performance featuring barbershop harmonies that are downright electric. Tickets for “It’s a Good Day For Singing A Song” are available at The Country Bookshop, Givens Outpost and Heavenly Pines Jewelers, or by calling Larry Harter at (910) 295-3529 or Marty Matula at (910) 673-3464. Pinecrest High School, Robert E. Lee Auditorium, 250 Voit Gilmore Lane, Southern Pines. Info: www.thegolfcapitalchorus.org.

Vessels Made of Clay

The Fall Studio Sale and Open House at Linda Dalton Pottery will be held on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 28 – 29, and Nov. 4–5, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Silent auction features a 13-by-10-inch saggar fired orb with rare North Carolina-grown black bamboo mechanically attached to the lid. All proceeds from the auction of this piece will go to benefit Habitat for Humanity of the NC Sandhills. The Dalton’s studio is located 10 minutes north of the village of Pinehurst. Linda Dalton Pottery, 250 Oakhurst Vista, West End. Info:  (910) 947-5325.

The Music Rx

The fabled healing properties of the Sandhills have long drawn folks to Moore County. Combine that with the curative qualities of an intimate house concert at Poplar Knight Spot and you’ve got yourself a magical formula. Here’s what’s hot at the Spot this month, a Rooster’s Wife lineup sure to spell tonic for mind, body and soul.

Oct. 2 – Harlem-based soul singer/songwriter Caleb Hawley says his two greatest musical influences are Randy Newman and Prince. We say: Yes, please. Tickets: $12 (advance); $15. Listen: calebhawley.com

Oct. 9 – Headliner Danny Barnes speaks banjo. And wait until you hear what The Buck Stops Here has to say in their inimitable Indie meets folk meets Americana-kinda style. Tickets: $15 (advance); $20. Listen: dannybarnes.com; www.thebuckstopshereband.com.

Oct. 16 – Nashville singer-songwriter Irene Kelley is a musical storyteller with a voice like a bluegrass angel. Christiane Smedley opens the show with honest songs that reveal strength through vulnerability. Tickets: $12 (advance); $15. Listen: www.irenekelley.com; www.iamchristiane.com.

Oct. 23 – Slide guitar player and song poet David Jacobs-Strain redefines roots and blues while modern-day troubadour Beth Wood defies labels. Tickets: $15 (advance); $20. Listen: www.davidjacobs-strain.com/home; www.bethwoodmusic.com.

Oct. 27 –April Verch and Joe Newberry. Fiddle plus banjo equals music that will make you feel like step dancing. Tickets: $15 (advance); $20. Listen: aprilverch.com; joenewberry.me/wordpress.

Oct. 30 – Jason Marsalis of New Orleans’ venerable first family of jazz celebrates the release of Heirs to the Crescent City. Tickets: $25 (advance); $30. Listen: jasonmarsalis.com.

Doors open at 6 p.m. All shows start at 6:46 p.m. The Rooster’s Wife, 114 Knight St., Aberdeen. Info: (910) 944-7502 or www.theroosterswife.org.

Top Shelf

Three North Carolina authors will be inducted into the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame on Sunday, Oct. 16, at 2 p.m. Inductees include best-selling author Clyde Edgerton, prolific mystery writer Margaret Maron, and Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Carl Sandburg. Program participants include Rhonda Bellamy, H. Tyrone Brandyburg, Talmadge Ragan, Bland Simpson, Shelby Stephenson, George Terll and J. Peder Zane. The Hall of Fame is located in the former study of James Boyd, the historic literary gathering place said to have “launched the Southern Literary Renaissance” in the 1920s and 30s. Reception to follow ceremony. Free and open to the public. Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities, 555 E. Connecticut Ave., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-6261 or weymouthcenter.org.

ps-pinepitch2-10-16

Shaw Season

The eighth annual Shaw House Fair of Vintage Collectibles happens on Saturday, Oct. 8, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Located on its original foundation at the crossing of the famed Revolutionary Pee Dee and Morganton roads, the historic Shaw House was built circa 1820 by a first-generation Scottish settler whose son became the first mayor of Southern Pines in 1887. Come for the vendors and collectibles, food and live music, raffle, historical reenactors from Civil War days and frontier times, demos of old-time crafts, and tours of the homestead. Admission: $2. Proceeds go to maintain the Moore County Historical Association’s five house museums from the 1700s and 1800s, located in Southern Pines and Carthage. Shaw House, 110 W. Morganton Road (corner of Broad Street), Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-2051 or www.moorehistory.com.

Glad We Met

This month, the Sunrise will stream two Metropolitan Opera performances and a Bolshoi Ballet production — live and in HD. 

Saturday, Oct. 8 – Live via satellite, Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde” runs from 12–5:05 p.m. This three-act opera is widely acknowledged as one of the peaks of the operatic repertoire. Tickets: $27.

Sunday, Oct. 16 – Direct from Moscow, Bolshoi Ballet’s “The Golden Age” runs from 1–3:20 p.m. With its jazzy score, this ballet is a colorful and dazzling satire of Europe in the Roaring 20s. Tickets: $25 (adult); $15 (child).

Saturday, Oct. 22 – Live via satellite, Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” (with English subtitles) runs from 1–4:22 p.m. Based on the legends of Don Juan, a fictional libertine and seducer, this two-act opera blends comedy, melodrama and supernatural elements.

Sunrise Theater, 250 NW Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8501 or sunrisetheater.com.

All Keyed Up

On Thursday, Oct. 13, 7 p.m., piano and vocal duo Dr. Jaeyoon Kim and Seung-Ah Kim will perform a free concert at Sandhills Community College. A native of Pusan, Korea, Seung-Ah Kim teaches piano at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke (UNCP), where she plays for a guest artist recital series that has included world famous musicians such as Øystein Baadsvik (tuba), New York City opera singers Anna Vikre (soprano) and Rod Nelman (bass), Dr. Terry Everson (trumpet), and Michele Gingras (clarinet). Praised for his lyric tenor repertoire, her husband, Dr. Jaeyoon Kim, is an associate processor at UNCP whose operatic credits include principal tenor roles in “The Tales of Hoffmann,” “La Bohème,” “Don Pasquale,” “The Merry Widow,” “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” “The Magic Flute” and many others. In 2016, the Kims released Romantic Art Songs, an album featuring art songs by Donizetti, Bellini, Turina, Liszt, Duparc, Rachmaninoff and Tosti. You won’t want to miss this free performance. Owens Auditorium, 3395 Airport Road, Pinehurst. Info: (910) 695-3828 or sandhills.edu.

The Wide Blues Yonder

The last First Friday of the season happens this month, which makes us feel kind of blue, but we won’t sulk just yet. On Friday, Oct. 7, from 5–8:30 p.m., don’t miss the chance to experience Blues Music Award-winner Danielle Nicole (singer/bassist/songwriter) and prodigious blues guitarist Lakota John doing what they do best — stirring our blues-loving souls — at this concert series season finale. Danielle Nicole has a voice like chocolate ganache, and you can hear Lakota John’s old soul sing through his slide guitar. Rain or shine, First Friday concerts are free and open to the public. Food and beverages available for purchase. The Preservation Green (grassy lot) adjacent to the Sunrise Theater, 250 NW Broad St., Southern Pines. Listen: www.daniellenicolekc.com; lakotajohn.com. Info: (910) 692-8501 or firstfridaysouthernpines.com.

PinePitch

Steal the Show

First Friday Southern Pines presents The Ballroom Thieves on Friday, Sept.2, from 5–8:30 p.m. Trio Martin Earley, Calin Peters and Devin Mauch create a captivating mélange of acoustic styles, blending folk conventions with modern hymnals, Delta blues grit with rich harmonies, and exploring the basic constructions of pop music while simultaneously rejecting its restrictions. Rain or shine, First Friday concerts are free and open to the public. Food and beverages available for purchase. The Preservation Green (grassy lot) adjacent to the Sunrise Theater, 250 NW Broad St. , Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8501 or firstfridaysouthernpines.com.

ps-pinepitch-media-9-16

Old Cars, New Tricks

On Saturday, Sept. 17, dozens of old cars will shine like new pennies on the campus of Sandhills Community College, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The car show, organized by the Sandhills Chapter of the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) and hosted by the SCC Automotive Technologies program, features live music by the Sandhills Community College Jazz Band, guided tours of the renowned Horticultural Gardens, on-site food, 50/50 and silent auctions, and awards presented by Miss Moore County. Car entry registration prior to Sept. 13 is $15 (includes food voucher and special door prizes). Registration on day of show is $20. Show is free and open to the public. Sirotek Hall, Sandhills Community College, 3395 Airport Road, Pinehurst. Info: www.ncregionaaca.com/sandhills.

Coneheads

This year, celebrate the Ice Cream Parlor’s 40th anniversary by registering for a chance to win free ice cream for life. Repeat: Free ice cream for life. Drop in for lunch or a cone before Sunday, Sept. 25, when one lucky participant will have reason to flash their sweet-toothed grin. Ice Cream Parlor, 176 NW Broad Street, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-7273.

Hicks in Town

Robert Hicks, New York Times best—selling author of The Widow of the South and A Separate Country, will be at The Country Bookshop on Monday, September 26, at 5 p.m. Hicks’ new novel, The Orphan Mother, tells the story of midwife and former slave Mariah Reddick, who, in the wake of tragedy, embarks on an epic quest for justice. Free and open to the public. The Country Bookshop, 140 NW Broad St., Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-3211.

Gone Vogue

The United Way of Moore County will host a fashion extravaganza on Thursday, Oct. 6, at 6 p.m. Featured merchants include Apricot Lane, Cottage of Hope, Eloise & Co., Eve Avery, Morgan Miller, and Patricia. Eat, drink and be dazzled. Tickets: $40. Proceeds benefit United Way of Moore County partner agencies. Grand Hall at Penick Village, 500 E. Rhode Island Ave., Southern Pines Info: (910) 692-2413 or unitedwaymoore.com.

Crème de la Crème

You won’t want to miss Judson Theatre Company’s production of “Twelve Angry Men,” the electrifying Reginald Rose classic about a jury forced to decide one boy’s fate. Emmy-winning Broadway and TV star John Wesley Shipp (“The Flash,” “Dawson’s Creek,” “As the World Turns,” “Guiding Light”) headlines a cast from New York and North Carolina, which includes Broadway actor Mike Boland and local pros Rick McDermott, Chris Thomas (from Star 102.5), and Adam W. Faw.  Show runs Thursday, Sept. 22, at 7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 23, at 8 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 24, at 2 and 8 p.m., and Sunday, Sept. 25, at 3 p.m. Tickets: $38 (advance); $43 (day of show); $20 (students, military, SCC faculty and staff). Owens Auditorium, Sandhills Community College. Tickets/Info: (800) 514-3849 or judsontheatre.com.

ps-pinepitch-media3-9-16

The Hot Spot

Best thing about a Rooster’s Wife show at Poplar Knight Spot? There isn’t a bad seat in the house. You’ll just want to make sure you snag one. Here’s what’s hot at the Spot this month:

Sept. 2 – Classical/nuevo flamenco guitarist Ed Stephenson. One word: virtuoso. Tickets: $15. Listen: edwardstephenson.com.

Sept. 11 – Scythian, Celtic rock band with strains of Gypsy and klezmer. Sure to make the walls and floor shake. Tickets: $20 (advance); $25. Listen: www.scythianmusic.com

Sept. 16 –  Award-winning singer/songwriter Liz Longley breathes soul into country pop. Tickets: $15. Listen: www.lizlongley.com.

Sept. 18  – Will Overman Band delivers Southern fried rock with Americana fixin’s.  Locust Honey String Band opens. Tickets: $15 (advance); $20. Listen: willovermanband.com.

Sept. 22  – Guy Davis Trio spells American Blues. Tickets: $20 (advance); $25. Listen: guydavis.com.

Sept. 29  – Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen are a bluegrass festival attraction. Tickets: 20 (advance); $25. Listen: dirtykitchenband.com.

Doors open at 6 p.m. All shows start at 6:46 p.m. The Rooster’s Wife, 114 Knight St., Aberdeen. Info: (910) 944-7502 or www.theroosterswife.org.

Trikes Are for Kids

The Tour de Trike makes a kid out of everyone. On Thursday, Sept. 8, at 5:30 p.m., come watch your neighbors cruise down West New Hampshire Avenue in a tricycle race to benefit area nonprofits. Or, better yet, pedal alongside them. If you’re lucky, the giant pink gorilla will catch a ride on the back of somebody else’s bike. Entry: $100 donation. Costumes encouraged. Info: United Way of Moore County, (910) 692-2413.

The Real Dealers

Serious collectors already know what’s happening in Cameron on Saturday, Oct.1. The Annual Fall Antiques Street Fair, of course. Rain or shine, 250 dealers will display their antiques and collectibles in the shops and streets along the Historic District on Carthage Street from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The old smells are free. Info: (910) 245-7001, (910) 245-3020, or www.antiquesofcameron.com.

Gone to Temple

Director/cGavan Pamer is traveling from Pittsburgh, to direct Temple Theatre’s production of “Anything Goes,” the classic Cole Porter musical about a st  ble cast features Broadway veteran Peggy Taphorn, 2013 Miss North Carolina, Hailey Best, and regional stars Lynda Clark and Sean Powell. Pamer and Taphorn, now in her ninth season at the helm of the Temple, toured nationally with the show and are delighted to be reunited. Says Taphorn, “Our audiences have come to expect lavish musical extravaganzas. They won’t be disappointed.” Show times for are Thursdays at 2 p.m., Fridays at 2 and 8 p.m., Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets: $14–25. Temple Theatre, 120 Carthage St., Sanford. Box office: (919) 774-4155. Info: templeshows.com.

August

One for the Kids

This month, as part of the popular Movies by the Lake series, The Aberdeen Parks and Recreation Departments and sponsors will show The Good Dinosaur, a Disney/Pixar film that follows a young Apatosaurus named Arlo and his unlikely friend, a feral cave boy named Spot. On Friday, August 12, from 8:15–9:30 p.m., bring the whole family along to experience this Jurassic adventure on the big screen. Free admission; concessions available for purchase. Aberdeen Lake Park, 301 Lake Park Crossing, Aberdeen. Info: (910) 944-7275 or townofaberdeen.net.

Band Together

On Sunday, August 7, 3 p.m., Weymouth Woods Nature Study features Hummingbird Banding with Ornithologist Susan Cambpell. Witness the delicate process of handling these tiny birds, collecting data, and banding and releasing them — a rare and specialized activity that will render you absolutely spellbound. And if you get a chance to explore a longleaf trail, who knows what other wild things you’ll encounter? Weymouth Woods-Sandhills Nature Preserve, 1024 Fort Bragg Road, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-2167.

General Admission

Join Retired Maj. Jason Hawk for In & Out at the Outpost on Thursday, August 25, at 7 p.m. This free lecture will focus on the life and legacy of Gen. George C. Marshall, the soldier and statesman whom Winston Churchill called “the last great American.” Marshall had a home on Linden Road from 1944 until his death in 1959. Learn more about Marshall’s life and connection to Pinehurst during this summer evening program. Given Outpost, 95 Cherokee Road, Pinehurst. Info: (910) 295-7002.

Banjo-ification

On August 5, 5–8:30 p.m., First Friday presents Parsonsfield, a five-piece alt/folk band from Northampton, Massachusetts. Think: banjo in the park with a rowdy, rock ’n’ roll spirit that stomps out all the rules. Chris Freeman (vocals, banjo), Antonio Alcorn (mandolin), Max Shakun (vocals, pump organ, guitar), Harrison Goodale (bass), and Erik Hischmann (drums) recorded their debut album in 2013 under the moniker Poor Old Shine, but changed their name in July 2014 following their inspired experiences recording two albums in Parsonsfield, Maine, at producer Sam Kassirer’s farmhouse studio/retreat. Rain or shine, First Friday concerts are free and open to the public. Food and beverages available for purchase. Alexandra King opens. The Preservation Green (grassy lot) adjacent to the Sunrise Theater, 250 Northwest Broad Street, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8501 or firstfridaysouthernpines.com. 

Frank Admiration

On Thursday, August 18, beginning at 7:30 a.m., golf professional Scott Holmes will attempt to play one-hundred holes of golf in 12 hours as a tribute to his late uncle, Frank Smither. Frank lived with a developmental disability and was an active member of The Arc of Moore County and the community for many years. Pledges per hole and flat donations will benefit The Arc’s social and recreational programs, which Frank loved. “Fore For Frank” will take place on Course #4 at Pinehurst Resort. Friends of The Arc who sponsor or contribute $100 or more will be invited to an evening celebration and entered into a raffle to win two tickets to “An Evening With David Feherty,” a benefit for the Linden Lodge Foundation on Friday, August 19. For more information or to volunteer, please contact The Arc of Moore County at (910) 692-8272. Donate here: www.foreforfrank.com.

Pop Goes the Matrix

The Dancing Dream is a professional ABBA tribute band based in New York City and so close to the real deal that watching them will feel like experiencing a glitch in the matrix. And you’ll love it. On Sunday, August 28, at 3 p.m. Vision 4 Moore presents “A Tribute to ABBA”, a high-energy concert that benefits Meals on Wheels of the Sandhills and The Linden Lodge Foundation. In 2012, this sparkling tribute band appeared on The Colbert Report. Don’t miss the chance to see them play in the Pines. Tickets: $25 (general admission); $30 (day of show); $35 (center orchestra). Robert E. Lee Auditorium, 250 Voit Gilmore Lane, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 365-9890 or www.vision4moore.com.

Making Paper

On Tuesday, August 16, from 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., artist Kathy Leuck will lead “Playing with Paper”, a crafty workshop for students of all levels. Alter paper in ways you’ve never imagined. Use a sewing machine and Gelli printing plate, make your own rules, and create one-of-a-kind note cards and collages that will change the way you look at paper evermore. Cost: $50; $45 (associate members); $40 (members). Includes lunch. Artists League of the Sandhills, 129 Exchange Street, Aberdeen. Info: (910) 944-3979 or www.artistleague.org.

Carolina Chronicles

In Slave Escapes & the Underground Railroad in North Carolina, authors
J. Timothy Allen and Steve M. Miller use harrowing first-hand accounts to investigate how African Americans escaped oppression in a dark chapter of Tarheel State history. Hear them discuss Quaker safe houses and freed slave communities on Saturday, August 27, 4 p.m., at this free Meet the Author event. The Country Bookshop, 140 Northwest Broad Street, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-3211 or www.thecountrybookshop.biz.

Bosom Buddies

Three words: Sugar Kane Kowalczyk. On Thursday, August 4, at 7:30 p.m., Sunrise Theater Summer Classic Series presents Some Like it Hot (1959), the  Billy Wilder film starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon. When two Chicago musicians witness the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, Joe and Jerry flee town (in drag!) as Josephine and Daphne, the newest members of an all-female band fronted by a ukulele-playing blonde named Sugar Kane Kowalczyk (Monroe). Mayhem and hilarity ensue. Screening sponsored by Whit Lauter. Tickets: $6. Sunrise Theater, 250 Northwest Broad Street, Southern Pines. Info: (910) 692-8501 or sunrisetheater.com. 

Planting Happiness

Lunch and Learn in the Gardens with Master Gardener Bruce Fensley will ready you for Mama’s spicy collards. On Monday, August 22, learn when to plant which root and leaf crops and how to plan for fresh veggies all fall and winter. Free one-hour workshop begins at noon. Bring your own lunch; drinks provided. Ball Visitors Center, Sandhills Horticultural Gardens, 3395 Airport Road, Pinehurst. Register by email: landscapegardening@sandhills.edu. Info: (910) 695-3882 or sandhillshorticulturalgardens.com.  PS