Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, February 26, 1993 TAG: 9302250189
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: Donna Alvis-Banks
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
BACHELORS ON THE BLOCK IN BLACKSBURG
Attention, shoppers!The blue light special this weekend is at the Blacksburg Holiday Inn. Some of the area's most eligible men are putting themselves on the chopping - er, auction - block for a worthy cause.
The Radford-Montgomery Unit of the American Cancer Society will hold its sixth annual "Bid for Bachelors" Saturday. Sixteen gullible guys will participate.
The men are offering a variety of date packages - from whitewater rafting on the Gauley River to picnicking on the Blue Ridge Parkway. All single women 21 or older may bid on the dream dates.
One bachelor is offering what he calls a "Cinderella" package. The winning bidder will be treated to a limousine ride, dinner and a private dance party in her honor.
Another big spender promises breakfast followed by a shopping trip to Greensboro's Four Seasons Mall. His date will receive a minimum of $250 in "mad money," says Mimi Walker, area representative for the American Cancer Society. "If you're coming to find a man and you also want a wardrobe, that's the way to go," Walker noted.
Walker said the bachelors in this year's auction range in age from 23 to 47. There are businessmen, salesmen, a paramedic, a disc jockey, even a funeral home owner.
But is there a doctor in the house?
"We have four doctors participating this year," Walker said.
The bidding starts at 7:30 Saturday night. The event gets under way with a social at 6. Free hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar will be available. Designated drivers will be on hand, too.
Advance tickets are $7 at the Blacksburg Holiday Inn. Tickets purchased at the door will be $10.
Last year's auction netted $5,600 for the American Cancer Society.
"The money is used to fight cancer through research, education and patient services," Walker said. "We're hoping to raise $6,000 this year."
\ HORNS-A-PLENTY: The New River Valley Symphony's winter concert features the sounds of horns. The orchestra will perform Saturday at 8 p.m. in Virginia Tech's Burruss Auditorium. The concert coincides with the Southeastern Horn Conference Workshop taking place this week at the university.
Selections written particularly for horns highlight the program. They include the works of Richard Strauss, Robert Schumann, Gustav Mahler and G.F. Handel.
Soloists include James London, Jan London, Jerome Ashby, Jean Rife and Peter Landgren. They all are guest artists participating in the workshop.
James Glazebrook of Virginia Tech's music department directs the orchestra.
Tickets are available now at the box office in Squires Student Center. Admission is $5 for adults or $3 for students and senior citizens.
To reserve seats, call the box office at 231-5615.
\ THE FIRST MODERN: Martha Graham was a pioneer.
The leader of the modern dance movement, Graham defined dance as "making visible the interior landscape."
Like many pioneers, she was criticized.
She shocked audiences with her angular poses and jerky movements. Her dance was not always "pretty."
The American dancer choreographed dances based on primitive ritual and American life in the 1930s. In the '40s, she began interpreting the emotions of women in her dances. She was inspired by the likes of Emily Dickinson and the Bronte sisters.
She performed until she was 76. She died in 1991 at age 96.
She trained many of the world's great dancers. When Mikhail Baryshnikov asked to enter her dance class, she said, "Come on in. You're more or less coordinated. And if you get it right in the beginning, it's much simpler."
Graham's followers still adhere to that philosophy.
The Martha Graham Ensemble will perform Wednesday at 8 p.m. in Radford University's Preston Auditorium. The university's College of Visual and Performing Arts is responsible for the treat.
Directed by former principal dancer Yuriko, the 12-member company will present a program of complete ballets.
Admission is $8 for adults, $4 for children and free for Radford University students and staff. For ticket information, call the information desk at Heth Hall, 831-5420.
\ A SINGING LEGACY: The African American Heritage Chorale from Richmond will visit Virginia Tech today for a 7 p.m. performance in Squires Student Center's Commonwealth Ballroom. The Black Student Alliance is sponsoring the concert.
The versatile chorus sings classics, spirituals, blues, jazz and gospel. The singers have been performing throughout the state since 1990.
The chorale is directed by Odell Hobbs, a recognized authority on African-American music.
Admission to today's performance is $3 for adults and $1 for students. Tickets, available at the door, will go on sale at 6 p.m.
\ A FAMILY AFFAIR: Montgomery County Schools' Chapter One Program will offer a "Family Literacy Celebration" Saturday at New River Valley Mall in Christiansburg. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and promises four hours of fun.
Reading and writing centers, computer activities, games, puppet shows and book displays are planned. Kids big and small will have opportunities to meet celebrities from the Virginia Tech football team, and there will be a special appearance by Clifford the Dog.
All activities are free and open to the public.
\ AH, YOUTH! The Roanoke Youth Symphony and Roanoke Junior Strings will perform Sunday at 3 p.m. in a free concert for the public. It's happening in Radford University's Preston Auditorium.
Violinist Jessica Edgar, 14, is the featured soloist in Bruch's Violin Concerto. Edgar was the 1992 winner of the Young Artist Competition sponsored by the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra.
The youth symphony also will perform Bizet's "Carmen Suite," Mussorgsky's "Night on Bald Mountain," the finale from Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, Sibelius' "Finlandia" and selections from "Phantom of the Opera."
The orchestra is led by James Glazebrook.
Director Joanne Steele will conduct the Junior Strings, a 35-member string orchestra. The local concert is a gift from the New River Valley Friends of the Roanoke Symphony and Taco Bell. Students attending may register for two $100 scholarships to be awarded at the performance.