Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, July 30, 1993 TAG: 9307290064
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: Donna Alvis-Banks
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Keep those coaches rollin' . . .
The Cruisin' Cajuns are coming! So are the Central Florida Roadrunners, the Prevost Prouds and the Swinging Golfers International.
More than 4,000 motor coaches and their people are expected to roll into Blacksburg this weekend for the Family Motor Coach Association's 30th Summer International Convention. It officially opens Tuesday and runs through Thursday at Virginia Tech.
If you've been spelunking this week, you may have missed the early arrivals. Several caravans representing various chapters in the association already are here for pre-convention rallies. The Southeast Region chapter is having a pow-wow now at New River Valley Mall.
The excursionists couldn't have picked a better time to visit the New River Valley. The New River Valley Fair in Dublin gets under way Saturday and continues all next week.
Likewise, they'll be here just in time for Blacksburg's popular street festival, Steppin' Out. The celebration, put on by the Downtown Merchants Association, has been extended one day this year. It opens Thursday and runs through Aug. 7.
Those of us who are local yokels have some treats in store, too. The convention will offer lots of interesting exhibits and demonstrations. These are open to the public.
An outdoor exhibit of more than 300 motor homes will be set up in the parking lot at Lane Stadium. Indoor exhibits, featuring clothes, furniture and snazzy motor coach accessories, will be held inside Rector Field House. Day passes to the exhibit areas will be available for $5.
Of course, traffic will be heavy in the valley this weekend. Plan accordingly.
\ SNEAK PREVIEW: Rehearsals for the upcoming community production of "Oklahoma!" are going strong. You're invited to sit in on one tonight.
Members of the cast of this lively Rodgers and Hammerstein musical will perform selections at an outdoor concert on Virginia Tech's Henderson Hall lawn. The concert starts at 6.
Bring a picnic supper and blankets or lawn chairs for the outdoor seating. If it rains, scratch the blankets and head for Squires Student Center. The show will go on.
The free concert is part of Blacksburg's Summer Arts Festival '93.
\ SHOW ME: Cathy Barton and Dave Para are from the "Show Me" state.
Their music is rooted in the rolling hills of the Ozarks.
The Missouri duo will perform traditional Ozark folk music Saturday in a concert at Virginia Tech. It starts at 8 p.m. in 100 McBryde Hall.
Barton and Para sing and play hammered dulcimer, banjo and guitar. They're also expert folklorists.
Saturday's concert will be an informal show sponsored by the YMCA at Virginia Tech. Admission at the door is $5 for adults. There's no charge for kids 12 and under.
\ ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL: Sandy Jordan loves them all.
The artist, a native Virginian who studied in the Southwest before returning to live in Shawsville, has received a whole slew of awards for her realistic wildlife paintings. Her motivation is a concern for the environment.
"Our only hope of saving the environment is by educating people and increasing their awareness of nature's fragile and complex beauty," Jordan says of her work.
Her hope is that her art will draw viewers into the world of nature and its inhabitants and make them more involved in the enjoyment and preservation of the earth.
Jordan's paintings focus on birds, mammals and other animals in their natural habitats. When she's not in her studio, you can find her in the field where she tracks and observes her subjects.
A collection of works by Jordan will go on display at Montgomery Museum's Lewis Miller Regional Art Center on Sunday. The show will continue through Aug. 29.
A reception for Jordan will be held from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Aug. 8 at the museum. It's at 300 Pepper St. in Christiansburg.
The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Sunday, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Admission is free.
\ ABRAKADABRA: If you're in the mood for magic, make tracks for the library.
Free magic shows for children are planned at the Radford Public Library and at all branches of the Montgomery-Floyd Regional Library.
Lou Page, a magician from Norfolk, will visit the Radford library Saturday for a 1 p.m. show. The program, "Discover Magic in Your Library," is a finale for the library's Summer Reading Program.
Master magician Eddie Armbrister of Wytheville will perform at the Blacksburg and Christiansburg libraries Monday. Show times are 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. at the Blacksburg branch on Draper Road. There's a 2 p.m. performance at the Christiansburg headquarters library, 125 Sheltman St. Armbrister will give a second show at the Christiansburg location at 11 a.m. Wednesday. On Tuesday, the tricks are at the Jessie Peterman Memorial branch library in Floyd. Armbrister will entertain kids there at 10 a.m.
\ YOU'VE HEARD OF THE MUSIC MAN? Meet The Music Lady!
Mary Kunsman, who calls herself The Music Lady, will bring her puppets, her electric autoharp and her repertoire of songs to Virginia Tech's Memorial Chapel on Wednesday. Kunsman is performing for the Bach's Lunch program from noon to 1 p.m.
Youngsters, as well as adults, will enjoy singing along with The Music Lady and her friends. A variety of fun tunes and old love songs are on the program.
As always, Bach's Lunch concerts are free and you're welcome to bring a lunch and relax during the midday break.
by CNB