Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, September 17, 1993 TAG: 9309160130
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
CRE8TIV
THX DAD
YO MAMA
Those are just a few of my favorites.
License plates, that is.
The Automobile License Plate Collectors Association, an international organization dedicated to preserving license plates for posterity, is in town.
No, I am not LYING2U!
The collectors are in town for the fourth annual Old Dominion License Plate Meet on Saturday. It's happening from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Blacksburg Holiday Inn.
License plate lovers from all over the country will convene for some serious swapping. The collectors have rare and unusual plates.
Kenneth Brim of Christiansburg, a member of the association and organizer of the Old Dominion meet, said attendance is open to the public.
"In fact, I would like to encourage participation by the general public," he said. "License plate collecting is an unusual hobby."
Brim said local folks are welcome to view the displays and talk with participants at the meet.
"Someone may become a collector after seeing firsthand the varieties of plates collected," he noted.
Collectors will be eligible to win several awards, including "Best of Show" for in-state and out-of-state displays. Also, there's a donation auction at noon.
Admission to the meet is free. For more information, call Brim at 382-2880.
\ BLOWIN' IN THE WINDS: The New River Chamber Winds, a new ensemble made up of members of the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra and musicians from Virginia Tech and Radford University, will perform Tuesday at 8 p.m. in Radford's Preston Auditorium. This marks the first performance by the group director Mark Camphouse describes as "our area's finest professional wind, brass and percussion players."
Camphouse, who's also the director of bands at Radford University, said that several gifted student musicians will perform, too. He said the students are enhancing their musical education by rehearsing and performing with the pros.
Tuesday's program includes Camphouse's original "Ceremonial Fanfare," as well as works by Gounod, Rautavaara and Stravinsky.
Tickets, available at the door, are $3 for adults and $1 for children.
\ LIKE YOUR MUSIC SPICY? If so, you'll love the Grandsons of the Pioneers.
The group belts out a mix of New Orleans rhythm and blues, Western swing, rockabilly, Tex-Mex, mambo rhythms and two-step beats. They combine original tunes with their own adaptations of popular songs.
The band features guitarist Alan MacEwen on lead vocals and trumpet. Bassist Rick Jordan sings and also plays sousaphone. Jon Danforth is the percussionist, and Chris Whatling plays tenor and baritone saxophones as well as accordion.
The Grandsons of the Pioneers will play at Blacksburg's South Main Cafe tonight, starting at 10. The cover charge is $4 if you're over 21 or $5 if you're under 21.
\ WHAT'S MORE FUN THAN A FESTIVAL? Lots of festivals!
Take your pick Saturday - or take in all of them.
The annual Wilderness Trail Festival runs from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in downtown Christiansburg.
People in Pembroke will be getting up early for the country breakfast that precedes the big festival on Snidow Street. It runs from 7 to 10 a.m. at the Pembroke Fire Department's Community Building. The festival gets under way at 10 a.m. and runs throughout the day.
In Blacksburg, the celebration is on the outskirts of town in the Mount Tabor community. The annual Mount Tabor Fall Festival at Slusser's Chapel runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
You'll find lots of crafts, entertainment, delicious homemade foods, contests, games and good spirits at all these festivals. Of course, each festival has its own specialties, too.
For details, see the listings in today's Arts & Entertainment calendar.
\ WHEELING: All of Josiah Tlou's pots are thrown on the wheel and marked by his wonderful African designs. Each stoneware piece has its own story to tell.
Tlou, an associate professor of education at Virginia Tech, uses African motifs, geometric figures and designs representative of Africa's cultural environment in his work. He started making pottery in the 1960s and studied with several of the world's best potters, including Marguerite Wildenhain and Dean Schwartz.
Tlou says he was able to put himself through graduate school with the money he earned through his hobby.
Today, Tlou's pottery is in private and museum collections. Several pieces are on display through Oct. 2 at Virginia Tech's Black Cultural Center. The center is at 126 Squires Student Center.
The center will have a slide presentation and reception for Tlou on Thursday at 6 p.m., and you're invited. RSVP by calling 231-5355.
\ A KING'S RANSOM OF VISUAL DELIGHTS: That's how Dell Siler describes Appalachia.
The Roanoke artist says he is fascinated by scenes many would consider commonplace or even ugly.
"The viewer can imagine stories of hard, strong people, boom-to-bust economic experiences and the slow, deliberate and often frustrating passage of time."
Starting in 1990, Siler devoted three years to putting together a collection of watercolor paintings he calls "Appalachian Impressions." The collection is the current display at Pulaski's Fine Arts Center for the New River Valley.
Siler, who did his undergraduate and graduate work in art at Radford University, won a first-place award at last year's Susquehanna Art Society show. He has won several awards at shows all over the country.
"Appalachian Impressions" will remain on display at the Fine Arts Center through Sept. 29. You can visit the gallery at 21 W. Main St. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., or Saturday, 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Admission is free.
\ A MOUTHFUL: There aren't many harmonica players around these days.
That's why you don't want to miss Randy Walker's performance Wednesday at Virginia Tech's Memorial Chapel. Walker will play for the Bach's Lunch concert at noon.
Some say Walker's music sounds like a solo violin. Others compare it to the sound of a human voice. He accompanies himself on acoustic guitar and plays original songs in addition to traditional songs of the Appalachian Mountains and British Isles.
Walker, who's the music director of Roanoke's Third Street Coffeehouse, is a regular at music festivals all over the state.
Wednesday's concert is free and you're welcome to bring your lunch for the midday melodies.
by CNB