Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, April 15, 1994 TAG: 9404150061
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: CURRENT EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: Donna Alvis Banks
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Blue eye shadow. Bell-bottom jeans. Excessively functional families.
Far out!
"The Brady Bunch" - the disgustingly cheery television sitcom that brought us Robert Reed, Florence Henderson and their six very lovely offspring - first aired in the fall of 1969. The show held a prime-time spot on ABC for five seasons.
The series went into syndication even before it went off the air. Today, the show is still one of the 10 most popular shows in syndication.
That explains why some of us know all the lyrics to the "Brady Bunch" theme song.
The Virginia Tech Union is bringing us a nostalgic treat Monday when "The Real Live Brady Bunch," a traveling stage show, comes to Burruss Auditorium for a 7:30 p.m. performance. The Brady family look-alikes will perform an actual episode from the show, using the original script.
The evening begins with "The Real Live Game Show," a game-show spoof where audience members participate by answering trivia questions about "The Brady Bunch."
The grand prize for one lucky winner is, of course, a car.
Don't ask what kind of car.
"The Real Live Brady Bunch" follows with a re-creation of the popular episode, "Getting Davy Jones." That's the one where the Brady family plots to get Marcia's heartthrob, singer Davy Jones of The Monkees, to sing for her high school prom.
The REAL LIVE Davy Jones will play himself in this guest appearance at Virginia Tech.
Tickets for Monday's show are on sale at the box office in Squires Student Center. They are $4 for Tech students or $7 for everyone else. Ticket sales at the door Monday start at 6:45 p.m.
FINALLY! "The 1994 Brush Mountain arts and crafts fair has been in the planning stages for months and promises to be the best ever," according to Cynthia Jennison.
Jennison, coordinator of the 23rd annual fair, says more than 125 artists and craftsmen will participate in this year's event. It starts today and runs through Sunday at Virginia Tech's Rector Fieldhouse.
In addition to the huge display of arts and crafts, there will be lots of activities for kids, a variety of food vendors and plenty of live entertainment.
Here's the entertainment schedule:
Today
4 p.m. Fred Benfield, folk musician
5:15 p.m. Skeeter & The Skidmarks, old-time fiddle music
6:25 p.m. Blacksburg German Oompah Band, polkas and waltzes
7:35 p.m. Kerri Taylor & Company, contemporary country vocals
Saturday
10 a.m. Ken Hamblin, storytelling and dulcimer music
10:55 a.m. Simple Gifts, traditional folk music
12:35 p.m. The Rainmakers, classic rock 'n' roll and R&B
2 p.m. Virginia Highlands Pipe and Drums, Scottish bagpipe band
2:35 p.m. Hoorah Cloggers, clogging with an old-time band
3:40 p.m. Robin Rich, traditional and folk music from America and the British Isles
5 p.m. Greg Howard, "stick" musician, jazz and world music
Sunday
Noon, Chris Saunders, acoustic folk music
1:20 p.m. Riverboat Ramblers, Dixieland jazz
2:15 p.m. Blacksburg Community Band, symphonic music
3 p.m. Ascension, rock music
4 p.m. Mountain Fling, old-time mountain music
Roving entertainers include the Uncalled 4, a barbershop quartet, performing from 4 to 5 p.m. today, and Barnabus the Clown, performing from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday. Also on Saturday, kids will enjoy a variety of art projects planned by the Association of Early Childhood Education of Virginia Tech. A few of the offerings are sculpting, puppet making, creative writing and finger weaving.
Admission to the fair is $2 for adults. Youths 16 and under get in free.
The Brush Mountain Arts and Crafts Fair is a fund-raiser for the Voluntary Action Center of Montgomery County, an organization that helps recruit, train and place volunteers with local agencies such as Habitat for Humanity, Hospice, the Free Clinic, the Agency on Aging and many others.
CALLING ALL SQUARES: The Blacksburg Old-Time Music and Dance Group is having its next mountain square dance Saturday. The fancy dancing starts at 8 p.m. in Gilbert Linkous Elementary School on Toms Creek Road.
Rattlesnake Chili, a band from Natural Bridge, will play the tunes. Dudley Culp, founder of the Green Grass Cloggers, is the caller.
Admission to the dance is $4, and it's open to beginners and experienced dancers alike.
The Blacksburg Old-Time Music and Dance Group is an informal gathering of dancers and musicians who promote the traditions of the Southern mountains. In addition to the monthly dances, the group also sponsors a jam session for fiddlers, clawhammer banjo pickers and other musicians every Tuesday night at Roni's Restaurant in Blacksburg.
For more information, call Ginger Wagner at 951-2349.
CLEANIN' TIME AGAIN: In Montgomery County, it's called Broomin' and Bloomin'.
In Radford, it's called Cleanin' and Greenin'.
No matter what you call it, it's a great way for folks to show they care about the environment.
Community cleaning efforts in Montgomery County and Radford start at 8:30 Saturday morning. Residents are asked to participate by picking up litter, cleaning dumpsites and recycling waste materials.
For more information on Broomin' and Bloomin', call Dawn French, coordinator of the Montgomery County Improvement Council, at 382-5793.
For details about Cleanin' and Greenin', call Bob Thomas after 1 p.m. at 633-0081.
MUSIC FROM THE HEART: Clay Crosse's inspiration as a singer comes from his inspiration as a Christian.
Crosse will perform songs from his new album, "My Place Is With You," in a concert Saturday in 100 McBryde Hall on the Virginia Tech campus. It starts at 7:30 p.m.
One of the songs from the album, "I Surrender All," is a big hit on the contemporary Christian music charts.
Admission to Saturday's concert is $5. Tickets are available at the box office in Squires Student Center.
Sponsors for Crosse's appearance at Virginia Tech are New Life Campus Fellowship, Collegiate Christian Life, Intervarsity, Chi Alpha, Straight Street Youth Center and WPIN.
SWEET SOUNDS: Guitarist Robert Trent of Radford University's music faculty has received rave reviews in both The New York Times and The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The critics say "his interpretations are dignified, formal and carefully thought out."
Trent will perform in an 8 p.m. recital Monday at Radford University's Preston Auditorium. The concert includes solo performances on the modern guitar, as well as a 19th-century guitar.
Trent also will perform with his wife, pianist Pamela Swenson Trent.
Admission for Monday's recital is $3 for adults and $1 for children. Tickets will be available at the door.
by CNB