Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, May 27, 1994 TAG: 9405270077
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: CURRENT EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: Donna Alvis Banks
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
West Virginia, that is.
If you're in the mood for a day trip, head for Bluefield's Mercer Mall. Perry's Jewelry Emporium is bringing an exhibit of treasures recovered from the Nuestra Senora de Atocha, the Spanish galleon that sank off the Florida Keys in 1622. The valuable collection of silver and gold bars, coins, diamonds, emeralds, artifacts and ornamental jewelry will be on display Thursday through June 5 at the mall.
The Atocha bounty was discovered by Mel Fisher and his crew after a 16-year quest. In 1968, Fisher gave up his career as a chicken farmer in California and moved his family to the Florida Keys to look for the lost fortune.
When The Atocha sank after being caught in a hurricane off the coast of the Florida Keys, it was loaded with wealth of the Indies en route to the king of Spain. Over the centuries, many people tried to locate the wreck, but none were as determined as Fisher.
During the long search for the sunken treasure, Fisher and his family endured financial hardship, despair and grief.
Fisher's oldest son, Dirk, drowned when his search-and-dive vessel capsized during a 1975 expedition. His wife, Angel, and crew member Rick Gage also died in the accident.
Fisher and his wife, Dolores, continued the search with their three surviving children and loyal crews.
On July 20, 1985, the explorers found what they thought was a small reef on the ocean floor. The find turned out to be a gigantic pile of silver ingots!
Fisher and his divers already have recovered artifacts estimated to be worth $400 million and the search goes on. The next dive is scheduled in June when the crew will look for many of the emeralds they believe to be buried in the Atlantic.
Members of Fisher's expedition will give multimedia presentations in the center court at Mercer Mall while the exhibition is there. Some of the gold and silver items from The Atocha will be available for purchase (prices start at $35 and go up-up-up!) and reproductions of items recovered from the ship will be on sale, too.
The exhibition will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday through June 4 and from 1 to 6 p.m. on June 5. Mercer Mall is between Bluefield and Princeton on Route 25 and U.S. 460.
PSALMS, HYMNS AND SPIRITUAL SONGS: The Florida Boys have been singing the Lord's praises for more than 40 years. Originally organized as the Gospel Melody Quartet in 1947, the group changed its name to The Florida Boys in 1955.
The Florida Boys were hosts of the most successful gospel music television show in history, "The Gospel Singing Jubilee." The show won several Dove Awards, the equivalent of the Grammy in gospel music.
Today, the group plays 50 weeks of the year at concerts all across the country. Current members are Les Beasley, Glen Allred, Derrell Stewart, Buddy Liles, Greg Cook and Tim Lovelace.
The Florida Boys will be at Auburn High School in Riner Saturday to do a benefit concert for Straight Street Youth Center. A guest performance by Southern Cross is planned, as well.
A $3 donation at the door is requested. All the money raised will go to Straight Street.
SUM-SUM-SUMMERTIME: : Blacksburg's Summer Arts Festival, an annual event sponsored by Virginia Tech and the Town of Blacksburg, officially gets underway today with a 6 p.m. concert on Henderson Hall lawn adjacent to College Avenue.
Catherine Breske & Trio will perform for this first of a series of outdoor concerts. The musical entertainment runs from 6 to 7:30 p.m. and members of the community are invited to bring a picnic dinner, blankets and lawn chairs for the warm weather fun.
The concerts continue each Friday through July 29. Lots of popular local musicians have agreed to perform.
In addition, the Summer Arts Festival features gallery exhibits, Wednesday evening films, plays and special events such as the Independence Day celebration and Steppin' Out festival.
All events are free and open to everyone.
For listings, check the Arts & Entertainment calendar each Friday in the New River Current.
GIRL TALK: "A Coupla White Chicks Sitting Around Talking," the play by John Ford Noonan that received lots of praise in its original off-Broadway run, is the current production by the Mountain Lake Players, a local theater troupe.
The production features actresses Sandy Lacy and Katie Gwinn who play two women who develop a friendship over coffee.
"Coffee is what brings the two women together," according to producer and director Wendy White.
White said the two characters played by Lacy and Gwinn, Hannah Mae Bindler and Maude Mix, seem to have little in common.
"Hannah Mae Bindler is Maude's opposite in so many ways," she said. "She's a big-hearted Texas lady, down-to-earth. Hannah Mae wants to coax Maude out from the books she's always hiding behind with 'coffee and lots of girl talk,' as she likes to put it. Maude's a tough nut to crack and you're rooting for Hannah Mae to succeed. The comedy comes out of the lengths she goes to, and the spectacle of Maude coming out of her shell."
The Mountain Lake Players will perform the play at two locations throughout the summer. Shows run most Saturdays at Mountain Lake Resort in Giles County. Also, starting this Wednesday, the play will run for seven consecutive Wednesday shows at the Pine Tavern Inn in Floyd.
Dinner theater specials will be offered at both sites. General admission to the show is also available at both.
For information about reservations and seating, call Mountain Lake Resort at (800) 346-3334 or the Pine Tavern Restaurant at 745-4482. For more information about the Mountain Lake Players, call 745-3960.
LIKE YESTERDAY: The Ken Epperly Band, a local favorite for over 30 years, will play tunes from the '30s, '40s and beyond Saturday at Anna's Restaurant in Narrows. The band plays for ballroom dances and social functions in both the New River and Roanoke valleys, as well as frequenting resorts such as The Greenbriar, The Homestead, Wintergreen and Mountain Lake.
The combo features Charles Weiss on piano, Tom Williams on percussion, Bob Lefever on sax, Joe Gollehon on trumpet and, of course, Ken Epperly on trombone.
Saturday's event at Anna's Restaurant starts with dinner at 7 p.m. The entertainment commences at 8 and dancing starts at 9.
To make reservations or for more information, call 726-3545.
ON HER WAY: Dorothy Porter will graduate from Blacksburg High School next month. After that, she'll be on her way to a ministry of music. She plans to enter St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., this fall to pursue a degree in church music as an organ major.
Porter, the daughter of Duncan and Sarah Porter of Blacksburg, will present an organ recital Saturday at 8 p.m. in Blacksburg Presbyterian Church. She will play works by Bach, Kaufmann, Dandrieu, Brahms, Dupre, Walcha and Dale Wood. Following the recital, you're invited to a reception for Porter in the fellowship hall at the church.
Porter's organ teacher is Katherine Burkhart. She has studied piano with Burkhart, Anna Mitchell and Margaret Hasselman and currently studies with Anne Krauss. For the past three years, she also has sang with the Blacksburg Master Chorale directed by Craig Fields.
Admission to Saturday's recital is free.
by CNB