
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, May 5, 1995                   TAG: 9505050043
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: STACY JONES
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Long

THE TIPOFF

PIG OUT: Behave yourself this morning - try to stop at one donut - and you'll be rewarded later at the Community School's 15th Annual Strawberry Festival. This is the alternative school's major fund-raising event and it has pulled out all the stops. Homemade strawberry shortcakes, 7,200 of them, and 4,800 pints of fresh berries are just the tip of the dessert cart. There will be ice cream, whipped cream, strawberry sundaes, strawberry slushes and chocolate-covered strawberries. Children's games, musicians, jugglers and magicians are also scheduled. Dessert prices range from $2.75-$3.75. The festival takes place today and tomorrow at Crestar Plaza, near the City Market. Hours are 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Call 563-5036.

RETRO POP: As confirmation that popular music didn't begin with the release of the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack, take a drive to Lynchburg this Thursday and check out the Cherry Jubilees. The 30-member chorus will take listeners on a musical tour of the '40s, '50s and '60s as part of its ``On the Air'' spring concert. ``Splish-Splash,'' ``The Peppermint Twist,'' and ``Tuxedo Junction,'' are just a sample of the golden oldies you will hear. The Jubilees will perform at 8 p.m. at the Cherry Tree Playhouse in the Boonsboro Shopping Center. Tickets are $6. Call (804) 384-4577.

TRIPLE PLAY: The much-honored and multi-talented Kandinsky Trio will perform its last concert of the 1994-95 season on Sunday. The program, part of the Trio's residency at Roanoke College, will include guest artists Richard Cummins, an organist, and trumpet virtuoso Richard Kelley, a former member of Meridian Arts Ensemble in New York. The concert will begin with a Haydn Trio in C major and conclude with a performance of Josef Rheinberger's Suite for Violin, Violoncello and Organ, Op. 149. The concert will be held at Greene Memorial United Methodist Church at 4 p.m. Admission is $9/$7 for senior citizens. Call 375-2333 Monday-Friday between 2-5 p.m.

HOLY JALAPENO: We've all heard of ``Five-Alarm Chili,'' but how about ``Toxic Chili,'' or ``Gastro Fiasco Chili?'' You'll encounter all of these and more in the market area this weekend at the 16th Annual Virginia Championship Chili Cookoff. Sixty-plus chili doctors will be simmering away Saturday as they vie for the chance to compete in the international cookoff in Nevada. Festival-goers can dip into the various chilis, listen to country music or gear up for some line dancing. The truly adventurous can enter the chili pepper-eating contest. The event kicks off tonight with the First Friday gathering and Art by Night. It concludes Sunday with downtown restaurants competing for the ``Best Chili'' title. Admission and chili samples are free. Call 342-2028.

BLOW OUT THE CANDLES: You and your kids will get the chance if you show up at Mill Mountain Zoo this Sunday. Why? Because it's Ruby's birthday. Still confused? Ruby is everyone's favorite Siberian Tiger and she will be 8 years old. You're invited to take part in the celebration - and partake of the birthday cake. Other activities include a presentation by winners of an art contest on why they think tigers are such special creatures. Zoo docents will explain Ruby's history at the Zoo. The party runs from 2-4 p.m. Admission is $3.50 for adults, $2 for children under 12 and free for kids under 2. Call 343-3241.

CINEMA VERITE: People laughed at Quentin Tarantino once, now look at him. You just never know, which is one good reason to visit Hollins College's video extravaganza. Actually, it's a screening of student videos and films from spring production classes. Plan to spend Tuesday evening at Babcock Auditorium in Dana Science Building viewing some rough and maybe not-so-rough cuts. The screening begins at 7:15 p.m. Admission is free. Call 362-6452.

WALKIN` THE WALK: Not all learning takes place in the classroom. Sometimes you have to get your education from the streets - as in a parade. The Harrison Museum of African American Culture is sponsoring the Black History Celebration Parade this Saturday. The march, which salutes African American educators and institutions, will take off from Longwood Park in Salem at 2 p.m., travel west on Main Street and turn south onto Broad Street. The grand marshals - the superintendents of Salem, Roanoke County and Roanoke City schools - will lead more than 20 participating churches, organization and schools (and their floats) along the route. Call 345-4818.

PUSHING THE ENVELOPE: That's what the Live Arts Theatre Ensemble will do when it presents David Ives` critically acclaimed ``All in the Timing.'' This collection of one-act plays tests the audience's capacity for disorientation. One critic described it as ``postcards from the weirdo edge.'' Clive Barnes of the New York Times declared it ``hilarious and brilliantly calculated.'' Sixteen actors take part in this ensemble production. ``All in the Timing,'' begins Wednesday at the Live Arts Space on Market Street in Charlottesville and runs through Saturday, May 13. Performances start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $8-10/$6-8 for Live Arts members. Call (804) 296-0550.

by CNB