ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, February 23, 1996 TAG: 9602230091
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: THE TIPOFF
SOURCE: ALMENA HUGHES
AWESOME AUTOS: Custom cars, antiques and classics, street rods, race cars, pro-streets, muscle cars, 4-wheel drives, off-road vehicles, motorcycles and vans are among the 90-plus vehicles filling two floors of displays at the Roanoke Civic Center for the 16th annual MDA Car Show.
Other attractions include a NASCAR race car simulator ride, a model-car contest, remote-control vehicle exhibitions and races. A racing memorabilia auction will be held tonight at 8, and an outdoor automotive flea market opens at 8:30 Saturday morning.
The Roanoke Valley Charity Car Show Committee, a volunteers' group that prides itself on having raised over $250,000 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association since 1981, will again donate proceeds to the MDA.
Show hours are from 5 - 10 p.m. today; 10 a.m. - 10 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. -5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $5 for adults; $2. 50 for children 6-12 and free for children younger than 6. Call 772-3237 or 366-4656.
MAGIC MAN: Local illusionist Mark Fuller will target tots when he performs Saturday at 10 a.m. as part of the Children's Series at the Brambleton Center in Roanoke County, but you can bet their parents, who will be requested to stay with their children during the performance, will be equally entertained.
Admission is $3. Call 387-6086.
STANDING START: The idea of the Standing Room Only Concert Series, debuting Saturday, is to book high-quality national acts at a discount for "pick-up" dates between larger shows. People who complain that "Nobody good ever comes to Roanoke," will get the name entertainment they crave, and the shows' proceeds will aid local children's charities.
Bill Kirchen - Commander Cody's lead guitar player for 10 albums - and Too Much Fun kick off the periodic concerts at 9:30 p.m. at the Coffee Pot in Roanoke. Tickets cost $12 in advance, $15 at the door. For reservations, call 342-3346.
LEAP DAY LAUGHS: "The Greeter," which is about an earthling who left the planet in 1975 and now wants to return, and the angels who aim to aid him, will make your lunch hour merry as the February Centerpiece at Mill Mountain Theatre.
The staged reading, directed by Frances Goodwin Trotter, marks motion picture technician Stephen R. Johnstone's debut as a Centerpiece playwright.
Bring a brown-bag meal or buy one from the limited number available at the theater to eat during the play if you'd like.
The free performance starts at 12:15 p.m. Thursday at Mill Mountain Theatre, Center in the Square, Roanoke. Call 342-5740. (Note that this month's performance does not fall on the traditional Wednesday of the Centerpiece series.)
HEEEERE'S DOC!: Actually, former ``Tonight Show'' bandleader Doc Severinsen won't be in Radford University's Preston Auditorium until 8 p.m. next Friday. But tickets, at $15 for the general public and $7.50 for children, are going fast to see the famous trumpeter whose flamboyant attire fueled many of comedian/host Johnny Carson's jokes. Call 831-5420.
LENGTH: Medium: 64 linesby CNB