ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, March 29, 1996 TAG: 9603290042
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: EXTRA EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: The Tipoff
SOURCE: ALMENA HUGHES
CLASSIC CRAFTS: The 25th annual Brush Mountain Arts and Crafts Fair at Virginia Tech's Rector Field House runs today through Sunday. It includes more than 100 booths of fine handmade arts and crafts from all over the world, plus entertainment, food and special activities for children. Proceeds benefit the Volunteer Action Center of Montgomery County, a nonprofit organization begun in 1972 that recruits, trains and places volunteers throughout the county. Fair hours are 4 - 9 p.m. today; 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. Saturday; and noon - 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $2; free for children under 16. Call 552-4909.
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE: The Roanoke Regional Home Builders Association's Better Living Expo '96 to find what's needed for springtime spruce-ups. More than 150 exhibitors will fill the Salem Civic Center for The Home Show with products to repair, remodel, maintain or even build a home. Plus, there'll be giveaways, such as white pine seedlings on Saturday morning, and free seminars on a range of subjects. Hours are 3 -9 p.m. today; 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. Saturday; and noon - 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $3 for adults, $2 for seniors, and free for children under 12. Call 389-7135.
BEATRIX BALLET: The Lynchburg Regional Ballet Theatre will dance tonight through Sunday in a fabulous fantasy land of Peter Rabbit, Jemima Puddle Duck, Jeremy Fisher, Tom Kitten and other beloved Beatrix Potter characters. "The Tales of Beatrix Potter," at the Lynchburg Fine Arts Center, will be performed tonight and Saturday at 8 and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $7 - $12. Call (804) 846-3804.
SINGING SISTERS: The Franklin County Community Theater will present the hilarious musical comedy "Nunsense" tonight through Sunday. The show, voted best off-Broadway musical of 1986, is about the outrageous antics of five nuns seeking to raise funds to save their convent. It will be performed in the Franklin County High School auditorium tonight and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. Tickets cost $5 for adults; $3 for seniors and students. Call 483-5105.
ART APLENTY: Changes in this year's annual fund-raiser for the Free Clinic of the New River Valley include the name. Once the "art auction," it is now an "art benefit" to better reflect the nature of the event. The structure also has changed. The number of items in the silent bidding has nearly doubled and the value of those items has increased as well. The benefit, Saturday at the Blacksburg Holiday Inn, will include more than 100 Southwest Virginia artists. It will open at 6 p.m. with the live bidding starting at 7:30 p.m. Call 381-0820 or 231-6997.
MINI MICE: Fourteen participants, ages 7-15, will portray mice from different countries extolling, in song and dance, each others' cheeses. The free Theatre Adventure, sponsored by Radford University's Community Arts School, will be in Radford's Powell Hall 149 at 3 p.m. on Saturday. Call 831-5177.
EGGSTRA! EGGSTRA! The City of Salem Parks and Recreation Department and McDonald's will present the annual City of Salem Easter Egg Hunt for children ages 3-12 on Saturday at 10 a.m. at Longwood Park. (Younger children can get treats from the Easter Bunny.) Bring a container for your goodies and meet the bunny plus McDonald's birdie. In case of rain, the hunt will be held at 10 a.m. on April 6. Call 375-3057.
GET STEAMED: See and ride live steam, coal-fired 1/8-scale operational locomotives and train cars, as Blue Ridge Live Steamers Inc. holds its first meet of the year at Burnt Chimney. The event, to be held Saturday, noon-5 p.m., is free but donations are accepted. Call 362-2208, 380-2499 or 721-6413.
BALL, Y'ALL: There are still a few tickets left for the Roanoke Symphony Volunteer Association's gala dinner-dance for the opening of Fitzpatrick Hall at The Jefferson Center. The event, Saturday 6:30 p.m.-1 a.m., raises funds for the Roanoke Youth Symphony and also marks the formal opening of the hall honoring Jefferson Center Foundation Chairman Judge Beverly Fitzpatrick. Call 343-6221.
Speaking of the youth symphony, its members will perform individually in the 14th annual Young Artists' Competition at 7 p.m. Sunday in Hollins College's Talmadge Hall. There is no admission charge. Call 343-6221.
CHORAL CO-OP: The Roanoke College Preparatory Division of Music Children's Choir, consisting of 130 students, ages 8 -15, will perform separately and with the Woden Valley Youth Choir from Canberra, Australia, on Wednesday. The Aussie group, in its 25-year existence, has done everything from Christmas TV specials to command performances. Our local folks recently placed second among 30 choirs at Princeton University's Invitational Choir Competition. The event begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Roanoke Civic Center Auditorium. Tickets cost $8 in advance, $10 at the door. Call 981-1201 or 343-8100.
LENGTH: Medium: 93 linesby CNB