ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, April 19, 1996 TAG: 9604190072
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: The Tipoff
SOURCE: ALMENA HUGHES
TUNA TALE: Veteran actors Jeff McCoy and Brian Compton portray 20 typical residents of Tuna, Texas, going through a typically hilarious Tuna-type day in Playmakers & Company's wacky and irreverent presentation of "Greater Tuna" tonight through May 5 at Playmakers' Playhouse in Blacksburg's University Mall. The curtain goes up at 7:30 nightly and at 2 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets, at $6 for adults or $4 for students and senior citizens, are available at the door. Call 382-0154.
JOYFUL NOISE: Tonight, The Mighty Clouds of Joy will show the stuff that earned them six Grammy awards during their 30-plus year career. The group, which also received Best Gospel Album of the Year in 1992, will perform at 8 p.m. in Sweet Briar College's Babcock Auditorium. Call (804) 381-6120.
FLIP SIDE: Members of Kiwanis of Roanoke Valley will flip flapjacks Saturday to raise funds for various civic service projects. The group will be at Towers Shopping Center, Brandon access road, from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. A $4 ticket for adults, $2 for children, buys sausage, pancakes and beverage on the first helping and unlimited pancakes and beverage thereafter.
ADO AT THE ZOO: Earth Day, celebrated Saturday and Sunday at Mill Mountain Zoo and neighboring Mill Mountain Park, will spark numerous exhibits, speakers and activities. For specifics and schedules of the collaborative events among the zoo, Blue Ridge Environmental Network and Roanoke City Parks and Recreation, call 343-3241.
HARPS HAPPENING: Song Hee Uhm will be joined by 20 Roanoke harpists, including students from the Roanoke County Public Schools Harp Ensemble and WDBJ-TV morning anchor Melanie Moon, in a concert spanning Bach to Tourmier. The free performance is at 7 p.m. Saturday in Roanoke College's Olin Hall. Call 375-2333.
COAL MINERS' DAUGHTERS: as well as other family members will be the focus of the third annual Coal Miners' Day celebration Saturday from 10 a.m to 4 p.m at the McCoy Community Ballfield (Virginia 652, six miles west of Blacksburg). Attractions will include mountain music, crafts and living history exhibits of a demonstration coal mine and a miner's cottage. Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Abingdon, will be the keynote speaker for a 1 p.m. ceremony honoring ex-miners.
The educational and charitable Coal Mining Heritage Association of Montgomery County, since its founding in 1994, has built a Coal Miners' Monument at McCoy and co-produced a video documentary. Admission is free; the rain date is April 27.
ART OUT: Works by Edward Beyer, the German artist who traveled through Virginia in the 1850s and later produced a great many works depicting scenes of midcentury Virginia, will receive a special showing at the Art By The James Art Show & Sale, Saturday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Local and regional artists, photographers, crafters and entertainers also will display their wares at various sites along Main Street, Buchanan. Admission is free. Call 992-3003.
HARD TO BEAT: Master African drummer and teacher Baba Ngoma will perform at 11 a.m. at the Earth Day Celebration on Mill Mountain. He also will be the featured open-mike performer Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Roanoke's Awakenings Cafe. Ngoma, a master of the Djembe and Junjun drums, has studied African rhythms in Senegal, Ghana, the Ivory Coast and Egypt for more than 50 years. Both events are free. To sign up as a potential open-mike performer at the cafe, call 334-1977.
HOG MILD: From noon to 6 p.m. Saturday at Salem Municipal Ballfield, the Roanoke Valley Harley Owners Group will present bands and activities to benefit the Roanoke Valley Therapeutic Riding Program, Inc., a nonprofit horseback riding program for disabled children and adults. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted and appreciated. Call 776-8665.
DIPLOMATS' DANCE: On Saturday, Richmond-based Kaswa dance ensemble will present Inca, Aztec, Mayan, Mexican, Cuban, Afro-Peruvian and similar choreography that furthers its mission to promote cross-cultural communication and understanding. The event, at 8 p.m. in Radford University's Preston Auditorium, is free. Call 831-5324.
FLOWER POWER: Saturday through April 27 marks the 63rd Historic Garden Week in Virginia, with member clubs offering tours of private homes and gardens to aid restoration of important historic gardens and grounds across the commonwealth. Tickets range from about $10 -$12. The Roanoke tour will be Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Call 343-4519. Lynchburg's tour is Tuesday, 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. Call 384-0868 for details. The Danville tour is 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. Thursday. Call (804) 791-1335.
WE ARE THE WORLD: Or at least a little of it. More than 30 diverse ethnic and cultural groups fill downtown Roanoke and Center in the Square on Sunday with representative music, arts, crafts, entertainment. A Parade of Nations at noon opens the five-hour festival. Admission is free for most events. A $2 passport, entitling bearer to food samples and a chance to win a trip to Cancun, Mexico, also will be available. Call 342-5700 or 342-2028.
MEET THE MAESTRO: The Roanoke Symphony Orchestra's new music director will at long last be introduced Monday as part of RSO's World Classics Concerts, pairing the orchestra and the 120-voice Roanoke Valley Choral Society in a performance of Verdi's "Messa de Requiem." The show will begin at 8 p.m. in the Roanoke Civic Center Auditorium. A preconcert discussion there will be held at 6:30 p.m. Also, a free open rehearsal will be held at the center Sunday from 2 to 4:30 p.m. For information, call 343-9127.
TICKETS TICKLER: Don't mess around and miss out on getting tickets to:
Five-time Grammy and 10-time Dove Award winner Larnelle Harris' performance at 7:30 p.m. Friday at First Baptist Church, Roanoke. Tickets cost $6 and are available at Christian bookstores or at the church. Call 224-3300.
"Henry Street!," the homegrown historical review, written by WSLS-TV's Community Services Director Greta Evans in 1986. Evans and musical director William Penn will co-direct and Evans narrate the shows at 8 p.m. Friday through April 27 and at 3 p.m. April 28 in Virginia Western Community College's Whitman Auditorium. Tickets are $10 at the Virginia Western Bookstore. For program information, call 857-7385; for tickets, 857-7334.
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