ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, June 21, 1996 TAG: 9606210009
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: The Tipoff
SOURCE: ALMENAH HUGHES
PRETEEN PARTY: The 11- to 13-year-old set will get down tonight at a get together from 7 to 10 at Eureka Recreation Center in Roanoke. Music by a local disc jockey, dancing, prizes and games are among the attractions included in the $2 admission fee. Call Stephanie Holland, 981-1279.
EARLY START: To help restore the Franklin County homeplace of Confederate Gen. Jubal A. Early, the Jubal A. Early Preservation Trust will conduct historic tours of 11 pre-Civil War sites including Early's homeplace, cemetery, farm and cabin. Tours will be held Saturday 9 a.m -5 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Ticket costs range from $5 for a single-site tour to $25 for two-days' admission. Call (800) 616-8203; (540) 483-9542 or (540) 334-5424.
BATTLE ACTS: Virginia's Explore Park in Roanoke County will recreate a 1756 French and Indian battle over Fort Vause, once located near Shawsville. Ceremonies, to be held at 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, will include a dramatic reading and memorial service, followed by a re-enactment of the battle. Children in period clothing will play Colonial-period games, storekeepers will sell hand-crafted items, and re-enactors will set up military encampments and demonstrations depicting life in the Roanoke Valley in the 1700s. The park, near Blue Ridge Parkway mile post 115, is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday through Monday. Tickets cost $6 for adults and $4 for students. Admission is free for children under 6. Call 427-1800.
ART ABOARD: Artrain, the Smithsonian Institution's touring art museum on a train, will be featured at Pulaski's third annual Depot Days Festival. Arts and crafts, classic cars, a boat show, a kid's zone, music, an airmobile, duck race and antique show will be among the attractions. The festival, today through Sunday in Jackson Park, starts daily at 9 a.m. Call 980-5342.
WHY WEIGHT: The Southwestern Antique Tractor Association will present its first antique tractor pull on Saturday at Franklin County Recreation Park. A special kiddie pedal tractor pull will be included. Weigh in is at 10:30 a.m.; pull time is noon. Bring a lawn chair; admission is free. Call 334-5648; 334-2421; 483-0073 or 334-2475.
GOSPEL GATHERING: Nationally known contemporary Christian group Bill Gaither and Friends will perform gospel music at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Roanoke Civic Center. Reserved tickets range from $11.50-$19.50. Call 981-1201.
VIRGINIA VINO: The Roanoke Valley Wine Festival, to be held Saturday at Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center, will feature samples of some of Virginia's best wines, gourmet foods and live jazz from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Taster tickets for the Roanoke Jaycees' event cost $8 in advance, $12 at the gate. Nontaster tickets cost $5. Call 345-1316.
RUSSIAN REPERTORY: The Barter Theatre in Abingdon will host the Rybinsk Municipal Drama Theatre, a Russian troupe, today through Sunday. The troupe will present Tolstoy's "Kasatka," a romantic comedy; Ostrovsky's "It's Not Always A Holiday for the Cat," a comedy; and "I Am Counting Til 5," a lively children's musical. The plays will be presented in Russian with simultaneous English translation. For show times and costs, call (800) 368-3240.
LEE'S LOVE: "The General and His Lady" is a creative recounting of the life of Mary Custis Lee from the day she set her sights on Robert E. Lee through the day she became his widow. The performances will be Saturday, Wednesday and June 29 at the Blue Ridge Dinner Theatre, Ferrum. All performances are preceded by a meal; Saturday's includes a preshow conversation with the director and playwright. Call 365-4335.
WILD WILDER: Webb Wilder will perform his grungy, groovy Nashville-Liverpool-London hybrid music Sunday at 8 p.m. at the Iroquois Club in Roanoke. The show will celebrate Wilder's newest album. Call 345-6335 or 982-8979.
POLITICALLY COMIC: Comedian, columnist, "Political Pundit of the Potomac" Mark Russell will perform at 8 p.m. June 28 at the Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center. The 21-season Public Broadcast TV veteran credits his fresh topical humor to his 535 unwitting writers - 100 in the Senate and 435 in the House of Representatives. Tickets cost $100 per person. Call 344-0991 or (800) 221-0991.
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