ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, August 30, 1996 TAG: 9608300013
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: The Tipoff
SOURCE: ALMENA HUGHES
RIDE THE RIVER: OK, so it's a lake. Enjoy it anyway, as chief ranger Tom Witowski leads you on a leisurely guided interpretive canoe trip of Smith Mountain Lake's coves at midmorning. Everything you need, including life vests, is covered in the $2 fee for adults or $1 fee for kids ages 5 to 12. Trip hours are Saturday, Sunday and Monday from 10 a.m.-noon. Meet at the boat ramp at Smith Mountain Lake Park. Register at the park office or call 297-6066.
RIDE THE RAILS: OK, so they're not the big boys. It's still a hoot - or is that a toot? - to experience the live steam, coal-fired, 1/8-scale operational locomotives and train cars at the Blue Ridge Live Steamers Labor Day weekend event.
Get on track Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at Virginia 688 and 689, near the Valley Rescue Squad building in Burnt Chimney. There is no admission charge, but donations will be appreciated. Call 362-2208, 380-2499 or 721-6413.
BE THERE AND BE SQUARE: Get a taste of western square dancing, with a little line dancing thrown in for good measure, at a free introductory session Saturday 7:30-9:30 p.m. at the Woodman of the World Lodge on Peters Creek Road, Roanoke.
George Shell will instruct and call. If you like what you learn, full-fledged beginner classes will begin on Sept. 10. Call 427-0255.
SUMMER BUMMER: The downside is that the Metro Blues Allstars' appearance traditionally signals the end of the summer season at Theater At Lime Kiln, Lexington. Everything else, though, is an all-out, get-up-and-dance party, with the main stage open for the audience to get down to the quintet's hybrid beats of jazz, blues, country and rock 'n' roll.
Tickets to the bash at 8 p.m. Sunday cost $15. Call 463-3074.
A LITTLE ITALY: The first Italian Festival of the Seven Hills, Thursday through Sept. 7, will include performances by Atlanta Rhythm Section, Firefall, Three Dog Night and the Drifters, plus skydivers, bocce courts, arts and crafts, loads of Italian foods and a 15-ride carnival.
Admission to the fest in Forest (Virginia Route 221) costs $7.50 for adults; $4.50 for children younger than 13. Funds will help establish a scholarship program and go towards several civic projects. It all starts happening at 3 p.m. on Thursday and at noon on Friday and Saturday. Call (804) 845-2105.
UNFORGETTABLE '50s: Playwright Angelyn DeBord draws on personal experiences growing up in North Carolina's Smoky Mountains to recall the bygone era through song and story. Her ballads, hymns and pop songs will be accompanied by Knoxville musician Nancy Strange on banjo and guitar.
There is no charge for the 10 a.m. performance Thursday at the Reynolds Homestead Continuing Education Center in Critz. You can even bring a favorite dish for a potluck luncheon following the play. Advanced registration is requested. Call 694-7181.
BOARDWALK BEAT: More than 20 national and regional acts performing on outdoor stages along the oceanside boardwalk today through Monday may make the trek to Virginia Beach worth your while. Among the freebies are KC & The Sunshine Band, Johnny Rivers; Eddie Money, The Rascals and The Boxtops. Headliners, for which tickets range from $5-$10 per performance, include Chuck Berry, Willie Nelson and Atlanta Rhythm Section, Huey Lewis and The News, The Temptations and The Four Tops.
Call (800) VA-BEACH; (800) 446-8038 or (800) 491-SUNN.
EAT, DRINK & BID MERRY: There's still time to make an offer for your preferred vintages among the more than 200 lots offered Sept. 6 at the Cork and Curtain wine auction to benefit Mill Mountain Theatre.
The $65 per person ticket price will include a bidding number for both silent and live auctions; passed hors d'oeuvres; wine tasting; a three-course gourmet seated dinner with wine; and entertainment by the Dave Figg jazz quartet. The black tie-optional affair at Hotel Roanoke starts at 6:30 p.m. Call 224-1217.
WINDY CITY: Some people in Chicago during this politically peaked week wish they could mimic Chicago City Limit's audiences and call out suggestions to the people on stage. Politicians being as they are, the responses might be equally irreverent. But Chicago City Limit's spontaneous, interactive humor is intentional.
The members of New York's longest-running comedy review, who have been doing their unique improvisational thing for more than 15 years, will perform at 8 p.m. Sept. 7 in Roanoke College's Olin Hall. Tickets cost $12; $8 for students and senior citizens. Don't wait too late to get them. Call 375-2333
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