ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, August 30, 1996 TAG: 9608300017
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
COLUMN: Out & About
SOURCE: DONNA ALVIS-BANKS
Worst job: Person who predicts the weather for the annual meteorologists' picnic.
We'll say goodbye to summer vacation with picnics, cookouts and lots of outdoor fun this Labor Day weekend. Keep your fingers crossed. With a little luck, Mother Nature will give us a thumbs up.
Be sure to check out the activities at Claytor Lake. The annual arts and crafts show put on by the Virginia Mountain Crafts Guild starts Saturday and continues through Monday at the state park in Dublin.
Stained glass, woodworking, pottery, fabrics, jewelry, leather, graphic art and paper creations will be on display. The exhibitors are all guild members who have had their work juried and approved for excellence of workmanship.
This year's music will be provided by Homefolks, a group playing old-time instrumentals and folk tunes. The McKenzies - Woody and Marcia - will perform their blend of folk, swing, jazz and children's songs and do some storytelling, too.
There's a children's activity area for the younger set and lots of food and baked goodies for everyone.
The event runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. Sunday hours are from noon to 6 p.m. and Monday hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
LONG WEEKEND, PART II: The Jacksonville Center in Floyd will be open this Labor Day weekend, too. It's on Virginia 8 just south of downtown Floyd.
The old barn is the place where you'll find gallery shops and some special activities, including films and discussions about working folk. You're also invited to spread out a picnic on the grounds and enjoy live music throughout the weekend.
The center is open from 4 to 9 p.m. today and from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday. Children's activities (including movies) are planned from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
Sunday's hours run from noon to 10 p.m. The center opens at 10 a.m. on Labor Day for a full day of pickin' and grinnin'. The Mountain Music Festival goes until 10 p.m. Also Monday, check out the farmer's market at the site.
The recently opened Jacksonville Center is Floyd's community center for the arts. For more information, call 745-2784.
DEFINITELY DIFFERENT: Their name is different. Their clothes are different. Their music is different, too.
Mammoth Records artists the Squirrel Nut Zippers will be at the South Main Cafe in Blacksburg on Tuesday. The cafe at 117 South Main St. recently reopened.
The seven-member band out of North Carolina plays the jazz styles of the '20s and '30s - the REAL dancing music! The group has played all over the country, including Colorado's Sundance Film Festival.
Dressed in zoot suits and fashions of the era, the Squirrel Nut Zippers also put on a fascinating stage show.
Poverty Creek will open Tuesday's show at 9 p.m.
Advance tickets are $6 and you can pick them up at the cafe or at the Record Exchange in downtown Blacksburg. Admission at the door is $7.
DEFINITELY, DEFINITELY DIFFERENT: Think movies. Think grade-Z movies. Think "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie."
That's the final showing this month at the Lyric Theatre on Blacksburg's College Avenue. The PG-13 film recently received praise from the reviewers at Entertainment Weekly for its "gonzo laughs."
The sci-fi spoof features Michael J. Nelson as a space prisoner and his robot pals, who supply a sarcastic running commentary on the awfulness that unfolds on the big screen.
You can catch "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie" tonight and Saturday, 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., or Sunday, 3 p.m. Admission is $3.
IT'S A WRAP! "The Long Way Home," Radford's annual historical outdoor drama, ends its season this weekend. The final performances are at 8:30 p.m. tonight and Saturday.
This year, audiences have given the show high marks. New music and some additions to the script about Mary Draper Ingles' escape from Indian captivity were well received.
At last count, audience members have come to see "The Long Way Home" from 28 states and five foreign countries.
Admission this weekend is $7 for adults and $3.50 for kids 12 and under. For reservations, call 639-0679.
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