ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Friday, November 1, 1996               TAG: 9611010004
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 1    EDITION: METRO 
COLUMN: THE TIPOFF
SOURCE: ALMENA HUGHES

THE TIPOFF

WHAT A CARROTURE: American Comedy Award winner Carrot Top will bring his bizarre inventions and wacky humor to Radford University's Dedmon Center at 8 tonight. The red-headed host of the Cartoon Network's "Carrot Top's A.M. Mayhem" will soon add authorship to his accomplishments with the publication of "Junk in the Trunk Some Assembly Required" (Simon and Schuster). The illustrated catalog of Carrot Top inventions will include a boot with a kickstand for drunken cowboys; high heels with training wheels; and a fire hydrant with handles for disabled dogs. Tickets for tonight's show cost $10; $7 for Radford students. Call 831-5420.

WALK ON THE WILD SIDE: The Blue Ridge Wildflower Society will host a nature walk Saturday at Bottom Creek Gorge to identify fall fruits and nuts. The group will meet at 10 a.m. at the Bent Mountain post office. Call 427-0853.

* The Friends of Smith Mountain Lake State Park will hold a 1.5-mile informal, leisurely paced guided nature walk also on Saturday as the first of its Nature Friends Program courses. Walkers will meet at the park office for the hike, which will be from 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. There is a $1 parking fee, but no charge for the walk. To make reservations, call Jeffrey Ervin, 586-6846.

* For people who are listeners more than lookers, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra will be in concert at the Smith Mountain Lake 4-H Center in Wirtz at 2:30 p.m. Sunday. For ticket information, call 342-5942 or 721-2759.

CABLE CANDLES: Cox Communications will mark its 20th birthday of cable television in Roanoke with a celebration Saturday at Tanglewood Mall. The free event will include the wacky, often-messy, kid-designed and approved stunts of Nickelodeon Game Labs Live! at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.; John Knox of Home and Garden Television's "Breaking Ground" at 1 p.m.; and Cartoon Network characters Tom and Jerry; plus demonstrations, caricatures and giveaways, including a drawing at 3 p.m. for a trip for four to Universal Studios, Florida. Call 776-3845.

TRILL THRILL: Marje Palmieri, a rare dramatic-coloratura soprano, will demonstrate on Saturday the brilliant vocal runs and trills that have won her national and international audience acclaim. She will be accompanied on piano by Stephen Brown, one of the first people to graduate with a doctorate degree for vocal accompanying from Catholic University. The Con Spirito Concert will be held at 7:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Roanoke (Grandin Road at Brandon Avenue) and will feature works by Argento, Brahms, Rachmaninoff and Schonberg. A meet-the-artists reception will follow. There is no fee, however, donations will be appreciated. Call 342-8888.

OUT OF AFRICA: Internationally renowned author and historian Ronald Segal has devoted much of his life to the study of human rights, racism and social injustice and written seven books on the subjects. The South African Jew himself only returned to his country in 1994 from political exile in England to help Nelson Mandela's campaign. At 7:30 p.m. Monday in Roanoke College's Antrim Chapel, Segal will lecture on his last book, "The Black Diaspora: Five Centuries of the Black Experience Outside of Africa." A question and discussion session will follow. Admission is free, but tickets are required for seating. Call 375-2333.

POETS' PARTY: Evert Eden (second place winner out of 120 contenders in the National Poetry Slam 1996) and his slam master, Linda McCorkindale, will kick off the fifth year of slams in Roanoke. Rhyme time starts at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Full Moon on the Roanoke City Market. Call 989-6251.

GARTHARSIS: for Garth Brooks followers will occur at the Roanoke Civic Center on Thursday starting at 8 p.m., with Garth Brooks taking the stage around 9 p.m. Anxiety may, however, be experienced by non-Brooks fans trying to contend with traffic congestion caused by the concert, which, alas, has been sold out since the first day tickets were offered.

Take a hint: avoid the angst. Take another route if you can.

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