Watch out for flying objects!  It’s Vaudeville time at Davidson College, with two shows of juggling, magic and more on Saturday and Sunday plus a “jugglefest” on the town green Saturday morning. The weekend is also filled with sports for Wildcats fans, including the football season opener Saturday and major volleyball and men’s soccer tourneys. You may also consider contra dancing Friday, or even signing up for a series of fall workshops on social change.

EVENTS

Contra Dance Carolina will host a “back to school” session of lessons and high-energy dancing Friday from 7:15-10:30 p.m. at Davidson College Presbyterian Church.  Lessons start at about 7 p.m.  Cost is $7 for general admission and $5 for students.  The band for the night will be Get Reel, with caller Dean Snipes. 

Get ready for amazing jugglers, comic antics and eye-popping magic. The Family Vaudeville Extravaganza will feature a lineup of engaging entertainers for this annual spectacle of mirth and masterful object manipulation. Performers include hoop twirler Julia Hartsell, ventriloquist Steve Brogan (pictured at right), Zen ball dribbler Kevin Lowrey, magician Renzi Norris, and new Vaudevillian Dave Kaplan. Both shows are in the Duke Family Performance Hall, and general admission tickets are $5. The Saturday show begins at 7:30 p.m., and the Sunday matinee begins at 2 p.m. Because of a Davidson football game Saturday evening, parking will be limited that evening, and there will be a charge for parking in the Baker Sports Center lot. For tickets, call 704-894-2135 from 104 weekdays beginning August 27, or buy online at www.davidson.edu tickets. Call 704-892-1296 for information.  The vaudeville show is part of weekend convention of juggling, known as the Hurricane Hugo Flying Objects Festival, which should bring all sorts of object tossers to the town green Saturday morning for a free public Jugglefest that should last until about noon.

Summit Coffee on Main Street will host Americana rock bank The Mike Strauss Trio Friday and then classical guitarist Adam Whiting on Saturday . Performances are 8-11 p.m.

Registration begins Friday, Aug. 31, for a series of three workshops, “Building Skills for Social Change,” planned for the fall and sponsored by Davidson College, United Way and the Lake Norman Community Development Council. The workshops are designed to teach strategies to envision, plan, implement and manage community improvement programs and services. The workshops – set for the mornings of Sept. 19, Oct. 17 and Nov. 7 -are free and open to members of area non-profits and community agencies. Click here for more information.

SPORTS –

It’s a busy weekend of team competitions at the college. Take your pick from soccer, volleyball, field hockey and football.

Friday will see a four-team men’s soccer doubleheader, with UNCC vs. San Jose State at 5 p.m. and Davidson vs. St. Mary’s of Calif. at 7 p.m. Another four team doubleheader, this time in volleyball will take place at the Baker Sports Complex when UConn plays High Point at 5 p.m., followed by Davidson vs. James Madison at 7:30.

Saturday opens with more volleyball as the four-team tourney continues with games at 10 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Plus field hockey takes the turf, hosting Christopher Newport at 1 p.m. In the evening, the Davidson football team will open its new season by playing UNC Pembroke at 7 p.m. on the college’s Wilson Field.

Sunday is soccer day, with the Wildcats men playing San Jose State at noon and the women’s soccer team playing Hight Point at 5 p.m.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

• Wednesday, Sept. 5, 8 p.m., Duke Family Performance Hall. Chicago’s own world-famous improvisational comedy troupe, The Second City, will present, “One Nation, Under Blog.” Tickets are $20 for general admission.
• Saturday, Sept. 15, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. – The annual Lake Norman Baby Fair, hosted by the local La Leche League chapter, will be held on the Davidson Town Green. The free event will feature speakers on childbirth, breastfeeding and family nutrition, along with local exhibitors and clinics on prenatal yoga and more.
• Sunday, Sept. 16, 3 p.m., St. Alban’s Episcopal Church. The “Music at St. Alban’s” concert series opens with Bach: All in the Family, featuring music composed by four representatives of the House of Bach, performed by an all-star lineup with Grammy award-winning countertenor Ian Howell of New Haven, Conn., and baroque cellist Gyöngy Erödi of Hungary.
• Sunday, Sept. 16, 4 pm, Davidson Historical Society hosts a tour of the 1904 Brawley Mansion in Mooresville. To carpool to the home, meet at Davidson Town Hall at 3:30 p.m. Details on the mansion, www.brawleymansion.com. For information about the historical society, click on www.davidsonhistoricalsociety.org.
• Saturday, Sept. 22, 8 a.m., South Street. 2007 Run for Green half-marathon, 5-k and fun run/pet walk, to benefit Davidson Lands Conservancy. Course includes portions of the new Davidson Greenway. Parking available at Davidson United Methodist Church. Pre-registration and other information available at www.runforthegreen.com.
• Sunday, Sept. 23, 6 p.m., Davidson Town Green – The last Concert on the Green of the summer season will feature the Davidson College Symphony Orchestra and Jazz Ensemble.
• Thursday, Sept. 27, 7:30 p.m., Tyler-Tallman Hall – Belgian pianist Jeanne Stark-Iochmans will perform the inaugural concert of the college’s new Adams Foundation Piano Series. Tickets $20 for general admission.
• Friday, Sept. 28, 5-8 p.m., Beaver Dam Historic Park – The Town of Davidson will sponsor the ninth annual “BBQ, Blanket & Bluegrass” family event. Get a finger-lickin’ dinner for $4- $8.