Watch out for bicyclists this weekend! Davidson will be in the crosshairs of the 10th Annual Polar Bear Weekend. Also, hear live music at Summit Coffee, join in “contra dancing” at the IB Middle School or head to Charlotte’s Spirit Square for your last chance to catch Davidson Community Players’ “Spitfire Grill.” Women’s basketball and swimming competitions are at the college. And students will be returning for the spring semester Monday.

Weekend of Jan. 11-13

EVENTS

Sherri Wood’s Mantra Trailer , described as “a traveling meditation space and recording studio,” will be parked near Summit Coffee on Main Street between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Friday. Ms. Wood invites passersby into her 1972 microphone-equipped trailer to share their daily mantras – the words “they say to themselves to get through the day or phrases they can’t get out of their heads.” The Durham artist says the trailer is “like a homeopathic remedy to mass media slogans.”

Contra Dance Carolina presents an evening of contra dancing with David White & Co. Friday, 7-10:30 p.m. at the Davidson IB Middle School on South Street. Lessons begin at 7, dancing 7:15 to 10:30.

Davidson Community Players will conclude their award-winning production “The Spitfire Grill” Sunday at Spirit Square in downtown Charlotte. This weekend will include 8 p.m. performances Friday and Saturday plus a 2 p.m. matinee Sunday. More in our Dec. 18 report.

Summit Coffee will have live music this weekend on the upstairs stage, featuring Josh Panda Friday and The Pocket Saturday. Bands play from 8-11 p.m.

The 10th annual Polar Bear Weekend sponsored by The Rocky River Road Club takes place Jan. 12-13. Saturday features the Polar Bear Metric Century bicycle ride, beginning at 10 a.m. at Bailey Road Middle School in Cornelius. On Sunday at 11 a.m., the club and the Davidson Parks & Recreation Department co-sponsor the Polar Bear Cyclocross Race, an off-road bike race at Fisher Farm Park, off Shearer Road, Davidson. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. Cyclo-cross combines elements of road racing, criterium racing and mountain bike racing into a sport raced on a variety of surfaces. Details on the club website: www.rockyriverroadclub.org or www.nccyclocross.com.

On Sunday, a program called Men in Balance continues at 10:45 a.m. at Davidson United Methodist Church, in Room 215 of the Alexander Education Building. The weekly sessions, in a Sunday school format, are organized by the non-profit, non-denominational Men in Balance. The group says it aims “to provide support for men seeking balance and integration in their occupational, spiritual and personal lives.” For details or to sign up, email Jerry Hancock at jerry@meninbalance.org. or visit www.meninbalance.org

SPORTS –

Wildcat sports this weekend features basketball and swimming Saturday. The women’s basketball team will host Appalachian State at 2 p.m. in the John M. Belk Arena. The men’s and women’s swim teams will host Duke at 1 p.m. in the Baker Sports Complex pool.

Also note that it’s time to register for spring sports. The North Mecklenburg Soccer Club program for ages 4-18 has a Feb. 1 deadline for spring soccer, while the Davidson Youth Baseball Association registration will close Feb. 15 for its spring ball teams, designed for ages 7-16.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

(Note that recently added entries include the Children’s Community School open house on Jan. 22, “Souper Bowl Sunday” on Jan. 26 and more details on the Feb. 26 lecture by Michael Chabon.)

• MONDAY, JAN. 14, 11:30 a.m., Market Properties, 310 S. Main St. – A 12-week session of Weight Watchers “At Work” meetings begins. Led by Amy Powell, the sessions will combine a healthy pot-luck lunch and meeting. Cost: $144, checks due by Jan. 8. For details or to register, email or call Celeste Colcord, 704-655-2600.
• TUESDAY, JAN. 15, 6-9 p.m., Davidson Town Hall, 216 S. Main St. – Lawn-care workshop, presented by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services and North Carolina Cooperative Extension. Find out when and how to take a soil test, learn about fertilizers and get tips on routine lawn maintenance. To register, or for more information, visit http://cleanstreams.charmeck.org.
• TUESDAY, JAN. 15, 7:30 p.m., Davidson Public Library meeting room, Main Street – Book review with Belle Banks. She will host a special “Gone with the Wind” evening, reviewing the classic by Margaret Mitchell, plus “Scarlett,” by Alexandra Ripley, “Rhett Butler’s People,” and “The Road to Tara,” by Anne Edwards. Free and open to the public (but note the change in the regular location). Details: 704-875-6774.
• FRIDAY, Jan. 18, 8:15 – 9:15 a.m., Davidson IB Middle School – Final open house for students interested in learning more about the school before the Jan. 31 deadline for CMS lottery applications. Format consists of a presentation on the school and its curriculum, held in the auditorium, followed by student-led tours through the building.
• FRIDAY, Jan. 18, 10-10:30 a.m., Main Street Books – Story hour for the five and under set will feature stories and songs.
• SUNDAY, JAN. 20, 4 p.m., Town Hall – 216 S. Main St. – Davidson Historical Society program with Leslie Rindoks, author of “A Town by Any Other Name,” a history of Cornelius since the 1700s. She’ll talk about our southern neighbor and how its history intertwines with Davidson’s. Free and open to the public. Details: 704-896-8718.
• JAN. 21, 6:30 p.m., Iredell County Library, 201 N. Tradd St., Statesville – Carolina Adoption Services’ adoption information session, with information about international adoption. Reservations and information, call Cindi Roger at 1-800-632-9312 or info@carolinaadoption.org.
• JAN. 21-23, Davidson College – The college plans a series of events to mark Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, including a keynote speech by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Roger Wilkins (photo). See our Jan. 4 report for details of the events.
• JAN. 22, Children’s Community School – This charter school located in Davidson will host two open houses today (9:30 a.m. and 7 p.m.) plus one final open house on Jan. 31 at 1 p.m. The deadline to submit an application for the 2008-09 school year is Jan. 31.
• JAN. 22, 7 p.m., Tyler-Tallman Hall, Davidson College – Sally and Sara Kate Kneidel, a mother-daughter duo, will present a free lecture on food choices and healthy living, titled “Food Activism: Eating for Environmental Change.”
• JAN. 22, 7:30 p.m., Davidson College Presbyterian Church – Michael Rowland, assoicate music director at DCPC and artist associate for the college’s music department, will precent the opening recital for the “Organ at Davidson” series. Mr. Rowland will play Bach’s arrangement of Vivaldi’s Concerto in A Minor.
• JAN. 24, 7 p.m., Town Hall – Bicycle Master Plan public workshop. The town has hired a consultant to help create a comprehensive bicycle master plan, with recommendations for new bike lanes, greenways, intersection design, bike racks, and public education programs. Come put in your two cents. Please visit the planning department website for more information.
• JAN. 24, 7 p.m., Davidson College Duke Family Performance Hall – Bank of America lecture series continues with “Environmental Stress, Security and American Leadership,” by Thomas Homer-Dixon. He is the Gerogia Ignatieff Chair of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Toronto’s Trudeau Center for Peace and Conflict Studies and an expert on the relationship between environmental degradation, resource scarcity and violent political conflict. Free, but tickets required. Available at Davidson College Union box office beginning Jan. 14.
• JAN. 24-27 – Davidson Community Players and the college Department of Theatre perform “Jack and the Beanstalk.”
• JAN. 25, 8 p.m., Duke Family Performance Hall – Fugaku Taiko drumming ensemble performs traditional Japanese drumming as part of the Davidson College artist series. Tickets are $15.
• JAN. 26, noon, Chambers Building, Davidson College – “Souper Bowl 2008,” a benefit for the Hammers program, will feature live entertainment, a silent auction and tasty soups from local restaurants. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for students and $5 for children under 12.
• JAN. 26, River Run Country Club – 2nd annual ICE gala to raise money for the Ada Jenkins Center. The black-tie optional gala begins with a cocktail reception and silent auction followed by dinner and live auction, emceed by Larry Sprinkle, WCNC-TV weather anchor. Proceeds will support the center’s after school program, mobile dental clinic and free medical clinic, and other education and assistance programs. Sponsorships are available. Details: www.adajenkins.org
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• SUNDAY, JAN. 27, 3 p.m., St. Alban’s Episcopal Church – “Poultry in Motion” will play a toe-tapping variety of traditional Appalachian music, as part of the St. Alban’s Concert Series. Tickets are $15 for general admission. Photo at left is of Poultry lead fiddler, Jon Singleton.
• JAN. 29., 8 p.m., Duke Family Performance Hall – Hubbard Street Dance Chicago performs works by young choreographers as part of the Davidson College artist series. Tickets are $20.
• JAN. 31, 7 p.m., Huntersville Town Hall – Davidson-Concord/N.C. 73 Area Plan follow-up workshop. Davidson, Cornelius and Huntersville are working with consulting firms to create a long range transportation and land-use plan for undeveloped areas near Davidson-Concord Road and NC 73. This is the latest in a series of public meetings. Please visit the planning department website for more information.
• FEB. 26, 8 p.m., Duke Family Performance Hall, Davidson College – Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Chabon (photo) will give the annual Canarroe Lecture. Mr. Chabon will sign books after his talk. The event is free, but tickets are required and can be picked up at the college union ticket office from 10-4 weekdays, beginning Feb. 12.

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