Don’t let Hurricane Hanna or her little brother Ike get you down – there’s plenty of indoor activities to consider this weekend, including a writer’s club talk, beer tasting at Summit, contra dancing, and more. Plus, if the deluge passes us by, then the Village Green will be nice and dry for spreading blankets and listening to hometown band Davidson Express take the stage for Sunday’s Concert on the Green. Sports fans can also consider Davidson College games for the women’s soccer and field hockey teams.

Weekend of Sept. 4-7

The Charlotte Writers Club is working to establish a northern satellite in Davidson and will launch a series of talks Thursday with guest author David Fleming, a senior writer for ESPN, The Magazine and a columnist for ESPN.com. Mr. Flemings talk will begin at 7 p.m. at the So Alive Art Gallery on Main Street.

Summit Coffee will be serving more than just coffee this weekend. Microbrews will be available for $2 Thursday, or you can sample eight oustanding beers for $12 at the official monthly beer tasting Friday event hosted by Summit’s own Dave Beam and Brett Hecker. Live music this weekend includes The Near Misses playing Thursday, George Terry Friday and The Velcrows Saturday. Bands play 8-11 p.m. on the back patio, or upstairs if its raining.  Also, tickets ($10 each) are now available for the Sept. 13 concert by Kellin Watson of Asheville.

Monthly services for Beth Shalom of Lake Norman will be include a Shabbat service and dinner Friday, starting at 6:15 p.m. Then on Saturday the 9 a.m. Shabbat service will be followed by a special joint lunch and family education event with the congregations of both Beth Shalom and St. Alban’s. Also, a newcomer social to meet members and Rabbi Jeremy Gerber will follow Saturday at 7:30 p.m. RSVP to Dick Zimmerman, membership@bslkn.org Weekend events will be held at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Davidson.

A new season of high-energy dancing will return to Davidson Friday with a contra dancing night Friday, starting at 7-ish in the Davidson I.B. Middle School gym. The band Hands Four of Blowing Rock will provide the tunes and Adina Gordon of Asheville will make the calls. Tickets are $7. The event is hosted by Contra Dance Carolina.

The Part Time Blues Band will hold a fund-raiser for animal rescue groups, including Friends for Life Lake Norman, Friday, starting at 8:30 p.m. at the Double Door Dance Club in Cornelius. The event will include a free buffet, door prizes and a silent auction. Donation of at least $10 is required.

The new Davidson Farmers Market will continue Saturday, 8 a.m. – noon, offering shoppers fresh local produce and meats, baked items, flowers and more. Market organizers are keeping an eye on the weather and will decide Friday if the predicted storms will require cancellation. Check back for any updates.

This Sunday’s Concert on the Green, will feature the hometown bluegrass band Davidson Express playing from 6-8 p.m. on the Davidson village green. The event is free and participants are encouraged to bring a blanket and a spread of food. Representatives of host Downtown Davidson will be awarding prizes for “most colorful” picnic.

Wildcats sports this weekend features a tournament for the women’s soccer team. The Wildcats will first play Lehigh on Friday, starting at 7 p.m., before closing out the tournament with a 3 p.m. contest against Richmond on Sunday. The Wildcats have an unbeaten record in first two weeks of the season, and junior forward Kyri Bye-Nagel of Hanau, Germany, was named the Southern Conference’s first women’s soccer Player of the Week. Also this weekend there will be home games on the Belk Turf for the field hockey team Friday (against Georgetown at 7 p.m.) and Saturday (against VCU at 3 p.m.). The football team will open its season with a sold-out game Saturday evening in Pembroke, N.C. The first home football game will be Saturday, Sept. 27, starting at 1 p.m. against Jacksonville.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

• MONDAY, SEPT. 8, 7 p.m., Davidson College Chambers Hall Lilly Gallery

  

  Click on image to buy John Pomfret's book from Amazon and support DavidsonNews.net

  – John Pomfret, award-winning Washington Post reporter and author of Chinese Lessons: Five Classmates and the Story of the New China pictured at right). lectures as part of a series of talks about China this fall at the college. Sponsored by Dean Rusk International Studies Program, East Asian Studies Program, Public Lectures Committee, Center for Interdisciplinary Studies and several college departments. Free.
  

• WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 10, 2-3:30 p.m., Davidson Parks & Rec offices, 416 Armour St. – Davidson Senior Scholars meeting, with a presentation “The Word on Wellness,” with Walt Kasmir. Mr. Kasmir is a doctoral student and founder of “The Word on Wellness Program” as well as a holistic medicine practitioner and expert an authority on aging. Free. Details: 704-892-3349.
• THURSDAY, SEPT. 11, 6:30-8 p.m., Davidson Town Hall, 216 S. Main St. – Charlotte Area Transit System public meeting on the North Line (Purple Line) Commuter Rail project. CATS invites people to hear the latest project information and share comments and questions. Questions: 704-336-RIDE (7433).
• FRIDAY, SEPT. 12, 9 a.m., Birkdale Golf Club, Huntersville -2008 Lake Norman Kiwanis Club Charity Golf Tournament, to benefit local children and families in need. Registration begins at 8 a.m., shotgun start at 9. Prizes awarded, including hole-in-one awards. Details: Robin Noud, 704-860-6688. Register online: www.golfdigestplanner.com/6722-KiwanisGolf2008/
• FRIDAY, SEPT. 19, 5-8 p.m., Beaver Dam historic park, 19600 Davidson-Concord Road – 10th Annual BBQ, Blanket and Bluegrass festival, sponsored by Davidson Parks & Recreation. Live music with Kent Dowell & Friends bring lawn games or play in one of the inflatables. BBQ prices range from $4-$8 while supplies last. For more information, please call Davidson Parks and Recreation at 704-892-3349.
• SATURDAY, Sept. 20, the Davidson Lands Conservancy’s annual Run for Green, including a fun run, 5-k and half-marathon. The events start and end at McEver Field on South Street. Registration opens at 6:30 a.m., with the half-marathon set to start at 7:45, the 5K at 8:15 and the fun run at 9 a.m.
• SATURDAY, SEPT. 20, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Davidson Village Green – Lake Norman Baby Fair, hosted by La Leche League of Lake Norman. With speakers on childbirth, breastfeeding, aromatherapy, money management for families, and family nutrition. Info available about fitness and childbirth classes, prenatal and postpartum counseling, custom photography, birth announcements, baby gear, and more. Also, La Leche League Leaders will be available to answer questions and offer information about breastfeeding. Free. Information: llloflakenorman.wordpress.com.
• SUNDAY, SEPT. 21, noon to 4 p.m., Levine Museum of the New South, Church Street, Charlotte – Charlotte Area Association of Black Journalists and National Association of Hispanic Journalists sponsor “Your Voice. Your Vote,” a forum and information session on the 2008 election. Speakers include Davidson’s Lenny McAllister, who has been writing and talking about what it means to be a “hip-hop Republican,” as well as Charlotte Observer columnist Tonya Jameson and candidates for state and local offices. Voters will be able to ask questions, get voters’ guides, and register to vote. The event also includes a discussion “The Changing Face of Politics,” looking at the relationship between the media and the public. Free. Details: www.caabj.com
• SUNDAY, SEPT. 21, 4 p.m., Davidson United Methodist Church, 233 S. Main St. – “Gospels and Spirituals” concert with performances by the Adult and Youth Music Ministries of the church. Followed by an ice cream social in the Fellowship Hall. Donations accepted, with proceeds benefiting a new “Music Academy” outreach program for children in the Lake Norman area. More information is available by calling Kevin Turner, director of music and worship, 704-892-8277, ext. 281, or by email at kturner@davidsonumc.org.


Bachfest III at St. Alban’s

• SUNDAY, SEPT. 21, 3 p.m., St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, 300 Caldwell Lane – Music at St. Alban’s 2008-9 season begins with Bachfest III, with works by Bach, Buxtehude, and Bohm, featuring St. Alban’s Bach Festival Orchestra and nationally-acclaimed soloists. Tickets available at the door or in advance by calling 704-941-0650 weekdays, 9-4. More information in our Aug. 1 season preview of the series. Season subscriptions still available through Sept. 12.
• SUNDAY, SEPT. 21, 6-8 p.m., Village Green – Davidson College Symphony and Jazz Band play the season’s finale Concert on the Green. Free. Bring a picnic: they’ll have a contest for “most collegiate.” Details: www.downtowndavidson.org
• TUESDAY, SEPT. 23, 7 p.m., St. Alban’s Church, 300 Caldwell Lane – St. Alban’s Square Neighborhood Association annual membership meeting. Open to neighborhood residents, to elect Council of Stewards and ratify 2008-2009 budget.
• THURSDAY, SEPT. 25, 7:30 p.m., St. Alban’s Church, 301 Caldwell Lane – St. Albans Neighborhood Discussion Group hosts a forum for at-large candidates for Mecklenburg County Commission. With introductory statements by each candidate, followed by a Q&A.
• OCTOBER 24-26, Fisher Farm Park, off Shearers Road – National Mountain Bike Oktoberfest, a three day, family oriented festival with short track, time trials and kids races as well as the season’s final USA Cycling National Ultra Endurance race. Proceeds benefit Davidson Parks & Recreation Youth Scholarship Fund. Featuring national champion and two-time Olympian David “Tinker” Juarez, and co-sponsored by Cowbell Challenge Inc. Details: www.nationalmtboktoberfest.org

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