It’s the last weekend to get pumpkins at the Methodist Church patch or to shop for fresh produce at the town Farmer’s Market.  When you combine that with all the costumed kids trick-or-treating, expect a lot of people with bags (but hopefully not stolen yard signs) in hand around town.

Look for cute kids on Main Street at the annual Halloween march Friday.  Also this weekend, celebrate an important arts event, Mergefest, at the Cornelius Arts Center, and consider listening to Henry Lebedinsky’s spooky organ music Friday night, sweet tenor singing Sunday afternoon at St. Alban’s, or an Appalachian songbook Sunday evening at the college.

Weekend of Oct. 30 – Nov. 2

Tonight at Summit Coffee, 128 S. Main St., Davidson musicians Rusty Knox and Mike Orlando provide live music from 8 to 11. For details, call 704-895-9090.

Last year's Halloween march drew a steady stream of costumed kids along Main Street.

Davidson’s annual Halloween march will start from Town Hall at 5:15 p.m. Friday. Costumed characters of all ages are invited to parade down Main Street receiving tricks and treats from local Davidson merchants. Last year more than 500 children took part. To minimize congestion, event coordinators ask those walking from North Main Street to use the sidewalk behind the buildings to reach Town Hall. Information: 704-892-3349.

The Great Pumpkin Patch for Missions, run by members of Davidson United Methodist Church, will have pumpkins for sale through Halloween.  The patch will be open until 8 p.m. Thursday, for those last-minute Jack-o-lantern shoppers.  Stop by the McKay Youth House on South Main Street — your purchase raises money for church missions.

Davidson College Presbyterian Church continues its Halloween night tradition as Organ at Davidson presents screenings of the 1925 classic horror film “Phantom of the Opera.” The movie classic will feature live, spine-tingling organ improvisations by St. Alban’s Episcopal Church music director Henry Lebedinsky. Screenings at 7:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. Free, donations encouraged. See www.dcpc.org or call 704-892-5641.

River’s Edge Church, located at 412 Armour Street in Davidson, will launch its new Friday Night Live group for adults ages 18 and over Friday, starting at 8 p.m.  The event will feature “a powerful night of worship and fun” and will include a talk by Pastor Jay Zinn on “The real truth about Halloween.”

The last Davidson Farmers Market of the season will be held Saturday, 8 a.m. – noon, offering shoppers fresh local produce and meats, baked items, flowers and more. The final Saturday of this debut season will feature breakfast frae from 10 – 11 a.m. with “locavore” chef Eric Rice from Maddi’s South Bistro.  Musical entertainment will be bluegrass by Davidson Express.  The market is located next to Town Hall and behind Summit Coffee. Special holiday markets are planned Saturdays Nov. 22 and Dec. 20. More in our Oct. 17 news item, “Farmers market ends Nov. 1; holiday markets planned.”

Mergefest will be held Saturday in Cornelius.

The “Mergefest” fundraiser to celebrate the planned merger of Creative Art Exchange and Childrens Arts Project will be held Saturday, 5-8 p.m., at the Cornelius Arts Center. Live music will be provided by Davidson Express. Food, drink and art activities for all ages. Adults $15, kids $10. The arts center is located in the historic Oak Street Mill Village, behind the Cornelius police station. Tickets available at the arts center or at the Village Store in Davidson. Info: www.creativeartexchange.org or www.childrensartsproject.org.

Tenor Stephen Oosting

The St. Alban’s Concert Series will present tenor Stephen Oosting, with pianist Mark Pakman, performing “Beethoven to Broadway,” a selection of music including art songs and arias from stage and concert halls.  The concert will be held Sunday, starting at 3 p.m. at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, located at 301 Caldwell Lane, off Concord Road in the New Neighborhood.  Admission $15 general, $10 students and seniors (65+). Children under 10 free. Info: 704-941-0650. Refreshments will be served afterward in the church lobby.

North Carolina Poet Laureate Kathryn Stripling Beyer will be at Davidson College Sunday , starting at 7:30 p.m., to present “An Appalachian Songbook: North Carolina in Word Music and Song.” The event, which is sponsored by the college’s English and Music departments, will feature Appalachian songs set and arranged by N.C. composer Kenneth Frazelle and sung by soprano Jacquelyn Culpepper. The free public event will be held in the college music center’s Tyler-Tallman Hall.

Wildcat Sports

Wildcats Sports this weekend features:

• men’s soccer hosting Georgia Southern Saturday at 1 p.m. at Alumni Stadium.
• men’s and women’s swimming and diving hosting Emory University Saturday starting at 1 p.m. in the Baker Sports Complex.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

• TUESDAY, NOV. 4 – Election Day. If you haven’t already cast your ballot during early voting, polls are open 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall (Precinct 206) and Hopewell Baptist Church, 18841 Davidson-Concord Road (Precinct 127). Voting information at meckboe.org.
• TUESDAY, NOV. 4, 8 p.m., Davidson College Alvarez College Union 900 Room – College Republicans and Young Democrats sponsor an election results viewing party, with professors from the political science department. (It’s open to college students, faculty and staff only.) They’ll have refreshments and games as election results come in on big-screen TVs. Free. For more information, call 704-894-2542.
• THURSDAY, NOV. 6, 7 p.m., So Alive Gallery, 108 S. Main St. – Charlotte Writers’ Club North presents award-winning poet and novelist Al Young. Mr. Young returns to Davidson, where he was Davidson College’s McGee Professor of Writing in 2003. He is also a screenwriter and was appointed Poet Laureate of California in 2005. Details: www.charlottewritersclub.org
• FRIDAY, NOV. 7, 10 a.m., Davidson Public Library, on the Village Green – Lecture by naturopathic doctor Amy Naylor, as part of Davidson Reads. She’ll discuss “Widsom in the Woods: Plant Medicine.” Refreshments will be served. She is a naturopathic physician in Statesville.


Amy Naylor lectures at the library Nov. 7 at 10 a.m. as part of DavidsonReads

• FRIDAY, NOV. 7, 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., Davidson College Dana Science Laboratory 146 – William Hirst, professor of psychology at The New School in New York, is the keynote speaker in the college’s “Memory & … “ discussion series at Davidson this year. Free.
• FRIDAY-SATURDAY, NOV. 7-8, Duke Family Performance Hall – Annual Fall Dance Ensemble Show by students at Davidson College. Tickets available through the college union box office.
• SATURDAY, NOV. 8, 8 a.m. to noon, Davidson-Cornelius Day Care, 242 Gamble St. – Annual yard sale, with all proceeds to benefit the day care program. Davidson-Cornelius Day Care was founded in 1967 and provides child care for about 45 students, aged 2-5, from working families regardless of their ability to pay.
• SUNDAY, NOV. 9, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., downtown Davidson and Exit 30 area – Downtown Davidson Inc. presents a Holiday Open House at local businesses. With refreshments, music, door prizes, free gift wrapping at many stores. Along Main Street, South Main Street Arts District and Davidson Commons shopping center and the Exit 30 area. Details: www.downtowndavidson.org.
• SUNDAY, NOV. 9, 5-9 p.m., Charles Mack Citizens Center, 15 N. Main St., Mooresville – Lake Norman Jewish Congregation hosts a screening of “Paper Clips,” a documentary about a Tennessee school’s project to collect paper clips representing each person who died in the Holocaust. The project offered a lesson in tolerance. The screening marks the Jewish congregation’s second annual Holocaust remembrance. Hosted by Rabbi Michael Shields, Davidson College Chaplain Rev. Robert Spach and other guests. Tickets: $36 for adults, $18 for students. Includes dinner and prizes, with proceeds to benefit the Lake Norman Jewish Congregation.
• 

  The Rev. Dr. Brian Blount will speak Nov. 9 at DCPC.

  SUNDAY, NOV. 9, 5 p.m., Davidson College Presbyterian Church, Congregation House – The Rev. Dr. Brian K. Blount will give a lecture titled, “The Matter of Miracles: A Synoptic Global Perspective.” The free public address is part of the Faith Seeking Understanding lecture series sponsored by Union Presbyterian School of Christian Education in Charlotte.

• TUESDAY, NOV. 11, 4-5 p.m., Davidson College Carolina Inn, Main Street – “Memory & Narrative,” a panel discussion with Davidson professors Scott Denham (German), Matt Samson (anthropology) and Trish Tilburg (history). It’s part of the “Memory & … ” series this year at Davidson. Participating professors are a loose-knit “Memory Group” interested in various aspects of memory. See Nov. 7 for the series keynote speech. Details on the college website.
• WEDNESDAY, NOV. 12, 2-3:30 p.m., Davidson Parks & Recreation, 416 Armour St. – Davidson Senior Scholars program on “Back Pain and Treatment Options” with Dr. Jeffrey Yablon, board-certified neurosurgeon. He’ll discuss the latest and most effective treatments for degenerative disc disease, which affects more than 12 million people. Register online at www.d-Recs.org or call at 704-892-3349.
• THURSDAY, NOV. 13, 7-8:30 p.m., Davidson public library branch, 119 S. Main St. – “Holistic Self-Care for the Menopausal Years,” with Cristin Gregory, owner of Wellbeing Natural Health in Cornelius, accupuncturist, herbalist and qi gong instructor. Free. To register, call 704-416-4000.
• SATURDAY, NOV. 15, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Homewood Suites, Griffith Street and Harbour Place Drive, off Exit 30 – Men in Balance, a faith-based non-profit organization that helps men with spiritual growth, presents a “Couples Communication Class.” It’s a hands-on workshop where couples can learn to improve communication. Limited to 10 couples. Registration $100 per couple. Details at meninbalance.org or by calling 704-895-8976.
• SUNDAY, NOV. 16, 4-5 p.m., Town Hall, 216 S. Main St. – Davidson Historical Society presentation about the history of Lake Norman, in the final event of the 2008 Davidson Reads series. Free.
• TUESDAY, NOV. 18, 7:30 p.m., Davidson College Presbyterian Church, Main Street and Concord Road – Organist Andre Lash performs Spanish Baroque organ works in addition to works by Mendelssohn, Bach, Vierne and other masters in the Organ at Davidson series. Free, donations encouraged. Details and directions at www.dcpc.org or call 704-892-5641.
• DEC. 4-6, 6-9 p.m. nightly, downtown Davidson – Annual Christmas in Davidson festival, with food, music and other entertainment, more than 50 vendors, shopping at local stores, visits with Santa at the public library, a live nativity scene, carriage rides, strolling carolers and more. Sponsors still invited to participate. If you’re interested in sponsoring, please contact Sandy Lemons at sandy@downtowndavidson.org 704-892-2118, or Margaret Martens at margaretmartens@gmail.com 704-658-8730.

OF REGIONAL INTEREST:

• SEPT. 11 – NOV. 2, Rural Hill Center of Scottish Heritage, Huntersville – 7th Annual Amazing Maize Maze features flashlight mazes, group fun and a chance to get lost in a huge field of corn.  The maze is open Thursdays through Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for children ages 5-17.  For directions and more, see the maze website.
• WEEKENDS, OCT. 4 – NOV. 16 – The Carolina Renaissance Festival will return for a 15th year at its home off N.C. 73 and Poplar Tent Road in Huntersville.
• SATURDAY, NOV. 1, 7 p.m., Crave the Experience, 19930 W. Catawba Ave., No. 130, Cornelius – Fund-raising food and music event to benefit the Cornelius Animal Shelter, which is planned at the end of Meridian Street in Cornelius. Featured performers include former Beach Boys member David Marks and Nelson Bragg, of the Brian Wilson band. Details: www.corneliusanimalshelter.com.
• Saturday, Nov. 8 – Children’s Community School will host an auction and “BBQ Social” at Oehler’s Mallard Creek BBQ in Charlotte.  The event will feature live music by Davidson Express, raffles and more, with proceeds benefiting the school’s planned expansion into the high school grades.  Tickets are $25 per person and can be purchased at the school.
• SATURDAY, NOV. 9, 7:30 p.m., Charles Mack Citizens Center, 215 N. Main St., Mooresville – Mooresville Concert Series presents The Boys of Buncombe. The bluegrass-Appalachian-Old Time music group is led by Charlotte-based fiddler, banjo player, and jaws harp virtuoso Jon Singleton, with fiddler Steve Trismen of Asheville, and Steve Burnside of Black Mountain on guitar, fiddle, and mandolin. Admission $10, $5 for children under 10. Tickets available at the center, or by calling 704-662-3334.

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