Davidson residents will mark Mother’s Day on Sunday in a variety of ways:

• For the political mom, consider the Mother’s Day Rally for Peace on the village green from 1-3 p.m., which will feature local speakers and festivities.
• For the musical mom, check out the performance by a quartet of Charlotte-area women singers (Shana Blake, Reeve Coobs, Etta Lea and Eva Gael) known as the Near Misses, at an evening concert, also on the green, starting at 6 p.m.
• For moms with a sweet tooth, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream parlor on Main Street will be offering free small ice cream cones to all mothers all day Sunday

Besides Sunday’s activities, other weekend events include theatrical performances on the green Saturday and a piano recital at Davidson college Saturday evening. Read the full story

Students at Davidson College exchanged views about the situation in Iraq Thursday with counterparts at Baghdad University during taping of an international cable TV program.

The event “Davidson and Baghdad: Four years later” was conducted via satellite between the college and Baghdad. It will air next week as a segment of the weekly cable TV program “Viewpoint.” The show is produced by Abu Dhabi Television and hosted by James Zogby (photo above), head of the Arab American Institute in Washington. Read the full story

Senior Andrew Ruth (right) painted himself in honor of retiring president Vagt (right), who appeared with his grandson. (Bill Giduz photo)

“Bobby” cookies, bottles of “Bobby’s Vagter” and choruses of The Silhouettes’ hit “Get a Job” were served up Tuesday during an outdoor reception at Davidson College in honor of President Bobby Vagt, who will retire at the end of the school year.

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Davidson College students will meet about 80 of their peers at Baghdad University in a video conference early Thursday, May 10, to discuss the Iraq-US relationship.

James J. Zogby, president of the Arab-American Institute and a former visiting professor at Davidson, has arranged the ninety-minute event. It begins at 8 a.m. in Smith 900 Room of the Alvarez College Union.

(PHOTO: James Zogby briefs Davidson students before a previous teleconference with Baghdad students in 2003.)

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Two events at Town Hall this week will look at new developments in the planning stages – one a proposal to fill in a gap in the Davidson East mixed-use project east of town and the other a revised plan for the Stowe’s Exxon site downtown.

On Tuesday, the town’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board will discuss plans for a new town community center. Also this week, Town Day brings fun and food to the Village Green on Saturday, and Saturday night from 5 until dark, there’s a barbecue and bluegrass fund-raiser out at Beaver Dam for the Our Towns free medical clinic. Read the full story

He may have felt a bit leery, but Caleb Bass and his brother, Nathaniel, of Huntersville decided to go ahead and pet the corn snake coiled around the hand of Davidson College herpetologist Grant Connette. The Bass brothers were among many who attended the 7th annual Reptile Day at the college Saturday morning.

The event offered visitors a chance to see both native and non-native samples of snakes, toads, turtles, salamandars and such. Professor Michael Dorcas said the stars of this year’s show were “Ralph the Rat Snake” and a 15 pound snapping turtle found recently in a pond near Davidson-Concord Road.

Davidson College students may be in the midst of preparing for their finals, but they also have Virginia Tech on their minds. News of the shootings April 17 that left 33 students dead “really hit close to home here,” wrote Jon Wolf on the Davidson College website, “The event has made us feel that all campuses are one, and we want to do something to help.”

The result is “One Campus Tribute Concert,” to be held Sunday, from 2-5 p.m. on the lawn in front of the Belk dormitory. Jazz, rock and choral student groups will perform for the public, free of charge. Donations will be taken to benefit the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund at Virginia Tech.

That’s the highlight of a weekend in Davidson that will also include an AIDS benefit, piano recital, a lacrosse game and also the annual “reptile day” Saturday at the college. Read the full story

Davidson residents, college students and employees, and other diners line up for plates of free barbecue Wednesday night on the Village Green. The event collected canned goods for the Loaves & Fishes food pantry. At right, Emmy Belloni, mom Nancy Bondurant, and dad Mario Belloni. Below, town board member Cary Johnston, husband Van Wulfen and Kate MacIntyre, director of Downtown Davidson Inc. The event was sponsored by Davidson College’s Patterson Court, Community Service Office, Dean of Students Office, and the Office of the President; and by the Davidson Parks & Recreation Department.