By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

Davidson will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the first Town Day on Saturday, May 7, and residents may notice a different look and feel from Town Days in recent years. Organizers are adding a series of community service projects and other activities to invoke the historical roots of the annual event, as a townwide cleanup day. Read the full story

CAKES WANTED: At Davidson Town Day, Saturday May 7, Davidson Elementary School is running its annual “Cake Walk” from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., to raise money for the school. They need cakes! To donate a cake (home-made or store bought), bring it to Town Day on Saturday anytime between 8:30 – 1 p.m. Read the full story

NASCAR driver Dale Jarrett will deliver Davidson Day School’s commencement address on Friday, May 20, the school said Monday.

Mr. Jarrett, a North Carolina native, has won three Daytona 500 races and a total of 32 Sprint Cup races as well as 11 Nationwide Series races, and the 1999 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship. He now works as an analyst for ESPN’s NASCAR coverage. Read the full story

The Town of Davidson Board of Commissioners will host a joint four-town dinner with Cornelius, Huntersville, Mooresville, Mecklenburg County and Iredell County elected officials on Thursday, May 5. The dinner will be at the North Harbour Club, 100-D North Harbor Place, Davidson. Cocktails at 6:30 and dinner will begin at 7.

U.S. Poet Laureate W.S. Merwin will be in Davidson Monday night to give Davidson College’s annual Joel A. Conarroe Lecture. Tickets are still available. Details in our latest Literary News column, in THE GUIDE »

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Davidson Chief Jeanne Miller talks about the accreditation in a 4-minute interview with DavidsonNews.net.

Davidson Police Department is in the midst of an accreditation review by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc. (CALEA). The accreditation requires the 18-person department to develop policies and procedures and implement training so it follows “best practices” in law enforcement.

As part of that review, citizens are invited to offer their comments about the police department and its activities to outside reviewers on Monday, at either a public meeting or via an unrecorded phone line. Read the full story

Davidson’s annual Art on the Green festival is scheduled this Saturday and Sunday on the Village Green, with exhibits, demonstrations, music and food on the lawn in front of the Davidson library. And when the festival ends, the town’s 2011 Concerts on the Green series begins with a performance by the Davidson College Symphony and Davidson College Jazz Ensemble. For details, including an Art on the Green schedule and a season lineup for Concerts on the Green, see The Guide, CLICK HERE »

The Ada Jenkins Center in Davidson is in full swing getting ready for the 3rd Annual “FIRE” 5K run and barbecue fund-raiser, scheduled Saturday, April 30. Read the full story