Davidson's old No. 2 fire engine leads the 2010 Independence Day parade. (David Boraks/DaivdsonNews.net file photo)

The Town of Davidson will celebrate Independence Day a few days early this year, with the annual downtown parade and a Concert on the Green Sunday, July 1, with Shaggie Maggie. We’re all invited to join in, with our patriotically decorated wagons, bicycles, and even pets. Read the full story

Cast Iron Filter reunited at Davidson reunions Saturday, June 9. From left, Dustin Edge, Mike Orlando, Tim Helfrich, Mason Bissett (Bill Giduz photo)

The bluegrass folk rock band Cast Iron Filter was a favorite on concert circuit in Charlotte and across the Southeast in the late 1990s and early 2000s before its breakup in 2004. This weekend the band returns to its old haunt, the Visulite Theater in Charlotte, and to Summit Coffee in Davidson, as part of weeklong reunion. Details below.

By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

A decade ago Cast Iron Filter was having the kind of success most young bands dream about. Founded in 1998 by students at Davidson College, the group was making records and doing national tours. Within a few years, the band had a manager in Atlanta and reviews in major newspapers. Its revved-up bluegrass/Americana sound even earned its own nickname – “Irongrass.” Read the full story

An opening reception is planned Friday from 6-8 p.m. at Davidson Town Hall for “The Beautiful World of Watercolor,” an exhibit of paintings by artist Jim Kerr and his students. Read the full story

Davidson’s Town Board will vote Tuesday night on the proposed $8.9 million budget for 2012-13. Commissioners also are expected to vote on new rules governing “extraordinary events,” parades, protests and camping on public property – changes the town manager says are inspired by the Occupy movement and this summer’s Democratic National Convention in Charlotte. This week also brings a planning workshop for the Exit 30 area and meetings of the Lake Norman Marine Commission and Lake Norman Transportation Commission. Read the full story

Benefit golf tournaments for Hough and North Meck high schools and the Lake Norman Chamber of Commerce, a Davidson Concert on the Green with Lake Norman Big Band, and public meetings of the Lake Norman Marine Commission, Cornelius Planning Board and Lake Norman Transportation Commission are on the calendar in the area this week. See our This Week calendar in The GUIDE»

The Oak Hill Apartments are low-income housing off Beaty Street (David Boraks/DavidsonNews.net)

Town officials and the owners of the 73-unit Oak Hill Apartments off Beaty Street will cut a ribbon Monday morning to mark the long-awaited completion of renovations at the low-income apartment complex. The project has been five years in the making, and with town, state and federal help, has helped preserve one of the town’s few affordable rental housing options. Read the full story

Alumni House on Main Street is reunion central this weekend. (Bill Giduz/Davidson College photo)

It’s reunion weekend at Davidson College, with more than 1,000 alumni and hundreds of guests registered for events that run morning to night, Thursday to Sunday. College officials say it’s the biggest reunion ever. Returning Davidsonians will feast, listen to lectures and poetry readings, and hear a little bit about the town and the college on their shared 175th anniversary. Read the full story

The Davidson branch of Charlotte Mecklenburg Library is ready for summer. The library will have an open house all-day Tuesday, June 12, with refreshments and signups for summer reading programs. Then Tuesday, June 19, the library and other local organizations will host a “Northern Town Folktales on the Green” summer reading kickoff, on the Davidson Village Green. Read the full story