Hope you have some free time this weekend. There’s a full schedule of fun in and around Davidson – from football to fund-raisers and music to a townwide bicycle ride. The Project for Innovation, Energy & Sustainability hosts a sustainability seminar for business owners Friday. Both the Hough High and Davidson College football teams are back at home, Hough playing Vance at its first-ever homecoming Friday night and Davidson facing Jacksonville on Saturday. Fund-raisers in the next few days include the River Run Pro-Am tennis tournament Saturday and Sunday and the Helping Paws Dog Show on the Village Green Sunday. Saturday morning also brings the Davidson Farmer’s Market, the Children’s Schoolhouse annual Carnival on the Green, and a town-organized 3-mile bicycle safety awareness ride along local greenways and streets. The town of Mooresville holds both a Music on Main outdoor concert Friday and a Movies on Main screening Saturday night of “Hannah Montana: The Movie.” Our Town Cinemas in Davidson holds over the local film “The Trial” for a third week, and continues its classics series. “North by Northwest” wraps up with screenings Thursday, while an old favorite returns beginning Friday: “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.”

Read on for those and other events this weekend. Or check our clickable day-by-day calendar at right.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 23

MI-Connection board meeting, 7:30 a.m., MI-Connection board room, 420 S. Academy St. (back door), Mooresville – the board of directors of MI-Connection Communications System holds its monthly meeting.

Main Street Books Story Time, 10 a.m., Main Street Books, 128 S. Main St. – Story Time, with stories, songs and lots of fun. For children ages 1-5. 2nd and 4th Thursday.

Junot Díaz

Lecture: Author Junot Díaz, 7:30 p.m., Davidson College Duke Family Performance Hall – Davidson College invites the public to attend a Reynolds Lecture reading by Pulitzer-prize winning author Junot Díaz. This Dominican-American writer won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction for “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.” His work offers an irreverent, perspective on the lives of Latin American immigrants and their children, on science fiction, on love, sex, and everything else. Some may find material in his presentation objectionable. Free, but tickets required. Info: call 704-894-2135 from 10 to 4 weekdays. Read more about Diaz and the lecture on the college website. ^[1]

Live music at Summit Coffee, 8-11 p.m., Summit Coffee, 128 S. Main St. – Live music: Mike Strauss Trio. Info: 704-895-9090.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 24

Seminar on Sustainable Business, 9 to 10:30 a.m., The Business Center @ South Main Square, 442 S. Main St. – Seminar for business owners: “Measurement for Sustainability: Guiding Principles to the Global Reporting Initiative’s 60 Criteria for Sustainability” with Mike Korzelius, of Trans Sustainability Global. Presented by the Project for Innovation, Energy & Sustainability. ^[2] For further information or to register: krose@roseassociates.com ^[3]

Amazing Maize Maze at Rural Hill, 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Rural Hill farm, 4431 Neck Road, off Beatties Ford Road, Huntersville – Rural Hill presents the annual Amazing Maize Maze, a 7-acre labyrinth with 2 1/2 miles of pathways cut into a cornfield. This year’s theme is the Conestoga Wagon that brought Major John Davidson from Pennsylvania to North Carolina in the 18th century. Admission $10 ages 13+ and $7 for ages 5-12. Children ages 4 and under free.
Details: www.ruralhill.net ^[4]

Lecture: Chemist in the Rain Forest, 2:30 p.m., Davidson College Martin Chemical Laboratory, Lecture Hall – Virginia Tech Professor David G.I. Kingston lectures on “Chemistry, Drug Discovery, and Conservation: What is a Chemist Doing in the Rain Forest?” Refreshments served at 2 p.m. in the lobby. Free. For information call 704-894-2307.

Mooresville Music on Main outdoor concert, 6:30 p.m., Mooresville Town Hall lawn, 413 N. Main St. – Mooresville Music on Main series concludes with The Catalinas, playing a mix of beach and variety music. A Carolinas band since 1957. Details on the town of Mooresville website. ^[5]

Hough High football vs. Vance, 7 p.m., W.A. Hough High School stadium, Bailey Road, Cornelius – Hough plays Vance H.S. Fans will begin tailgating in the school parking lot at 5:30 p.m. Moe’s will be selling food for those who don’t bring their own.

Davidson soccer vs. Furman, 7 p.m., Davidson College Alumni Soccer Field – Davidson women’s soccer vs. Furman. Details on DavidsonWildcats.com. ^[6] Free. It’s Youth Soccer Month, and the first 200 kids wearing soccer jerseys get a giveaway from US Youth Soccer.

Live music at Summit Coffee, 8-11 p.m., Summit Coffee, 128 S. Main St. – Live music: Rusty Knox. Info: 704-895-9090.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 25

Garage sale and fund-raiser for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., 105 N. Downing St., McConnell neighborhood – Garage sale and fund-raiser for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. English Griggs and Debbie Ferguson are raising money for the 2011 Avon Walk in San Francisco through the garage sale and online, at http://info.avonfoundation.org/site/TR/Walk/SanFrancisco?px=2883476&pg=personal&fr_id=2050 ^[7] Their walks are in honor of their grandmothers. More info: English Griggs, 704-892-5159.

Davidson Farmer’s Market, 8 a.m. to noon, off Main Street next to Town Hall – Weekly Davidson Farmers Market, with local farmers and vendors selling meats, produce, dairy products, baked goods, and other items. Open every Saturday. For more information: www.davidsonfarmersmarket.org ^[8]. DavidsonNews.net is pleased to be a sponsor of the Davidson Farmers Market.

Free prostate cancer screening, 9-11 a.m., Davidson College student health center – Free prostate cancer screenings for Prostate Cancer Month, by Lake Norman Urology and Carolina Urology Care. Details: 704-660-4859.

Historic Holly Bend open house, 9 a.m. to noon, meet at Cowan’s Ford Wildlife Refuge observation deck, Neck Road, Huntersville – Built in 1795 by Robert Davidson, Holly Bend is just past Rural Hill farm. Follow a self-guided tour on the historical and architectural significance of the house and surrounding property. For more information, contact Stephen Hutchinson at 704-947-3069 or visit the county parks website ^[9].

River Run Tennis Pro-Am, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., River Run Country Club – 8th annual River Run Pro-Am Tennis Tournament. (Continues Sunday.) Includes a silent auction and Pro Am Gala Saturday night, to raise money for the Avon Breast Cancer Walk. More information in our preview article in Sports. ^[10] See also riverruncc.com ^[11]

Ride for bicycle awareness, 10 a.m., end of South Street, Kincaid Greenway trailhead – Town officials, residents and local cyclists will hold a bicycle ride to raise awareness and promote bicycle safety. Ride will cover about 3 miles of Davidson’s South Prong Greenway as well as town streets, and coincides with the official marking of the greenway as part of the Carolina Thread Trail. Free. More info in our Sept. 16 article “Sept. 25 ride to promote cycling awareness.” ^[12]

Children’s Schoolhouse Carnival on the Green, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Davidson Village Green – The Children’s Schoolhouse hosts its annual community carnival and Alumni Day on the green, with games, food and family fun. The schoolhouse is a pre-school at 17616 Caldwell Station Rd. in Huntersville, NC 28078. Phone: 704-892-7724thechildrensschoolhouse.com ^[13] Download a flier for the event, CLICK HERE> ^[14]

Amazing Maize Maze at Rural Hill, 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., Rural Hill farm, 4431 Neck Road, off Beatties Ford Road, Huntersville – Rural Hill presents the annual Amazing Maize Maze, a 7-acre labyrinth with 2 1/2 miles of pathways cut into a cornfield. This year’s theme is the Conestoga Wagon that brought Major John Davidson from Pennsylvania to North Carolina in the 18th century. Admission $10 ages 13+ and $7 for ages 5-12. Children ages 4 and under free.
Details: www.ruralhill.net ^[4]

Davidson field hockey vs. Richmond, noon, Davidson College Belk Turf Field – Davidson College Field Hockey vs. Richmond. Details on DavidsonWildcats.com. ^[15]

Davidson football vs. Jacksonville, 1 p.m., Davidson College Richardson Stadium – Davidson football vs. Jacksonville. Wildcat fan zone opens three hours before kickoff next to stadium. Details on DavidsonWildcats.com ^[16]

Benefit ‘Cruise for Change’ on Lake Norman, 6:30 p.m., Queens Landing, 1459 River Highway (NC 150), Mooresville – “Cruise for Change” fund-raiser for Lake Norman office of United Family Services. Includes drinks, heavy hors d’oeuvres, music, silent auction. Proceeds benefit UFS, which provides domestic violence services to area women. Details: 704-655-8745 or www.unitedfamilyservices.org ^[17]

Davidson soccer vs. Elon, 7 p.m., Davidson College Alumni Soccer Field – Davidson men’s soccer vs. Elon University. Details on DavidsonWildcats.com. ^[18]

Mooresville Movies on Main, 8 p.m., Bellingham Park, 1600 Bellingham Drive, Mooresville – Mooresville Movies on Main presents an outdoor screening of “Hannah Montana: The Movie” (G). Rain location: Charles Mack Citizens Center, 215 N. Main St. Free. 704-662-3334 or www.cmccmooresville.com ^[19].

BirdsNest grand opening, open house 3-7 p.m., grand opening party 8 p.m., 102-B South Main St., above The Needlecraft Center – Grand opening for The BirdsNest, a new music studio, school and shop. Open house is from 3-7 p.m. Grand opening party 8 p.m. features music by local folk/bluegrass band Davidson Express. Tickets $10 and extremely limited. A portion of the proceeds will go to Our Towns Habitat for Humanity. Contact mrwjjones@yahoo.com ^[20] to reserve tickets.

Live music at Summit Coffee, 8-11 p.m., Summit Coffee, 128 S. Main St. – Live music: Rick Spreitzer Band. Info: 704-895-9090.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 26

River Run Tennis Pro-Am, 9 a.m., River Run Country Club – 8th annual River Run Pro-Am Tennis Tournament. (Begins Saturday.) Includes a Pro Am Gala Saturday night, with a silent auction that will raise money for the Avon Breast Cancer Walk. More information in our preview article in Sports. ^[10] See also riverruncc.com ^[11]

www.ruralhill.net ^[4]

Helping Paws Dog Show, 2-5 p.m., Davidson Green,Corner of Main St & Davidson- Concord Rd. – The 2nd annual Helping Paws Dog show, hosted by local 8th grader Brooke Phillips as a fund-raiser for Project Halo, a no-kill shelter. The event will include a non-traditional dog show, chances to adopt shelter dogs, and dog washing. The cost to enter a pet is $10, and a $2 donation for spectators. For registration information or to become a sponsor, go to www.helpingpawsdogshow.org ^[21] or email info@helpingpawsdogshow.org ^[22]. (SUNDAY UPDATE: because of the weather, this show has been postponed to Saturday, Oct. 9. More at www.helpingpawsdogshow.org ^[23])

ReadDavidson nature walk at Fisher Farm, 2 p.m., Fisher Farm Park, 21215 Shearers Rd., Davidson – In conjunction with Davidson Lands Conservancy, Davidson College biologist Pat Peroni will lead a nature walk at Fisher Farm. The walk is part of the 2010 ReadDavidson townwide book reading program. Read more in our Aug. 18 preview ^[24] of the ReadDavidson series.

Indian music concert, 3:30 p.m., Davidson College Sloan Music Center, Tyler-Tallman Hall – The first event in this year’s Classical Indian Music concert series features the violin duo A. Kanyakumari and Embar Kannan. They will play duets in the classical style of southern India. Accompanying the duo will be Arjun Kumar on the South Indian drum, mridangam. Tickets available at the door by the event’s cosponsor, CMAC (Classical Music Association of Charlotte). Information: 704-894-2848.

Charlotte Film Festival screening: “Gen Silent,” 5:45 p.m, Regal Park Terrace 6 Theater, 4289 Park Road, Charlotte – Charlotte Film Festival presents a screening of “Gen Silent,” a new film about gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender seniors and health care. The 1-hour film was co-produced by Bob Linscott, brother of Davidson resident Peter Hess. Mr. Linscott will speak after the film. Trailer: on YouTube. ^[25] More info about the 2010 Charlotte Film Festival,www.charlottefilmfestival.org/2010 ^[26]

HAVE LISTINGS?

Send them to editor@davidsonnews.net ^[27].