Steve Langley is emcee of the Vaudeville Extravaganza at Davidson College Saturday night, part of the 2011 Hurricane Hugo Juggling festival. Ed Haponik (right) will demonstrate his yo-yo prowess.

By BILL KISER
DavidsonNews.net

Had a tough week at work? Depressed because the kids are back in school? Cheer up – the weekend’s here, and there’s plenty to do – with kids and without. The Carolina Panthers play their final home preseason game on Thursday night, and an Extreme Tailgate Party is planned in downtown Charlotte before the game. The Hurricane Hugo Juggling Festival, including two nights of fire juggling and a world record attempt for most simultaneous paddle ballers, runs Friday to Sunday. And don’t forget the festival’s Vaudeville Extravaganza Saturday night at Davidson College. In Charlotte, Bechtler Museum of Modern Art in Charlotte will host a tribute to jazz great Dizzy Gillespie, and both Davidson Day and Hough High have high school football games on the road.

On Saturday, a Punt, Pass & Kick competition will be at Smithville Park in Cornelius, the two-day F2C Control Line Airplane Team Racing Trials begins at David B. Waymer Flying Field in Huntersville, while Fall Into Huntersville begins at Discovery Place Kids in downtown Huntersville. On Sunday, the Davidson-based Sunday Union Band will perform at  Davidson Concert on the Green.

F2C Control Line Airplane Team Racing Trials are this weekend in Huntersville.

These events and more below, or in our day-by-day calendar at right. Also, at right on this page, see our movie show times listings for Our Town Cinemas.  This weekend’s offerings include “The Smurfs,” “Apollo 18,” “The Debt,” “The Help,” and “Crazy, Stupid, Love.”

THURSDAY, SEPT. 1

Extreme Tailgate Party, 3-8 p.m., Trade and Tryon St., Charlotte. Tailgate party for the Panthers vs. Steelers game. Includes a full service bar, flip cup, beer pong, a cornhole tournament and DJ Spinning all day. Details: www.704events.com/events/event_info.php?Id=14358 ^[1].

Student Research Symposium, 7:30 p.m., Lilly Family Gallery of Chambers Building, Davidson College, Davidson. Davidson College invites the public to a presentation by students of their summer research projects. Info: 704-894-2045.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 2

Chemistry Lecture, 2:30 p.m., Room B25 of Martin Chemical Laboratory, Davidson College, Davidson. Davidson College invites the public to a chemistry lecture by Professor Brad Jones from Wake Forest University. Jones will speak about “The Analytical Methods of Sherlock Holmes.” Light refreshments will be served at 2 p.m. Free. Info: 704-896-2306.

Jazz at the Bechtler: Tribute to Dizzy Gillespie, 6 p.m., Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, 420 S. Tryon St., Charlotte. The Ziad Jazz Quartet, featuring pianist Noel Freidline, will play such Dizzy Gillespie favorites as “A Night in Tunisia,” “Manteca,” “Groovin’ High” and “Salt Peanuts.” Jazz at the Bechtler is free with admission or museum membership. Seating is limited. Because of increased demand, advance ticket purchases are highly recommended. Seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Standing room only options are available. Purchase tickets at www.bechtler.org ^[2], by phone at 704-353-9200 or at the visitor services desk.

Hurricane Hugo Juggling Festival, 5 p.m. until ??, Davidson College Alvarez College Union – 2011 Hurricane Hugo Juggling Festival begins, with registration and evening fire juggling. See also Saturday. Schedule: http://web.mac.com/fettucinibrothers/Hugo/SCHEDULE.html ^[3]

Davidson Day football at Camden Military, 4 p.m., Camden, S.C. – Davidson Day football at Camden Military

Hough football vs. Providence, 7 p.m., Providence HS, Charlotte – Hough High football vs. Providence.

Women’s soccer vs. E. Carolina, 7 p.m., Davidson College Alumni Stadium – Davidson women’s soccer vs. East Carolina.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 3

Davidson Farmer’s Market, 8 a.m. to noon, downtown Davidson next to Town Hall – Local farmers and vendors selling meats, produce, dairy products, baked goods, and other items every Saturday through November. For more information: www.davidsonfarmersmarket.org ^[4]. DavidsonNews.net is pleased to be a sponsor of the Davidson Farmers Market.

Hurricane Hugo Juggling Festival, 9-noon, Davidson Village Green, Main Street and Concord Road – 2011 Hurricane Hugo Juggling Festival continues with public juggling. Come learn to juggle and watch the experts. Also, at 11 a.m., everyone is invited to join in an attempt to set a world record for most people using paddleballs at once. For more, see our Aug. 19 preview ^[5]. See also Friday. Schedule: http://web.mac.com/fettucinibrothers/Hugo/SCHEDULE.html ^[3]

NFL Punt, Pass & Kick, 9 a.m., Smithville Park, 19710 S. Ferry St., Cornelius. The 2011 NFL Punt, Pass & Kick local competition will take place at Smithville Park. The event is open to boys and girls ages 8 to 15. Local winners will have the opportunity to compete at the sectional championship in October and possibly advance to the team championships at a Carolina Panthers game in November. Registration is free and will be accepted on-site the day of the competition starting at 8:30 a.m. A photocopy of each contestant’s birth certificate is required at the time of registration. No cleats, only tennis shoes, are allowed at the competition. For more information, call 704-892-6031 Ext. 160 or visit www.corneliuspr.org ^[6].

F2C Control Line Airplane Team Racing Trials, 9 a.m., David B. Waymer Flying Field, Holbrook Road, Huntersville. Come watch some of the best model airplane racers in the United States compete in the team trials for the upcoming 2012 Federal Avaition International (FAI) World Championships. The top three teams will represent the U.S. at the international event, scheduled for September 2012 in Primorsko, Bulgaria. The competitors will fly model airplanes on 60-foot-long steel wires at speeds of up to 200 mph. Information: Email tdancy@lakenorman.org ^[7] or call 704-987-3300.

Fall Into Huntersville, 10 a.m., Discovery Place Kids, downtown Huntersville. Kickoff event in Huntersville Connection’s fall campaign features local businesses, vendors, music and artists, and will offer coupons, discounts, freebies, activities and more. Businesses interested in participating should contact Lynda Ferren at laf101@gmail.com ^[8] or Chris Churchill at chris@adlogicllc.com ^[9]. For more details on Fall Into Huntersville, visit www.FallIntoHuntersville.com ^[10]. For additional information on Huntersville Connection, like the Huntersville Connection Facebook page or email HuntersvilleConnection@gmail.com ^[11].

Field Hockey vs. Louisville, 1 p.m., Davidson College Belk Turf Field – Davidson women’s field hockey vs. No. 16 Louisville.

Davidson football at Georgetown, 6 p.m., Washington, D.C. – Davidson opens its 2011 football season at Georgetown. Radio: 1350AM

Vaudeville Extravaganza, 7 p.m., Duke Family Performance Hall, Davidson College, Davidson. Davidson College invites the public to the annual family variety show. The Great Fettucini a.k.a. “The Paddleball King,” will perform clever manipulations and introduce other performers. Proceeds benefit the Davidson chapter of Building Tomorrow. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children under 12. For reservations and information, call 704-894-2135 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays or visit www.davidson.edu/tickets ^[12].

SUNDAY, SEPT. 4

XTerra 5/10mi trail runs at Fisher Farm, 8:30 a.m. (check-in starts 7 a.m.), Fisher Farm Park, Shearers Road, Davidson – XTerra North Carolina Trail Run Series 5 and 10 mile trail runs. Info: DirtySpokes.com ^[13]. Volunteers needed: contact Mark Sullivan, msullivan@tarheeltrailblazers.com ^[14]

F2C Control Line Airplane Team Racing Trials, 9 a.m., David B. Waymer Flying Field, Holbrook Road, Huntersville. Come watch some of the best model airplane racers in the United States compete in the team trials for the upcoming 2012 Federal Avaition International (FAI) World Championships. The top three teams will represent the U.S. at the international event, scheduled for September 2012 in Primorsko, Bulgaria. The competitors will fly model airplanes on 60-foot-long steel wires at speeds of up to 200 mph. Information: Email tdancy@lakenorman.org ^[7] or call 704-987-3300.

Women’s soccer vs. UNC Wilmington, 2 p.m., Davidson College Alumni Stadium – Davidson women’s soccer vs. UNC Wilmington.

Concert on the Green, 6-8 p.m., Davidson Village Green, Main Street and Concord Road in front of Davidson library. Featuring music by the Sunday Union Band (variety) Free. Details and season schedule: “College ensembles open Concerts on the Green Sun.” ^[15]

HAVE LISTINGS?

Send events listings to listings@davidsonnews.net ^[16]. Our calendars and events columns appear on both www.corneliusnews.net ^[17] and www.davidsonnews.net ^[18].