The spring season for community events is peaking, with more choices than you’ll possibly get to this weekend. Community Arts Project hosts a “Taste of Art” fundraiser Thursday at Fresh Market in Cornelius. Downtown Davidson’s April Is for Arts Gallery Crawl is Friday night. Saturday is chock full of community festivals, including Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore Community Fest, the Davidson Lands Conservancy’s Paddlefest on Lake Davidson,, Lake Norman YMCA’s Family Fun Day on Lake Cornelius, and the Pawz Too Run 5K on the Davidson Village Green. Davidson Community Players’ Connie Co. youth theater offers “Treasure Island” and the Kannapolis Intimidators minor league baseball team opens its home season with a series against the Hickory Crawdads. There’s plenty of live music at area venues, including live jazz Thursday night at Carrburritos and The Belfast Boys Friday at The Birdsnest, both in Davidson. And Temple Kol Tikvah dedicates its new synagogue in Davidson on Sunday. Read on for the details.

Our Town Cinemas has “Olympus Has Fallen,” “GI Joe: Retaliation,” and “The Host,” all in their final day Thursday, along with “The Croods.” Opening Friday are “42,” “Scary Movie 5″ and “Emperor.” See the showtimes at right on this page.

THURSDAY, APRIL 11

Pedestrian plan workshop, 9am to 4pm, Davidson Town Hall board room, 216 S. Main St. – Public workshop on the town of Davidson’s proposed pedestrian master plan. Consultants and steering committee members will be working in an open studio setting and having meetings with stakeholder focus groups. Citizens are welcome to drop in to learn about the project and provide input to the steering committee. Read more: “Put in your two cents on walking and biking in town.” Continues Friday.

Story time at Main Street Books, 3pm, Main Street Books, 126 S. Main St., Davidson – April story time with stories, songs and fun. All children welcome. Also April 25.

Red Line Trail information session, 5-7pm, Cornelius Town Hall, 21445 Catawba Ave., Cornelius – Area towns and Mecklenburg County officials will host a public information meeting about the proposed Red Line Trail, a 30-mile walking and biking trail between Mooresville and Charlotte. See more in our preview, “Community meetings planned on Mooresville-to-Charlotte trail” Third of of three meetings. (Also 4/2 and 4/10)

I-77 HOT lanes public input session, 5-7pm, Oaklawn Academy, 1810 Oaklawn Ave., Charlotte – Mecklenburg Union Metropolitan Planning Organization (MUMPO) will host a meeting to collect public input on a proposal to amend the region’s long-range transportation plan to widen I-77 using high-occupancy toll lanes. MUMPO is in the midst a formal public comment period, through April 22. A similar meeting is planned Wednesday in Huntersville. See more on MUMPO.org

Hough Soccer vs. Vance, 6pm, W.A. Hough High School stadium, 12420 Bailey Road, Cornelius – Hough girls soccer vs. Vance.

Free nature program, 6 pm, Youth Services Room of Mooresville Public Library, 304 S. Main St., Mooresville – Parents, teachers and others are invited to attend “The Great Outdoors University – Connecting Kids with Nature,” the next free nature program sponsored by Lake Norman Wildlife Conservationists. Mary Bures, manager of the North Carolina Wildlife Federation’s new conservation-based program “The Great Outdoors University,” will discuss how it is designed to bring life-changing outdoor experiences to kids 6-18 years who have limited opportunity to explore the natural world. Bures is seeking volunteers “to help empower children with the many joys, wonders and benefits of nature.” Free and open to the public. Info: www.lakenormanwildlife.org or call 704-877-4788.

Cornelius Planning Board, 7pm, Town Hall 21445 Catawba Ave., Cornelius – Cornelius Planning Board monthly meeting. The board will consider a proposal by Elevation Church for a $5 million renovation of the former Palace Theater at Kenton Place for use as a church, and a the proposed Pender Pointe subdivision. See “Elevation Church seeks rezoning to use Palace Theater” (This meeting had been rescheduled to Tuesday, 4/9, but has been moved back to its original time.)

Music and wine tasting at The Wine Cellar, 7-9pm, The Wine Cellar, 19712 One Norman Boulevard, off West Catawba Ave., Cornelius – Wine tasting with live music: Karl Stolz. http://winecellarlkn.com/

Home opener: Intimidators vs. Crawdads, 7:05pm, CMC Northeast Stadium, 2888 Moose Rd Kannapolis – Kannapolis Intimidators minor league baseball home opener vs. Hickory Crawdads. For tickets, call the box office at 704-932-3267 or visit IntimidatorsBaseball.com.

Literary Reading, 7:30pm, Davidson College, Alvarez College Union Smith 900 Room – Award-winning novelist Randall Kenan will read from his work and present the Vereen Bell Memorial Award in Creative Writing to students. Sponsored by the Fellowship of Southern Writers Benefit Reading Series, the President’s Office Innovation Fund, the Office of the VPAA and the Department of English. Free. For more information visit Davidson.edu, call 704-894-2472 or email narandazzo@davidson.edu.

CAP Taste of Art at Fresh Market, 8-10pm, Fresh Market, 20623 Torrence Chapel Rd, Cornelius – Community Arts Project Taste of Art fundraiser. Wine tasting, hors d’oeuvres, silent auction and more to benefit the nonprofit arts group. Tickets $30 in advance, $35 the night of the event. Buy tickets at the Cornelius Arts Center, 19725 Oak St., in the Oak Street Mill (behind Cornelius Police Station). Or call 704-896-8823.

Live music at Summit Coffee, 8-11pm, Summit Coffee, 128 S. Main St., Davidson – Live music: Chas Willoman. Free. Info: 704-895-9090 or visit www.summitcoffee.com

Live jazz at Carrburritos, 9:30pm, Carrburritos, 445 S. Main St., Davidson – Live jazz with the Jeff Sipe Trio – Taylor Lee, Jeff Sipe, Mike Seal. $10 cover, drink specials. 704-237-3040 or http://www.carrburritos.com/davidson/

FRIDAY, APRIL 12

Pedestrian plan workshop, 9am to 1pm, Davidson Town Hall board room, 216 S. Main St. – Day 2 of a public workshop on the town of Davidson’s proposed pedestrian master plan. Consultants and steering committee members will be working in an open studio setting and having meetings with stakeholder focus groups. Citizens are welcome to drop in to learn about the project and provide input to the steering committee. Read more: “Put in your two cents on walking and biking in town.” Begins Thursday.

Hospital groundbreaking, 12:30pm, CHS hospital site, 16740 Davidson-Concord Road (NC 73), Davidson – Carolinas HealthCare System will host a formal groundbreaking for its planned $36 million behavioral health hospital in Davidson. Clearing and site work began in February. See Feb. 21, 2013, “Site work begins for behavioral health hospital on NC 73.”

Astronaut Tom Marshburn, live from the Space Station, 3:30pm, Davidson College Alvarez College Union, 900 Room – Marshburn, a 1982 Davidson grad, will field questions via live video link from the International Space Station, 230 miles above Earth. Doors open 3:30, uplink is scheduled 4:05 – 4:30pm. Video monitors outside the room will handle an overflow crowd. You also can watch live on the web, as well as online at http://www.davidson.edu/live/. More information at Davidson.edu. See also John Syme’s column about the event here.

April Is for Arts Gallery Crawl, 6-9pm, various locations in Davidson – Stroll to local businesses on Main and South Main streets and the Exit 30 area for exhibits and demonstrations, live music and more at shops. Bailey Middle junior honors society students also will have a bake sale outside Summit Coffee to Samaritan’s Feet to help people in Burundi. Find out more at TownofDavidson.org.

Gallery Crawl at Homewood Suites, 6-10pm, Homewood Suites, 125 Harbour Place Drive, Davidson – “Experience the Arts” program as part of the Davidson Gallery Crawl, with art displays by eight local artists, live music with jazz vocalist Erin Dobey, wine tasting from three vineyards and other refreshments. Free. Artist fees for the events support the building fund of Boy Scout Troop 173. See a flier for the event here

Wine dinner at Lake Norman Cottage, 6-9pm, Lake Norman Cottage, 200 A North Harbor Pl., Davidson. $25 per person includes a light 3-course meal and wines from California, France, and Washington State. Please RSVP: 704-237-3629.

Davidson Women’s Lacrosse vs. High Point, 6pm, Davidson College Richardson Stadium – Davidson women’s lacrosse vs. High Point. Information: DavidsonWildcats.net

Family festival for child slave rescue, 5:30-8:30pm, Journey Church, near Birkdale, 15711 Brookway Drive, Huntersville – Family Friendly Art, Crafts and Food Festival, an international outreach event to benefit The Father’s House, a home for rescued child slaves in Ghana. Hosted by Leadership Link, a local home-school student leadership organization. Food from Chick-fil-A, Arturo’s Authentic Mexican Food Truck, Coffee and Smoothie Bar. Sales of jewelry, purses, home decor, 100 percent unrefined Ghanaian Shea Butter and Sea Salt. Also hair braiding, face painting, kids craft corner, and a silent auction. Rain or shine. Details: http://leadershiplink.info/

Mooresville Depot art opening, 6-8pm, Mooresville Depot Art Gallery, 103 W. Center Ave., Mooresville – Opening reception for Mooresville Artist Guild’s 35th annual Spring Artfest. Free and open to the public. Featuring work by top artists from around the region competing for prizes. www.MAGart.org or 704-663-6661.

General Assembly Town Hall meeting, 7pm, Cornelius Town Hall, 21445 Catawba Ave., Cornelius – State Sen. Jeff Tarte will hold a General Assembly Town Hall Day to listen to questions and concerns from constituents. Open to the public. Info: Cornelius.org.

Intimidators vs. Crawdads, 7:05pm, CMC Northeast Stadium, 2888 Moose Rd Kannapolis – Kannapolis Intimidators minor league baseball vs. Hickory Crawdads. For tickets, call the box office at 704-932-3267 or visit IntimidatorsBaseball.com. Also Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

Live music at Summit Coffee, 8-11pm, Summit Coffee, 128 S. Main St., Davidson – Live music: Mike Strauss Trio. Free. Info: 704-895-9090 or visit www.summitcoffee.com

Belfast Boys at Birdsnest, 8pm, The Birdsnest, 102B South Main St., Davidson – The Birdsnest presents The Belfast Boys – Alyn Mearns (guitar, whistle & vocals) and Adrian Rice (mandolin, bodhran & vocals). Tickets are $12 in advance, or $15 at the door and are on sale now. As always, a portion of each ticket goes to Habitat for Humanity. Reserve tickets by email davidsonncmusic@hotmail.com, call 704-990-NEST (6378), or drop by the shop during business hours. Seating begins 15 minutes before the show. More info on Facebook.

SATURDAY, APRIL 13

Smithville Yard Sale, 7am to 3pm, Smithville Community Center Parking lot, 11912 South Hill St., Cornelius – Smithville community yard sale, organized by Rev. Etheleen Jetton, a competitor in this year’s Our Towns Habitat for Humanity Biggest Cheese in Town contest. Proceeds benefit Our Towns Habitat for Humanity. Come shop or sell. Info: 980-307-4377.

Pawz Too Run 10K & 5K, 8am, Davidson Village Green – Pawz Too Run 10K and 5K races and vendor fair. Followed by a community dog walk. Fundraiser for Friends of the Animals, a local nonprofit whose mission is to promote responsible pet ownership, provide low cost spay/neuter services and promote adoption of homeless pets. For information, to register or volunteer, visit www.FriendsoftheAnimals.net

Davidson Farmer’s Market, 8am-noon, downtown Davidson, off Main Street next to Town Hall – Davidson Farmer’s Market, with local farmers and vendors selling meats, produce, dairy products, baked goods, and other items. Continues every Saturday through November. Information: Visit www.davidsonfarmersmarket.org. DavidsonNews.net and CorneliusNews.net are pleased to be media partners of the Davidson Farmer’s Market.

LearnWorks Cheerleading Clinic, 9:30am-12:30pm, Community School of Davidson High School auxiliary gym, 404 Armour St., Davidson – Ada Jenkins Center LEARN Works Tutoring and Enrichment Program will host its 2nd Annual Cheer4Kids Cheerleading Clinic. This year’s clinic is focusing on bullying prevention. Download a flier here (PDF)

Habitat Community Fest, 10am to 2pm, Our Towns Habitat for Humanity ReStore, 20414 N. Main St., Cornelius – Our Towns Habitat for Humanity hosts the 2013 Cornelius ReStore Community Fest. The day will include free live music, children’s activities and food. 10-foot by 10-foot spaces are available for $20 each. Register with awilliamson@ourtownshabitat.org.

Latta Plantation Civil War Reenactment, 10am to 4pm, Historic Latta Plantation, 5225 Sample Road, Huntersville – Watch the North and South battle it out across plantation grounds. Visitors can also tour the circa 1800 Latta home, outbuildings, and animals, visit the soldier camps, shop with period sutlers, and see demonstrations throughout the weekend. Also Sunday, April 14. Main battle begins at 2pm both days. Admission is $7 per person, ages 5 and under free. Info: LattaPlantation.org

Lake Davidson Paddlefest, 10am to 3pm, Lake Davidson Nature Preserve, behind Davidson Day School, 750 Jetton St., Davidson – Davidson Lands Conservancy, My Aloha Paddle Sports & Fitness, and NC Community Sailing & Rowing host PaddleFest, with demonstrations and introductions to sailing, kayaking and paddleboarding. Also: dragon boats and clipper war canoes to try, storytelling, tours of the nature preserve’s walking trail with naturalist Reed Patterson. Music by Billy Jones and other groups. Free, donations to the conservancy encouraged. davidsonlands.org

Lake Norman Y Family Fun Day, 10am to 1pm, Lake Norman YMCA, 21300 Davidson St., Cornelius – Lake Norman YMCA hosts its annual Family Fun Day, a free event on the lakefront. Activities include archery, sports games, bounce houses, canoeing, face painting, and arts and crafts. Hot dogs and other refreshments. The Lake Norman YMCA’s Lake Cornelius waterfront will be home to camps and other summer activities including the annual triathlon and adaptive water skiing. For more information or to volunteer for Family Fun Day, contact Honora Ruggiero at 704-716-4432 or honora.ruggiero@ymcacharlotte.org.

Lake Norman Blessing of the Fleet, 11am, on Lake Norman, just south of the Highway 150 Bridge, Mooresville – Lake Norman Sail & Power Squadron’s annual blessing of the fleet. Just show up and join the boats. Listen for a safe boating announcement on marine radio channel 72. http://www.usps.org/lakenorman/

Theater: Treasure Island, 1 and 4pm, Davidson Community Player’s Armour Street Theatre, 307 Armour St., Davidson-Davidson Community Player’s Connie Company youth theater presents “Treasure Island,” based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel. The play features young actors performing this story with lessons about friendship, loyalty, and conscience. Performances April 13, 14, 20, and 21 at 1 and 4 pm and April 19 at 7pm. Tickets $10. Call the box office at 704-892-7953, or visit davidsoncommunityplayers.org.

Davidson Baseball vs. Charleston, 2pm, Davidson College Wilson Field – Davidson Baseball vs. College of Charleston. Information: DavidsonWildcats.com

St. Alban’s Reggae Mass, 5pm, St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, 301 Caldwell Lane, Davidson – St. Alban’s will celebrate its relationship with a diocese in Costa Rica with a Reggae Mass.

Wine dinner at Lake Norman Cottage, 6-9pm, Lake Norman Cottage, 200 A North Harbor Pl., Davidson. $25 per person includes a light 3-course meal and wines from California, Spain, and Italy. Please RSVP: 704-237-3629.

Film: “The Drummer,” 7pm, Armour Street Theater, 307 Armour St., Davidson – Davidson Film Club monthly screeing: “The Drummer” Hong Kong/ Taiwan/ Germany, crime thriller. In Mandarin and Cantonese with English subtitles. Doors open 6:30. Info: davidsonfilmclub.org DavidsonNews.net and CorneliusNews.net are please to be media sponsors of the Davidson Film Club

Live music at the Wine Cellar, 7-11pm, The Wine Cellar, 19712 One Norman Boulevard, off West Catawba Ave., Cornelius – Wine tasting with live music: Mike Alicke (folk, acoustic, pop, rock). http://winecellarlkn.com/

Intimidators vs. Crawdads, 7:05pm, CMC Northeast Stadium, 2888 Moose Rd Kannapolis – Kannapolis Intimidators minor league baseball vs. Hickory Crawdads. For tickets, call the box office at 704-932-3267 or visit IntimidatorsBaseball.com. Also Thursday, Friday, and Sunday.

Live music at Summit Coffee, 8-11pm, Summit Coffee, 128 S. Main St., Davidson – Live music: TBA. Free. Info: 704-895-9090 or visit www.summitcoffee.com

SUNDAY, APRIL 14

Latta Plantation Civil War Reenactment, 10am to 4pm, Historic Latta Plantation, 5225 Sample Road, Huntersville – Watch the North and South battle it out across plantation grounds. Visitors can also tour the circa 1800 Latta home, outbuildings, and animals, visit the soldier camps, shop with period sutlers, and see demonstrations throughout the weekend. Also Saturday, April 13. Main battle begins at 2pm both days. Admission is $7 per person, ages 5 and under free. Info: lattaplantation.org

Theater: Treasure Island, 1 and 4pm, Davidson Community Player’s Armour Street Theatre, 307 Armour St., Davidson-Davidson Community Player’s Connie Company youth theater presents “Treasure Island,” based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel. The play features young actors performing this story with lessons about friendship, loyalty, and conscience. Performances April 13, 14, 20, and 21 at 1 and 4 pm and April 19 at 7pm. Tickets $10. Call the box office at 704-892-7953, or visit davidsoncommunityplayers.org.

Davidson Baseball vs. Charleston, 1pm, Davidson College Wilson Field – Davidson Baseball vs. College of Charleston. Information: DavidsonWildcats.com

Temple Kol Tikvah dedication, 1:30pm, Temple Kol Tikvah, 605 South St., Davidson – Dedication ceremony and open house for the congregation’s new building. Tours led by madrichim (teen leaders) and information about the religious school. Open to the public. RSVP at www.templekoltikvah.org

Hands on cooking class, 2-4:30pm, Wooden Stone Gallery, 445 S. Main St., Davidson – Hands on Cooking Class: Trip to India, hosted by Wooden Stone and the Town of Davidson Parks & Recreation. Menu includes Potato Samosas, Butternut Squash Jasmine Rice, Spinach with Paneer (Saag Paneer), Indian Vegetable Stew, Chicken Tikka Masala, Indian Ground Beef with Peas, and (Kheema), Mango Lassi. Register: https://townofdavidson.recdesk.com/recdeskportal/

Intimidators vs. Crawdads, 5:05pm, CMC Northeast Stadium, 2888 Moose Rd Kannapolis – Kannapolis Intimidators minor league baseball vs. Hickory Crawdads. For tickets, call the box office at 704-932-3267 or visit IntimidatorsBaseball.com. Also Thursday, Friday, Saturday.

Kelley HIstory Lecture, 7:30pm, Davidson College Alvarez College Union Smith 900 Room – Woody Holton, Professor of History at the University of South Carolina, will present the college’s annual Kelley Lecture on the subject “Abigail Adams, Entrepreneur.” Free. For information call 704-894-2273.

HAVE LISTINGS?

Send calendar listings to editor@davidsonnews.net. Announcements appear in our “This Week” and “Weekend Calendar” columns, and in our day-by-day calendar (at right), on both DavidsonNews.net and CorneliusNews.net. We also occasionally publish additional specialty calendar columns for music, theater, running, senior events, fundraisers and church news.