Paul Studtmann with the damaged "Falling Down Man" by Charlie Spear. (Bill Giduz photo)

Can damage actually increase the value of a piece of art? A Davidson College philosophy professor thinks so, and he’ll test the theory in a benefit auction this Friday, Dec. 9., at Summit Coffee in Davidson. The event begins at 8 p.m.

Philosophy professor Paul Studtmann will auction a 2-foot by 3-foot painting complete with its badly bowed steel frame. The painting was damaged in transit from the studio of artist Charlie Spear of Indianapolis to Prof. Studtmann in Davidson.

The acrylic-on-wood image titled “Falling Down Man” depicts a marionette heaped on the ground, which Mr. Spear intended as a statement about the plight of the homeless. Read the full story

Miracle on 34th Street opens this week at Our Town Cinemas.

Our Town Cinemas in Davidson will be screening the holiday classic “Miracle on 34th Street” this holiday season, beginning with a Lake Norman Chamber Kickoff and Fundraiser for the Ada Jenkins Center this Thursday, Dec. 8. A reception begins at 5:30 p.m., followed by a screening at 7 p.m. at the cinema, in the Sadler Square Shopping Center off Griffith Street.

Ada Jenkins Center representatives will be at the theater Thursday to greet guests and collect donation checks. The regional community services center, at 212 Gamble St. on Davidson’s West Side, provides a variety of services – from free health and dental clinics to after school and counseling programs. Read the full story

The college's Celebration of Mind poster. Click to see the full image - read it upside down, too.

The Davidson event is one of many worldwide. It’s free and begins at 6:30 p.m. in the Alvarez College Union Smith 900 Room. For more information email tichartier@davidson.edu.

Davidson College invites the public to a variety of events on campus in December and January, including artists’ talks, concerts, and this weekend’s Alternative Gifts Fair and Christmas Vespers events. Author Thomas Mallon, who is this year’s McGee Visiting Professor of Writing, gives a lecture in January, while Davidson Community Players teams with the college theater department in late January on a production of “Sleeping Beauty.” Read the full story

Can your sweater top these gems? Enter Saturday's contest.

Christmas in Davidson is nearly upon us, and besides taking in the atmosphere with a stroll on Main Street, you’ve got several ways to get even more involved.  Organizers have planned an Ugly Sweater Contest Saturday night, you can enter your pooch in the popular Doggie Fashion Show on Friday, or purchase a Christmas in Davidson ornament. Another new feature this year will be a skating rink at South Main Square, open extended hours all three days. Meanwhile, Town Hall is hoping to bolster the subscribers to its eCrier email lists with a prize drawing for ornaments or tickets for skating or carriage rides.  Details below.

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"Four Sheep Three Windows," by John Borden Evans. The painting promotes "Retrieving the Lamb" and is being raffled to support Davidson Community Players. Click for info on DavidsonCommunityPlayers.org

Davidson Community Players will celebrate the 2011 holiday season with a production of Travis Whitten’s “Retrieving the Lamb”  Dec. 1-18 at Armour Street Theatre.

Christmas comes but once a year, and for the folks in Whitten’s nativity play, that’s way too often. Mary, Joseph, and the angel are sick; winters’ chill is offset by the heat of a temperamental furnace; the music director rearranges the carols; and a powerful storm leaves the cast in darkness while the Christmas lamb is lost in the night. As a local farmer braves the elements to search for the lamb, the rest are left to search for love, compassion, understanding, and the spirit of the season that they have lost. Read the full story