Rockers Mane Alloy will perform at intermission of Saturday night’s show and fireworks.

A field of 63 entrants has been whittled to 15 finalists for Saturday night’s “Lake Norman Has Talent” Concert in the Park at Bailey Road Park in Cornelius. Their talents range from bands and singers to a drummer and a juggler. Gates open at 7 for the festivities, which include a competition for cash prizes, a concert by the rock band Mane Alloy, and post-concert fireworks.

The competition drew a crowd of hopefuls aged 5 to 66 years old. Most of the performers that made the cut for Saturday’s live competition are teens, between 11 and 17.

“We didn’t expect that,” said Mindi Stoner, special events coordinator for Cornelius Park, Arts, Recreation & Culture. “That’s just kind of how it came back.” Read the full story

Fuse Praise Band

The 2013-2014 Cornelius Concert Series kicks off a new year Sept. 8 with an appearance by the Fuse Praise Band at Mt. Zion United Methodist Church. The schedule also includes singer Tom Fisch, the Triumphant Quartet, pianist Katie Reimer, and the annual Christmas program.

Fuse Praise Band formed in 2011, “guided by God’s Holy Word to use their gifts to tell His story,” according to an announcement from the church.

See the series calendar below. All concerts are at Mt. Zion,  19600 Zion St., Cornelius. The series is free, but free-will offerings will be collected.  Info: www.mtzionumc.net. Read the full story

North Mecklenburg Senior Center will host a variety of events over the next couple of weeks, including a program Aug. 20 called “What’s Under the Lake” with a Davidson College researcher who has been studying life before Lake Norman, and a National Senior Citizens Day celebration on Wednesday, Aug. 21.  Other special events and activities include a trivia/ pizza party Aug. 30. Read the full story

Too Wet to Plow plays old time string music Saturday at Summit Coffee.

Our Events Calendar offers many possibilities this weekend, from the downtown Cornelius 2nd Friday Art Crawl to art openings to live music. Saturday brings the Davidson Farmer’s Market and a the Beast Feast food truck festival at the U.S. National Whitewater Center. Comedy fans can catch The Chuckleheads Saturday night at The Warehouse Performing Arts Center in Cornelius, with their “Dog Days of Summer” show. The new Turning Pointe dance and performing arts studio celebrates is grand opening in Cornelius Saturday. Read the full story

The Second Friday Crawl in downtown Cornelius continues this Friday, Aug. 9, in and around the Oak Street Mill, 19725 Oak St. The evening will offer a pedestrian friendly path of art, craft, culture and community. Area businesses will remain open through the evening and promote their products/services/causes in a casual setting.

The crawl will include food trucks and live music. Artisans will be selling their wares in the spaces between shops. Bella Love studios will be open to spotlight an emerging local artist for an individual gallery show.

More information on Facebook.

DavidsonNews.net and CorneliusNews.net are pleased to be media sponsors for Cornelius 2nd Friday events.

Lead singer Michaela Amato and drummer Chris Grunert of Chasing Pedestrians at Carrburritos in Davidson Saturday night. (Barry Pulver photo)

By BARRY PULVER

This weekend saw a big treat for Davidson music fans as home-grown Lake Norman band Chasing Pedestrians performed for a crowd of about 100 at Carrburritos Taqueria in Davidson Saturday night.

The five-piece band included founding members lead singer and pianist Michaela Amato, guitarist Steven Gilmore and drummer Chris Grunert. They played a variety of covers as well as originals in a blend that kept the large crowd entertained for the duration of the playlist. Read the full story