Carrot Ginger Soup from Restaurant X was a winner a few years ago in the Souper Bowl. This year’s contest is Saturday. (DavidsonNews.net file photo)

Our community calendar this week is packed with concerts, meetings, sports events and other activities around the area. Saturday brings the annual Souper Bowl soup cook-off among local restaurants, a fundraiser for Davidson Housing Coalition’s HAMMERS emergency home repairs program. There’s live music at many local venues, and at Davidson College, where the Davidson Jazz Ensemble plays a concert with percussionist Adam Snow that was rescheduled from last week. The Davidson Farmer’s Market is back on Saturday morning, 9 to noon, and Our Town Cinemas is hosting a “Zombie Walk” on Saturday afternoon. Read on for those events and more. Also, Saturday is the annual fund-raising pancake breakfast of the North Mecklenburg Rotary.

On the big screen, Our Town Cinemas has “Silver Linings Playbook,” “Gangster Squad,” “Les Miserables,” and “Zero Dark Thirty” and “Movie 43.” See showtimes at right on this page. Read the full story

The Zombie Walk promotes the new film “Warm Bodies.”

Our Town Cinemas in Davidson plans a “Zombie Walk” through town on Saturday, Feb. 2, to help promote the new film “Warm Bodies,” which opens Friday, Feb. 1. The walk begins at noon, and includes a collection for local food banks.

The Zombie Walk will follow a route from Our Town Cinemas, in Sadler Square off Griffith Street, onto the Davidson College campus then down Main Street to South Main Square. It wraps up at Davidson Beverage Co., a specialty beer shop that the cinema says “would be a great spot for the after party. It’s also near other eateries, including Fuel Pizza and Carrburritos. Read the full story

Billy Jones

By DAVID BORAKS
DavidsonNews.net

Local music fans who cast votes in the Summit Songwriter of the Year awards competition this year couldn’t decide – the competition ended in a tie. Billy Jones of Davidson and Mike Alicke of Huntersville were the crowd favorites from the monthly songwriters series in 2012. You can see Mr. Jones live tonight at Summit in downtown Davidson. The weekend schedule also includes a free jazz concert with percussionist Adam Snow and the Davidson Jazz Ensemble at Davidson College, as well as live music at several other area venues. Read the full story

Plenty of choices this weekend in the Lake Norman area, from live music at local clubs to a free Jazz Ensemble concert Friday at Davidson College to a “Gospel Explosion” Sunday at Gethsemane Baptist Church. The newly formed Davidson Film Club makes its debut, with a screening of “A Screaming Man.” Davidson College and Davidson Community Players Connie Co. present the children’s show “Jack and the Beanstalk,” which is billed as a good first theater experience for kids. There’s a big travel showcase in Charlotte, and Cabarrus Arena & Events Center in Concord has a Home & Landscaping show. And the town of Davidson honors retiring Sgt. Scott Misenheimer with a reception on Sunday. Read on for the details.

On the big screen, Our Town Cinemas has “Silver Linings Playbook,” “Gangster Squad,” “Les Miserables,” and “Zero Dark Thirty.” Opening Friday, it’s “Movie 43.” See showtimes at right on this page. Read the full story

Alton’s Kitchen & Cocktails, Cornelius

As we near the end of another successful Restaurant Week, I would be remiss not to highlight one of my favorite local participating venues: Alton’s Kitchen & Cocktails. Indeed, cozy is the perfect way to describe this place when freezing temperatures outside make a warm fire inside warm and, well, cozy.

A big, open fireplace in the rich, mahogany dark wood bar makes you feel like you’ve just ditched your skis after an exhilarating run in favor of cocktails and dinner with friends while you recap the day on the slopes with tall tales. OK, maybe you’re not struck by the same lodge vibe atmosphere the bar invokes. In which case, I should focus on the food and stop conjuring up images in my head. Read the full story

Kevin Coughlin and Aaron Campbell (of The Tree Thuggers) toasted during Tuesday’s event at Summit Coffee. At right, Trivia Night’s final results. (Brian Helfrich photos)

Upstairs at Summit Coffee on Tuesday night, seven energetic teams with varying numbers of players competed in the shop’s first-ever Trivia Night.  When it was over, a team called Pair of Pears came out on top, and brothers/proprietors Tim and Brian Helfrich declared the night such a roaring success that they’re planning to make it a regular event. Read the full story