By BILL KISER
DavidsonNews.net

A Davidson gallery crawl Friday night kicks off April Is for Arts in north Mecklenburg, the Cornelius Habitat for Humanity ReStore reopens after renovations, and the YMCA hosts a Family Fun Day and summer camp preview this weekend.  Davidson Community Players’ Connie Co. youth theater offers free performances of “Alice in Wonderland” at Armour Street Theatre in Davidson. Meanwhile, there’s a planning board meeting in Cornelius Monday and Davidson’s Town Board meets on Tuesday. And there’s a preview screening of the movie “Bully” Thurdsay, sponsored by the Cornelius-based Foundation for Respect Ability. Read the full story

Mike Strauss Band plays Friday at Birdsnest in fundraisers for Habitat for Humanity.

By BILL KISER
DavidsonNews.net

The return of the weekly run of the Davidson Farmer’s Market, a musical fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity, the annual egg hunt at Historic Rural Hill and a fishing tournament on Lake Norman are among the  activities around the area this Easter Weekend.

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By CHRISTINA RITCHIE ROGERS
DavidsonNews.net

After a string of first-place finishes, local youth performance ensemble Revelation Percussion took third place in a southeast regional competition March 3 and on Saturday won the Carolina Winter Ensemble Association championships. Now, the nonprofit group is raising money for travel to the World Championships in Dayton, Ohio, later this month. Read the full story

By BILL KISER
DavidsonNews.net

Easter-related activities fill the schedule this week around the area, from egg-decorating and egg hunts to Easter week and Easter Sunday services.  Our calendar also includes a wide range of activities from bass fishing to theater. Playwright Suzan-Lori Parks speaks at Davidson College Tuesday night. And some of the world’s top professional bass anglers will hit Lake Norman this weekend for the three-day Bassmasters Southern Open, with boats leaving from Blythe Landing. Weigh-ins will be held the first two days at Blythe Landing, the final day at Concord’s Bass Pro Shops. Read the full story

A ceremony at Davidson College's sculpture garden Thursday will dedicate "Group of Ten" by Magdelena Abakanowicz. (Cathryn Westra photo)

By BILL KISER
DavidsonNews.net

The unveiling of a new work of art on the Davidson College campus, a day of fine Italian dining for a good cause, a day of painting (followed with an evening of dinner) and performances of “In The Blood” at Davidson College highlight the weekend’s events around the area. Lake Norman YMCA has middle-schoolers night out Friday. And a variety of pre-Easter events also are on tap, including an egg-dyeing workshop at Rural Hill, the annual Hop into Spring festival at Bailey Road Park in Cornelius, and a visit from the Easter Bunny in Mooresville.

Davidson College will dedicate an outdoor sculpture — “Group of Ten,” created by renowned Polish artist Magdelena Abakanowicz — on Thursday afternoon in front of the college’s E.H. Little Library. And all day Thursday, Campania Cafe and Trattoria in downtown Davidson will donate a portion of its proceeds to the Jimmy V Foundation — a cancer research foundation named after the late N.C. State men’s basketball coach Jim Valvano. Read the full story

Opening at Our Town Cinemas.

By BILL KISER
DavidsonNews.net

Lectures by a local author working to change perceptions of beauty, the editor of one of the world’s most influential newspapers, and an expert on Islam as both a religion and a culture highlight the weekend’s activities in and around Davidson. The Davidson Farmer’s Market hosts its final winter tailgate market Saturday before the start of the regular season. And “Stones in His Pockets” wraps up its run at Warehouse Performing Arts Center in Cornelius.

Meanwhile, “The Hunger Games” opens at area theaters, including Our Town Cinemas, where Thursday midnight shows are already sold out. On Friday, they’ll host an autograph session at 6 p.m. with area residents who snagged jobs as extras on the locally-filmed movie. Read the full story