Live music fans have plenty to enjoy this week, beginning Monday night with former Bad Company bassist Paul Cullen at Alton’s Kitchen and Cocktails in Cornelius.  Finish the week with Barnstock ’12, a two-day music festival showcasing emerging local bands and benefiting local charities. The Kannapolis Summer Concert Series features The Tams on Friday, and The Big Time Party Band takes the stage on Saturday, with the Beach Bash in the Park in Cornelius. And foodies take note: Rural Hill hosts a Food Truck Rally Friday evening. Theater is also on the menu this week. The Davidson Community Players’ production of Neil Simon’s “Rumors” begins Thursday and runs through the weekend. Also on Thursday will be a discussion of the balance between the rights of people to protest during the Democratic National Convention and the need for security. It’s part of  WFAE Public Conversations Series held in Charlotte. There are still plenty of activities for the kids this week, including library programs and Native American camp at Triple Play Farm. As for meetings of public interest, Cornelius celebrates approval of its Comprehensive Master Plan on Monday, and Davidson Design for Life hosts a public information session to discuss the findings of the HIA and gather additional public input.

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Davidson Community Players is in final rehearsals for its next show, the Neil Simon comedy “Rumors,” which opens July 26 at Davidson College’s Duke Family Performance Hall. Meanwhile, auditions are coming up for for Cornelius playwright Doug Johnston’s play “Sweet Dreams,” which will be cast locally and performed in New York, and for Davidson Community Players’ fall and winter shows. Read the full story

Lexie Wolfe as Polly Baker and Kristian Andrewson as Bobby Child starred in “Crazy for You.” (Lacy Camp photo)

Davidson Community Players’ recent production of “Crazy for You” set an all-time attendance record for the 47-year-old theater company. The local theater group drew more than 4,100 patrons to eight performances in Davidson’s College’s 550-seat Duke Family Performance Hall.

That beat the old record set last summer for the award-winning and powerful production of “Ragtime.”

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Shaggie Maggie plays Sunday on the Davidson Green.

The last weekend of June in the Lake Norman area includes two “Celebrate America” outdoor symphony concerts that wind up with fireworks – in Kannapolis Friday and Bailey Park Cornelius on Saturday. A pair of theatrical productions can be seen on local stages: “Garden Party: The Adventures of Adam & Eve” at Warehouse PAC in Cornelius, a new comedy combining writings of Mark Twain, George Bernard Shaw, John Milton and nursery rhymes, and Davidson Community Players’ “Crazy for You” at Davidson College, a musical comedy by George and Ira Gershwin. Listen to live local music at Campania Cafe and Summit Coffee. There’s sailing, music and fireworks over the water Saturday and Sunday during the Independence Day Regatta at the Lake Norman Yacht Club. And the next Davidson Concert on the Green is coming up Sunday, as part of the town’s Independence Day celebration. It begins with a a small-town parade from McEver Fields to the Green, then the sounds of the variety band Shaggie Maggie.

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Charlotte Symphony returns to Bailey Road park this Saturday for an Independence Day concert and fireworks.

The Cornelius Outdoor Cinema Series continues Thursday night with a screening of “Jack and Jill” at Kenton Place. Summer programs are in full swing with story times for kids at Davidson and Cornelius libraries, and magician “Fish the Magish” appearing Tuesday at Davidson library. It’s a good week for theater: The musical comedy “Crazy for You”continues at Davidson College, while the comic play “Garden Party” opens at Warehouse Performing Arts Center in Cornelius. If these shows have you yearning to do a little acting yourself, auditions for this fall’s Carolina Renaissance Festival are Wednesday and Saturday at Ballantyne Arts Center in Charlotte. On Saturday, Davidson Farmer’s Market has a Beers & Brats Brunch, and the Sizzling Summer Craft-actular craft show comes to Sadler Square Shopping Center in Davidson. At week’s end, Fourth of July celebrations begin. There’s an Independence Day Regatta  Saturday and Sunday at Lake Norman Yacht Club in Mooresville. The Cornelius Concerts in the Park has the Charlotte Symphony and fireworks at Bailey Road Park Saturday. Then on Sunday, you can dress up and march in Davidson’s small-town parade to the Green, where Shaggie Maggie plays a Concert on the Green.

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Kristian Andrewson as Bobby leads the dancing in Davidson Community Players' "Crazy for You," which debuted Thursday night at Davidson College.

By CONNIE FISHER

George and Ira Gershwin may well be known as the master composers of rhythm, and Davidson Community Players deserve accolades bringing the Gershwins’ sound to Davidson College’s Duke Family Performance Hall in a production of “Crazy for You.” A rollicking troupe of tap dancing singers frolicked across the stage for a couple of hours Thursday evening to earn a standing ovation from a cheering, full-house opening night audience. Read the full story