Start Memorial Day weekend with a visit back to the 19^th century at Historic Latta Plantation’s Living History Weekend Saturday and Sunday. Race fans can head to Charlotte for Speed Street festivities in advance of Sunday’s Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Actor Mark Sutch will perform the one-man “Under the Lintel” at Warehouse PAC in Cornelius three nights. Meanwhile, there’s plenty of live music to be heard  around the area. “Men In Black 3” premieres this weekend, including a midnight show Thursday at Our Town Cinemas in Davidson. See the schedule at right.

And while area schools, government buildings and many businesses will be closed for Memorial Day on Monday, American Legion Post 86 will be hosting memorial ceremonies with high school color guards and a 21-gun salute. Read on for all the activities this long weekend.

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Have you ever wanted to know the basics of sign language? Davidson Community Players, with a grant from the North Carolina Arts Council, will offer a free American Sign Language workshop on Saturday, Feb. 18, in Davidson.

Lyndi Patton-Gura, a professional sign language interpreter and actress, will lead a basic introduction to ASL, covering simple phrases, finger spelling, numbers and colors. She’ll also share information about deaf culture. Read the full story

Maggie Birgel and Brandon Smalls star in "Romeo and Juliet" at Davidson College. (Jordan Luebkemann photo)

By BILL KISER
DavidsonNews.net

The election season is fast approaching, and a pair of candidate forums are being held in Davidson this week. On Tuesday night, St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Davidson – with sponsorship from DavidsonNews.net – will host a forum for candidates for the Davidson Town Board and mayor, while on Sunday at Davidson College, Davidson mayoral candidates John Woods and Vince Winegardner will face off in a Q&A session and roundtable.

And while we’re talking about politics, the Cornelius Town Board of Commissioners will also hold its monthly meeting on Monday night, and the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners meet Tuesday night in Charlotte. The Charlotte Mecklenburg Library system will celebrate Teen Read Week this week, with the three area branches all Read the full story

Rafting down the whitewater course. See a gallery below.

We picked the hottest day of one recent week to head over to the U.S. National Whitewater Center in Charlotte. Although our adventure kept us outside in the heat more than we wanted, it was well worth it. And falling off your  raft is a great way to cool down fast.

When we arrived at the center, the sight of an angular building that was more overhang than inside greeted us. We had expected it to be more of an indoor facility, but as it turns out, everything but a restaurant and the store is outdoors. We bought tickets that gave us full access the center’s many activities, booked a raft trip time, and were off. Read the full story

"The Help," a new film based on the best-selling book by Kathryn Stockett, opens at Our Town Cinemas this week.

By KARYN JESTER
DavidsonNews.net

The Cornelius Planning Board and the Lake Norman Marine Commission have meetings on Monday and the Davidson Board of Commissioners and the Lake Norman Community Development Council have meetings on Tuesday. Other meetings this week include Davidson’s Coalition for Fiscal Responsibility and the Lake Norman Transportation Commission. There’s an International Tournament of Champions wheelchair basketball tournament this week in Huntersville, where 250 athletes from around the world will be competing. The Baroque Orchestra of North Carolina will be playing at Davidson College Presbyterian Church on Friday and Davidson College Wildcats Fan Day is on Saturday.

These events and more below, or in our day-by-day calendar at right. Also, at right on this page, see our movie show times listings for Our Town Cinemas where “The Help” opens on Wednesday, joining “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” “Crazy, Stupid, Love,” “Cowboys & Aliens,” “Captain America: The First Avenger,” and “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.”

“The Help” is also this year’s DavidsonReads community reading book.  The 7 p.m. screening next Tuesday, Aug. 16, is a kick-off for a series of events related to the book. That show is sold out, but tickets remain for all other shows, Our Town Cinemas’ Jan Black said Monday. Some book clubs may be planning to see the film. Ms. Black said reservations for groups are available by contacting the box office (see information at right).  Read the full story

A talk by Holocaust survivor Manfred Katz of Statesville and an opening for the traveling exhibit “Faces of Resistance: Women in the Holocaust” will be on the program Wednesday, April 20, when Davidson College hosts a “Yom HaShoah,” or “Holocaust Remembrance Day.” The events are free and open to the public. Read the full story