As a relatively new metro region, Charlotte has few neighborhoods matching Elizabeth’s historical significance, with its tree-lined streets and Craftsman-style bungalows. My friend has since relocated there and is happily settled with her family. For a peek into why she and I both are so fond of it, take a short drive down this weekend to the 2013 Elizabeth Home & Garden Tour.

“One of the longest running residential home and garden tours in Charlotte” according to its press release, 10 percent of the proceeds benefit a new family shelter run by Charlotte Family Housing called Elizabeth House, as well as the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department. You’ll see six beautiful homes, some featuring period-authentic restorations while one, in particular, lends itself to a modern minimalist approach, along with four private gardens.

Tickets are $12 in advance ($15 onsite) and the tour runs Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 12 & 13, from 11am-5pm and 1pm-5pm, respectively. For more information on the history of the neighborhood and the participating homes and gardens visit the Elizabeth Community Association’s website www.elizabethcommunity.com

The 2nd Friday Art Crawl this month is at the Chair Factory Shops off North Main Street in Cornelius. Hosted by Bella Love, Presented by Cornelius Cultural Arts Group. Click image to read more.

Also, be sure to visit our own emerging arts district in Old Town Cornelius tomorrow night for the 2nd Friday Art Crawl. The recurring event, October 11th, from 5pm-9pm, happening this time at the Chair Factory on North Main Street, is family-friendly and free, and features food, merchants, live music, and art to kick off your weekend.

I’ll be there and hope to see you, too!

Robin Gibson is a writer living in Cornelius. You can find her blog at http://www.robingibsonart.com/blog.html. See her previous columns under the “Robin Gibson” category.

MORE WEEKEND EVENTS

See more weekend events in our expanded Events Calendar. We’ve added new features and made it easier to find events on a given day. We’ll be adding more capabilities in the coming days, including the ability to add your own events. Stay tuned.

http://davidsonnews.net/guide/events/

“From Wagon Roads to New South City,” a free series of history classes covering four centuries of Charlotte area history, will be offered to the public on five consecutive Saturdays, 9:30 a.m. to noon, starting Jan. 30. Sponsored by the Mecklenburg Historical Association Docents, the series will be based on historian Mary Kratt’s book “Charlotte, North Carolina: A Brief History” and will feature lectures by distinguished members of the region’s academic and history communities.
Participants are asked to register by Jan. 25 and should leave name and contact information with either Alice Bostic (704-527-3251 or alice.bostic@cpcc.edu) or Camille Smith (704-334-2201 or CSmith10@carolina.rr.com).

This series has proved very popular in the past and early registration is encouraged.

Topics and locations

Jan. 30, 9:30 am-noon, – Native Americans and Early Settlement, presented by Ann Evans, Curator at Wm. Elliot White Homestead, at the Charlotte Museum of History.
Feb. 6, 9:30 am-noon, – Charlotte’s Beginnings presented by Leslie Kesler, CMH Historian and Curator; Tom Phlegar, CMH Docent; and the Historical Cooking Guild of the Catawba Valley at the Charlotte Museum of History.

Feb. 13, 9:30 am-noon – 19th Century Charlotte presented by Dr James Hogue, UNCC History Dept.; and Ann and Jim Williams, MHA Docents, at the Levine Museum of the New South.

Feb. 20, 9:30 am-noon, – 20th Century Charlotte presented by Dr. Thomas Hanchett, Historian, Levine Museum, at the Levine Museum of the New South.

Feb. 27, 9:30 am-noon, – Historical Interpretation and Tour of the Church presented by the MHA Docents at Sugaw Creek Presbyterian Church.

CORRECTION: The headline on this article originally incorrectly said the classes are on Sundays. As the article says, they are on Saturdays.