UFO by Diani Gurri

As we burst into summer, there is plenty to see and hear this weekend in Polk County. Start your weekend early tonight with Kentucky artist Michael Jonathan self proclaimed &dquo;folksinger and tree hugger&dquo; at the Purple Onion. Jonathan hosts the weekly live audience radio show Woodsongs Old-Time Radio Hour which airs on over 400 stations nation wide as well as XM satellite radio. Proclaimed an &dquo;unsung hero&dquo; by Billboard Magazine this showman has entertained millions over the years at colleges, fairs, Earth Concerts, and benefits. Friday catch the musical gumbo of Garry Segal on the Porch at the Gallery at Bear Creek. Segal stirs up what&squo;s been called &dquo;Americana with Soul,&dquo; by mixing up just the right portions of blues, country, bluegrass originals & favorites. This is also the last day to catch the special exhibit from the students of Mrs. Delena Jay, art teacher at Flat Rock Middle School. Student works include&bsp;painted representational masks, color studies, pencil drawings, paintings, chalk, and more.&bsp; Tryon Painters and Sculptors are pleased to present &dquo;Imagining Reality: The Paintings of Hendersonville artist Susan Webb Tregay&dquo; throughout the month of June. The exhibition will begin with an opening reception and book signing on Friday evening from 5-7 p.m., and will run until July 5 in Gallery I at the Tryon Fine Arts Center located at 34 Melrose Avenue in Tryon, NC. For more information, please call (828) 859-8322 ex. 210 or write to tps@tryonarts.org. Pull out and dust off that guitar for the Pickin&squo; Parlor at the Gallery Coffeehouse 8-11 p.m. Friday night. This is a great chance to socialize by sharing tunes with a variety of players. The regulars meet monthly on the first Friday and welcome new players and listeners to join them. Saturday visit the Upstairs Artspace from 5-8 p.m. for the opening reception of two new exhibits &uot;Page Davis/Painting, Ben Nixon/Photography, John Nixon/Drawing&uot; and &uot;UFOs by Diana Gurri.&uot; Located at 49 .S. Trade St., Tryon, &bsp;the opening will be held in conjunction with Grace Foothills Gallery opening reception 6-8 p.m. for landscape paintings Bonnie Bardos and wood turning by Dave Prudhomme. This new gallery is located at 27 S. Trade St., Tryon. Afterwards travel over to Columbus to follow your appetizers with some tasty barbeque from Mountain View while you listen to the fine bluegrass and southern gospel music of The Lonesome Road Band at Veteran&squo;s Park. Guitarist Larry Kieth&squo;s has played with such luminaries as Dolly Parton and Allison Krauss, and Charles Wood is a two time national champion on the banjo. In addition to their traditional bluegrass and gospel, listeners will also hear original arrangements of music by The Beatles, Bob Dylan and The Moody Blues. Rumor has it that by request you may hear The William Tell Overture played on the banjo. Hear samples of how they sound at www.lonesomeroadband.com. Or, enjoy a relaxing dinner with Kellin Watson&39;s blend of blues, folk, jazz, rock, and pop with smart, honest lyrics at the Purple Onion. Saluda Mountain Jamboree presents their weekly dance concert with the lively music of &uot;Common Ground&dquo;&bsp;and a special display of classic automobiles from the Old Thunderbird Car Club. Happy hour 7-8 p.m.&bsp;and live music 8-11 p.m. Visit the website: www.saludamountainjamboree.com, or call 828-749-3676 for reservations or more information. If you feel like escaping, keep on heading up the hill to The Back Room at the Flat Rock Wine Shop to catch Weird Mojo featuring Tryon&squo;s own Susie Kocher revving up the audience with good old rock &squo;n&squo; roll, blues and country favorites. Visit www.flatrockwineshoppe.com or call 828-697-6828 for information and directions. Do you have an event you want to share with the community? Check out the new interactive calendar at tryondailybulletin.com. By clicking on the calendar you can see everything submitted by community members. To enter an event yourself, on the left under &dquo;TDB Login&dquo; click &dquo;Register&dquo; to create a login name and password. After you login there will be a &dquo;User Menu&dquo; on the left, click &dquo;Submit an Event&dquo; and then fill out the form to add a community event.Lonesome Road Band will be at Veteran’s Memorial Park in Columbus on Saturday, June 7.&bsp;