One of the things I love about Polk County is escaping after work on one of these hot days to cool off by the Pacolet River or even jump in a lake. Then once your cooled down and dried off your ready for an evening adventure with the wonderful local offerings of music and art. Tonight, Thursday, June 19 you might follow the river up to Saluda from Tryon and catch Wishing Chair at the Purple Onion. Their roots country sound wrapped in sweet harmonies has won them acclaim at festivals from Florida to Texas and carried them as far as Chicago and Utah from their Spartanburg home. Sit down for a bit in the cool evening as they blend poetic words to send you home with beautiful melodies in your head. Take a moment to see something new on Friday, June 20 at Landrum&squo;s Red Clover Gallery. They will be celebrating from 5-7 p.m. with a reception for their newest show &dquo;Transitions: The Italian Landscapes and Recent Paintings&dquo; by Richard Seaman. This newly emerging realist painter discovered Tryon after receiving a BFA in illustration from the College of Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan.&bsp;Pulled to the area by the chance to study under Richard Nelson he has most recently furthered the development of his style in Italy at the Florence Academy of Art. The show will feature his newest work reflecting the progression of his painting from these experiences. After the opening consider a stroll down Trade Street to the purple awning of the Gallery Coffeehouse Friday, June 20. Stop in to listen or bring songs and poems to share to join them from 8-11 p.m. for their open mic &dquo;Listening to Coffee.&dquo; Feel like something to get your heart pounding? Friday, June 20 &dquo;terror reigns after dark&dquo; when the Free Jazz Friday continues at the Nina Simone Birthplace in the East Village at 8:15 p.m. There will be an outdoor screening of the 1940 black cinema horror classic &uot;Son of Ingagi.&uot;&bsp; Directed by Richard C. Kahn, this film is considered the first of the genre.&bsp; Introduce newlyweds to a female mad scientist with strange man-beast in the basement and you have hair raising fun. Afterward, Tryon kids 13 and under can sign up for the Spooky Poetry Contest for a chance to win a $50 US Savings Bond.&bsp; The contest will run through the beginning of the Tryon Elementary School year. Young poets can sign up at a Free Jazz Friday event. Have the gas prices got you down? Thanks to support from local business, you don&squo;t have to travel out of town to take the family to a high quality evening of music. Bluegrass and mountain music have filled these foothills for generations. The performers this Saturday, June 21 at Veteran&squo;s Park in Columbus have grown up living and loving this tradition. Pinecastle Recording Artists The Darin Aldridge / Brooke Justice Quintet will liven up the park at 8 p.m. with some lovely home grown bluegrass gospel music. But don&squo;t be deceived, these aren&squo;t &dquo;new kids on the block,&dquo; they are well travelled musicians whose skills and musical talent have been acclaimed through festivals and in Darin&squo;s case the United States Marines. Mountain View will be serving up barbeque at the park and donating a portion of their sales to the Foothills Humane Society. Bring the family and spread out on a blanket or bring your own lawn chairs. Donations are requested to help fund the rest of the series at the park through September this year.&bsp; Prefer a hard wood floor for dancing? Then grab your dancing shoes and head up to Saluda on Saturday, June 21 from 8-11 p.m. for Sound Factory at Saluda Mountain Jamboree. Get out of the afternoon heat Sunday, June 22, and into the comfort of the air conditioned Tryon Fine Arts Center at 3 p.m. for a special summer concert from the Tryon Concert Association. They will be welcoming the famed pianist Gary Graffman playing works by Scriabin, Reinecke, Bach/Brahms, Reger, Kirchner, Corigliano, Blumenfeld and Chopin/Godowsky. For ticket information, call the TFAC box office at 828-859-8322. &bsp; Plan now for your winter community art projects! On Monday, June 23 The Tryon Little Theatre will be hosting their annual membership drive at the Lake Lanier Tea House at 7 p.m. They will share information about the upcoming season and plans for the next year will be discussed.&bsp;New and old members interested in keeping our community theatre thriving are welcome to join now to find out more about the organization and how your talents can help. Please call Susie Kocher at 864-431-6320 if you would like to attend.&bsp; They will be serving h&squo;ors d&squo;oeuvres and offer a cash bar for the evening.&bsp; In case you haven&squo;t heard, Twigs now offers refreshing jazz piano to whet your appetite from Fred Whiskin during dinner on Wednesdays, from 6-9 p.m.