Carols, Strolling and music with spirit to brighten your weekend
Published 5:15 pm Thursday, December 11, 2008
Local musicians jam with Winkie &Red Dog at Elmo’s Too Sunday.
Tonight Are you feeling a bit like Scrooge watching the news this busy holiday season? Take a vacation from your television. For one more weekend Tryon Little Theatre presents &uot;Jacob Marley&39;s Christmas Carol&uot; December 11-14 at the Tryon Little Theatre Workshop. Sam Lovelace, Chris Riddle, Connie Clark, Elvin Clark, and Mike Johnson invite you to let them take you on a journey through the magic of theatre to lift those winter blahs with a fun new perspective on the classic story of Scrooge. Seating is limited in the workshop, so be sure to get your tickets early. Visit to www.TLTinfo.org, or call the Workshop at 828-859-2466. Friday The friendly town of Saluda invites you bring the family to a lovely evening of music and art with their Hometown Christmas Stroll from 6 ‐ 8 p.m. Wander through the stores and public buildings decked out for the holidays to find the Mountain Winds Flute Ensemble, Cass Haskell & Larry Keith playing guitars, Robert Seiler on Piano and the &uot;Top of the&bsp;Morning Suzuki Players,&uot;&bsp;Amy Brucksch playing guitar, Rita Bright on keyboard with singers, Clam Japhry stirring up Traditional Irish Music, Todd&bsp; & Eric Neal on guitar and mandolin, Troy Brooks on Saxophone, and vocalist Katherine Raymond&bsp;& Friends. Ever tried contra dancing? This fun community oriented dance form will get you up moving. The Holy Cross Episcopal Church invites you to join them for an evening of dancing with Tryon&squo;s own Paddywack. Arrive at 6:30 p.m. for some basic step instruction to get you into the swing of things so that whether or not you have a partner you can join in the dance from 7 ‐ 10 p.m. Don&squo;t miss the Community Chorus Holiday Concert performances tonight at 8 p.m. and Sunday Dec. 14 at 3 p.m. in Polk County High School&squo;s Auditorium. The chorus will be performing the rousing suites of The Many Moods of Christmas arranged by Bennet & Shaw for chorus and orchestral accompaniment. Performing with the community singers under the direction of Richard Kennedy will be the skilled ensemble of Pam McNeil on piano, Barbara Tilly on flute, Leila Lattimore on Harp, Patricia Daniels on clarinet, and Amy Brucksch on guitar. The chorus invites you to join in the holiday spirit singing with Handel&squo;s Hallelujah chorus. Tickets are available from Chorus and Rotary Club members including Donald Hawthorne at Noah&squo;s Ark Book Attic on Trade Street in Tryon. Tickets are also available at Tryon Daily Bulletin, PAC, FENCE, and St. Luke&squo;s Foundation office. All sales benefit the Rotary scholarship fund. After the Chorus Concert Friday I&squo;ll be skedaddling over to sing a couple more tunes with two of my favorite rhythm rascals Reese Gray & Dan Petrella. Starting at 8 p.m. they will be heating up some traditional jazz at Elmo&squo;s Too in Columbus. Reese Gray came down the mountain this summer to play stride piano at Rogers Park with Russ Wilson&squo;s Orchestra, Dixie Rhythm Aces, and Firecracker Jazz Band. You may have seen Dan Petrella at Persimmons Bistro, the Melrose Inn Porch Night, or the Tryon Arts & Crafts festival finessing chord melodies with his hand made plectrum banjo. This duo of showmen is full of surprises. Saturday Feeling harried by all the holiday errands? Slow down for a bite to eat with an afternoon of smooth jazz from the Fred Whiskin Trio at the Hare & the Hound in Landrum from 3 ‐ 5 p.m. Later in the evening, the Uptown Jazz Quartet will be swinging jazz standards from the 30&squo;s to the 70&squo;s at the Purple Onion with Russ Sena on trumpet, Frank Pomeroy on bass, Rick Dowdeswell on drums, and the entertaining Hank Bones on guitar and vocals. Norm & Chuck&squo;s Country Spirit Band at Elmo&squo;s in Tryon will serve up an eclectic mix of beach and country hits to get your boogie woogie going all night long. Sunday Remember to take some time to enjoy the offerings at local galleries many of which are open Sundays through December to fit your hectic schedule. Check the gallery listings to see all the wonderful shows of local and regional artists running this month. At 4 p.m. Red Dog & Winkie invite area musicians to come jam some blues at Elmo&squo;s Too. Even if you don&squo;t play an instrument, listeners and dancers of all ages are welcome to join in the fun. Wednesday The Tryon Christmas Parade has rescheduled to Dec. 17 and will start at 4:30 p.m. for a festive afternoon of home town family entertainment.