It’s summertime, and you’re bored!?! We don’t think so! Check out what’s happenin’ in your ‘hood this week! July 28-August 3, 2008

MONDAY ::
What’s America’s favorite pastime? Baseball of course! And lucky for you the Salem Avalanche are taking on the Frederick Keys tonight on their home turf. Go show support for your local team and grab a hot dog and a pretzel for the full experience! Need more info? Click here!

TUESDAY ::
BB King takes the stage Tuesday night at the Roanoke Performing Arts Theatre and tickets are still available. Named the third-greatest guitarist of “the 100 greatest guitarists of all-time” by Rolling Stone magazine, King is one of the greatest and most respected blues musicians of all time. So click now for pricing and info so you don’t miss your opportunity to see this legend in action.

WEDNESDAY ::
Who doesn’t love the smell of freshly baked bread and homemade jam in the summertime? Now you can learn how to make your own at Foodies’ Hot Bread & Jam Cooking Class. Learn how to make your own yeast rolls and delicious peach jam, a perfect present for friends or just to enjoy all to yourself! For more information, click here.

THURSDAY ::
It’s LADIES night everywhere (we’re talking 202, Metro, and more), so girls listen up, tonight’s your night to get out with your girlfriends, and if you’re hitched, no worries, its Guys Night at Blues BBQ, where we’re sure your man will be more than content with the half priced apps and abundant beer specials. Plus Metro has half priced sushi from 6 to 7pm for everyone! Yummy!

FRIDAY ::
It’s that time of year again, The Virginia Mountain Peach Festival is back in SunTrust plaza and with this year’s Superb Peach crop in Virginia, it should be better than ever! If you work downtown, go grab a milkshake on your lunch break or head over on Saturday too for some fantastic peach cobbler!

Also on Friday, Blackburg’s annual Steppin Out is the quintessential 2-day street fest to get your festival on from 10am - 10pm as well as all day Saturday. The village center will definitely be a-buzz with pedestrians imbibing in craft vendors, sidewalk sales, festival foods (yummy), and three stages of live entertainment with national and regional acts from bluegrass to bhangrass, acoustic work, and local talent. If traveling from Roanoke, save gas and take the Smartway Bus. For more info and schedule, Smartwaybus.com

SATURDAY ::
DRI has cooked up another fantastic and FREE concert! If you’re a country music fan then there’s no excuse not to check out Carolina Rain with special guests Lisa Dames and Matt Ramsey performing live in front of the Market building downtown. Its guaranteed to be a crowd pleasing, two-steppin good time! And heck, can we mention again… it’s FREE! Click here for the full details.

SUNDAY ::
Wine and Cider and Mead Oh My! No really, that’s the name of the event! Sounds fun, huh? We think so… Château Morrisette, Villa Appalachia, Blacksnake Meadery, AmRhein Wine Cellars, and Foggy Ridge Cider have teamed up to present a food and drink extravaganza or more generally known as a progressive pairing. You may travel with a handy map to each site for selected food and beverage pairings enhanced by expert advice on flavor combinations. Find our more and how to purchase tix right here!

And just remember… YOUR WEEK IN EVENTS IS WAITING! So get out there and [heart] your community!

Your Friends at
myScoper.com

Hiya Friends! It looks like a great week in SWVA. Enjoy!

MONDAY ::
Hey, having a Monday ladies? No worries, grab your gal pals and head to Martin’s tonight for Martini Mondays! Nothing cures a Monday quicker than an ice-cold Appletini!

TUESDAY ::
Wanna move your body and feel good? Try out the newest Modern Dance class at The Water Heater! Two hours of dance and movement for all skill levels starting at 5pm for only $5!

WEDNESDAY ::
James Kellogg, Comedy Hypnosis Show lands at VWCC. And if you’ve ever wondered what its like to be hypnotized, who knows, maybe you’ll get picked from the audience and wake up as Elvis! Bonus: your attendance is for a great cause, Roanoke’s Junior Achievement.

THURSDAY ::
FloydFest opens today! Of course it deserves its own post… too much goodness to list here! So stay tuned for a message about the lineup that you won’t want to miss!

Can’t make it out to Floyd? Then we recommend this awesomeness closer to home… Circumstantial Evidence: an amazing video installation and sensorium by Misty Sweet premiering at The Water Heater from 5pm to 7pm with refreshing goodies.

FRIDAY ::
You betcha! Oh Yah! Fargo, one of the Coen Brothers’ finest, is the Midnight Movie at Grandin Theatre! You’ve got all week to work on your best Minnesotan accent. Some pre-film trivia… Filming of outdoor scenes in Fargo had to be constantly moved all over Minnesota, North Dakota, and Canada because spring was approaching and the snow kept melting.

SATURDAY ::
Last weekend there was TransformUs, the festival…, this week there’s Transformers the Movie! A great movie that takes us late 20s/early 30s somethings back to our youth… and its a drive-in to boot! The movie is free and will start at dusk at Green Hill Park in Roanoke County. Autobots, transform!

SUNDAY ::
Feeling the need for some zen on your day of rest… the newest addition to the Roanoke yoga lineup has just what you crave. Power Yoga at Uttara Yoga Studio starts your day at 8:30am with a warm up, moving onto vigorous sun salutes and other poses, and finishing with deep stretches and a period of relaxation. Sure to energize you for another dazzling week in SWVA!

And just remember… YOUR WEEK IN EVENTS IS WAITING! So get out there and [heart] your community!

Your Friends at myScoper.com

The music from the lot grew louder and our anticipation built as we walked amongst the crowds descending on the Roanoke Coliseum, destined to see what has been dubbed the perfect blend of two of music’s most powerful forces… That’s right, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss visited Roanoke, VA last night, June 2nd, for one spectacular and very special evening of bluegrass, rock, and a little bit of everything else in between.

It was a special night for my family too. We don’t always get together as often as we’d like but last night we were celebrating my mom’s 60th birthday so all six of us grabbed our seats and excitedly watched the night unfold, and did it ever…

The opener, Sharon Little, got the crowd warmed up with her resonating and soulful vocals. Little was hand picked from hundreds of others to open the legendary show, and it’s amazing to see just where true talent can show up. According to her site, she was waiting tables at the beginning of 2008 and within just a few short months she’s now touring internationally with some the best-known names in music. I think it is definitely only a matter of time until the world catches on, just as Alison Krauss and Robert Plant did, to her uniquely powerful voice! For more about Sharon Little or to take a listen, click here!

After the opening act, the energy in the coliseum continued to build as the stage crew quickly changed and tested the instruments. The lights dimmed again and this time from either side of the stage the two people that everyone had come to see appeared. Alison looked just like the delicate and rare flower that she is and Robert Plant arrived in true rocker style, hair askew, in jeans. They wasted no time getting comfortable on the stage, singing, in impeccable harmony, everything from Townes Van Zandt’s “Nothin,” where Plant was able to stretch his lungs and soar, to revitalized Zeppelin classics including “The Battle of Evermore” and “When the Levee Breaks.” They even managed to squeeze in, last minute I’m sure, a version of “Who Do You Love?” as a tribute to Bo Diddley who sadly died yesterday at the age of 79.

Two songs during the show that I will not soon forget and are still resonating with me today are an a cappella “Down To The River To Pray” that literally brought the house to a hushed and peaceful silence and Alison’s “Trampled Rose” from their Raising Sand record. Her voice and stage presence during this song can only be described as simply angelic.

And not to be forgotten, the acclaimed writer/composer and producer of the “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” soundtrack (just to name one), T Bone Burnette, did his own wailing on the guitar and even interjected a few of his original tunes in between Krauss and Plant’s songs. As Plant mentioned about halfway through the show it was, after all, Burnette, who scheduled the meeting between, Krauss, Plant, and destiny.

And fortune it was to see the two of them at their best, without any ego attached. Numerous times throughout the show the humble and generous pair would simply step out of the light to let the band shine and Krauss applauded the band almost as much as the audience did. There was a polite, yet playful energy between the entire group that seemed to reverberate through the show so you just knew that these folks weren’t playing for the fame or the money but for the music itself, a true appreciation for the art of collaboration to which the audience responded with several standing ovations and awe.

I feel honored to have seen such musical luminaries perform together. And I look forward to seeing what future collaborations they may have in store! This is one birthday that I doubt my mom will soon forget! Thanks Robert Plant and Alison Krauss for one amazing date with destiny.

There are tour dates left… some as close as DC (the Merriweather pavilion, a wonderful outdoor space), as well as Asheville and Raleigh, NC. For more information, check out robertplantalisonkrauss.com