The Loafer March 24th

p a g e

6

Late Night Improv at Barter Stage II

p a g e

18

“Like Kissing Moonlight” opens at JCCT

...plus so much more

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March 24, 2015 • The Loafer, Page 3

Volume 29 Issue #16 Publisher Luci Tate

Ricky Scaggs performs at ETSU!

Editor Graphic Arts Director Don Sprinkle Office Manager Luci Tate Cover Design Bill May Advertising Dave Carter Elaine Farris Terry Patterson Lori Hughes Contributing Staff Jim Kelly Andy Ross Ken Silvers Mark Marquette Published by Pulse Publishing, LLC., P.O. Box 3238, Johnson City, TN 37602 Phone: 423/283-4324 FAX - 423/283-4369 www.theloaferonline.com info@theloaferonline.com e-mail: editorial@theloaferonline.com (editorial) adcopy@theloaferonline.com (advertising) All advertisements are accepted and published by the publisher upon the representation that the agency and/or advertiser is authorized to publish the entire contents and subject matter thereof.

The agency and/or advertiser will indemnify and save the publisher harmless from any loss of expense resulting from claims or suits based upon contents of any advertisement,including claims or suits for defamation, libel, right of privacy, plagiarism, and copyright infringement.

Founder: Bill Williams

in this issue ....

4

“Thunder-A-Coming” Ricky Scaggs This Saturday!

7

2nd Annual YUM-YUM, The Power of the Bite

8

Creeper Trail celebrates “Opening Day For Trails”

9

Blue Highway appearing at Bluegrass Spring Fest

10

Busker Fest seeking performing artists

13

Jeff Little Trio & Wayne Henderson to play The Paramount

19

Shadows of the 60’s peforms at NPAC

23

Annual STEAM UP at Carter Railroad Museum

music & fun 14 24

Spotlight - Great Music & Fun Times Crossword & Sudoku

16 17 21 25 26

Stargazer - “Check Ceres Off The Bucket List” Skies This Week Screen Sceens - “Cinderella” Batteries Not Included - “Record Roulette” Kelly’s Place - “Remembering To Forget”

columns & reviews

Page 4, The Loafer • March 24, 2015

Thunder A-Coming

Ricky Skaggs has played with country and bluegrass legends such as Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs, Ralph Stanley, J.D. Crowe and Emmylou Harris, performed at Carnegie Hall and been a member of the Grand Ole Opry for more than 30 years. In recent years, Skaggs himself has been dubbed a legend, although he told a Kentucky PBS host, “I don’t know that I will ever reach legendary status … I’m just an old country boy.”

On Saturday, March 28, the old country boy from Cordell, Ky., and his band, Kentucky Thunder, will bring “An Evening of Bluegrass” to ETSU’s Martha Street Culp Auditorium beginning at 7:30 p.m.

The ETSU Bluegrass Pride Band is featured as the concert’s opening act. “Our bluegrass program has had a long-term relationship with Ricky Skaggs so it only seems fitting that we actually bring Ricky to ETSU for a concert,” says Anita DeAngelis, director of concert sponsor, Mary B. Martin School of the Arts at ETSU. “Many ETSU students credit

Skaggs, ETSU Pride Band to provide masterful mix of music

Ricky Skaggs as influencing their music to a large degree,” says Daniel Boner, director of ETSU’s Bluegrass, Old Time and Country Music Studies. “He is an expert musician, vocalist and entertainer, grounded in the traditions and culture of the Appalachian Mountains. It is an honor to have Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder at ETSU, the ‘home of bluegrass, old time and country music in higher education.’ ” The concert is also the featured entertainment for the 2015 Appalachian Studies Association Conference being held at ETSU March 27-29.

According to guitarist Chet Atkins, Skaggs, “single-handedly saved country music.” Since playing for his idol, Bill Monroe, at the age of 6, and bluegrass patriarch Ralph Stanley’s band as a young professional musician, Skaggs has won 14 Grammys and successfully brought an American music tradition to a general audience.

Skaggs and the band provide their own blend of bluegrass,

country, old-time and gospel music. The mix includes classics from greats such as the Stanley Brothers, Flatt & Scruggs and Doc Watson, as well as a nod to Django Reinhardt and Skaggs’ originals.

Between songs, Skaggs shares tales of his father, bluegrass greats, experiences on the road and his faith, liberally sprinkled with his down-home wisdom.

No matter the genre or songwriter and after 40 years of professional musicianship, Skaggs’ performances continue to draw high praise from reviewers. The Lincoln (Neb.) Journal Star calls Skaggs “perhaps the best country mandolin player ever … with fast, fiery soulful playing.”

“Skaggs and his band are just about the best bluegrass has to offer,” says Seattle Times reviewer Owen Smith.

Skaggs counts the current configuration of Kentucky Thunder among the best group of musicians

Thunder .......

Continued on next page

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Thunder ....... Continued from he has ever worked with. “Each and every one of the pickers in Kentucky Thunder totally amazes me in every show,” he says.

Kentucky Thunder has won the International Bluegrass Music Association award for Instrumental Group of the Year eight times. The band includes Paul Brewster on rhythm guitar and tenor vocals; Andy Leftwich on fiddle; Cody Kilby on lead guitar; Eddie Faris on baritone vocals and guitar; Scott Mulvahill on bass and bass vocals; and Russ Carson on banjo.

“Ricky’s band Kentucky Thunder boast artists of the highest virtuosity, not only in bluegrass music, but in all music, period,” Boner says.

Since 1997, Skaggs has been producing his own music on his own record label, Skaggs Family Records. These albums include: Grammy-winning Bluegrass Rules!, Ancient Tones, Soldier of the Cross, Big Mon: The Songs of Bill Monroe, and most recently, Hearts Like Ours featuring Skaggs’ wife, Sharon White of The Whites. “I have to make music that I like,” Skaggs told Western Kentucky University PBS. “I have to make music that makes me feel good, that moves my heart.

“I feel like my fans are happy when I am happy – because the quality of what I try to do is always a high standard.”

March 24, 2015 • The Loafer, Page 5 previous page

More information about Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder can be found online at http:// skaggsfamilyrecords.com.

The ETSU Bluegrass Pride Band is one of about 40 bands in the Department of Appalachian Studies, which include several bluegrass, old time, Celtic and country pride bands. Founded in 1982 by Jack Tottle, Bluegrass, Old-Time and Country Music Studies at ETSU is the oldest established program of its kind at any four-year institu-

tion and boasts the world’s first bachelor of arts degree in Bluegrass, Old-Time and Country Music Studies. In the program’s history, these bands have performed at venues across the United States and onstage with artists that include bluegrass and country music luminaries such as Alison Krauss, Del McCoury, Dan Tyminski, Ralph Stanley, the late Porter Wagoner and Skaggs.

Student members of the ETSU Pride Band that will be opening the concert are Calder Baker from Grand Rapids, Mich., on banjo; Jai-

me Carter from Spartanburg, S.C., on bass; Tennessee State Champion fiddler Aynsley Porchak of Woodstock, Ontario; mandolinist Karl Smakula of Montrose, W.Va.; and Ben Watlington from Mocksville, N.C., on guitar.

Tickets are $12 for students of all ages, $25 seniors 60+ and $30 general admission. For information about the ETSU Mary B. Martin School of the Arts, call 423-439TKTS (8587) or visit www.etsu. edu/martin and @ArtsAtETSU on Twitter and Instagram.

Have an event coming up?

Email a press release and photos to:

editorial@theloaferonline.com

Page 6, The Loafer • March 24, 2015

Barter Hosts Late Night Improv Performances The Barter Players Encore Company Performs Improv at Barter Stage II

The Barter Players Encore Company works on their funny faces for Late-Night Improv Barter’s newest performance group, The Barter Players Encore Company, is set to host Late Night Improv performances in March, April and May. One weekend a month for the next three months audiences will have the chance to find out what happens when actors perform without a script. Improv, or improvisational theatre, is a style of performance that does not employ

a script or other written plan for the show. During improv shows, most of the material audiences see is made up on the spot. This means no two shows will ever be the same.

The Barter Players Encore Company will also include some sketch comedy in their performances.

These parts of the performance are designed to be similar to the popular television show “Satur-

day Night Live.”

The first Late Night Improv performances will take place March 27 and 28 at 11p.m. Further performances will take place April 24 and 25 and May 15 and 16 at 11 p.m. All performances will take place at Barter Stage II. Tickets for Late-Night Improv can be purchased for $10 through the Barter Theatre box office, but are recommended for adults only.

Terrance Jackson, a member of The Barter Players Encore Company, said, “I am excited to bring something new and fun to the latenight scene in Abingdon.”

The Barter Players Encore Company includes: Terrence Jackson, Emily Grove, Sam McCalla, Natalie Riegel, Samuel Floyd and Barrett Guyton. You may recognize the Encore Company members from their roles this season in “Hamlet,” “Anything Goes” and “Love, Sex and the I.R.S.” Emily Grove said she hopes the late night performances will, “help introduce new patrons to Barter and all it has to offer.”

For tickets to an improv event visit www.bartertheatre.com or call the box office at 276-628-3991

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March 24, 2015 • The Loafer, Page 7

2nd Annual YUM-YUM The Power of the Bite

featuring International Tapas

a fund raiser supporting a public work of art in a Johnson City neighborhood. One third of the artist fee of $10,000 raised.

The 2nd annual “YUM-YUM, The Power of the Bite” featuring International Tapas is scheduled for Thursday, March 26 from 6-8 pm at Nelson Fine Art Center, 324 East Main Street, in downtown Johnson City, TN. This fund raising event highlights local restaurants that offer good food through culinary arts while embracing another type of art form - a bicycleinspired public work of art. Several restaurants will be featured and will offer a tapas “a bite” of food that, when combined, make a meal. Two glasses of wine will be included. There are 300 tickets for purchase which includes a door prize. Tickets purchased in advance are $20 and $25 during the week of the event at eventbrite. com, Nelson Fine Art Center or Virginia at vbudadesigns@gmail. com. For event updates and other art happenings, please go to facebook: artlandiajc.

The proceeds for this event will go towards a bicycle-inspired public work of art designated for Veteran’s Park - in front of South Side Elementary School in the ‘heart’ of The Tree Streets Neighborhood.

One third of a $10,000 artist fee has been raised with Johnson City’s Parks and Recreation Department accepting the bike- theme and agreeing to maintain and insure the project with the city’s Public Arts Committee offering advice about the project. “There are multiple groups that must approve the final artist rendering before the project comes to fruition,” said Virginia Buda, YUM-YUM’s producer and Founder of Artlandia: Art, Culture, Commu- nity. There are 5, $1,000 tax deductible sponsorships available where your name and/or business will be displayed somewhere near the final piece.

“It’s been a tough yet rewarding project process where I’ve learned a lot about politics and human behavior which has, at times, been

shocking and equally delightful,” added Buda. “I want to encourage those who have their own independent projects and goals to not

give up; to be willful; and to find folks who understand what supporting a grass-roots effort is all about,” concluded Buda.

Page 8, The Loafer • March 24, 2015

Abingdon Celebrates “Opening Day For Trails” On The Virginia Creeper Trail, Saturday, March 28th

The Virginia Creeper Trail, one of the region’s most popular recreation trails, marks the official kickoff of the outdoor recreation season with “Opening Day for Trails,” Saturday March 28th. The local celebration is part of a national initiative to encourage people to get outside and enjoy a trail on that day. In Abingdon, visitors can join a guided walk on the trail, take a shuttle service to Whitetop and bike down, or enjoy complimentary refreshments at the new Creeper Trail Welcome Center in Abingdon.

Abingdon is joining hundreds of other trail communities across the country to celebrate Opening Day for Trails, a project of the national Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC).

This year marks RTC’s third-annual Opening Day for Trails. On Saturday, March 28, people across the nation will officially kick off the spring trail season by hitting their favorite trails. The Rails-to-Trails

Conservancy is also holding a national sweepstakes to give away a Fuji bike, Yakima rack, or Camelbak hydration pack. To enter, just visit http://www.railstotrails. org/openingday and pledge to get out on the trail on Opening Day. To mark the occasion, The Virginia Creeper Trail Club, an allvolunteer non-profit organization, will lead a group hike from the Abingdon trailhead to the Watauga parking lot. Club members will lead the guided walk, highlighting points of interest along the Abingdon section of the trail. No RSVP is needed, walkers will meet at the Abingdon trailhead at 9:30am Saturday, and wrap up around lunch time, and shuttles provided by the Virginia Creeper Trail Bike Shop will be available to return hikers to the trailhead.

Visitors can also get a sneak peek at the new Virginia Creeper Trail Welcome Center in Abingdon. The Welcome Center will

be open from 9:00am to 2:00pm Saturday, providing refreshments, trail information, and Creeper Trail Club merchandise. The Welcome Center is scheduled to open permanently later this year.

Most area outfitters will be open for business on the 28th, including the Virginia Creeper Trail Bike Shop in Abingdon, and multiple outfitters in Damascus. Outfitters offer bike rentals, bike repair, and shuttle services to Whitetop Station. For more information on bike rentals, visit http://www. vacreepertrail.org.

Over 150,000 people use the Virginia Creeper Trail each year, many of them traveling to Abingdon just to bike the nationally recognized trail. A former railroad bed, the trail runs 34 miles from Abingdon through Damascus to Whitetop Station near the North Carolina border. In 2014, the trail was inducted in to the Rail-Trail Hall of Fame by the national Rails-

to-Trails Conservancy. Although the multi-use trail is open yearround, the peak season begins in March and runs through November.

For more information on Opening Day activities, visit www.vis-

itabingdonvirginia.com or call the Abingdon Convention and Visitors Bureau at (276) 676-2282. For more information on the Virginia Creeper Trail and the Creeper Trail Club, visit http://www.vacreepertrail.org.

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March 24, 2015 • The Loafer, Page 9

Blue Highway Appearing at Bristol Bluegrass Spring Fest Blue Highway Most Played Artist in Radio for 2014

L to R: Jason Burleson, Rob Ickes, Tim Stafford, Shawn Lane, and Wayne Taylor

Multi-award winning bluegrass band Blue Highway will be performing at the First Annual Bristol Bluegrass Spring Fest at the Holiday Inn and Convention Center on Saturday, March 28, 2015.

As momentum builds for the 20-year strong powerhouse band, Blue Highway breaks into 2015

with Sold Out shows accounting for half of their concerts to date.

The band has received 14 cumulative award nominations in the past 6 months, while their newest release “The Game” held the top spot at #1 for seven consecutive months on the National Bluegrass Unlimited album chart (June-Dec

2014).

Blue Highway have earned 24 collective IBMA Awards, 6 SPBGMA Awards, one Dove Award, and two Grammy nominations.

The band received four Award Nominations in the 41st Annual SPBGMA Awards held in Nashville in early February, with band

co-founder Tim Stafford walking away with Guitar Player of the Year Honors. The award came on the heels of Stafford being named 2014 IBMA Songwriter of the Year last October in Raleigh.

Rob Ickes reigns as the Most Awarded Instrumentalist in the history of the IBMA with 15 Dobro Player of the Year honors, and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Folk Album for his collaborative album “Three Bells” with Jerry Douglas and the late great Mike Auldridge.

Blue Highway’s newest release “The Game” was named the #1 Bluegrass Album of the Year by critic Daniel Mullins in his end of the year Top 20 Albums of 2014 list published in Bluegrass Today.

Blue Highway was also the Most Played Bluegrass Artist in Radio for 2014 according to the 2014 Bluegrass Radio Airplay Chart released by Bluegrass Today. Blue Highway had the most radio airplay of any bluegrass artist, with three songs in the Top 30 with a total of 12,115 spins. The new queen of bluegrass and Grammy nominee Rhonda Vincent was just behind at #2 in radio airplay, with two songs in the Top 30 and 8,300

aggregate spins.

Blue Highway will perform at the First Annual Bristol Bluegrass Spring Fest at the Holiday Inn & Convention Center at 3005 Linden Drive on Saturday, March 28, 2015. Blue Highway will play sets at 3:15 pm and 8;30 pm. The festival runs Friday-Saturday, March 27-28, with other artists appearing including Lonesome River Band, Marty Raybon, Larry Sparks, Adkins & Loudermilk, Nathan Stanley II, and Jeff Brown & Still Lonesome, among others. Discounted Early Bird Tickets are available for $50 for a two-day weekend pass or $25 for a single-day pass when purchasing through March 15 either by calling 276.202.3639 or on-line at www.bristolbluegrassspringfest.com. Tickets at the door will be $30 for Friday and $35 for Saturday.

For more information on Blue Highway, please go to www.BlueHighwayBand.com or www.Facebook.com/BlueHighway.

For more information on the Bristol Bluegrass Spring Fest, please go to www.bristolbluegrassspringfest. com.

Page 10, The Loafer • March 24, 2015

Abingdon is seeking performing artists for the first annual Busker Fest New festival celebrating street performers to be held September 5, 2015

This Labor Day weekend, the sidewalks of downtown Abingdon will be filled with weird, wonderful performing art during a brand new busker festival. The Main Street Busker Fest is Saturday September 5th, presented by Abingdon Main Street and the Abingdon Music Experience.

The organizers are calling for performers of all stripes to participate in the festival, whether or not they have busking experience. Artists will receive a fee and a portion of tips.

“Busking” is an age-old tradition in which artists play publicly for tips, performing on street corners or wherever a crowd gathers.

Musicians, acrobats, magicians, stiltwalkers, living statues and more – street artists add character and fun to their communities.

The Festival will take place Saturday September 5, 10:00am to 6:00pm on Main Street in downtown Abingdon, followed Buskers After Dark, a ticketed event at the Barter

Tent. The Busker Fest is family friendly, with special kid-oriented activities from 10:00am to 12:00pm; Buskers After Dark is an 18+ event.

The Main Street Busker Fest is a fundraiser for Abingdon Main Street, a non-profit organization affiliated with the National Main Street program. Abingdon Music Experience is supported by the Town of Abingdon and the Abingdon Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Accepted artists will receive a fee for their work. To apply artists should visit www. mainstreetbuskerfest.com and submit a description of their act and a link to a video.

Applications will be accepted through April 1, 2015. Artists may contact Event Coordinator Sara Saavedra at (276) 6762282 or scardinale@abingdon-va.gov with any questions. For more information on the organizers, visitabingdonmusicexperience. com or abingdonmainstreet.com.

Bunny Hop 5K set for March 28 to benefit Second Harvest Food Bank

The East Tennessee State University dietetics program, in partnership with the TriCities Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, will host a Bunny Hop 5K Run and Walk on Saturday, March 28. The race will begin at 9 a.m. at the gazebo located on the Mountain Home VA Medical Center campus in Johnson City. Check-in and registration runs from 7:30 a.m. until 8:20 a.m. A Little Hoppers Race, for children ages 2 to 7, will take place at 8:30 a.m. Cost to participate in the Little Hoppers Race is $5 on race day. The cost to participate in the Bunny Hop 5K is $20 on race day. T-shirts will be given out on a first-come, first-serve basis. Awards will be given out for the first place male and female participants.

Official timing will be provided. Following the race, additional activities will take place.

All proceeds will benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Tennessee.

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March 24, 2015 • The Loafer, Page 11

Renowned Musician and Storyteller

John McCutcheon

Performs at The International Storytelling Center

Wisconsin-bred, Georgia-based John McCutcheon has emerged as one of our most respected and loved folksingers. He truly is folk music’s Renaissance man — master instrumentalist, powerful singer-songwriter, storyteller, activist, and author.

As an instrumentalist, he is a master of a dozen different traditional instruments, most notably the rare and beautiful hammer dulcimer.

His songwriting has been hailed by critics and singers around the globe. Johnny Cash referred to him as “The most impressive instrumentalist I’ve ever heard.”

Other accolades come from the Washington Post which asserted that “He has an uncanny ability to breathe new life into the familiar.

His storytelling has the richness of fine literature.” The Dallas Morning News stated that “Calling John McCutcheon a ‘folksinger’ is like saying Deion Sanders is just a football player.”

His thirty recordings have garnered every imaginable honor including seven Grammy nominations. He has produced over twenty albums of other artists, from traditional fiddlers to contemporary singer-songwriters to educational and documentary

works. His books and instructional materials have introduced budding players to the joys of their own musicality. McCutcheon’s commitment to grassroots political organizations has put him on the front lines of many of the issues important to communities and workers.

John has a busy touring schedule and he has announced winter and spring dates. Audiences can expect to hear stories and songs about famed Swedish American labor organizer Joe Hill for this touring leg as McCutcheon will be releasing an album of Joe Hill songs in May to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Hill’s death.

As with any McCutcheon concert, there will be great humor, wondrous instrumental pieces, and plenty of opportunities for the audience to be a part of the concert, as well.

John will be performing at the International Storytelling Center at 100 W Main, Jonesborough, Tennessee on Thursday, March 26th and Friday, March 27th. Visit http://www.storytellingcenter. net to purchase tickets. For a full schedule of John’s show, please visit www.folkmusic.com

12th Annual YWCA Easter Eggstravaganza to be Eggstra Fun YWCA Bristol will host its 12th annual Easter Eggstravaganza Saturday, March 28 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at 106 State Street in Bristol, Tenn. Join the YWCA for a fun-filled morning complete with a pancake breakfast, pictures with the Easter Bunny, and other fun activities.

Bring the family and sample sweet treats at the bake sale and peruse handmade crafts. Specialty themed Easter baskets will also be on sale. The pancake breakfast and pictures with the Easter Bunny will be available from 9 to 11 a.m.; Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children under 10. Reservations are required for breakfast and can be made by calling the YWCA at 423.968.9444. All proceeds from this event benefit the YWCA Children’s Center.

Page 12, The Loafer • March 24, 2015

Tickets On Sale Now For

Kingsport Ballet’s Swan Lake

Swan Lake premiered at the Bolshoi Ballet almost 150 years ago and has been performed ever since by companies around the world.

The ballet is known for its tragic story in which the love of Prince Siegfried and his Swan Queen, Odette, is imperilled by sinister forces. Set to Tchaikovsky’s lyrical, passionate score, the magic and drama of this timeless story unfolds in a memorable production.

Kingsport Ballet’s premier of Swan Lake in 2004 rendered a splendid production that was followed by a second staging in 2005.

Now ten years later, the Company features a large cast of dancers who were young children during its first staging. The ballet will blend the work of Company mem-

bers with six professional guest artists, including principal dancer Yulia Pivotskaya. Ms Pivotskaya is a graduate of the Vaganova Ballet Academy. She has danced professionally with the Saint-Petersburg State Academic Ballet and the Mikhailovsky Theatre before joining the Croatian National Ballet Theatre as principal dancer, and now the Dance Alive National Ballet in Florida.

Artistic Director Valeria Sinyavskaya is proud to once again stage this ballet favorite in Kingsport.

“This is one of my favorite ballets composed by Tchaikovsky,” she says, “and it gives me great pleasure to be able to stage it at Eastman Auditorium, where audiences from throughout East Tennessee may see it without having to travel to a big city.” Stage costumes for this ballet were designed and constructed by local artists and seamstresses, while professional tutus

were commissioned by Kingsport Ballet from the Kirov Ballet costumers in Russia over 12 years ago. They have since been restored for this production.

The school outreach performance, open to school groups and homeschooled children free of charge, will take place on Friday, April 10th at 10am. Public performances are Saturday, April 11th at 7pm and Sunday, April 12th at 2:30pm at Eastman Auditorium.

Tickets may be purchased through the Kingsport Ballet boxoffice: 423-378-3967 or through their website: www.kingsportballet.org or Facebook: https://www. facebook.com/kingsportballet.

Ticket prices are $20 for adult, $16 for students and seniors, $10 for college students and children 5 years and under. Special promotional rates are offered to Eastman employees. Call for more information.

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Jeff Little Trio and Wayne Henderson to play the Paramount March 31

Northeast State’s Entertainment Technology Program and Bristol’s Paramount Center for the Arts present the acclaimed Jeff Little Trio and guest Wayne Henderson in concert March 31 at 7 p.m.

The Trio and Henderson promise a toe-tapping night of music ranging from traditional old-time country to bluegrass to rockabilly to blues. The show is free and open to the public. The Paramount is located at 518 State St., Bristol, Tenn.

For those with an interest in Northeast State’s Entertainment Technology program, an open house is slated from 4:30 p.m. – 6 p.m. at 620 State St., site of the College’s Bristol campus. The open house will feature tours of the program’s state-of-the-art sound, lighting, and recording facilities.

Little’s involvement with fiddle tunes, old time country, and traditional blues dates to his growing up in Boone, N.C., where his family owned a music shop. The

shop was a regular gathering place for musicians dropping by to pick a few tunes. At an early age, Jeff would regularly sit in with many of the musicians from the region, including one of America’s most influential musicians: Doc Watson.

These influences helped shape Little’s approach to the piano which is based on these deep musical traditions. With few exceptions, the piano does not play a prominent part in Appalachian or Americana music, and is rarely the lead instrument. But Little is an exception – and a remarkable one. His distinctive two-handed style, much influenced by the mountain flat-picked guitar tradition, is breathtaking in its speed, precision, and clarity. Little’s performances include The Smithsonian Institution, The National Folk Festival, American Piano Masters, Merlefest and many festivals, performing arts centers, colleges and music venues throughout the US. He has released four CDs, and

been featured on National Public Radio and PBS several times.

The Trio includes Steve Lewis, one of the most respected acoustic musicians lauded for his flat picking on guitar and his mastery of the five-string banjo. Lewis earned many championships for his guitar and banjo playing in competitions at Merlefest, the Galax Old Time Fiddlers Convention, and the Wayne Henderson Guitar Competition. He is also a two-time national champion on the banjo.

Rounding out the Trio is Josh Scott, considered to be one of the most talented upright bass players working today. Scott has been featured on stage and in the studio with many critically acclaimed artists of acoustic and Americana music.

Wayne Henderson is the Appalachian guitarist that Nashville pickers all talk about. Sometimes Wayne’s playing is mistaken for flatpicking, but he actually uses a thumb-pick and fingerpicks to

March 24, 2015 • The Loafer, Page 13

achieve amazing speed and fluidity, transforming fiddle and banjo pieces, and even the occasional jazz standard, into stunning guitar solos.

In addition to his reputation as a guitarist, Henderson is a luthier of great renown. He produces about 20 instruments a year, mostly guitars; he is almost as well-known for the mandolins he has made.

Good friend Doc Watson owned a Henderson mandolin. He said, “That Henderson mandolin is as good as any I’ve had my hands on.

And that’s saying a lot, because I’ve picked up some good ones.”

Some of Henderson’s instruments are intricately decorated but

are most respected for their volume, tone, and resonance. Blues guitarist John Cephas said that Wayne Henderson “is probably the most masterful guitar maker in this whole United States.”

Henderson was awarded the country’s highest honor for a traditional artist, the National Heritage Fellowship in 1995 in honor of both his fine playing and his guitar-making.

Page 14, The Loafer • March 24, 2015

TUESDAY - March 24

SHOOTER

***********************

(Country, Classic Rock, Oldies) at State Line Bar & Grill

at Biggie’s Clam Bar

6:30pm at Old South

JASON LLOYD & FRIENDS THE MUDBUGS

at Acoustic Coffeehouse

WEDNESDAY - March 25 ***********************

OPEN MIC

NOSTALGIA - DUO

JERRY PIERCE & THE NIGHTLIFE BAND

***********************

JAZZ

at Wellington’s - Carnegie Hotel

NOSTALGIA - DUO 6pm at Mad Greek

MATT FOSTER

at The Willow Tree Coffeehouse & Music Room

GRAND OLE UPROAR at Bone Fire Smokehouse @ the Hardware

LAWSONGARRETT & THE LOVE at The Acoustic Coffeehouse

FRIDAY - March 27 ***********************

EMILY HACKETT ADRIENNE MACK-DAVIS ROOTS OF A REBELLION at Acoustic Coffeehouse

SUN FLIGHTS

at The Willow Tree Coffeehouse & Music Room

AMYTHYST KIAH @ Bone Fire Smokehouse at The Hardware

at Acoustic Coffeehouse

THE KATTS

6:30pm at The Harvest Table Restaurant

THURSDAY - March 26

ANDY SNEED BRIEF AWAKENING

at Biggie’s Clam Bar

RAILWAY EXPRESS

at Acoustic Coffeehouse

at Bone Fire Smokehouse @ The Hardware

SUNDAY - March 29

AUSTIN CRUM

at The Willow Tree Coffeehouse & Music Room

AARON ORBIT

HONEY BADGERS

7pm at Elizabethton Senior Center

SOUTHERN COUNTRYMEN BAND

NATE MONTGOMERY

(Country) 10pm at O’Mainnin’s Pub

at The Outdoorsman

at Country Club Bar & Grill

SATURDAY - March 28

***********************

at Bone Fire Smokehouse @ The Hardware

GROGANSOCIALSCENE UNCLE JAKE & THE 18 WHEEL GANG at Acoustic Coffeehouse

***********************

MONDAY - March 30

9pm at Biggie’s Clam Bar

THE KATTS

ACOUSTIFRIED (Country) AN EVENING OF BLUEGRASS w/ RICKY SKAGGS 7:30pm at ETSU’s Martha Street Culp Auditorium

BIG COUNTRY BLUEGRASS at Carter Family Fold

NIGHTSHIFT

(Country, Southern Rock, Oldies) 7pm at David Thompson’s Produce

RAILWAY EXPRESS at Country Club Bar & Grill

SHOOTER

(Country, Classic Rock, Oldies) at Elizabethton Moose Lodge

WYLDEHEART

at Holiday Inn (Exit 7)

SONGS IN A CIRCLE

at The Willow Tree Coffeehouse & Music Room

SOUTHERN COUNTRYMEN BAND at Buffalo Ruritan

QUARTER BOUNCE at VFW Greeneville

THE GRAND OLE UPROAR

***********************

at Bristol’s Pickin’ Porch

OPEN MIC

at Acoustic Coffeehouse

Spotlight Directory Acoustic Coffeehouse 415 W Walnut St. Johnson City 423/434.9872 Biggies Clam Bar 417 W Stone Dr Kingsport 423/765-9633 Bone Fire Smokehouse at the Hardware 260 W Main St Abingdon Va 276/623-0037 Bristol’s Pickin’ Porch 620 State St Bristol 423/573-2262 Buffalo Ruritan 200 Willowbrook Dr. Bluff City 423/391-7382 Capone’s 227 E Main St Johnson City 423/928-2295 Carter Family Fold 3449 A. P. Carter Hwy Hiltons Va 276/594-0676 Country Club Bar & Grill 3080 W State St Bristol 423/844-0400

David Thompson’s Produce 251 Highway 107 Jonesborough 423/913-8123 Elizabethton Moose Lodge 288 Lovers Lane Elizabethton 423/542-5454 Elizabethton Senior Center 428 E. G Street Elizabethton 423/543-4362 The Harvest Table Restaurant 13180 Meadowview Sq Meadowview Va 276/944-5140 Holiday Inn (Exit 7) 3005 Linden Dr Bristol Va • 276/466-4100 Mad Greek Restaurant 2010 Franklin Terrace Johnson City 423/328-9070 Moose Lodge 15605 Porterfield Hwy Abingdon, VA 276/ 628-2756 Old South 601 Spring St Johnson City 423/929-3663 The Old School House Saltville VA O’Mainnin’s Pub 712 State St Bristol • 423/844-0049 Tavern @ Ridgfields 2320 Pendragon Road Kingsport 423/ 765-0031 The Mecca Lounge 117 Spring St Johnson City 423/928-9360 The Outdoorsman 4535 Highway 11W Kingsport Renaissance Center 1200 E Center St Kingsport 423/392-8415 Rush Street 1229 E Stone Dr Kingsport 423/247-3184 Show Palace 14364 Lee Hwy Bristol Va 276/494-6610 State Line Bar & Grill 644 State Street Bristol 423/652-0792 VFW Greeneville 70 Harlan Street Greeneville 423/638-4201 Wellington’s Restaurant Carnegie Hotel 1216 W State of Franklin Rd Johnson City 423/979-6400 Willoughby Ruritan 5145 Marvin Rd Bulls Gap Va The Willow Tree Coffeehouse & Music Room 216 E Main St Johnson City Woodstone Deli 3500 Fort Henry Dr Kingsport 423/245-5424

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March 24, 2015 • The Loafer, Page 15

Maryville-based singer-songwriter Andy Sneed will play a free solo acoustic show at the Acoustic Coffeehouse on Saturday, March 28, beginning at 8:00 pm.

The Acoustic Coffeehouse is located at 415 W. Walnut St. Sneed is a North Carolina native who has played shows and songwriter events in East Tennessee, southwest Virginia, and western North Carolina. For More information, please visit www.andysneedmusic. com, or contact Andy Sneed at andy@andysneedmusic.com.

Andy Sneed has been writing and performing music for nearly 30 years. He is known for his strong singing voice, rhythmic guitar style, and songs that can be funny, thought-provoking, and touching all at once.

Sneed’s song “Another Day at the KFC” was a finalist in the 2014 Richard Leigh Songwriters Festival in Abingdon, VA. His song “Everything I Say” received an Honorable Mention in the 2013 Smoky Mountains Songwriters Festival, and he was invited to perform the same song in the 2013 Richard Leigh Songwriters Festival.

Page 16, The Loafer • March 24, 2015

Check Ceres Off The Bucket List

You can check dwarf planet Ceres off the astronomy bucket list.

For a few weeks the largest object in the asteroid belt has been orbited by the amazing, ion-powered Dawn spacecraft.

That leaves the demoted planet Pluto left on the “astro” bucket list of major Solar System objects to be imaged close up. And that will happen mid-July 2015 when NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft zooms by the most famous dwarf planet.

Pluto and Ceres were put in a new classification of “dwarf planets” in 2007 when several other objects even larger were discovered in the Kuiper Belt, 5 billion miles away. This is an important revelation, as painful as demoting Pluto has been for the sentimental public. Ceres and Pluto, as well as dwarf planets Sedna, Orcus, Quaoar and Xena are keys to the Solar System dynamics that

created eight planets and 60-plus moons. The dwarf planets are somewhere between a planet and the left-over rubble of asteroids and comets.

The Dawn spacecraft is another in a long list of dozen NASA robot explorers. Launched in September 2007, Dawn reached its first destination in 2011, the brightest and second largest asteroid Vesta.

After spending a year orbiting cratered, potato-shaped Vesta, Dawn powered up its revolutionary ion-charged engine and made the three-year journey to Ceres, its final destination. The spacecraft’s name is not a NASA acronym—it represents the investigation of the objects created at the dawn of our Solar System.

Ceres was the first asteroid discovered in 1801 by Giuseppe Piazza on New Year’s Day. It was at first thought to be a planet or maybe a huge comet. And then other

bodies were discovered in the orbital area between Mars and Jupiter. At 584 miles wide, Ceres is the only round body in the asteroid belt and would cover up the state

of Texas. Of the million of small bodies in orbit between Mars and Jupiter, Ceres contains more than one-third of the collective matter in the belt.

Approaching Ceres the past months, Dawn has seen several bright areas that might be eruptions of ice volcanoes, or sunlight reflections off icy surfaces. The orbital dynamics of the Ceres encounter has Dawn on the night side of the dwarf planet, seeing a crescent phase as it maneuvers to its stable position. So intense analysis of the bright eruptions on the surface will wait as Ceres spirals down from at 20,000 high orbit on the backside to eventually a 200-mile height by mission’s end in October or November 2015.

Dawn has already found a tenuous atmosphere and water frost on the surface. And the hot spots seen during the pre-orbit encounter are definitely throwing water ice into the air, solid evidence for cryovolcanism around the planet.

Possible fissure in the surface are releasing gases and water from inside, which is similar to the process observed in comets.

The ion propulsion system has been around since it’s invention in 1959, and is a form of electric

propulsion creating thrust by accelerating ions from a source like xenon. The ion drive is a continuous stream that gently accelerates a spacecraft over a long period of

time—like a car taking two days to accelerate from zero to 60 miles an hour.

Some of the working theories about Ceres include it containing a large body of fresh water under its crater-pelted surface that seems to have lots of clay. The fact it is layered with a thin crust and dynamic fluid structure surrounding a rocky, inner core is not just unique to the asteroid belt, but similar to several Jupiter and Saturn moons.

Vesta, an oblate object that is 525 miles at its longest point, was discovered in 1807, the fourth asteroid to be found after Pallas and Juno. It was found by the orbiting Dawn spacecraft to be rocky and highly reflective, with a deep crust to it heavy core.

Fragments of both Ceres and Vesta have made it to Earth in the form of meteorites. The spectra and other data from these Solar System objects has been known to match certain types of meteorites that have been determined to originate from the asteroid belt. The close-up inspection of Ceres and Vesta adds more confirmation that violent collisions have sent debris all over the Solar System to be collected by our planet in the form of meteorites not only from the asteroids, but also the Moon and Mars.

The other famous dwarf planet, Pluto, is also a lot like Ceres with an active surface betraying a reservoir of icy water or some other fluid. New Horizons is now on its final approach to the July 2015 encounter with Pluto, its target for the nine year, 4 billion mile journey. The images sent back in March are becoming clearer than those of the Hubble Space telescope.

Just four months from the historic Pluto encounter, we are beginning to see dark features against possible slushy oceans and icy mountains. Nearly half its size, Pluto moon Charon makes it a double-planet relationship, matched in the Solar System only by the size relationship of the Earth and Moon. Pluto also has three other moons only 10 miles wide.

As Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture, is about to reveal her secrets, Pluto next in shedding the mystery and showing its true nature. And in the history of mankind’s quest to understand the Solar System, which may be saving the best for last.

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March 24, 2015 • The Loafer, Page 17

Celestial events in the skies for the week of Mar. 24 - Mar. 30, 2015 as compiled for The Loafer by Mark D. Marquette.

Venus blazes in the west after sunset, drawing all eyes up for at least a glance of the second planet.

Only the Sun and Moon are brighter than Venus because it is blanketed in thick, poisonous global clouds that reflect sunlight like a mirror. The planet is so bright that when setting close to the horizon against building and trees it looks like an airplane light landing. In fact, Venus setting around 9 pm— and is so startling at times that it’s the most reported UFO! Setting ahead of Venus is the much fainter planet Mars, both planets in the small constellation Aries the Ram. Tues. March 24 This week the Moon is at First Quarter on Friday March 27th, and it’s a welcome site to the first full week of Spring. Our celestial neighbor 240,000 miles away is in the feet of Gemini the Twins tonight, and will be beside planet Jupiter in Cancer the Crab on Monday, March 30th.

Wed. March 25

On this astronomy date in 1996, naked eye Comet Hyakutake was closest to Earth, heading back out in the edges of the Solar System after whipping around the Sun. And in 1997, Comet Hale-Bopp was ending a pleasing show in our night skies—the last two naked eye comets in the Northern Hemisphere.

Thurs. March 26

Darkness brings a stunning scene in the south skies, a half dozen bright stars and the classic constellations of folklore—Orion, the Big and Little Dog, the brothers Gemini and the Bull, Taurus.

The winter constellations still dominate—Canis Major and Minor, Auriga and The Pleiades star cluster among them. Take the time to sit down, look up and loose oneself in the contemplation of the stars…it’ll be time well spent.

Fri. March 27

To the North is the Big Dipper standing on its end, and in the east, the Leo the Lion is high and proud. When looking in this direc-

Photo by Mark Marquette tion we are looking away from our Milky Way Galaxy and into the depth of the Universe. That’s why amateur astronomers enjoy finding the several dozen easy galaxies to find among the thousands of galaxies seen by professional observatories and telescope photography.

Sat. March 28 Orion is making a swansong in the southwest skies, and there are few star patterns more stunning than the hunter’s belt of three stars with a knife of stars dangling down. The center star of the “knife” is a huge cosmic cloud a hundred times the size of our Solar System called the Great Nebula or M-42. This birthplace of stars is illuminated by four fresh stellar infants seen in a telescope and called the Trapezium.

NASA’s Mariner 10 made the first close flyby of inner planet Mercury. Revealed was one of the most heavily cratered surfaces in the Solar System, the small, 1,365 mile diameter planet looking much like our 1,250 mile wide Moon. Today, NASA’s spacecraft Messenger is in its fourth year orbiting the ironheavy first planet, revealing water ice at the poles and an 800 degree hot, sulfur laden surface. Mercury has slipped into the morning skies this Spring 2015.

Mon. March 30

You’ll really feel Daylight Saving Time this evening when it takes from 8 pm sunset to almost 8:30 pm for the stars to come out.

After your day of maybe puttering around the yard, playing games or visiting friends, recharge your mind under the canopy of Spring stars that are astounding to gaze Sun. March 29 On this 1974 date in space history, upon.

Page 18, The Loafer • March 24, 2015

Opening at JCCT, The World Premiere of

“Like Kissing Moonlight”

From L to R: Paige Mengel (Berry Lee), Matt Quick (Talton Demerest), Melanine Yodkins (Crystal Grant), David Hutton (Dale Lee), Larry Bunton (Pastor Bob), Joy Nagy (Monica Lee), Karen Mabe (Euphazine Linder), Emily Nagy (June Nave), Hunter Hall (Jem Nave) Coming up next in Johnson City Community Theatre’s 103rd season is the world premiere of Like Kissing Moonlight, an original work written and directed by local playwright Stacey Bracey. Like Kissing Moonlight is the story of a modern-day Appalachian family that has come to an inevitable cross roads and must make some hard decisions in a loving way.

This heartfelt mix of comedy and drama runs March 27 – April 11 at 7:30 p.m. with matinees on April 2 and 11 at 2:00 p.m.

In the spirit of the new JCCT initiative to help build up the Johnson City arts community, Like Kissing Moonlight will feature two special additions during its run.

“I believe that community theatre needs to involve its community at the widest base possible,” stated Bracey.

In celebration of the Appalachian culture that was part of the inspiration for this play, Bracey has set up an Appalachian artist exhibit to be on display in the theatre lobby. Works will be available from local Appalachian artists to purchase through silent auction before curtain each night. In addition, on April 2 and 9 there will be two “pay as you can” performances starting at 7:00 p.m. April 2 is open to the general public, April 9 is for students and teachers only.

Although admission for the pay as you can performances are on a donation only basis, half of all proceeds will be donated to the One Acre Café to help feed the hungry.

JCCT is proud to announce the original cast for Like Kissing Moonlight which includes Paige Mengel as Berry Lee, the youngest of the Lee siblings who cares for their ailing mother; David Hutton as Dale Lee, Berry’s older brother who works the family’s apple orchard; Joy Nagy as Monica Lee, the oldest of the Lee siblings who has forged her own way in life far from the family’s orchard; Emily Nagy as June Nave, the Lee’s adopted cousin and lone survivor of a horrific accident; Hunter Hall as Jem Nave, June’s twin brother lost in the accident; Melanie Yodkins as Crystal Grant, a local gal who is a long-time “friend” of the Lee family; Larry Bunton as Pastor Bob, a gentle servant of God who has watched over the Lee siblings most of their lives; Karen Mabe as Euphazine Linder, a cantankerous and strong local midwife; and Matt Quick as Talton Demerest, a sharp-dressed business man who has his eye on the Lee orchard, and one of the Lee daughters. The cast is currently rehearsing weekly to bring this truly unique show to life.

Bracey is no stranger to writing

for screen or stage. While living in LA she served as a writer’s assistant for StarTrek: Voyager and had multiple screenplays optioned and made. She has also written a few one-act plays and some improv material but Like Kissing Moonlight is her first full-length play.

She graduated from Northwestern where she studied Shakespeare, Ibsen, Shaw, Chekov, the Greeks, Mamet and Pinter, who have continued to influence her throughout her career.

To have Like Kissing Moonlight premiere at JCCT is part of Bracey’s original production idea.

“I have always been impressed at how this particular stage space changes character with each show it holds – that is quite remarkable and I knew it had the flexibility to become what I needed it to for the facets of this show.”

Inspiration for this show came from two very different corners of the world. Bracey spent some time “accidentally touring the thenSoviet Union for six weeks” many years ago and found an enthusiasm that moved her.

“I was struck by the passion the people have for the land there, and how they resist change. I had never really seen that here in America

Kissing .......

Continued on page 20

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Shadows of the 60’s

at Niswonger Performing Arts Center Shadows of the 60’s will perform at Niswonger Performing Arts Center on Saturday, March 28th at 7:30 PM. Shadows of the 60’s recaptures the unforgettable excitement of Motown’s most popular acts. This production pays tribute to the legacy of Motown’s super groups, including The Four Tops, The Temptations, & The Supremes.

The performance also honors solo artists such as Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, Martha Reeves, Junior Walker, and others.

Bandleader Dave Revels has been singing professionally for more than 35 years. He started out performing with the Brooklynbased a cappella group The Persuasions. By the 1980’s, he was touring with The Drifters and playing venues from Las Vegas to Atlantic City. Along the way, he has soaked up the musical influences around him. “Every time I’ve met someone in the music business, I’ve asked them what it takes to be successful,” he says.

“It’s been quite an interesting journey.”

Revels brings to the stage a high-energy show that seeks to faithfully reproduce the sights and sounds of the legendary hit makers. Revels takes pride in presenting an authentic experience. Great care is taken to reproduce the details of the original music. “To me, if you’re going to emulate someone, you want to emote the way

they did…not try to do your own vocal styling,” says Revels.

Note for note, the vocal ranges of the original performers are replicated, keeping songs in the original key and arrangement. Backup singers will add the harmonies that became such a distinctive part of the Motown sound while a tight band of professional musicians keep the beat.

Revels believes that much of the magic comes from the memorable songs of the era. Decades later, these unforgettable melodies still endure. “The music is so infectious,” he said. “You move to the beat, you move to the melody. It’s the shared power of the music!”

Complete with stunning choreography and dazzling costumes, Shadows of the 60’s will recreate many classic hits that are sure to bring back memories and excite-

ment!

Shadows of the 60’s will perform at Niswonger Performing Arts Center (NPAC) in historic downtown Greeneville, TN on Saturday, March 28th at 7:30 PM. Tickets are $40 for orchestra level seating, $35 for mezzanine level seating, and $30 for balcony level seating. Tickets may be purchased online at www.npacgreeneville. com, in person at the NPAC box office, or by calling 423-638-1679.

NPAC offers online seat selection and no fee ticketing. The box office hours are Monday through Friday, 10 AM until 5 PM. The 1130 seat performing arts center is located adjacent to the campus of Greeneville High School in Greeneville, TN. For venue information, and to purchase tickets, please visit www.npacgreeneville.com.

Flashlight Easter Egg Scramble set for March 27

At 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 27, the grassy area at Memorial Park Community Center will be turned into an Easter egg hunting paradise. Youth ages 2-12 are welcome to participate in the center’s second annual Flashlight Easter Egg Scramble. A separate hunt will take place for ages 5 and younger. Participants are asked to bring their own flashlight. This special event is free. For more information, please call 434-5749.

FootGolf Family FUNanza set for March 28 at Buffalo Valley

Parks and Recreation will host a free FootGolf Family FUNanza at Buffalo Valley Golf Course on Saturday, March 28 from 10 a.m. until noon. This is an opportunity for families to learn the game of FootGolf, which is a combination of golf and soccer. The game is played with a regulation #5 soccer ball at a golf course on shortened holes with 21-inch diameter cups. The rules are similar to those of golf. Immediately following the FUNanza, families and individuals of all ages can enter the FootGolf tournament, set for noon-2 p.m.

Cost is $20 per team (four players). Tournament play will be nine holes, and prizes will be awarded for first, second and third place. For more information, please call (423)434-5749.

March 24, 2015 • The Loafer, Page 19

Page 20, The Loafer • March 24, 2015

Arts Array presents “One Chance”

The Arts Array Film Series presented by Virginia Highlands Community College is in its 44th year. All films are presented at the Abingdon Cinemall on Mondays and Tuesdays at 4 p.m. and again at 7:30 pm.

One Chance (March 30 and 31) From the director of The Devil Wears Prada, ONE CHANCE is the remarkable and inspirational true story of Paul Potts, a shy, bullied shop assistant by day and an amateur opera singer by night. Paul became an instant YouTube phenomenon after being chosen by Simon Cowell for ‘Britain’s Got Talent.’ Wowing audiences worldwide with his phenomenal voice, Paul went on to win ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ and the hearts of millions. BAFTA winner James Corden (THE HISTORY BOYS) stars as Paul Potts.

The Arts Array Film Series is part of the comprehensive cultural outreach program of Virginia Highlands Community College.

The series is co-sponsored by the Abingdon Cinemall, the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center, Emory& Henry College, and King University.

Admission to the films is free for the faculties and students at the supporting institutions. Members of the general community may attend for $7.75.

Kissing ....... Continued from

For a brochure on the series or more information, please contact Tommy Bryant at 276-739-2451 or email him at tbryant@vhcc. edu.

page 18

until we moved to Appalachia eight years ago and I saw a similar type of backbone and passion… I find that spirit remarkable.”

The connection she made, along with inspiration from her favorite Russian artist, Chekov, helped lay the groundwork for her show.

“Our reality is both beautiful and fleeting,” Bracey says. “One of the daughters in the show, Berry, has a speech near the end of the play when she sees the value of what

she has now, even if it is everyday and common, because everything passes in the end.”

To purchase tickets visit www.jcct.info or call 423-926-2542. If you would like be involved in the revamping of this historic organization, email info@jcct.info or come to the regularly scheduled monthly meetings which are the second Monday of every month at 6:00 p.m. Also, be sure to “like” JCCT’s Facebook page for the most recent updates and news.

The Rogersville Arts Council is holding auditions for “Tales of Electric Mountain” on Monday- March 30 and Tuesday – March 31 at 7pm at the Rogersville Playhouse (American Legion). The Director will have you read from the script.

The play is a humorous take on the personal interactions during the time that TVA brought electricity to Appalachia. The parts are for 4 young men in their twenties, one young

woman in her twenties, a young girl or young boy, a middle age woman, an old woman and an old man.

Show dates are Saturday May 16, Sunday May 17 and Monday 18, 2015. Rehearsal dates at the Rogersville Playhouse are April 13 for blocking, May 4 for a run through, May 12 & 14 dress rehearsals. For more information, contact Guerry McConnell at 423-2930882 and leave a message or email rogersvilleartscouncil@gmail.com.

Auditions for “Tales of Electric Mountain”

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March 24, 2015 • The Loafer, Page 21

In Theaters Now

Box Office Top 10 Cinderella (2015)

“Cinderella”

The recent successful live action versions of “Alice in Wonderland” and “Maleficent”, left me with high hopes for Disney’s latest live action effort, “Cinderella”. Placing the directing chores in the hands of Kenneth Branagh (“My Week with Marilyn”) certainly gave the film an excellent pedigree. Throw in two actresses from the television series “Downton Abbey”, and how can you go wrong? Not at all in my opinion. The film is not a direct remake of the 1950 animated feature, but does borrow many aspects from that classic film, and from the Brothers Grimm version.

The film begins with Cinderella as a child, then named Ella, living in a peaceful kingdom with her loving parents. Ella’s mother has taught her daughter from an early age to believe in magic, which in turns allows Ella to befriend many of the animals on the family’s estate, including mice. Just before Ella’s Mom meets a tragic end, she tells Ella to always have courage and show kindness to others. As time passes, the teenage Ella (Lily James) is faced with the prospect of her father finding a new bride.

Of course we all know Ella’s new step Mom, Lady Tremaine (Cate Blanchett), along with her daughters Drisella (Sophie McShera) and Anastasia (Holliday Graniger) will be cruel to the sweet girl. Plus, anyone with a cat named Lucifer will not exactly be heartwarming.

After Ella’s new family moves in, affairs in the house are proceeding well for the most part, until Ella’s father meets a tragic end.

This is the point in the story when Ella becomes Cinderella, thanks to her horrible step family. The newly christened Cinderella is living in the attic of her father’s home, where she rests after waiting on Lady Tremaine and her daughters

Chappie, is stolen and given new When her father unexpectedly programming, he becomes the first passes away, young Ella finds her- robot with the ability to think and self at the mercy of her cruel step- feel for himself. mother and her daughters. Never one to give up hope, Ella’s for- Focus (2015) tunes begin to change after meet- In the midst of veteran con man ing a dashing stranger.

Nicky’s latest scheme, a woman from his past - now an accomplished femme fatale - shows up Run All Night (2015) Mobster and hit man Jimmy Con- and throws his plans for a loop. lon has one night to figure out where his loyalties lie: with his es- The SpongeBob Movie: tranged son, Mike, whose life is in Sponge Out of Water (2015) danger, or his longtime best friend, When a diabolical pirate above the mob boss Shawn Maguire, who sea steals the secret Krabby Patty wants Mike to pay for the death of formula, SpongeBob and his nemhis own son. esis Plankton must team up in or-

Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)

A spy organization recruits an unrefined, but promising street kid into the agency’s ultra-competitive training program, just as a global threat emerges from a twisted tech genius.

der to get it back.

McFarland, USA (2015)

A cross country coach in a small California town transforms a team of athletes into championship contenders.

Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)

Literature student Anastasia Steele’s life changes forever when she meets handsome, yet tormentAs the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel ed, billionaire Christian Grey. has only a single remaining vacancy - posing a rooming predica- Unfinished Business (2015) ment for two fresh arrivals - Sonny A hard-working small business pursues his expansionist dream of owner and his two associates opening a second hotel. travel to Europe to close the most important deal of their lives. But what began as a routine business Chappie (2015) In the near future, crime is pa- trip goes off the rails in every way trolled by a mechanized police imaginable - and unimaginable. force. When one police droid,

The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015)

hand and foot all day and most of the night. One afternoon, Cinderella manages to leave the home on horseback for a reprieve, and runs into a handsome gentleman named Kit (Richard Madden), who never reveals he is a prince.

The two hit if off immediately, and we all know Kit has not seen the last of Cinderella. When the story reveals Kit’s father is extremely ill, the search must begin for a

maiden to marry the future King.

Thus, an announcement is made throughout the kingdom that the royal family will be hosting a ball, and all are invited, epically eligible maidens. As Lady Tremaine and her daughters prepare for the ball, Cinderella makes her own dress, only to be scoffed at by her devious family. Our heroine runs to the garden in tears, where she meets a beggar woman (Helena

Bonham Carter) who is revealed as her Fairy Godmother. The Fairy Godmother cast a wonderful spell on Cinderella, and soon a golden coach is whisking the girl off to the ball. Upon her entrance in the castle wearing an amazing blue gown, the entire crowd is left spellbound, and soon Cinderella is dancing with Kit. Of course, Cindy must feel before midnight, as the magic spell has an expiration time. With a glass slipper left behind, and a perusing prince, it will not be long before the Kit and Cindy are reunited, and live happily ever after.

The actors are all perfect in their

roles, with Blanchett and Madden being highlights among the excellent performances. In fact, Blanchett was so perfectly mean, there were many times I wanted to smack her. The look of the film is colorful and lush, and the kingdom is a place where anyone would want to live. “Cinderella” met all my hopes as an excellent companion piece for “Alice in Wonderland” and “Maleficent”.

Simply put, the film is a joy.

Rated PG

A

Page 22, The Loafer • March 24, 2015

Women’s Stunning Hats Sale at ‘Bonnets & Belles’

Abingdon’s Robert Weisfeld will offer his mother’s famous collection of women’s hats for sale, at ‘Bonnets & Belles,’ at Diana Romanick’s The Market Place, on Saturday, March 28th, beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Martha Weisfeld, former publisher of the ‘Abingdon Virginian’ and director of the Washington County Chapter of the American Red Cross, was possibly the most noted working girl of the WWII generation. Deceased in 2013, retired seven years prior at age 80, the feisty Irish trailblazer was noted for her tart tongue, scalding opinions, soft heart and collection of high fashion hats.

She was led toward hats by mentor Ruth Austin, who tapped Weisfeld to steer both the Red Cross and United Fund. Austin, a doctor’s wife who created Johnston Memorial Hospital’s Auxiliary and volunteered for every committee she could impact, was convinced hats made the woman.

She would put a hat on before she made beds! “Martha,” she once explained, “in business, it’s harder for a man to insult a woman when she’s wearing a hat.”

By that, Austin meant that a hat on a woman reminded men whom they were speaking to, and conveyed authority from mothers, church figures, teachers and nurses---women of rank. In what’s a man’s world, a hat’s formality reminds men of when they first listened to a woman. Like the little boy who runs around the corner, then peeps back to make sure his mom’s watching, they recall following women---and liking it.

It was a lesson not lost on Weisfeld, who built a public image on distinctive apparel, notably topped by one of her diva hats. “Visibility is everything,” she often insisted.

Nicknamed ‘The Bird’ by her son, sometimes the hats even trailed plumes. Those will be available on March 28th, among dozens of others. Rain hats, snow

hats, picture hats, cocktail hats, berets, tams, cloches; church, wedding and funeral hats, strictly business hats, winter or summer or transitional---all will be represented. Trimmed in fur, faux fur or flowers, covered in brocade, velvet, taffeta or silk; beribboned, polka-dotted, pleated or smooth, whether for incognito night, lazy summer day or center stage. Many are the regional women who have said they’d “like to own just one of Martha Weisfeld’s hats.”

Prices will range from $10 to around $75. Higher end represents designers like Adolfo, Mr. John, Halston, Pappagallo, Betmar, Mon Cheri, Dana Marte’ (Italy), Jacoll (England) and Evelyn Varon, although most will be considerably discounted.

The sale is just in time for Mother’s Day, Kentucky Derby and steeplechase events, the Garden Faire, high teas, June weddings and of course, Easter.

Weisfeld has already sold over

two dozen privately, but says Romanick’s 280 West Main Street business gives women, or men seeking a show-stopping gift, a chance to get one without the time it takes to plow through. He’s “not yet taken a head count, but at one time she had over 80 summer ones and over 100 for winter. “I know The Bird would adore knowing her hats were going on about their business of women living, blazing a trail.”

The event is casual, but will offer

appropriate refreshments, including elegant hat-shaped cookies by Anthony’s Desserts. Several models will be available to try styles on, and The Market Place has numerous mirrors for buyers to approximate the eye of the beholder.

Parking in the evening is abundant, especially in back, off Remsburg Drive. All sales will be final.

For more information, call Robert Weisfeld, at 276-608-7452; or Diana Romanick, at The Marketplace, at 276-628-6203.

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March 24, 2015 • The Loafer, Page 23

Carter Railroad Museum’s March Heritage Day to hold annual STEAM UP

East Tennessee State University’s George L. Carter Railroad Museum will hold its March Heritage Day on Saturday, March 28, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

One of the museum’s most popular programs, ‘STEAM UP,”

will return this month. Members of the George L. Carter Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society and the Mountain Empire Model Railroaders (MEMRR) club will “pull back the throttle and let ‘er roll” to show visitors the sights

and sounds of the steam locomotive.

For decades, the steam locomotive reigned supreme in railroading worldwide. Called an “iron horse” for its unique sounds and visible motion, the most advanced

examples could reach a speed of 100 miles per hour.

By the Second World War, the internal combustion diesel platform began to overtake steam engines.

Like the real horse, steam engines needed care and maintenance and required an army of pipe-fitters, boiler-makers and other skilled laborers. The locomotives had nearly disappeared by 1960.

“Some people feel that steam railroading was romantic, with the engine’s sounds and motion akin to an organic being, despite being a hulking machine,” says Geoff Stunkard, the museum’s Heritage Day coordinator. “For the last five years, our annual ‘STEAM UP’ event has given people an idea of how that equipment was used, its technical evolution and its finest hours, all in miniature form.”

Steam trains of all sorts will be operated on the large 1:87 HO scale layout in the museum.

There will be demonstrations of various engine designs in electric model form and children will be able to play with models of popular engines like Thomas the Tank Engine and his friend James in the museum’s children’s activity

room.

Visit www.memrr.org to learn more about MEMRR, which helps demonstrate and maintain the model layouts, museum exhibits and other projects. The Carter Railroad Museum is open every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Admission is free, but donations are welcomed. The museum can be identified by a flashing railroad crossing signal at the back entrance to the Campus Center Building.

Visitors should enter ETSU’s campus from State of Franklin Road onto Jack Vest Drive and continue east to 176 Ross Drive, adjacent to the flashing RR crossing sign.

The museum is in the process of creating a scale replica of the Tweetsie line in a 1,300-square-foot display hall. Visitors may view this work-in-progress exhibit.

To learn more about the museum, visit http://johnsonsdepot.com/ glcarter/cartermuseum.

For more information about Heritage Day, contact Dr. Fred Alsop, museum director, at 423-4396838 or alsopf@etsu.edu. For disability accommodations, call the ETSU Office of Disability Services at 423-439-8346.

Page 24, The Loafer • March 24, 2015

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March 24, 2015 • The Loafer, Page 25

Record Roulette

A few friends came over last night, a surprise birthday party for one of them. As the evening went on to after ten, some went home to get caught up on this thing called sleep, and the rest of us wound up in the room where my records are (which I don’t feel like calling my record room, yet I am pointing that out to you. Discuss, show your work, I’ll grade the papers in the morning). Naturally, being in the room where the records are meant putting something on as we sat around talking.

I went with what was on the turntable to begin things with, a collection of Japanese pop music from the 1960s, because I am Andy Ross and I own records of Japanese pop music from the 1960s.

After that record ended I asked “What do you want to hear?” to the group. What followed was something so lovely I’m surprised that I’ve never done it before. I’m sure it’s nothing new, and that people all over have been playing this game forever. For after I asked that, someone said “How about one of you just randomly pick a record.” A late night of record roulette was born.

The first to go was the one who was sitting right next to the record wall, because my collection is now at wall size, it’s become part of the décor. The friend closest to the wall didn’t even look, they just reached their arm out and picked a record. The first album by the British band Squeeze. Much sounding like someone who just selected a fine aged wine from a wine cellar, I took the record from their hand while commenting on how it was a Birthday gift from a friend several years ago. I also began to laugh, as the first Squeeze record—with the

exception of two songs—is a terrible album.

Side one ended, then someone else stood to pick the next album.

They walked over to the wall and looked intently. I informed them that nothing was really alphabetized, but everything was together by genre, though I didn’t tell them where. The next record up was “Surf Age” by Jerry Cole & His Spacemen, a fun record of mid ‘60s surf rock. That one was played in its entirety, as were the other records picked during the night.

Round three came with a specific request: “Do you have anything kinda James Bond sounding?” “Of course” I responded, “I have the soundtrack to ‘Goldfinger’ and an album called ‘Music to Read James Bond By.’ Which would you like?” The latter was

chosen, and everyone stopped to do their best Shirley Bassey when the theme to “Goldfinger” played.

After the Bond record, we circled around back to the first player, who walked over and grabbed one of the best records I have, a copy of “Dusty in Memphis” by the great Dusty Springfield.

The evening ended half way through the first side, as we all realized it was getting very late.

It’s a fun adventure to have with friends, and it also serves as a fun reminder of what all I have in the wall. Record Roulette it’s the quick and easy game that you too can play with your friends at home, but only if your record collection is somewhere between “crate” and up to “room” size. Good times are to be had. See you next week.

Page 26, The Loafer • March 24, 2015

Remembering To Forget The current hoopla over Hillary Clinton’s handing (and perhaps mishandling) of her voluminous email should give us all occasion to think more deeply about what all this means to our own lives and place in history. This of course is not the first time that letters from prominent civil servants have been deleted or mishandled. For instance, when George Washington died in 1799, his widow Martha destroyed her forty-year collection of correspondence with her former husband, apparently not caring about how valuable these letters might be to future historians. We are told only three of these letters survived Martha’s wholesale destruction, and that they were found stuck to the underside of a desk drawer when the former First Lady died. And, as recently as 2007, the then-President George W. Bush quite possibly violated the Presidential Records Act of 1978 by deleting email messages that were sent and received over a non-government-authorized server (sound familiar?). Some estimates say that millions of emails might have been deleted during the Bush administration. So, our current PrivateServerGate scandal is certainly non-partisan in nature and is not a recent development— although the sheer magnitude of current deletable data is certainly a product of the online era in which we live. Whereas Martha Washington only had to contend with a drawer-full of very private letters, we are beset by a staggering volume of email that accumulates relentlessly during our every waking (and sleeping) moment., and even after we die. What are we to do when faced with this onslaught of information?

According to an author I re-

cently (and very fortunately) discovered, we should not be afraid of depressing the Delete button.

Because, as Viktor Mayer-Schonberger tells us, forgetting is rapidly becoming a long-lost virtue.

In his 2009 book, DELETE: THE VIRTUE OF FORGETTING IN THE DIGITAL AGE, he examines why being able to forget is rapidly becoming an endangered species.

And he has plenty of suggestions for why we should relearn how to forget.

Mayer-Schonberger is not suggesting that important and valuable government documents be destroyed, but he is asking us to consider how our unprecedented volume of digital data is changing what, why, and how we remember. And, just as important, how can we possibly hope to analyze all of this data? In his most recent book (written with Kenneth Cuki-

er), BIG DATA: A REVOLUTION THAT TRANSFORMS HOW WE WORK, LIVE, AND THINK (2012), Mayer-Schonberger continues the concerns that drove him to write DELETE. The emergence of Big Data gives us many reasons to ask hard questions about the value of information, especially information that goes beyond our abilities to comprehend and information that might even damage our reputations.

Although human beings have always had to externalize their memories and knowledge—in the form of books, paintings, music, and other creative acts—in order to remember their own past and the pasts of others, forgetting was the norm and remembering was the exception. In previous generations, especially before the advent of photography and recorded sound and film, our ancestors for-

got more than they remembered.

Today, however, remembering is the norm and forgetting the exception, as represented by our Selfies, text messages, and constant social media updates. While we might not preserve all of these messages personally, they are archived somewhere and may come back to haunt us. In his book, MayerSchoenberger recounts the story of Stacy Snyder, whose dreams of becoming a teacher were shattered when her school denied her teaching certification after officials saw pictures of her partying and wearing a pirate costume on a social

media site. Unlike Martha Washington, who was the only person (except her husband) who had seen her treasure trove of letters, Stacy couldn’t delete her incriminating picture even if she wanted to. Our memories, when committed to digital form on an internet server, are not longer personal and now belong to the whole world.

They will, in other words, never be forgotten.

As Mayer-Schoenberger tells us, “Because of the digital revolution, it is easier to keep everything—the drunken email you sent your boss, the photo you put on Facebook in which you’re doing something non-CV-enhancing to an inflatable cow—rather than go through the palaver of deciding what to consign to oblivion. The problem is that even if we decide to delete all or part of this information, our servers will still have it. And once

someone (or a multitude of someones) likes your Facebook posting, that item is forever beyond your ability to delete.

This of course raises the question of how we can protect our personal information. One answer is that if all traces of this information were deleted—a pipe dream at best. What Mayer-Schoenberger suggests is that all information being released into the world carry a time stamp, an expiration date that would guarantee that it will be deleted at some designated time.

He says that when a user stores or sends a document it could be accompanied by a user-selected expiration date that makes sure it disappears on time and expires just like milk in your fridge.

Carrying this argument further, Jonathan Zittrain, a Harvard “cyberlaw expert,” suggests that all of us should have the right to declare “reputation bankruptcy,” an act that would ensure that designated information about one’s digital past be erased. If you’re like me, you are no doubt thinking that any clever hacker could fool around with these expiration dates. And, even more probable is that our drunken pirate picture might not expire before a prospective employer sees it.

Another thing that worries Mayer-Schoenberger is that in this age of social media we are only storing trivial information, promoting our narcissism but not our awareness of important historical events like the Holocaust. We are becoming shortsighted, only caring about events that take place in our own lifetimes. To overcome this, he proposes that we establish “institutions of memory” that will preserve records of our collective past that transcend social media obsessions with discounting anything that happened earlier than the day before yesterday. But, we ask, how will we ensure that people access these memory institutes rather than their neighboring Museum of Selfies?

At this point, I fear I am in danger of forgetting what it was I set out to do in this week’s column, so I will hit my Send button to make sure this column gets sent to our editor before I can write anything else. I trust you will think more deeply about what you should remember and what you should forget as I bid you a fond farewell until next week.

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March 24, 2015 • The Loafer, Page 27

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