http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com?source=rss Latest arts & entertainment stories from The Mountaineer. Mon, 21 May 2012 04:12:49 EDT Mon, 21 May 2012 04:12:49 EDT en-us Copyright 2011 Mountaineer Publishing http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com/ae/story/stinas-picks/820354?source=rss ]]> There are plenty of great local things happening this weekend, but I’ve got to be honest that I probably won’t attend a one of ‘em. For the next few days, I’ll be cheating on Haywood County — abandoning its lush mountains and trees for the big and glitzy, crowded city, where everything is more expensive, parking is terrible and no one knows my name. I can’t help it. Dollywood is calling me. You might chuckle or ... http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com/ae/story/stinas-picks/820354 Sun, 06 May 2012 10:15:00 EDT news@themountaineer.com (Staff) Arts & Entertainment http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com/ae/story/moms-music-festival-to-be-sunday/817132?source=rss ]]> We are officially in the season of festivals, a time when just about everything gets its own special celebration. From spring to ramps, old tractors to international dance, Haywood County’s got a lot of concepts covered — but there’s always room for one more. Especially when it’s for the moms. Thanks to Women of Waynesville (WOW), a new women-centered fundraising group, mothers across the county are going to be ... http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com/ae/story/moms-music-festival-to-be-sunday/817132 Mon, 30 Apr 2012 09:10:00 EDT news@themountaineer.com (Stina Sieg ) Arts & Entertainment http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com/ae/story/stinas-picks/817103?source=rss ]]> I know that talking about the weather can be limited, predictable and boring, but with temps as schizophrenic as ours have been, I can’t help it. Last weekend, I was dumbfounded by the sunny skies and warm breezes that were suddenly upon us. They make me happy but also freak me right out. As I child of the Pacific Northwest, I’m not ready for a real Southern summer, even one tempered by the mountains. So, I’ve ... http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com/ae/story/stinas-picks/817103 Mon, 30 Apr 2012 08:18:00 EDT news@themountaineer.com (Stina Sieg ) Arts & Entertainment http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com/ae/story/stinas-picks/813856?source=rss ]]> Sometimes it’s just nice to get out. I was thinking that last weekend, as I ambled through PlottFest and later Taste of Chocolate both in Maggie. As much as I was enjoying the events themselves (a festival featuring Balsam Range followed by all the chocolate I can need eat … of course), I was reminded how enjoyable it is to rub elbows with my friends and neighbors. This winter wasn’t that long, but I think I ... http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com/ae/story/stinas-picks/813856 Thu, 26 Apr 2012 09:00:00 EDT news@themountaineer.com (Stina Sieg ) Arts & Entertainment http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com/ae/story/plottfest-celebrates-haywood-hounds/809655?source=rss ]]> MAGGIE VALLEY — Not many dog breeds get their own festival around here. Then again, not many are called the “ninja warrior of dogdom” by famous author Cormac McCarthy. That’s just one of many compliments that have been heaped upon Plott hounds, the stars of PlottFest. The first-time festival and fundraiser for Head Start, held in conjunction with the 23rd Annual Great Smoky Mountain Trout Festival, is heading to ... http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com/ae/story/plottfest-celebrates-haywood-hounds/809655 Thu, 19 Apr 2012 08:12:00 EDT news@themountaineer.com (Stina Sieg ) Arts & Entertainment http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com/ae/story/waylon-christner-a-colorful-character/809638?source=rss ]]> If you’ve ever seen one of Waylon Christner’s paintings — and you probably have — chances are you were struck by two things: its vibrant colors and its sheer size. Christner is not one for small-scale pieces with muted, polite hues. His work, which has hung in various restaurants and shops in Waynesville and beyond and is currently featured at the Miami International Airport, is always big and often bright, with ... http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com/ae/story/waylon-christner-a-colorful-character/809638 Thu, 19 Apr 2012 08:00:00 EDT news@themountaineer.com (Stina Sieg ) Arts & Entertainment http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com/ae/story/stinas-picks/809625?source=rss ]]> On Sunday, as I dropped my brother off at Max Patch for a little Appalachian Trail wandering, I felt the warmth of the air on my skin and saw the bright blue, nearly cloudless sky above me and wondered — almost out loud and with a bit of worry — where the time has gone. We’re hurdling toward May and then summer, when nearly every weekend will be so jam-packed with things that it will be an act of triage just to ... http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com/ae/story/stinas-picks/809625 Thu, 19 Apr 2012 07:15:00 EDT news@themountaineer.com (Stina Sieg ) Arts & Entertainment http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com/ae/story/stinas-picks/806363?source=rss ]]> Just when I was thinking things were feeling a little slow around here, last Saturday shook me awake. In the morning, I was treated to one of the most beautiful and serene (if jarringly hilly) 10Ks around, the Lake Junaluka Bunny Run. An hour or so later, I got to photograph the lake’s incredibly cute and hilariously competitive Easter egg hunts. Later, as the day turned dark, it was time for a night of bluegrass ... http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com/ae/story/stinas-picks/806363 Sun, 08 Apr 2012 18:54:00 EDT news@themountaineer.com (Stina Sieg ) Arts & Entertainment http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com/ae/story/balsam-range-backstage/221171?source=rss ]]> Local music fans got to meet the men behind some of country music's greatest hits on Saturday during the second-to-last Balsam Range Winter Concert Series. Canton's Colonial Theatre was filled to the brim as songwriters Larry Cordle, Jerry Salley and Carl Jackson performed some of their most popular songs in a homespun style. The night was a fun one, with hometown favorite Balsam Range taking the stage, too. ... http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com/ae/story/balsam-range-backstage/221171 Sun, 04 Mar 2012 22:43:00 EST news@themountaineer.com (Stina Sieg) Arts & Entertainment http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com/ae/story/fundraiser-to-fill-many-empty-bowls/219179?source=rss ]]> This Saturday, the Open Door will get one of its biggest financial boosts of the year, one bowl of soup at a time. “The Empty Bowl Dinner,” now in its 11th year, always draws hundreds of people, many of whom might never share a meal in the nonprofit’s soup kitchen otherwise. The fundraiser, which goes from 3 to 7 p.m., has a simple concept: Buy a meal so that others may also eat. For $20, diners not only get to ... http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com/ae/story/fundraiser-to-fill-many-empty-bowls/219179 Mon, 27 Feb 2012 09:56:00 EST news@themountaineer.com (Stina Sieg) Arts & Entertainment http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com/ae/story/balsam-range-winter-concert-series-starts-up-again/188227?source=rss ]]> A little more than a year ago, Tim Surrett and the rest of Balsam Range were hoping for the best. The premier concert of the first-ever monthly Balsam Range Winter Concert Series had yet to take place, and none of these bluegrass big guns were sure how it would fly. With stars Bobby Hicks and Tony Rice booked for that first show, Surrett knew the music would be good, but was that going to be enough to get people ... http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com/ae/story/balsam-range-winter-concert-series-starts-up-again/188227 Sun, 27 Nov 2011 17:30:00 EST news@themountaineer.com (Stina Sieg) Arts & Entertainment http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com/ae/story/clelia-hand-a-life-lived-artistically/186153?source=rss ]]> Nothing brings a wider selection of art and artists to the Haywood County Arts Council’s small works show. Every year, it includes work from painters and sculptors, jewelers and potters, young and old, professional and amature. While the work the work is wildly diverse, all the pieces at “It’s a Small, Small Work” have at least two things common: size. Each piece is 12-by-12 inches or smaller — and each is ready ... http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com/ae/story/clelia-hand-a-life-lived-artistically/186153 Fri, 18 Nov 2011 09:31:00 EST news@themountaineer.com (Stina Sieg) Arts & Entertainment http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com/ae/story/ah-wilderness-showcases-big-happy-family/182748?source=rss ]]> There are few dramatic themes more prevalent right now than the dysfunctional family. Bickering, unhappy parents and their sarcastic, forlorn offspring are everywhere, from theater to movies to reality TV. They are nowhere to be found, however, in Haywood Regional Theatre’s newest offering, Eugene O’Neill’s “Ah, Wilderness!” That’s part of what longtime HART director Wanda Taylor cherishes about the show. “It’... http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com/ae/story/ah-wilderness-showcases-big-happy-family/182748 Thu, 10 Nov 2011 01:00:00 EST news@themountaineer.com (Stina Sieg) Arts & Entertainment http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com/ae/story/charles-frazier-discusses-his-new-book/164672?source=rss ]]> A few afternoons ago in Asheville, author Charles Frazier was surrounded by the low-key bustle of a small coffee shop and smiling as he described a review. He was happy about it, and not just because “Entertainment Weekly” had liked his latest novel. Frazier was pleased that the critic had enjoyed “Nightwoods” for some of the same reasons he does. The reviewer had pointed out that, with its delectably constructe... http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com/ae/story/charles-frazier-discusses-his-new-book/164672 Wed, 12 Oct 2011 04:32:00 EDT news@themountaineer.com (Stina Sieg) Arts & Entertainment http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com/ae/story/moogfest-offers-three-day-music-smorgasbord/163993?source=rss ]]> Moogfest, the annual festival celebrating the vision of sonic pioneer Bob Moog an happening Oct. 28-30 in Asheville, is right around the corner. This year’s lineup includes: The Flaming Lips, Moby, Passion Pit, STS9, Tangerine Dream, TV on the Radio, Special Disco Version featuring James Murphy and Pat Mahoney (DFA/LCD Soundsystem), Umphrey’s McGee, Chromeo, Crystal Castles, Amon Tobin: ISAM Live, Flying Lotus, ... http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com/ae/story/moogfest-offers-three-day-music-smorgasbord/163993 Tue, 04 Oct 2011 01:00:00 EDT news@themountaineer.com (Staff) Arts & Entertainment http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com/ae/story/a-spelling-bee-for-everyone/162648?source=rss ]]> "Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes...” — Steve JobsAnyone who has been a child knows these characters, these youngsters who can’t find their place. They’re the dorks, the loners, the overachievers, the ones with undiagnosed hyperactivity conditions. According to their critical, pint-sized peers, they’re the losers.For the next three weeks, ... http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com/ae/story/a-spelling-bee-for-everyone/162648 Thu, 29 Sep 2011 01:00:00 EDT news@themountaineer.com (Stina Sieg) Arts & Entertainment http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com/ae/story/a-sweet-sorghum-soiree/162574?source=rss ]]> For more than 20 years, Canton local and Haywood Community College instructor David Burnette has been hosting sweet sorghum-making parties at his home in the country. On Saturday, an untold number of people gathered at his place to eat, talk, make music — and help with the giant vat of sweet, thick, boiling syrup. Sometimes incorrectly called molasses, this dark syrup is an Appalachian tradition that Burnette and ... http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com/ae/story/a-sweet-sorghum-soiree/162574 Sun, 25 Sep 2011 12:46:00 EDT news@themountaineer.com (Stina Sieg) Arts & Entertainment http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com/ae/story/haywoods-got-talent-heads-into-finals/158984?source=rss ]]> Haywood County is no New York City, Los Angeles or Nashville. And many, maybe most, who live here are thankful for it. But there’s no question that “Haywood’s Got Talent” — especially not after last week’s semi finals for the brand-new, incredibly diverse, breathtakingly impressive talent show. That round of the competition, which stretched across two nights and featured 31 acts, wasn’t just fun to watch. It ... http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com/ae/story/haywoods-got-talent-heads-into-finals/158984 Wed, 21 Sep 2011 21:09:00 EDT news@themountaineer.com (Stina Sieg) Arts & Entertainment http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com/ae/story/learn-all-about-the-c-word/159008?source=rss ]]> It has been a decade since local actress Barbara Bates Smith first stepped in front of an audience and opened up about her experience with cancer. In the years since, every performance of “The C-Word: An Art-Meets-Life Cancer Story” has been personal and emotional and special — but none have been quite like her next show. This Saturday, for the first time, Smith will share her one-woman play with the very ... http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com/ae/story/learn-all-about-the-c-word/159008 Mon, 19 Sep 2011 08:43:00 EDT news@themountaineer.com (Stina Sieg) Arts & Entertainment http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com/ae/story/dedication-keeps-haywood-community-band-playing/155344?source=rss ]]> Walking into one of the Haywood Community Band’s rehearsals, it’s impossible not to notice the welcoming feel in the air. The room in the local church where the band practices is plain, but when it’s filled with the squeals and honks of dozens of instruments being tuned and the hum of players happily chatting away, the place is warm and vital. Sure, it feels like a band practice, but it also seems like a bunch of ... http://themountaineer.villagesoup.com/ae/story/dedication-keeps-haywood-community-band-playing/155344 Thu, 15 Sep 2011 01:00:00 EDT news@themountaineer.com (Stina Sieg) Arts & Entertainment