Arts, Leisure and Sports
photos courtesy Jon Murrill
Neighbors, volunteers and greenway users are encouraged to attend a public celebration of three new murals located in Roanoke’s southeast portion of the Roanoke River Greenway this Saturday, October 22. There’s an 11am ribbon cutting underneath the 13th Street SE bridge near the parking lot. Local artist Jon Murrill created the large public works with help from Patrick Henry High School students – where Murrill is an art teacher. Local residents from the “I Heart SE” community group also pitched in to paint the public murals under the 13th St and 9th SE bridges. Besides the ribbon cutting with Roanoke Mayor Sherman Lea on hand Murrill says other festivities are planned for Saturday morning at 11.
Mac Jansen. G Marrano photo
The ice is down and training camp for the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs is underway. The season opener for the Dawgs is this Friday at the Berglund Center versus Fayetteville. There are some new faces of course but around a dozen players who were with the Rail Yard Dawgs at some point last season are expected back when the puck drops on Friday night. Forward Mac Jansen is one of the veterans coming back from a late season run to the SPHL championship series:
There are all sorts of outdoor gear demonstrations and vendor booths, not to mention group rides and BMX bike stunt shows this weekend at the Roanoke Outside Festival. But GoFest is also about entertainment, as WFIR’s Gene Marrano reports:
Photo: bedfordcountyva.gov
Many cities and counties in the region have built disk golf courses as part of their parks and recreation facilities, but Bedford County in particular is using disk golf as a big tourism draw. There are five public disk golf courses across the county, and one of them is bringing in serious players from across the country. The New London Tech course is on the Lynchburg side of Bedford County, designed for advanced and professional play, and it is drawing more than 100 pro disk golfers to a tournament there two weekends from now. The other four courses in the county are suitable for varying levels from beginner on up, and tourism officials say a main goal is to make them a starting point for visiting Bedford County. WFIR’s Evan Jones has more:
Bedford County will host the 4th Annual Battle for Bedford Disc Golf Tournament, a PDGA-sanctioned event, October 22 and 23. At last report, almost 400 are registered, coming from about 20 different states and also Canada.
Click here for full Bedford County disk golf courses information.
Downtown New Castle will host the 39th Annual Craig County Fall Festival this weekend. Organizers say that making the day trip offers an opportunity to immerse yourself in the culture of the County. WFIR’s Emma Thomas with details:
Monet – courtesy Taubman Museum
From Titian to Monet: European paintings from the Joslyn Art Museum. The new ticketed exhibition at the Taubman opens this weekend. Meanwhile some art galleries in downtown Roanoke have formed a coalition that will pool their resources … and more.
If you find yourself in downtown Roanoke keep your eyes peeled inside the businesses you visit – they could be taking part in the Golden Key Scavenger Hunt. WFIR’s Emma Thomas with more on the event:
Click here to learn more about the Golden Key Scavenger Hunt