Area entertainment and cultural events starting Wednesday, October 5

TheatreWorks Community Players will hold auditions for “Piano Bar” from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Black Box Theatre. The show will be presented on Nov. 11.

In celebration of Patrick & Henry Community College’s 60th Diamond Anniversary, the P&HCC Patriot Players will present “DIAMOND DIVAS: a Very Merry Holiday Revue,” a mash-up of holiday favorites and diva anthems. Auditions will be held from 4:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 13, in the Walker Fine Arts Theatre. Sing 16-32 bars (roughly 1 verse, 1 chorus) of a song a capella. Performances will be at 7 p.m. Nov. 17, 18, 25 and 16 and at 2 p.m. Nov. 19. The production will be directed by Devin Pendleton, with music director Amber Scott and choreographers Jane Leizer and Mandy Gordon, in partnership with the Ray Hollingsworth Dance and Arts Studio. Morgan Young will be the stage manager.

FAHI Meet and Greet: The Fayette Area Historical Initative will host a meet-and-greet for DeShanta Hairston, its new executive director, from 4-6 p.m. Oct. 13. The event is intended to allow residents the chance to meet Hairston while also looking at current exhibits.

The Martinsville-Henry County Veterans Service Organization (VSO) invites all veterans and their families to Veterans Appreciation Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Jack Dalton Park on Kings Mountain Road in Collinsville. Hot dogs, chips and drinks will be served. Games including cornhole and badminton will be set up, and there will be music. The main purpose of the event is to introduce veterans to the various VSO organizations such as the DAV, VFW, American Legion and Marine Corps League. The VSO is comprised of VFW Posts 4637 and 10840, American Legion Posts 42 and 78, DAV Post 52, Marine Corps League Det. 908 and the MHC Honor Guard.

A Veterans Day program hosted by the MHC Veterans Service Organization will be held at 11 a.m. at the HJDB Event Center. During the program the 2022 Outstanding Military Veteran Award will be presented. Nomination forms are available through both the Henry County and Martinsville offices and are due by Oct. 21.

Oktoberfest, which was rained out thanks to Hurricane Ian, has been rescheduled to Dec. 3 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in uptown Martinsville — and renamed “Fall Into Winter Fest.” An original plan had been to reschedule it for a later date in October but, the MCH Chamber of Commerce reported, not enough of the registered vendors could make that date.

The Spencer-Penn Centre will hold 2022 Fall Festival from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15. It will feature games, children’s activities, vendors and more. For vendor inquiries, contact spcevents04@gmail.com or 276-957-5757.

The Apple Dumpling Festival & 5K will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Oct. 22, downtown Stuart.

Naomi Hodge-Muse teaches a Bob Ross Techniques painting class at Piedmont Arts, at 9:30 a.m. Thursdays. The subject of this week’s class is a fall pond scene; on Nov. 10, a snowy mountain beyond a lake; and Dec., another snowy mountain beyond a lake, with green trees. The cost is $80.

The Virginia Commission for the Arts‘ Executive Director Margaret Hancock and some VCA grantees will be at Piedmont Arts from 10-11 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 19, for networking and conversation, and the public is invited to join them.

A crochet group meets from 10 a.m. to noon each Thursday at the Collinsville library; join them for free.

Jennifer Reis will teach “Mini Art Quilt Class” at 1 p.m. Nov. 5, for ages 12 to adult, at Piedmont Arts. The workshop will cover basic and advanced hand-worked art quilting techniques, teaching non-traditional methods of quilting, appliqué, embroidery and embellishing. Using techniques like raw appliqué, embroidery, and embellishing with shi-sha mirrors, beads and found objects, students will create an individually designed embellished textile mini artwork. All supplies provided. The cost is $60; register at PiedmontArts.org.

Lisa Martin will teach a paint-and-sip style “Fall Barn Quilt Class” at 6 p.m. Nov. 17 at Piedmont Arts, for ages 12 to adult. No experience is necessary; bring snacks and wine. Design options are Autumn Star, Autumn Leaf 2, Mariners Compass Gold, Hunting Goals, Trophy Buck, Orange Maple Leaf and Big Owl. The cost is $40; register at PiedmontArts.org.

Piedmont Arts’ “Wee Create” craft class is for tots ages 2-6, each with his or her supervising adult. The class costs $5 and is held at 3 p.m. Tuesdays with the following themes: Oct. 18, Halloween; Nov. 15, Thanksgiving; and Dec. 6, Holiday Keepsakes. To register, call 276-632-3221 or email bjohnson@piedmontarts.org.

The Chix with Stix knitters, public invited, meet at 10:30 a.m. on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at Piedmont Arts to work on their individual projects. The cost is $5. Upcoming dates are Oct. 11 and 25, Nov. 8 and 22 and Dec. 13 and 27.

An opening reception for Piedmont Arts‘ new exhibits will be held from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4, at the museum. Ann Nichols will perform music, and complimentary light refreshments and wine will be served. The new exhibits will be “The Art of the Quilt,” “Virginia Foothills Quilters Guild” andcross stitch samplers by Marilyn Vaughn created over three decades.

“A Beautifully Broken Virginia” at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 17 is a unique photographic journey through beautifully decaying rural places, by photographer John Plashal. It is part of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts’ Statewide Program. Admission is a suggested donation of $20.

The lighting of Piedmont Arts’ Art Garden Christmas Tree, created by Ian Hogg 0f 3,000 lights, will be at 4 p.m. Dec. 1 in the Gravely-Lester Art Garden on the corner of Market and Mulberry. The Martinsville High School Band will perform, Santa Claus will visit and candy canes and hot chocolate will be served.

The Roanoke Symphony Holiday Pops Spectacular will be held at 3 p.m. Dec. 4 at the Martinsville High School auditorium, sponsored by Piedmont Arts. David Stewart Wiley conducts the Holiday Pops. Non-perishable foods for Grace Network will be collected in the lobby. Admission costs range from $5 to $25 at PiedmontArts.org.

Uptown First Friday, presented by The Martinsville-Henry County Heritage Center & Museum and the Rotary Clubs of Martinsville & Henry County, will take place this Friday with a performance from Tate Tuck. Tuck grew up on a farm at Smith Mountain Lake and plays country, rock, bluegrass, folk, blues, rhythm and blues, pop and hip-hop. There will be beer from Scuffle Hill Brewing Company and food from Hugo’s Restaurant & Sports Bar. It will be at the Historic Henry County Courthouse Plaza and go from 5-9 p.m. and music will begin at 6 p.m. Admission is free.

Bullet Band will perform Friday night at the Cascade School Community Center Music and Dance, from 7-9:30 p.m., at 3561 Huntington Trail. Admission costs $8. Other bands will be: Woody Powers and Midnite Express, Oct. 14; Oldskool, Oct. 21; Jus’ Cauz, Oct. 28.

A fundraising concert by 220 South will be held from 6-10 p.m. Saturday on the lawn of the Fieldale Recreation Center. People are asked to bring chairs but no coolers.

Music Night at Spencer-Penn on Friday, Oct. 14, will feature the bluegrass band Jus’ Cauz, on stageat 6:15 p.m. Admission costs $5.

The Saturday Nite Opry at Patrick County Music Association will be held on Oct. 15 starting at 5 p.m. at the Rotary Building, 420 Woodland Dr., Stuart. The show will feature SideLine with Mack Shuh, Scarlett Norman, Miller Hopkins, By Grace Band, Joey Lemons and the Country Boys Band also in the lineup. PCMA will also have shows on Nov. 12 and Dec. 10 in the same location featuring the Churchmen and the Lonesome River Band.

The 8th Annual Wine by the River Festival will be held from 2-7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, at the Smith River Sports Complex, hosted by the Matthew Wayne Wade Foundation. Tickets cost $10-$15. It will feature food, artisan vendors, various wineries and multiple beer distributors. For more information, visit www.winebyriver.com.

TheatreWorks Community Players will present “Piano Bar” at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11, at the Black Box Theatre. Tickets cost $10.

Music in the Box will present Wild Ponies — Doug and Telisha Williams — on Saturday, Nov. 19. Doors will open at 7 p.m., and the show will begin at 8 p.m.. Tickets can be purchased for $15 at www.twcp.net. The performance will be held in the Black Box Theater, 44 Franklin Street.

Rooster Walk presents Rives on the Road at the Heritage Conference and Event Center in Bassett on Friday, Nov. 25 at 8 p.m. The event will feature Big Daddy Love and members of The Dead Reckoning and Slate Lacy who will perform two sets of Grateful Dead music. Tickets cost $15 and can be purchased at eventbrite.

The Smith River Singers will hold a holiday concert on Dec. 12. For more information, email info@smithriversingers.org.

“Rook, Music & More,” each Friday from 10 a.m. to noon at the Bassett Ruritan Club on Philpott Dam Road, is a fun and relaxing time for people to get together to play games, work puzzles, do crafts and play rook. Feel free to bring something to do or food to share.

A ribbon cutting for the Margaret Spencer Shackelford Toms Pavilion and dedication of memorial bricks will be held 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 15, Spencer-Penn Centre.

The MHC Heritage Center & Museum will present its annual fundraiser, Blue Jeans & Bling, from 5:30-9 p.m. Saturday at the MHC Heritage Center & Museum; the cost is $40/person or $300/table of eight. It will feature a meal of pulled pork barbecue, baked beans, coleslaw, cornbread and apple and peach cobblers by Hugo’s; music by country singer Jake Earles; craft beer from Scuffle Hill Brewing; and tablescapes by One Starling Events & BnB. For tickets, call 276-403-5361 or email mhchistoricalsociety@gmail.com.

Piedmont Arts’ Blues, Brews & Stews will be held at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 14, at Piedmont Arts. It will feature a fire pit, Brunswick stew, a cash bar with craft beer and wine and live music by Griffin Haley Band. A meal of Brunswick stew, cornbread, banana pudding and tea from Hylton’s Wood-Cooking Grill will be included with the ticket price. Bring a lawn chair or blanket for seating. If it rains, the event will be held inside Piedmont Arts.

Martinsville City Public Schools Endowment Board will have its 2022 Gala, “Havana Nights,” from 7-11 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 15, at Forest Park Country Club. It will feature music and dancing, a silent auction and heavy hors d’oeurves. Admission costs $40 to $50. Table sponsorship is $500 for 1- reserved seats and sponsor recognition. Tickets for the gala and raffle are available at any city school and the School Board office, 746 Indian Trail.

The Virginia Museum of Natural History presents the Bonez & Booz Festival on Saturday, Oct. 29, from 4-10 p.m. This first-time event will merge science and fantasy, featuring special bone and fossil displays presented by museum scientists and Halloween-themed entertainment such as fire performances and magic shows. There will also be food trucks and a flashlight tour of the museum at 8:15 p.m. Admission will be available at the gate; prices range from free for children under 3, $5 for seniors and children ages 3-17 and $10 for ages 18-59.

Henry County Parks and Recreation and 4H present a Halloween Hayride at Jack Dalton Park on Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m.

The Patrick County Chamber of Commerce and Patrick County Young Professionals will bring Stuart Spooktacular back to Main Street this Halloween. Businesses, organizations and individuals are invited to sign up at patrickchamber.com to set up during the event and give out candy and other holiday-themed items. Stuart Spooktacular will take place from 5:30-8 p.m. Vendors can begin set-up at 4 pm when the road closes, and all vehicles must be be removed from the street by 4:30. The Chamber will hold a table-decorating contest.

The Martinsville-Henry County Historical Society‘s upcoming programs are “Behind Brothel Doors: The Business of Prostitution in Early America” on Oct. 16 and “April 1865: Danville, Martinsville and the End of the Civil War” on Nov. 20, both at 3 p.m. A Seasonal Concert will be held on Dec. 4. For “Behind Brothel Doors,” Jan Mackell Collins, author and historian, will present a socially acceptable program about why the prostitution industry was so important in the development of America and the West with details about the business itself and profiles of some favorite madams. For over 50 years, Collins has visited ghost towns and other forgotten historic spots all over the American West in search of how pioneers lived and survived during the 1800s. A historian and writer since 1989, she has given dozens of presentations, programs, speeches, appearances, and interviews on radio, television, and in print. Her research, especially in the history of the prostitution industry, encompasses the entire western region of America and continues to expand. Wear pink on support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.