Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, July 15, 1994 TAG: 9407150064
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: Donna Alvis Banks
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Carey, his wife, Sherry, and their three teen-agers live in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri, 12 miles from the nearest town. In their backwoods bungalow, they have redefined the phrase, "comforts of home."
Their music is the low croaking of bullfrogs, the whisper of wind in the pines, the steady flap of a raven's wings.
Drama is a raging thunderstorm. Comedy is the mating ritual of lizards - a sight Carey compares to the battle of the dinosaurs.
Many have called Carey a modern-day Thoreau or Emerson. Like Thoreau, Carey embraces the notion that "nature is mythical and mystical always, and works with the license and extravagance of genius."
But Carey's nature writings are less intense, more playful and every bit as engaging as those of his prototypes. His latest book, "Flat Rock Journal," takes a gander at the link between nature and the human spirit. It reduces life to a single day in the Ozark forests and allows the reader to take in all the beauty and the joy of it.
No wonder the Los Angeles Times calls this book "a real find."
Carey will speak at Floyd County High School tonight at 8. His lecture, "Nature and the Human Spirit - A Starseed Gathering," is drawn from the theme of his new book.
Admission at the door is $12. Advance discount tickets, $10, are available at Books Strings & Things, Seeds of Light and Four Winds in Blacksburg and at Harvest Moon and New Mountain Mercantile in Floyd.
APRIL TO DECEMBER: "Love Letters," a one-act play by A.R. Gurney, is the offering this weekend from Playmakers & Company. The community theater troupe will give performances tonight and Saturday at 7:30 and a Sunday matinee at 2 in Playmakers' Playhouse at Blacksburg's University Mall.
The play, based on excerpts from letters, weaves a tale of friendship and love that spans 50 years. Director Anna Dalton has come up with a novel idea for the presentation.
"Every performance will seem very different as it is played with three different aged couples," she said.
Charlena LaLuz and Steve Brown will open the play tonight. Dalton calls them the "vintage professionals" because they represent love in the middle years.
On Saturday, Cori Adams and Michael Hite are featured as a younger couple, and Sunday's matinee features Lillian Robinson and Bob Gribben in what Dalton calls "the sterling years."
The play will return for one additional performance on July 23.
Tickets, available at the door, are $5 for adults or $3 for students and senior citizens. For reservations, call 381-1913.
TAKE A HIKE: You can take a hike without even putting on your hiking boots!
"Along the Wilderness Trail," a collection of photographs by Gary Salyers and paintings by Larry Wayne Salyers, is the current exhibit at Perspective Gallery in room 225 at Virginia Tech's Squires Student Center. It remains on display through Aug. 11.
The gallery will have a reception for Gary and Larry Salyers from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday. This is your chance to meet the artists and chat with them about their experiences on the Wilderness Trail.
Regular hours at the gallery are noon to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 2 to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free.
BLUES BROTHERS: The South Main Cafe is having a "Mini Blues Fest" tonight and Saturday. Expect everything from the Cajun shuffle to bluesy rock.
The Nighthawks kick it off tonight and Tab Benoit cleans up Saturday. Benoit, a Louisiana blues man, has earned the reputation of "monster guitarist." Citing Buddy Guy as the major influence in his life, Benoit says blues should buck the bridle:
"Buddy Guy is my favorite one. That guy takes me away. He's wild. He lets go. You don't see too many players who just totally let go, and it's cool 'cause there's a lot of players who hold back."
Don't count on Benoit holding back Saturday night.
The music starts at 10 both evenings. Advance discount tickets are available at the cafe, 117 S. Main St., Blacksburg. The advance tickets are $10 per night or $15 for both nights. Admission at the door will be $12.
LET'S EAT! You have a choice - eat lightly or eat mightily Saturday.
The Newport Woman's Club is having a salad supper, starting at 6 p.m., at the Newport Recreation Center in Giles County. Every salad you can imagine, as well as good ole corn bread and beans, will make up the spread.
The cost is $5 for adults or $2.50 for kids, 5 to 12. Children under 5 eat free.
Members of the Newport Village Council will be at the supper to receive a plaque from the Virginia Office of Historic Resources. The state office has recognized Newport as an historic community.
LET'S EAT AGAIN! The Wilderness Road Regional Museum in Newbern, Pulaski County, will have its 14th annual Colonial Dinner Saturday. The museum is all spruced up with summer bouquets and candles for this event.
The buffet dinner includes baked ham, chicken and dumplings, fresh vegetables and fruits, homemade breads and (save the best for last) blueberry-vanilla cake.
Reservations are a must and may be made by calling Daisy Williams, 674-5888; Geraldine Mathews, 980-7499; Ann Bailey, 382-2298; or the museum, 674-4835. You have a choice of two serving times at 5:30 or 7:30 p.m.
Take-out trays also are available if you order them in advance.
The cost is $12.50 for adults and $6.25 for children under 12. That's for all you can eat, of course.
Civil War displays are still up at the museum. There's also a display honoring Smokey Bear for his 50th anniversary.
To get to the museum from Interstate 81, take Exit 98 and follow the brown signs.
by CNB