ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, January 19, 1996 TAG: 9601190024
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: The Tipoff
SOURCE: ALMENA HUGHES
MISTER MANIC: Sometimes offensive and always funny, the Rev. Billy C. Wirtz's demented brand of "warp-a-Billy" humor combines twisted tales, potent parodies, honky-tonk piano and the persona of a Southern revival preacher.
Tonight at 9 he will return for the 14th consecutive year to the club-like setting of Roanoke College's Student Center Cavern. Admission costs $5. Call 375-2306.
BIGGER THAN BEETLES: (Volkswagens, that is.) "Backyard Monsters," a giant robotic insect exhibit based on the movie "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" and featuring an 8-foot-tall animated praying mantis in a sea of green leaves, opens Saturday at 10 a.m. in the science museum in downtown Roanoke. A unicorn beetle with an impressive 4-foot horn, two ample carpenter ants and a sizable-stingered emperor scorpion are also among the big bugs. Assorted regular-sized vermin also are featured in exhibits and hands-on assemblages to satisfy all manner of insect interests.
Admission to the traveling exhibit, which will run through June 9, is $5 for adults, $4 for senior citizens and $3 for children ages 3 to 12. Call 342-5710.
BIRTHDAY BASH: General T.J. "Stonewall" Jackson's 172nd birthday will not go unnoted by the house in Lexington that bears his name. On Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., both Jackson's and Robert E. Lee's January birthdays will be honored with a book signing at the house for artist Mort Kunstler and author James I. Robertson Jr., who collaborated on the recently released "Jackson & Lee: Legends In Gray." Kunstler's newest limited-edition print, "Night Crossing: September 19, 1862," also will be available.
On Sunday, from 1-5 p.m., there will be free tours of Jackson's pre-war home, and birthday cake and hot cider will be served. Call 463-2552.
OUT, OUT AND AWAY: Counteract any lingering cabin fever brought on by recent snows with moderate hikes Saturday at 7:30 a.m. in Amherst County or 1 p.m. at Chestnut Ridge Trail in Roanoke. Fees for the Appalachian Trail Club events are $3.50 and $1 respectively. Call 344-1877 or 343-8420 regarding Amherst; 982-2150 or 387-9732 for information about the Roanoke hike.
If you'd rather ride, join the Blue Ridge Bicycle Club on Saturday at 11 a.m. at Waldron Park in North Roanoke County for an intermediate 35-mile pedal, or Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Community Center in Catawba for an intermediate 16-mile ride. Helmets are mandatory. For information about Saturday's ride, call 362-4398; for Sunday's, call 989-7514.
TRAIN TRAINING: Shop representatives from The Rail Yard and Roanoke Rails will be at the Virginia Museum of Transportation on Sunday at 1 p.m. to hold a "Model Layout Basics" workshop, covering the how-to's of building a model layout, and at 2 p.m. to offer "Advanced Model Layouts" concentrating on detailed scenery, layouts and other topics for advanced modelers. To register, call Beth Davis, 342-5670.
BATON BID: The search for a new conductor of the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra continues Monday at 8 p.m. at the Roanoke Civic Center, with finalist Leslie B. Dunner leading the orchestra in selections from Rands, Copland, Stravinsky and Brahms. Admission costs $14-$22. Call 343-6221.
DATED MATERIAL: Two relationship consultants meeting for lunch to discuss their clients' needs for a possible relationship find more than food on the menu in "The Art of Dating," a free one-act comedy Centerpiece at 12:15 p.m. Wednesday on Mill Mountain Theatre's Main Stage. If you'd like, bring a brown-bag lunch of your own to eat during the performance. Call 342-5792.
SPIRITED SKATING: The Skate Center, 4021 Brandon Ave., Roanoke, will be the site of a contemporary-Christian-music skate night Thursday from 7 to 9. Hosted by Spirit FM radio, the event will feature contests and prizes. There will be a $2 admission fee. Call 774-9798 or 989-2000.
LENGTH: Medium: 76 linesby CNB