3.17–3.23
Last week, I made a mistake or twenty. With one emoji, I outed my Americanness and reinforced a misguided practice—that of using four-leafed clovers as a symbol of St. Patrick's Day. Now I knew the shamrock ☘️ (which only has three leaves) symbolized the Holy Trinity, of which Pat was a TOTAL fanboy. But somewhere between the "luck of the Irish" tagline and using "getting lucky" as a euphemism for post-pub shenanigans, I naively assumed that: 1) a shamrock could have four leaves, and 2) a four-leafed clover was every bit a St. Patty's Day symbol as a shamrock.
As my luck would have it, turns out a four-leafed clover is not a shamrock. 🍀≠☘️. I was wrong. So this shirt is wrong, and so is this abomination (in more ways than one). And despite thinking that eeeeeveryone made this mistake, I was ashamed to discover that most St. Patrick's Day paraphernalia out there actually...does use the proper shamrocks. Sigh. Maybe I'm alone on this one. But I will leave last week's post in its original, flawed form because learning from mistakes is so hot right now. 🐦🔥
Mon 3/17
🍀🍔 11am: Let's Get Lucky! (food and drink specials, party favors, prize drawings) // Corned Beef & Co. ↝
♫ 6–9pm: Kendall Street Company (rock, jam) // Parkway Brewing - Salem // $10 ↝
♫ 6:30pm: The Star City Céilí Band (Celtic) // Martin's Downtown // free ↝
Tue 3/18
✮ 8am–4pm: Agripalooza (agriculture business owners conference) // VWCC - Whitman Theatre // $45 ↝
✮ 5:30–7:30pm: Dems After Dark: Women's History Month (democratic women meetup) // Barrel Chest Wine & Ber // free ↝
🍀🏆 6–9pm: St. Paddy's Day Party (roller skating) // Firehouse Skate 'N Play - Vinton // free admission with a green shirt; rentals extra ↝
🎨 6:30pm: Paint Night: Hooter (painting) // Crab du Jour // $30, registration recommended ↝
♫ 6:30–8:30pm: Hoppie Vaughan (soul, R&B) // Wasena City Taproom // free ↝
🎭 6:30–9pm (sign-ups begin at 6): Star City Poet's Society: Open Mics, Open Minds (open mic poetry night) // Big Lick Brewing // free ↝
✮♫ 6–7pm: World Rhythms Drum Class // The Beat Goes On - Salem // $10 ↝
♫ 9:30pm: Christian Q. & Co (funk, blues, jazz, pop) // Martin's Downtown // free ↝
Wed 3/19
✮ 4:30–6:30pm: Beer & Biotech: Pioneering a Future for Alpha Gal Syndrome (lecture, Q&A) // Big Lick Brewing // free, registration requested ↝
✮ 5–6:30pm: Leadership Roanoke Valley Open House (networking) // Olde Salem Brewing - Salem // free, registration req. ↝
🏆 5:30pm: Tai Chi // Fishburn Mansion // $13 ↝
♫ 5:30–8:30pm: Jeff Miller (acoustic, loop guitar) // Parkway Brewing - Salem // free ↝
✮ 6:30pm: Micro-Budget Filmmaking Workshop with Commonwealth Film Collective (class) // Ursula's Cafe // free, registration req. ↝
♫ 8pm (doors 7): Cowboy Bebop LIVE (multimedia anime soundtrack performance) // The Harvester Performance Center - Rocky Mount // $51+ ↝
♫ 9:30pm: Hash Cabbage (psychedelic, improv rock) // Martin's Downtown // free ↝
Thu 3/20
🧸 10–11am: Me at the Museum: M is for Mail (children's education event) // Roanoke History & O. Winston Link Museum // $3, ages 2–6 ↝
♫ 5:30–8:30pm: Freak Rangers (tribute to Jerry Garcia) // Parkway Brewing - Salem // free ↝
🌳 6–7pm: Eliminating Invasive Plants from Your Yard (class) // Blue Ridge Library // free ↝
🏆 6:30–9pm: Don't Fall To Pieces: Puzzle Night! // Big Lick Brewing // free ↝
♫ 7–9pm (doors 6:30): 3rd Thursday Open Mic // 3rd Street Coffeehouse // free ↝
🎭 7:30pm (doors 6:30): Steve Hofstetter: Kill the Butterflies (comedian) // Grandin Theatre // $25+ ↝
♫ 7–10pm: Brantley Gilbert (country) // Salem Civic Center // $25+ ↝
🎭 8pm (doors 7): DOOMSDAY x 3 (absurdist performance) // Art Rat Studios // free, BYOB, donations welcome ↝
♫ 9:30pm: Virginia Man (folk, rock) // Martin's Downtown // free ↝
Fri 3/21
✮ noon: Lunch & Learn with the Collective: Balancing Mental Health with Life’s Demands // The Collective. // free ↝
🌳✮ 1–3pm: "Fun"damentals of Leave No Trace (class) // Oak Grove Park // free, registration req. ↝
♫ 5:30–8:30pm: Leonard Blush and The Camelcals (rock) // Parkway Brewing - Salem // free ↝
🍀 6pm: A Wee Bit O'Murder (St. Patrick's Day-themed murder mystery event) // Stave & Cork - Salem // $35, registration req. ↝
🎨 6–7:30pm: Paint Party: Elmwood in Spring (painting) // Well Hung Vineyard // $25, registration req. ↝
♫ 6–9pm: Kinnfolk (celtic folk) // Atheling Meadworks // free ↝
♫ 6–9pm: Abbey & Andy (acoustic) // AFOG - Buchanan // free ↝
✮ 6:30pm–7:30: Spring Equinox Sound Bath // GLOW Healing Arts - Salem // $15 ↝
♫ 6:30–9:30pm: The Rarely Available (cover) // Big Lick Brewing // free ↝
♫ 6:30–9:30pm: Lyndsay Bella (acoustic) // Twin Creeks Brewing - Vinton // free ↝
🎨 7–10pm: Glow in the Dark Paint Night // Lucid Dreams - 1418 Hershberger Rd NW // $40, 21+ ↝
🏆 7:30pm: Retro Game Night // Olde Salem Brewing - Downtown Roanoke // free ↝
♫ 8pm (doors 6:30): Sexbruise?, Future Joy (satirical pop, electronic dance) // 5 Points Music Sanctuary // $25+ ↝
♫ 8pm (doors 7): Palmyra - free show (folk) // The Harvester Performance Center - Rocky Mount // free, registration req. ↝
♫ 8pm: Kemistry (blues, R&B, rock) // Rosie's Gaming Emporium - Vinton // free, 21+ ↝
♫ 8–11pm: The Shoobies (tropical rock, cover) // The Watering Hole // free ↝
🏳️🌈 8pm–2am: Drag U Shows & Dance Friday // The Park Dance Club // cover, 18+ ↝
💃 8pm–midnight (group lesson at 9): Fiesta Friday with DJ Guia (all-level Latin dance party) // Inka Grill - Downtown // $10 ↝
♫ 10pm: Hustle Souls (soul, funk, Americana) // Martin's Downtown // $10 ↝
Sat 3/22
🏆 9am–3pm: Beginner Mountain Bike Shuttle (transportation to Carvins Cove bike trails) // Roanoke Mountain Adventures // $20, 16+; registration req. ↝
🏆 10am: Roanoke 100 Miler Dog Walk (volunteer to walk adoptable shelter dogs) // Regional Center for Animal Care & Protection // free ↝
🏆🌳 10am–noon: Signs of Spring Hike (guided hike) // Explore Park // $12, registration req. ↝
🎨🌳 11am: Make & Take: Spring Porch Pot - (floral/plant arranging) morning class // Greenbrier Nurseries // $35, registration req. ↝
🎨 11am–1:30pm: Monet's Japanese Bridge (painting workshop) // Art on 1st // $40, registration req. ↝
🎭 11:30am: Author Event: Penny Edwards Blue - "A Time to Protest" // Dragon Bite Books & Crafts // free ↝
🎨🌳 2pm: Make & Take: Spring Porch Pot - (floral/plant arranging) afternoon class // Greenbrier Nurseries // $35, registration req. ↝
🎨 2–4pm: Adult Art Class: Art as a Spiritual Practice in Watercolor and Wax // Charles R. Hill Community Center - Vinton // $45, registration req. ↝
🎨🌳 2–5pm: Drink & Draw & Seed Swap (feat. Wild Ones Roanoke and LEAP) // Blindhouse Beer Co. // free ↝
✮ 3:30–6:30pm: Public Skating // Berglund Coliseum // $6 admission, $3 skate rental ↝
🎨 5–6:30pm: Paint Together (child-parent painting event) // Sweet P's Ice Cream // $40, registration req. ↝
♫ 5:30–8:30pm: Seedpicker (soul, funk, blues) // Parkway Brewing - Salem // free ↝
🎨 6–7:30pm: Date Night Wheel Class (pottery) // Motel Studios // $120 ↝
♫ 6–9pm: The Great Big Hug (southern rock, blues) // Twisted Track Brewpub // free ↝
♫ 6:30–9:30pm: GOTE (rock) // Big Lick Brewing // free ↝
♫ 7pm (doors 6:30): Sarah Hanahan (jazz saxophone) - early show // Fostek Performance Hall @ Jefferson Center // $35 ↝
♫ 7:30pm (doors 5:30): Grayson (country) // Sidewinders // $20 ↝
♫ 7:30pm: Human Infection, Short Bus Pile Up, Organ Trail, Restrictor Plate (death metal, grind) // The Spot on Kirk // $15; all ages ↝
♫ 8pm (doors 6:30): Phat Laces (funk, jam) // 5 Points Music Sanctuary // $23+ ↝
♫ 8pm (doors 7): Crawford & Power (country) // The Harvester Performance Center - Rocky Mount // $37+ ↝
🏳️🌈 8pm–2am: Just Dance Saturday // The Park Dance Club // cover, 18+ ↝
♫ 9pm (doors 8:30): Sarah Hanahan (jazz saxophone) - late show // Fostek Performance Hall @ Jefferson Center // $35 ↝
🍀🏆 9pm–1am: Shake that Shamrock Sip & Skate (adults-only roller skate night club) // Firehouse Skate 'N Play - Vinton // $15, 21+ ↝
♫ 9pm–2am: EST Gee (hip hop, rap) // Status Restaurant & Lounge // $40+ ↝
♫ 10pm: Phat Anchovies (funk, rock) // Martin's Downtown // $10 ↝
Sun 3/23
🏳️🌈🍔 11am (doors 10:45): The Leprechauns are Broke Drag Brunch // Starr Hill Brewery // $10 ↝
🏳️🌈🍔 11am–2pm: Downtown Divas Drag Brunch (fundraiser for Roanoke Mutual Aid) // Evie's Bistro // $7 ↝
✮♫ 11:30am–1pm: Spring Frame Drum Gathering & Potluck // GLOW Healing Arts - Salem // $10 ↝
✮ noon–4pm: Roanoke Wedding Crawl (bridal expo event supporting Ronald McDonald House) // multiple locations // $15 ↝
🌳✮ 12:30pm: Seed Exchange // AFOG – Roanoke // free ↝
🏆 1–3pm: Backpacking 201 (class) // Explore Park // $15, registration req. ↝
✮ 2–3:30pm: Roanoke Writers Meetup // Blindhouse Beer Co. // free ↝
♫ 5–8pm: Isaac Hadden & Friends (rock, funk, folk, variety) // Parkway Brewing - Salem // free ↝
Ongoing/Multiple Dates
🏆 ongoing: Group Bike Rides Are Back // various locations // Whether you're a seasoned mountain biking pro or a casual cruiser who wants to go slow & meet for drinks after, there's a group ride for you! An easy and fun way to stay active and meet new friends. // free ↝
🎭 Mar 12–30: Waitress, the Musical // Mill Mountain Theatre // "The musical follows Jenna Hunterson, a waitress and expert pie maker at Joe’s Diner, who finds herself in an unfulfilling marriage to her controlling husband, Earl. When Jenna discovers she’s pregnant, she begins to re-evaluate her life and dreams of escape." // $21–45 ↝
Looking Ahead
🏳️🌈 Applications open: Volunteer at Roanoke Pride 33! // "Join us in celebrating diversity and unity at this year's Pride Festival being held in Elmwood Park on April 27, 2025! We're looking for passionate volunteers to fill various roles and make this event an unforgettable experience." // Apply here ↝
🫏 Submissions open now: Become a Sweet Donkey Market vendor! // "War On Books will be organizing 4 vendor markets this year at Sweet Donkey! The first of these will be on May 10th, but we’re looking for a handful of vendors to participate." // Apply here ↝