Make time for Music and Art to Fit Any Mood

There is always more to do than there is time for it seems. That means making choices about how we spend that time. Yet sometimes it’s easy to get stuck in a rut of doing the same old things and forget to take time to look at the beauty that surrounds us. So, why not make a date with a friend to try something new this weekend?


Start with dinner and music tonight either in Tryon or Saluda. If you feel the need for a lively evening, stop by the Melrose Inn for their great “Bargain Buffet” and Talent Night that starts at 6:30pm and then head across the street to the Tryon Fine Arts Center for the some tuba, clarinet, and guitar magic with the Hot House Jazz Band at 8pm. This talented trio has been busy up in Saluda sharing their Children Improvising Music residency and will be bringing their passion for jazz down the hill for a culminating performance. However, if you are feeling the need for a more introspective evening, head up the hill to Saluda for a fine dinner at the Purple Onion with the lovely soulful Americana ballads of Corinne West at 7pm.
Friday Tryon Fine Arts Center turns contemplative with the storytelling folk music of award winning singer/songwriter Chuck Brodsky at 8pm. Meanwhile Saluda Mountain Jamboree heats up the night with the Dirty Dancing Tribute – 20th Anniversary Celebration at 8pm. This special event will feature stories from John Mojjis, owner of the Lake Lure Inn during the movie’s filming, mixed with performances by Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs and The A-Lure Dirty Dancers.

If you’ve been hard at work all week in may be tempting to hide at home on Saturday, but you’d miss a chance to take a wonderful gallery tour of Polk County. Head out to Lynn to visit the Essence Day Spa between 10am and Noon to see Bonnie Bardos’ new show The Essence of Women & Nature. Rather than hosting a typical opening reception Bonnie hopes visitors will consider making a donation to Steps to Hope while enjoying the beautiful spirit of her paintings on display. Then, continue past Columbus to where Little Mountain Pottery is celebrating their 33rd Annual Kiln Opening starting with the opening of the stoneware kiln at 11am. Enjoy the work of guest artists and musicians during this free two day event six miles from Columbus, at 6372 Peniel Road. Trek back over to Tryon between 5-7pm and you’ll be able to catch the opening reception for “Life as We See It” featuring the oil and watercolor paintings of Betty Burdue in Gallery Too located at the lower garden level of Tryon Fine Arts Center. Last, but certainly far from least, head up the hill to Saluda for the refreshments, wine, and music at Cynthia Moser’s opening for "Mountain Reflections," an exhibit of her rich watercolor paintings at Saluda Fine Arts, 46 E. Main St., from 6–7:30pm. Once you’ve had your visual feast, head over to the Purple Onion at 8pm for the refreshingly different “flamenco meets jazz” cello and guitar duo Montana Skies.

Saluda serves up another sweet and whimsical show Sunday from 3-5pm at the Senior Center where music and refreshments will be shared to celebrate an exhibition of the watercolors of Charles O. Hearon, Jr. Featuring his favorite critters and landscapes from the low-country as well as Saluda, this lovely afternoon is fit for multiple generations to visit and enjoy together for an afternoon. Then pack the family down the hill to Rogers Park where, a month after they were rained out, Jackson Crossing returns along with Walt Whitney & Ellen Trnka. The last Summer Tracks concert has become Fall Tracks and promises to finish the season with energetic, heart-stirring fun from 4-7pm.