Nunsensical Comedy, Southern Sweetness, Shuckin' & Shaggin'

There's a little something for everyone to be found in Polk County this weekend. Saturday in particular offers a wide variety of art and music to fit a myriad of tastes. I hate making choices, but sometimes you just can't see everything at once. So, as you make your plans for the weekend, take these fine options into consideration.

If lovely Celtic folk music stirs your heart, head up to the Purple Onion Thursday to catch the lovely soaring vocal harmonies of Keith & Joan Pitzer from West Virginia. They offer a rich collection of finely tuned songs that paint an emotional landscape for the listener.

Perhaps you'd like a little comedy with your music? Then get your tickets now for one of the two Nunsense performances this weekend out at Polk County High School. As a fundraiser for the Polk County Band's trip to the 2008 Olympics in China the original cast who took home top honors at the 1994 North Carolina Theatre Conference has revived this rollicking musical comedy. You can catch the comedic antics of some of Polk County's funniest women under the musical direction of Pam McNeil on Friday at 7:30pm or Sunday at 3pm.

Have you been working on poetry, music, or comedy of your own lately? Bring your talented self down to the Gallery Coffeehouse Friday anytime between 8pm and midnight for their Listening to Coffee open mic. The Coffeehouse hosts a family friendly and low stress environment for local talent to try out something new.

Saturday the county gets busy and offers up a wider variety of choices for the afternoon and evening.

For those who love the country and the sweet joys of Southern life follow US 176 to Melrose Station and join Moonflower Gallery & Gifts for their grand opening reception from 4-8pm Saturday. They'll be serving up music and refreshments as they open up their doors to display everything from paintings and sculptures to a collection of nutcrackers. Then continue up the hill to the Purple Onion for the beautiful bluegrass and roots music of Southern darling Donna Hughes. After dinner, perhaps you'll get out your dancing shows and head over to the Saluda Mountain Jamboree for the country rock & blues of Southern Pointe from 8-11pm .

If you're in the mood for more worldly fare without traveling far from home, spend the afternoon wandering through the Upstairs Artspace and their on going shows which include "Where in the World: Looking for Cultural References." Then follow the road down to Landrum between 6-9pm for the dual openings at the Old Conn Gallery Space and Red Clover Gallery. Rich Nelson's Recent Paintings light up the old space with exquisite oil paintings of local landscapes that will help you reflect on the beauty of our area while Guntram Gersch's abstract art at Red Clover will open your artistic eye to new dimensions of space and color.

After the openings, you can continue the evening either in downtown Tryon or out at FENCE depending on whether you wish to dance and move or sit and listen. DJ Peter Eisenbrown will be spinning the tunes out at FENCE from 5-11pm for the 15th annual Shuckin' & Shaggin' event. The ticket price will get you in the gate and allow you to enjoy all you can eat roasted oysters, mussels, jumbo shrimp, and chicken while you dance off those extra calories. If you prefer your music live, you might visit Trade Street in Tryon and float between Dana Bergman & Friends at the Gallery Coffeehouse and music from Shawn & Tony at Elmo's.