Heads up: 70 or so events this weekend. First Friday anchors it, with seven downtown stops open late and all of them free. The Howlers are home all three days, with Star Wars night and a jersey auction on Saturday. Saturday also brings a free night market at Three Roads, a four-band metal bill at Super Rad, and stand-up at The Clarity House. Sunday is quieter: baseball at 2:00pm, brunch with a DJ, and a shoe drive at Jubilee. If I'm missing something, or you've got an event you're hosting or want to share, let me know.
Times and details can change after this is sent. For the latest, view this post on the web (the "view in browser" link up top). I post corrections there.
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⭐ Top picks this weekend
First Friday downtown, Fri · seven stops from 4:00pm, every one of them free · open artist studios at Riverviews, two new shows opening at the Academy galleries with both artists there, and a foam glider build at Vector Space.
Star Wars night at the Howlers, Sat · 6:30pm at Bank of the James Stadium · a Star Wars jersey auction for the Lynchburg Area Veterans Council, and they're home Friday and Sunday too.
LoveLYH Night Market, Sat · 7:00-11:00pm at Three Roads Brewing · free, an evening arts and crafts market from the Punk Rock Flea Market folks.
The Toxic Avenger, Fri-Sun · 8:00pm at Wolfbane in Appomattox · staged outdoors, the front rows get soaked on purpose, and Friday is the ASL interpreted night.
Music on the Waterfront, Sat · 6:00-8:00pm at Holliday Lake State Park in Appomattox · $20 a carload for Dirt Road Reverie on the water, with a taco truck on site.
With Gratitude to our Sponsor: Super Rad Arcade Bar
Super Rad is the largest classic arcade in Virginia, on 9th St downtown. Pac-Man, Street Fighter, X-Men, pinball, plus live music most weeks. https://thesuperradarcade.com
🟢 free · 🟠 paid · 🎤 karaoke
Fri Aug 7
🟢 Preschool Play Group · 10:00am · Daniel's Hill Center · birth to age 5 with a caregiver · last session of the summer · Parks&Rec
🟠 Open Studio · 10:00am-6:00pm two-hour blocks throughout · Needle Ninja · $25 · bring your own project and use the machines
🟠 Open Art Studio: Paper Play · 10:00am-5:00pm · Amazement Square · $15 child, $10 adult, $8 senior, under 1 free · drop-in paper making and paper art in the studio, included with admission · $3 a head for WIC and SNAP families
🟠 Family Swim · 10:00am-12:00pm · Hill City Sports Center · $5 per swimmer, $15 family cap, under 1 free
🟠 Little Picasso Art Club · 10:30am · Scrappy Elephant · $13 · storytime then a project built around the book · ages 18 months to 3
🟠 Sit and Stitch · 4:00pm · Needle Ninja · $10 · bring your knitting, crochet or embroidery work-in-progress
🟠 Using a Sewing Machine for Kids · 4:00pm · Needle Ninja · $98 · kids sew a decorative pillowcase
🟢 First Fridays at Scrappy Elephant · 4:00-6:00pm · Scrappy Elephant · the studio open late, make-and-take projects out on the tables
🟢 First Friday Friendship Bracelets · 5:00-7:00pm · Downtown Branch Library · beads and thread supplied, drop in, all ages
🟢 "Petal & Place" opening · 5:00-7:30pm · Lynchburg Art Club · landscape and flora paintings from Meg Bruce, Julia Dean, Margaret Morris and Kim VandeBogart · the show runs through Aug 30
🟢 Foam Glider Skill Share · 5:00-7:30pm · Vector Space · $3 suggested donation · build a foam glider and get a look round the makerspace
🟢 First Friday at Riverviews · 5:00-8:00pm · Riverviews Artspace · open artist studios with both current shows up, plus concessions and snacks
🟢 Purnell Pettyjohn & Sally Goodrich · 5:00-8:00pm · Academy galleries · opening night for two new shows, Pettyjohn's This and That watercolors and Goodrich's The Light You Return To Blue Ridge paintings, both artists there
🟢 'Photographs' by Robert Sulkin · 5:00-8:00pm · Steven Francis Fine Art · a solo photography show, up through Sept 12
🟠 Family Fun Friday · 5:00-10:00pm · Liberty Mountain Snowflex Centre · $5 · a 2-hour combo pass, bounce house, carnival games and raffles
🟢 Chess Night with Open Board · 6:00-8:00pm · Cafe Monte Bello · the travelling chess night's Monte Bello stop, drop in
🟢 Forest Friday Cheers: The DMFB Yacht Rock Experience · 6:00-10:00pm, music 7:00-10:00pm · Apocalypse Ale Works · food, beer and a jump zone for the kids · FOREST
🟢 Live Music: Tand · 6:30-9:30pm · The Trailhead · no cover · a South Florida rock and jam band adding Lynchburg on their way north
🟠 Hill City Howlers vs. Wilson Warbirds · gates 5:30pm, first pitch 6:30pm · Bank of the James Stadium · a replica 2025 Carolina League championship ring for fans, Scouts Night, and $2 Miller High Life and Coors Banquet while they last
🟢 Bright Star Theatre: Dino Academy · 6:30-7:15pm · Miller Center Theater · life-size dinosaur puppets, the Summer Reading finale · first-come seating, no registration
🟠 Friday Night Magic: Commander · 7:00pm · Underground Cards & Disc Shop · FOREST
🟠 MTG: The Hobbit Prerelease · 7:00pm · Dragon Fire Games · $40 · your kit plus a pack per win of the brand-new Hobbit set, about 60 seats, prepay in the shop to reserve · runs again Saturday, and playing both nights earns an extra booster
🟠 FNM Booster Draft · 7:00pm, with Star Wars Unlimited and Digimon locals alongside · Dragon Fire Games · $26.99 · this week drafting the Marvel Super Heroes set
🟠 Sunset Ghost Tour · 7:00-8:00pm · starts at the Community Market · $15, kids 7-18 $10, 6 and under free · a separate operator from Hill City Tours, this one walks Court St with a live spirit box demo at Monument Terrace; online sales close Friday morning
🟠 Waterfront Ghost Tour · 8:15-9:15pm · starts at the Community Market · $15, kids 7-18 $10, 6 and under free · the same operator's second walk of the night, past Craddock Terry and around the waterfront
🟠 Haunted Pub Crawl: History on Tap · 7:30-9:30pm · meets at the Historic Bragassa Toy Store · $35 · ages 21+ · ghost stories with stops at a few downtown watering holes · Hill City Tours
🟠 Echoes on the Avenue · 8:00-9:30pm · meets at the Miller-Claytor House · $25 · a lantern-led walk through Historic Upper Rivermont · Hill City Tours
🟠 Ghosts of Gallows Hill · 8:00-9:30pm · meets at the Old Court House steps · $25 · lantern-led walking tour · Hill City Tours
🟠 Starfire Live! "Through Space & Time" · 8:00pm · The Music Hall · $10 advance / $13 day of · a singer-songwriter set with the stories behind the songs
🟢 DJ Binge the Mogul · 9:30pm-12:30am · Tiger Sun
🎤 Karaoke: Scoreboards 8:00pm-12:30am (DJ Cameron Wheeler), no cover
With Gratitude to our Sponsor: Living Line Studio
Living Line Studio is a place to make, learn, and grow alongside other creative people. Join us for small-group classes, studio gatherings, and events where you can build your skills, make new friends, and make art a regular part of your life. tobypenneyartist.bigcartel.com
Sat Aug 8
🟢 Saturday Market · 8:00am-1:00pm · Lynchburg Community Market · farmers and producers, year-round
🟢 Forest Farmer's Market · 8:00am-12:00pm · Forest Recreation Center · FOREST
🟢 Bus Stop Bench Installation · 9:00-11:30am · meets at 122 Phillips Cir · help Livable Lynchburg install three bus stop benches the group built in June · vests, gloves and tools provided, bring a strong friend
🟢 Bedford Humane Society adoption event · 9:00am-12:00pm · CMA's Honda of Lynchburg · adoptable dogs and cats, plus a supply drive for towels, linens, pet food and toys
🟠 Open Studio · 10:00am-6:00pm two-hour blocks throughout · Needle Ninja · $25
🟠 Renew, Reuse, Reimagine! · 10:00am-5:00pm · Amazement Square · $15 child, $10 adult, $8 senior, under 1 free · a day of making things out of what would otherwise be thrown away · $3 a head for WIC and SNAP families
🟠 Aladdin (Missoula Children's Theatre with the Academy Youth Theatre) · 10:30am and 1:30pm · Warehouse Theatre · $12.50 · students $10.50 · the week-long camp's showcase, staged at the Joy & Lynch Christian Warehouse Theatre
🟠 Star Wars Legion August Tournament · 11:00am · Dragon Fire Games · $15 · a 1,000-point format capped at 10 players, prepay to hold a spot
🟠 Open play all day · 12:00-9:00pm · Underground Cards & Disc Shop · any game, bring your own group · FOREST
🟠 Wheel Throwing for Beginners · 1:00pm · Firebrick Pottery · $65 · two hours on the wheel with Bethany Holzknecht, one piece fired
🟠 Pokemon Casual League · 1:30pm, then Yu-Gi-Oh! locals 2:30pm and Riftbound Nexus Nights 6:00pm · Dragon Fire Games · $4.99 Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh, $8.99 Riftbound
🟢 'Being There' with Marjorie Portnow · 2:00-5:00pm · Steven Francis Gallery · the landscape painter with guest artists, at the Tradewynd space rather than the Main St one
🟠 Sewing Circle · 2:00pm · Needle Ninja · $25 · a community sew, bring your own project
🟠 Sit and Stitch · 2:00pm · Needle Ninja · $10 · drop-in
🟠 MTG Hobbit Costume Contest · 4:00pm · Dragon Fire Games · $5, waived if you're in the prerelease · sign in with staff before 4:00pm
🟠 Hill City Howlers vs. Wilson Warbirds · gates 5:30pm, first pitch 6:30pm · Bank of the James Stadium · Military Appreciation and Star Wars night, with a Star Wars jersey auction benefiting the Lynchburg Area Veterans Council
🟢 Live Music: Sickmen and the Sea Monsters · 6:30-9:30pm · The Trailhead · no cover
🟠 MTG: The Hobbit Prerelease, night two · 7:00pm, with Lorcana league and Gundam locals alongside · Dragon Fire Games · $40
🟠 Nuclear Tomb + Eyecatcher + Deceptor + Neco V · doors 7:00pm, music 8:00pm · Super Rad Arcade Bar · $13 · a four-band metal bill on the last stop of their run, and admission covers unlimited arcade games
🟢 LoveLYH Night Market · 7:00-11:00pm · Three Roads Brewing · an evening arts and crafts market from the LoveLYH and Punk Rock Flea Market folks · runs again Aug 22
🟠 TARTUFFE · 7:30pm, doors 7:00pm · Commerce Street Theater · $22.66 all-in · Molière's satire, a stage play with some mature content, recommended 16+
🟢 Live Music: Power Whip · 7:30pm · Big Lick Tropical Grill · no cover
🟠 Echoes on the Avenue · 8:00-9:30pm · meets at the Miller-Claytor House · $25 · Hill City Tours
🟠 Ghosts of Gallows Hill · 8:00-9:30pm · meets at the Old Court House steps · $25 · Hill City Tours
🟠 "Say it again" with JaiLHawK · 9:30pm-1:00am · The Clarity House · $20 online / $25 at the door · ages 18+ · stand-up opened by local hip-hop artists, unlimited coffee and popcorn, and the proceeds go to the kids' breakfast program · the venue says it's close to selling out
🎤 Karaoke: Lola's 7:00pm (Mogu Entertainment) · 801 Raw Bar on Rivermont 7:00pm · Stadium Inn 8:00pm (Ready to Rock Karaoke with Cory Burchett)
Sun Aug 9
🟠 Sunday Afternoon Commander · 1:00pm · Dragon Fire Games
🟢 Small Works, Big Impact: Ted Batt Visual Arts Fund Raffle · 1:00-3:00pm · Academy Center · free to come and look, and raffle tickets are $150 a piece for the donated small works
🟠 Hill City Howlers vs. Wilson Warbirds · 2:00pm · Bank of the James Stadium · Kids Funday with a Howlers backpack giveaway and postgame run-the-bases, and Kids Club members get in free
🟢 Sunday Brunch with DJ JBeatz Xclusive · 2:00-5:00pm · Tiger Sun
🟢 Back-to-school shoe drive · 2:00pm · Jubilee Family Development Center · free back-to-school shoes for kids who need a pair, and the organizer is trying to hand out 500 of them
🟠 Riftbound Play · 3:00pm, with Lorcana play alongside · Underground Cards & Disc Shop · FOREST
🟠 Upcycling with Applique · 3:00pm · Scrappy Elephant · $35 · bring a sweatshirt or tee and cover a stain or a logo with applique
🟢 Live Music: Karlee Raye · 4:00-7:00pm · The Trailhead · no cover · a Forest singer with one of the biggest local followings, her first time in the roundup
🟢 Disc Golf Putting League · 5:00pm · Apocalypse Ale Works · the weekly Sunday league on the patio, weather permitting · FOREST
🎤 Karaoke: Three Roads Brewing 7:00-9:00pm (DJ Liz) · Stadium Inn 8:00-11:00pm (Rhodey Entertainment), industry night with 10% off for bar and restaurant staff
All weekend
🟢 Riverside Park Sprayground · daily 10:00am-7:00pm · Riverside Park · dumping buckets, spraying lake fish and pop jets, open through Labor Day · Parks&Rec
🟢 Riverfront Park Fountains · daily 10:00am-7:00pm · Riverfront Park · zero-depth splash fountains off the Riverwalk, through Labor Day · Parks&Rec
🟠 Ivy Creek Park canoe & kayak rentals · Sat-Sun 10:00am-5:00pm, last rental 4:00pm · Ivy Creek Park · canoes $10/hr, kayaks $8/hr · first come, first served, no reservations · Parks&Rec
🟢 How Will Our Ancestors Find Us? and Interwoven · Fri-Sun 12:00-4:00pm · Riverviews Artspace · the Duwenavue Santé Johnson installation plus the workshop facilitators' textile show, one visit covers both · on view through Aug 16
🚗 Worth the Drive
The Toxic Avenger (Wolfbane) · Fri-Sun 8:00pm · Wolfbane Performing Arts Center, Appomattox · $44-$69 · the cult musical staged outdoors with nothing over your head. Splatter Zone seats come with chairs and a warning to wear clothes you don't mind ruining; Dry Zone guests bring their own low-backed lawn chair. Friday is the run's only ASL interpreted performance, and Saturday's top splatter tier is down to its last seat. Strong language, sexual situations and simulated violence, so not one for kids.
Music on the Waterfront: Dirt Road Reverie · Sat 6:00-8:00pm · Holliday Lake State Park, Appomattox · $20 per vehicle, bought ahead · in the day use area, a husband-and-wife duo playing country, rock and folk by the water, with El Taco Loco on site. Parking is tight so they're asking people to carpool, and the boat house and changing rooms shut at 4:30pm.
The Life and Art of Charles M. Schulz · Fri 1:00-6:00pm, final day · Bower Center for the Arts, Bedford · free · the travelling exhibit on the Peanuts creator's life and cartooning, closing after three months. Walk in, no registration, donations appreciated.
Victor Wooten & The Wooten Brothers · Fri 7:30pm · Lime Kiln Theater, Lexington · $40 advance / $45 day of, tickets here · the Grammy-winning family band playing outdoors in the old lime kiln bowl.
Natural Bridge State Park, two nights · $3 · the Sunset Wagon Ride Fri 8:00-9:00pm is a ranger-guided haywagon up Skyline Trail for last light over the Blue Ridge, and the Park After Dark Night Hike Sat 8:45-9:45pm is a 1.25-mile ranger-led walk for stars, owls and fireflies. Both meet at the Skyline Trailhead lot, and both need a spot reserved and paid by phone on (540) 254-0795.
SedaliaFEAST: Blues & Bayou · Sat 5:00-10:00pm · The Sedalia Center, Big Island · $25 for the late show, 7:30-10:00pm · a Louisiana-themed fundraiser with jambalaya, a silent auction and live blues from Root2Music and the Sol Roots Trio. The full dinner is $75 with a cash bar or $100 with an open bar, and kids are $15.
Chairlift Sunset Sessions: Love Dawg · Sat, lift rides from 6:30pm and music at 7:00pm · Checkerberry Cabin, Wintergreen Resort, Roseland · $15 ages 13+ · ride the chairlift up and catch the band at the top at sunset. Ages 6-12 are $10, under 5 free, and season pass holders $8.
🗓️ Coming up next week
Four things worth putting in the calendar now, and the full list lands in Tuesday's email.
Jodie Davis · Tue Aug 11, 5:30-8:30pm · Fleming Mountain Grill · no cover · solo acoustic guitar and vocals, and he's there every Tuesday.
LYH Lindy Hop · Tue Aug 11, 7:00pm · RiverView Vinyl · $5 · a lesson then social dancing, no partner or experience needed.
The Toxic Avenger, final weekend · Thu Aug 13 to Sat Aug 15, 8:00pm · Wolfbane, Appomattox · $44-$69 · the last three of nine performances, and the Thursday show breaks the usual Friday start.
Cars & Coffee Lynchburg · Sat Aug 15, 8:00-10:00am · Tree of Life Ministries · free · the monthly car and bike meet, with coffee and donuts.
Enjoying the roundup? It takes a good chunk of my week to put together. If it pointed you to a good night out and you feel like tossing a few bucks in the tip jar, here's my Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/lyhevents. No pressure, and thanks for reading either way.