This weekend in Lynchburg (Sep 4-6)

78 or so events this weekend, and you get Monday too, since Labor Day lands on the 7th. Friday carries the most. First Friday fills downtown with gallery openings at Riverviews, the Academy and the Lynchburg Art Club, a cyanotype open house at Vector Space, and a free dedication concert for the rebuilt Parsons organ at St. Paul's. Saturday spreads out across the Back to School sidewalk sale on Main Street, CRABSMACK at the Academy, the LoveLYH Night Market at Three Roads, and an all-white R&B night at the Warehouse Theatre. Sunday is quieter, with a joint sewing and candle workshop, music on the Water Dog patio, and one of the last days of the season at the splash fountains and the sprayground. 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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🟢 free · 🟠 paid · 🎤 karaoke

Fri Sep 4

🟠 Open Studio · 10:00am · Hammer & Stain · $25-$50 · drop-in DIY session, 10am-2pm.
🟢 Builders Club · 10:30am · Miller Center · building program with Mega Bloks, KEVA Planks and Magna-Tiles.
🟠 Little Picasso Art Club · 10:30am · Scrappy Elephant · $13 · toddler art class, ages 18mo-3yr.
🟢 Visit from Academy in Motion · 10:30am · Forest Library, Forest · rescheduled library program, held outside.
🟢 Annual National Juried Photography Show · 5:00pm · The Patricia Harrington Gallery · First Fridays opening for the Academy's annual national juried photography show.
🟢 Cyanotyping + Open House · 5:00pm · Vector Space · First Friday open house, 5-7:30pm; assemble a pinhole camera, develop it in the darkroom and make a cyanotype print. Entry donations welcome.
🟢 Emerging Voices: Students and Recent Alumni of Area Colleges · 5:00pm · Lynchburg Art Club & Gallery · opening reception, showcase of student/alumni art from Randolph College, Sweet Briar College, and University of Lynchburg.
🟠 First Friday Family Craft · 5:00pm · Hammer & Stain · $5-$25 · drop-in craft session, 5-7pm, across three project tiers.
🟢 First Friday: September 4th · 5:00pm · Riverviews Artspace · open house.
🟢 Lynchburg at War: Behind the Documentary · 5:00pm · Downtown Branch · Greg Starbuck, director of Historic Sandusky, on the documentary he wrote, produced and directed about Lynchburg during the Civil War; lecture starts 5:15pm, runs to 7:00pm.
🟢 Parsons' Pipe Organ Dedication Concert · 5:00pm · St. Paul's Episcopal Church · Dr. Damin Spritzer plays the dedication recital for the rebuilt Parsons organ, open to anyone.
🟢 Fall Season Membership Open House · 5:00pm · Vector Space · seasonal membership enrollment opens, with a group tour during First Friday, 5-7:30pm.
🟢 Live Music: Stevie Ray · 5:30pm · Charley's Restaurant & Catering · live in the Tavern series.
🟢 Live Music · 6:00pm · Benjamin's Restaurant, Forest · the weekly Friday night set; the venue posts each week's act rather than listing it ahead.
🟢 Live Music: The Dock Wizards · 6:00pm · Apocalypse Ale Works, Forest · part of the weekly Forest Friday Cheers series.
🟢 Hill City Mindfulness Recovery Group · 6:30pm · Clarity House · weekly recovery/mindfulness group, ages 18+; doors 6:30, group begins 7pm, no admittance after 7.
🟢 Live Music: Raised by Sheep · 6:30pm · Trailhead
🟢 Bingo Night · 7:00pm · Starr Hill On Main · prizes, first ball drops at 7.
🟠 Digimon Weekly Locals · 7:00pm · Dragon Fire Games · $8.99 · weekly Digimon TCG locals, a pack per win.
🟠 FNM Weekly Booster Draft · 7:00pm · Dragon Fire Games · $23.99 · Friday Night Magic booster draft, three packs to draft plus a pack per win.
🟢 Friday Night Magic: Commander · 7:00pm · Underground Cards & Disc Shop, Forest · weekly Magic: The Gathering Commander night.
🟢 Live Music: Starfire · 7:00pm · 801 Raw Bar · no cover, an acoustic set of classic rock, pop and country from traveling musician Starfire.
🟢 LoveHeals: Lynchburg Cares Benefit Concert · 7:00pm · University of Lynchburg, Hopwood Hall · outdoor benefit show with Oceanic and Catapult City, 7-10pm, doors 6:30. No ticket needed and donations go to community members facing medical or financial hardship; all ages, free parking, food, beer and wine on site.
🟢 Open Mic · 7:00pm · Tree of Life Cornerstone · doors and performer sign-ups 6:30pm, show 7-9pm, next to Mission House Coffee (Tommy Waite).
🟢 Robert Sulkin: Artist Talk · 7:00pm · Steven Francis Gallery · the artist on his solo exhibition, which is up through Sep 12.
🟠 Star Wars Unlimited Weekly Play · 7:00pm · Dragon Fire Games · weekly Friday TCG locals, league packs for prizing. Dragon Fire publishes no entry fee for this one, unlike its other nights.
🟠 Haunted Pub Crawl · 7:30pm · The Historic Bragassa Toy Store · $35 · 2-hour lantern-led pub crawl.
🟢 Live Music: Creeksyde · 7:30pm · Big Lick Tropical Grill
🟠 A Night with Lleraj (Hamburger & Gravy) · 8:00pm · The Music Hall · $15-$18
🟢 Deejay Noyz: Hott in the Mixx · 9:00pm · The Water Dog · runs 9-11:30pm.
🎤 Karaoke: Scoreboards 8:00pm-12:30am (DJ Cameron Wheeler)

Sat Sep 5

🟢 Forest Farmers Market · 8:00am · Forest Farmers Market, Forest
🟢 Saturday Market · 8:00am · Lynchburg Community Market · outdoor farmers market, 8am to 1pm, year-round.
🟠 Poetry Masterclass with Julia Johnson · 10:00am · Riverviews Artspace · $35 · ekphrastic-writing workshop, open to beginners, exhibition viewing included. All sales final.
🟠 Saturday Clay Day: Ghost Cuties · 10:00am · May Carter Pottery Studio · $22 · one-off hand-building workshop making ghost cuties.
🟠 Vegetable Still Life Palette Knife Painting Class · 10:00am · Scrappy Elephant · $35 · A guided palette knife painting class with Lindsay, a forgiving and expressive technique. All supplies are included and it suits teens and adults; wear clothes you do not mind getting paint on.
🟠 Wheel Throwing for Beginners · 10:00am · Firebrick Pottery · $65 · 2-hour beginner wheel-throwing workshop, no experience needed. Pick one piece to be fired and glazed, ready within 4 weeks. Ages 12+ with a guardian, 16+ otherwise.
🟢 Back to School Main St Sidewalk Sale · 10:00am · Main Street, downtown · studio potters and other downtown makers set up on the sidewalk with handmade work, 10am-3pm.
🟠 Artists' Books · 10:00am · Maier Museum of Art · free, but you have to register: an Art Saturday session for high school students building a hand-sewn book, 10am-12pm. Space is limited.
🟠 15th Annual Labor Day Wine & Music Festival · 12:00pm · Rebec Vineyards, Amherst · $13-$27 · 12-6pm. General admission $13, or $27 with tastings at visiting vineyards, cideries and meaderies. Kids 12 and under free, parking free.
🟢 Tabletop Gaming · 12:30pm · Forest Library, Forest · Forest Community Room. Free library program.
🟠 Pokemon Casual League Play · 1:30pm · Dragon Fire Games · $4.99 · weekly Pokemon locals, entry includes league packs.
🟠 Yu-Gi-Oh! Weekly Locals · 2:30pm · Dragon Fire Games · $4.99 · weekly Yu-Gi-Oh locals, entry includes an OTS prize pack.
🟠 Intro to Paper Making · 4:00pm · Scrappy Elephant · two-day class, day one is the wet work and day two runs Sun 12-1pm to refine the material. Price is not published; book through the studio.
🟠 Riftbound Nexus Nights Weekly Play · 6:00pm · Dragon Fire Games · $8.99 · weekly Saturday TCG locals.
🟢 Live Music: Andrew Q Bev · 6:30pm · Trailhead · runs 6:30-9:30pm.
🟠 Daniel Barksdale's For All Have Sinned · 7:00pm · Historic Academy Theatre · $48 · one of four scheduled performances of the drama, after Aug 22 and before Oct 17 and an Oct 25 matinee.
🟢 LoveLYH Night Market · 7:00pm · Three Roads Brewing BURG · September Nights edition of the LoveLYH night market: local artists and alchemists, 7-11pm. Also runs Sep 19 and Sep 26.
🟠 Disney Lorcana League Play · 7:00pm · Dragon Fire Games · $8.99 · weekly league night, a pack per win plus promos.
🟠 CRABSMACK Live · 8:00pm · Historic Academy Theatre · $15-$18
🟠 Ghosts of Gallows Hill · 8:00pm · Old Court House Steps · $25 · Saturday walking tour from the Old Courthouse steps.
🟠 4th Annual All White R&B Night (Good Vibes Party Group) · 9:00pm · Joy & Lynch Christian Warehouse Theatre · $24-$35.50 · DJ Noyz and DJ Purple Haze plus a live R&B set; all-white dress theme.
🟠 Live Music: The Dundies · 9:00pm · The Trading Post Music Hall & Speakeasy · runs 9pm to midnight; the venue publishes no cover for this one.
🎤 Karaoke: Lola's 7:00pm-close (Mogu Entertainment) · Apocalypse Ale Works, Forest 7:00pm (Shining Star Karaoke, Robert Pennix) · 801 Raw Bar on Rivermont 7:00pm

Sun Sep 6

🟠 Last Sip of Summer · 12:00pm · Ankida Ridge Vineyards, Amherst · live jazz saxophone from Trev Hicks 1-4pm and farm-to-table food from Oakshire Farm; reserve a table.
🟠 Sew & Scent Workshop · 1:00pm · Needle Ninja · $80 · a Needle Ninja and Wick & Pour collaboration, 1:00-4:00pm: sew a cozy eye pillow, then walk over and pour a custom candle. No experience needed, 10 spots left.
🟢 Sunday Session: Ashley Sutton · 1:00pm · The Water Dog · live on the patio 1-4pm, with $1 wings and chesapeakes while supplies last.
🟢 Riftbound Play · 3:00pm · Underground Cards & Disc Shop, Forest · weekly Riftbound TCG play.
🟢 Weekly Lorcana Play · 3:00pm · Underground Cards & Disc Shop, Forest · weekly Disney Lorcana TCG play.
🟠 In-Person Member Orientation · 4:00pm · Vector Space · free, but you have to register: the required session for new members before independent shop access.
🟢 Live Music: Copacetic · 6:00pm · Apocalypse Ale Works, Forest · rock and pop covers, rescheduled from the rained-out August date; Labor Day weekend Sunday on the beer garden.
🎤 Karaoke: The Vault 6:00pm (Robert Pennix) · Stadium Inn 8:00-11:00pm (Rhodey Entertainment)

All weekend

🟢 Riverfront Park Fountains · 10:00am · Riverfront Park · runs through Sept 7 (Labor Day). Zero-depth splash fountains in Riverfront Park, off the Riverwalk trail downtown. Open daily 10am-7pm; closes for inclement weather or maintenance.
🟢 Riverside Park Sprayground · 10:00am · Riverside Park · runs through Sept 7 (Labor Day). Dumping buckets, spraying lake fish, pop jets and tulip sprays. Open daily 10am-7pm; closes for inclement weather or maintenance.
🟢 Robert Sulkin Solo Exhibition · 11:30am · Steven Francis Gallery · on view through Sep 12. Gallery hours Wed-Fri 11:30am-5:30pm and Sat 9:30am-5:00pm.
🟢 Botanical Alchemy: Echo Prints by Beth Stinson · 5:00pm · Riverviews Artspace · runs through Oct 18. Gallery hours Wed-Sun 12-4pm (opening evening hours on Sep 4).
🟢 That Which Forms · 5:00pm · Riverviews Artspace · runs through Oct 18. Gallery hours Wed-Sun 12-4pm (opening evening hours on Sep 4).

🚗 Worth the Drive

🟠 D-Day, Omaha Beach Traveling Exhibit · Fri 10:00am · National D-Day Memorial, Bedford · $15 general admission · Traveling exhibit included with a memorial visit.
🟢 Visit Johnson Farm · Fri 10:00am · Johnson Farm, Peaks of Otter, Bedford · 1850s mountain homestead with guided tours, heirloom apple trees and costumed interpreters. Open Thu-Mon 10am-3pm, reached by a 2.1-mile loop trail from the Peaks of Otter Visitor Center at Milepost 86.
🟠 Poppy Peace Garden Display · Fri 10:00am · National D-Day Memorial, Bedford · $15 general admission · Annual September display marking the war's end, thousands of red poppies placed on the Memorial grounds.
🟢 First Fridays · Fri 6:30pm · Falling Creek Park, Bedford · Bedford County Parks & Rec concert series.
🟢 10th Anniversary Party · Fri-Sun 7:00pm · Wood Ridge Farm Brewery, Lovingston · Labor Day weekend celebration of the brewery's 10th year, live music each night: Dirt Road Brothers Friday, Cherry Red Live Saturday, ON3 Band Sunday.
🟢 Bedford County Fair: Horse & Livestock Show · Sat 8:00am · Allen's Mountain Livestock Company, Bedford · Youth and adult exhibitors show cattle, goats, horses and more; food vendors on site.
🟠 Community Pancake Breakfast · Sat 8:30am · Rockfish Valley Community Center, Afton · price not published · All-you-can-eat fundraiser breakfast.
🟢 RVCC Annual Flea Market · Sat 8:30am · Rockfish Valley Community Center, Afton · Local-vendor flea market: antiques, tools, furniture, handmade goods.
🟢 Paw Paw Festival · Sat 9:00am · Edible Landscaping, Afton · Paw paw growing and eating info, tastings if ripe, tours.
🟢 Civil War Base Ball · Sat 10:00am · Appomattox Court House National Historical Park · the park charges no entry fee and no ticket is needed.
🟠 Sedalia Country Gathering · Sat 10:00am · Sedalia Center, Big Island · $5 · runs 10am-4pm, kids 12 and under free.
🟠 Rockfish River Rodeo '26 Fall Edition · Sat 11:00am · Blue Toad Hard Cider at High View Farm, Roseland · price not published · Mini bulls, mutton bustin', barrel racing and bull riding, plus vendors.
🟢 Music on the Porch: The Ridge Runners · Sat 11:00am · Saunders Brothers Farm Market, Piney River · on the porch at the farm market.
🟢 Last Sips of Summer · Sat-Sun 11:00am · Bold Rock Hard Cider, Nellysford · Labor Day weekend send-off with hot dog flights and drink specials; Saturday adds live music.
🟢 Live Music: Jammin with Jimmy · Sat 1:00pm · Peaks of Otter Winery, Bedford

🗓️ Coming up next week

Six worth putting in the calendar now, and the full list lands in Tuesday's email.

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.