CVCC Sets February Classes, From Spanish To Creative Writing
Hickory – Adobe Illustrator-Introduction. This class will teach the students to create...
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Mediterranean Diet For Better Health At Beaver Library, Feb. 6
Hickory – Good nutrition is a key component to good health. On Tuesday, February 6th at 6:00...
Read MoreCall For Artists For Statesville’s Spring Art Crawl, April 27
Statesville, NC – The Spring Art Crawl is set for Friday, April 27, from 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm and we are looking for artists to exhibit their work! The Spring Art Crawl will highlight more than 40 artists in over 30 different...
Read MoreHostiles (**) R
Moving at roughly the same pace as a funeral dirge, filmmaker Scott Cooper’s third film, Hostiles, is a well-intentioned effort eventually undone by its sheer over-length and overall sluggishness. It’s clear that Cooper is...
Read MoreFinding Purpose
Where will you be at the end? Not literally, but rather where will you be as a person, as an active part of the human condition? Will you be a contributing member of society or will you rely on the contributions of others to...
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Not So Super Of A Matchup
Super Bowl 52 has given us a matchup that fans outside the New England or Philadelphia areas seem...
Read MoreJanuary Blu-ray Releases By Adam Long
Warner: Geostorm (2017) (* ½) When climate control satellites go on the fritz it’s up to Gerard Butler to save the world in this misfire from last fall. Extras include three featurettes. It (2017) (***) The second adaptation of...
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Love Is Not Just Love
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Read MoreGold From 1857 SS Central America Ship Goes On Display
By Amanda Lee Myers, Associated Press Santa Ana, CA (AP) – More than $50 million worth of gold bars, coins and dust that’s been described as the greatest lost treasure in U.S. history is about to make its public debut in...
Read MoreEPA Official Wore Disguise To Spy On Driving Test
Madison, WI (AP) – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Regional Administrator Cathy Stepp wore a fake nose and sunglasses to try to help her daughter pass a 2011 Wisconsin driving test after she failed her initial...
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Blood Test To Detect Eight Cancers Is Promising
By Marilynn Marchione, AP Chief Medical Writer Scientists are reporting progress on a blood test...
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Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool (***) R
It’s been said that the trick to a successful biopic focusing on a public figure’s life is to...
Read MorePhantom Thread (*** ½) R
It’s no secret to any regular readers of this column that I’m a tremendous fan of filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson’s work. I have been from the early days of his career, getting on board after experiencing his second film Boogie...
Read MoreSuper Bowl Is Set
NFL Football’s version of the Final Four came and went last week and while the victors were not so surprising, the final scores were. Trailing early in Sunday’s AFC championship game, Tom Brady rallied the heavily favored New...
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Cryptic Cryptid
It’s winter, so it’s cold. When it’s cold in the winter, it can snow…and it did. The predicted...
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Actors Reunite In Hickory Community Theatre’s Comedy The Kitchen Witches, Feb. 9-25
Hickory – Two local actors are reunited as the female leads in The Kitchen Witches, a comedy...
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Hickory Community Theatre’s Hit Comedy “Lend Me A Tenor” This Thursday – Sunday Only!
Hickory – Only four performances remain in the run of the Hickory Community Theatre’s...
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Community Relations Council Has Mar. 2 Deadline For Grants
Hickory – The City of Hickory Community Relations Council (CRC) is currently seeking...
Read MoreHS Shakespeare Monologue Competition Deadline Is March 16
Lenoir, NC – High school students from traditional, home and private schools in Caldwell and contiguous counties (Burke, Catawba, Watauga, Avery, Alexander and Wilkes counties) are invited to participate in the 6th Annual...
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Ninth Annual Rotarian Idol Sets February 1 & 3 For Auditions
Hickory – The Thursday Rotary Club of Hickory has announced dates for its musical...
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Lenoir-Rhyne University Institute For Faith & Learning Hosts Reverend Jason Coker, February 1
Hickory – Lenoir-Rhyne University’s Institute for Faith and Learning (IFL) will continue its...
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A Story For Our Time: Lisa Camichos Speaks On The Orlando Plan At Library, On Thursday, February 1
Hickory – Join Hickory High School teacher Lisa Camichos on Thursday, February 1st at...
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Ironwood Estates Orchids Free Open House Feb. 9-14
Hickory – The public is invited to Ironwood Estate Orchids for an Open House and Sale at the...
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Free History of Exodus Movement Classes Are January 29 – February 26
Hickory – History of the Exodus Movement will be held Monday nights at 6:30pm, January 29...
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Guy Hollar Memorial Golf Tourney Is April 24 At Rock Barn
Hickory – College classmates of the late Rock Barn Golf Course Director of Grounds Guy...
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Bras Because Cancer Benefit Is Friday, January 26, At Moretz Mills
Hickory – Bras Because – because sometimes cancer patients need emotional and...
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Lend Me A Tenor • Theatre Review Now Playing At Hickory Community Theatre
By Carys Bowen I saw Lend Me A Tenor last Saturday, it’s the comedy that’s playing at Hickory...
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Hickory Soup Kitchen Spaghetti Dinner Benefit Friday, January 26
Hickory – Save the date for our Annual Spaghetti Dinner to benefit the Hickory Soup Kitchen....
Read MoreHickory Police Department’s Polar Plunge Is Set For Saturday, February 24 On Lake Hickory
Hickory – Want to get a warm fuzzy from something extremely cold? Come join us at the 13th Annual Polar Plunge! The Hickory Police Department will be hosting the 13th Annual Polar Plunge on Saturday, February 24, 2018 to...
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OUTright Youth’s 8th Annual Event At Cafe Rule On Saturday, February 3
Hickory – OUTright Youth’s Board of Directors invites you the 8th Annual Signature Event on...
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Building A Resume, February 1 & 8 At Ridgeview Branch Library
Hickory – Are you trying to re-enter the work force or move forward in your career? Nicole...
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Full Circle Arts Calls For Artists For My North Carolina, February 22 – 24
Hickory – Full Circle Arts of Hickory is looking for artists in the greater Hickory area to...
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February Seniors Morning Out Has Valentine’s Parties, Heart Health & Black History Month
Hickory – Seniors Morning Out participants will enjoy a variety of activities in February...
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LRU Welcomes Poet Laureate Horne Tonight, January 18, At 7pm
Hickory – Lenoir-Rhyne University’s Visiting Writers Series (VWS) will present Poet Laureate...
Read MoreTai Chi Classes At Patrick Beaver Library Each Monday Starting January 25
Hickory – Tai Chi classes will be offered at Patrick Beaver Memorial Library on Monday evenings at 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. from January 29th – March 5th. This low-impact exercise takes you through a series of martial arts...
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Cast Set Of Comedy “Kitchen Witches”, Opening February 9 At Hickory Community Theatre
Hickory – The Hickory Community Theatre has announced the cast of its upcoming production of...
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Free Essential Oils Class At Newton Depot On Saturday, February 3
Newton NC – There will be a free Essential Oils Class at the Newton Depot, Live Naturally, A...
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Doing Diplomacy: What’s It Like To Work For The World On Thurs., Feb. 8, At Drendel Auditorium
Hickory – Our planet is powered by global human relationships. Hickory International...
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Ridgeview Library Hosts Let Freedom Ring: Music & Poetry Of Black History Thursday, January 22
Hickory – Bright Star Theatre, a national professional touring theater company, is bringing...
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WAXmd Sponsors Blood Drive On Thursday, January 25, 11am
Hickory – January is National Blood Donor Awareness month! Did you know one pint of blood...
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Beaver Library Hosts Bestselling Authors On Thursday, January 25
Hickory – Bestselling authors Tracie Peterson and Kimberley Woodhouse will be at Patrick...
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Free Workshop Aims To Make Us ‘Scam Smart’ On Saturday, January 27
Hickory – A representative from the NCDOJ Attorney General’s Office will lead a workshop at...
Read MoreLenoir-Rhyne Announces Speakers For 2018 Alex Lee Leadership Lecture Series • Starts Jan. 31
Hickory – The Charles M. Snipes School of Business and Economics of Lenoir-Rhyne University in partnership with the Alex Lee Foundation has announced its speakers for the 2018 Alex Lee Leadership Lecture Series. Speakers will...
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“Volume Five” Performs Saturday, January 27 At Old Rock School’s Bluegrass At The Rock
Valdese, NC- The Old Rock School Welcomes Volume Five to perform for the Bluegrass at the Rock...
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I, Tonya (***) R
I’ll have to give it to the filmmaking team behind the biopic I, Tonya. They managed to drum up a...
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Call Me By Your Name (**) R
The final twenty minutes of director Luca Guadagnino’s film Call Me by Your Name contains a scene...
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One Is Fun!
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The Rest Of Us
Lil’ Red…the wife, Mrs. Chainsaw if you please, is a fanatic about naps. That seems like a...
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NFL’s Version Of Final Four
Oddsmakers back in August did not see this coming. Well, they likely saw the New England Patriots...
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Beethoven & Bartok At WPS On January 20, Featuring Tesla Quartet
Hickory, NC – The second Friends of the Quartet Chamber Classics concert will be held at...
Read MoreReverend Reggie Longcrier To Honor MLK At LRU On Monday, January 15
Hickory – In honor of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Lenoir-Rhyne University’s Office of Multicultural Affairs will host the Rev. Reggie Longcrier in P.E. Monroe Auditorium at 10am on January 15. Longcrier has spent the...
Read MoreTop Ten Films Of 2017
In the year 2017 I saw a total of 353 films. That’s not quite, but almost, an average of one per day. Of those films, roughly 110 were theatrical releases with a release date sometime between January 1 and December 31 of the...
Read MoreInsidious: The Last Key (**) PG-13
When the original Insidious was released nearly seven years ago I was giddy with delight. It was the kind of horror film I had been waiting for although I wouldn’t have guessed that prior to the experience of seeing it. It was...
Read MoreThe Post (***) PG-13
Steven Spielberg’s The Post is a solid, though not exceptional, retelling of the events leading up to the 1971 publishing of The Pentagon Papers, brought to prominence by notorious whistleblower, Daniel Ellsberg. The focus here...
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Fighting Death, Without Freezing To It
The recent chill of wintery weather has not been kind to anyone (unless you enjoy freezing your...
Read MoreSpoiler Alert
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Read MorePanthers Had Their Chances
Missed opportunity after missed opportunity led to the Carolina Panthers bow out of the playoffs as they fell to New Orleans by a 31-26 count. Carolina outplayed the Saints throughout the entire contest, but four field goals on...
Read MoreThis Sunday, January 14, Hickory Music Factory Honors The Harris Brothers, Byron Bean & More!
Hickory – The Hickory Music Factory will honor the Harris Brothers, Byron Bean, and Pat and Kay Crouch for their years of musical contribution to our area. The Hickory Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Rick Cline will...
Read MoreTimeless Comedy, Lend Me A Tenor, Opens This Friday, January 11, At HCT On The Jeffers Stage
Hickory – Ken Ludwig’s farcical comedy Lend Me a Tenor begins performances this Friday, January 12th on the Jeffers mainstage of the Hickory Community Theatre. The play is set in a September during the 1930s, in the hotel...
Read MoreHDDA Elects Board Of Directors For 2018
Hickory – The General Membership of Hickory Downtown Development Association (HDDA) recognized retiring members and elected new members and officers of the board of directors during a recent meeting. Completing two...
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Astronomy Buffs, BoBfest At CSC On Saturday, February 3, Is For You!
Hickory – BoBfest: Regional Gathering of Amateur Astronomers returns to Catawba Science...
Read More“A Streetcar Named Desire” At The Green Room, Shows January 12-28
Newton, NC – The Green Room Community Theatre is excited to announce the opening of A Streetcar Named Desire, the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama by Tennessee Williams. Considered one of the greatest plays written for the...
Read MorePruning Discussed At Advanced Gardener Meeting On January 11
Hickory – Join Dr. George Place, Catawba County Cooperative Extension Director, at Patrick Beaver Memorial Library on Thursday, January 11th at 6:00 p.m. for the initial presentation in the 2018 Advanced Gardener Series. ...
Read MoreGuest Director Rick Seay Helms Comedy ‘Tenor,’ January 12
Hickory – The Hickory Community Theatre has brought on Rick Seay as a guest director for the upcoming comedy Lend Me a Tenor by Ken Ludwig, opening January 12th in the Jeffers Theatre. Seay is a relative newcomer to...
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December Blu-ray Releases
Warner: The Lego Ninjago Movie (2017) (** ½) is the latest in the ongoing series of animated films...
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Molly’s Game (***) R
The true life story of Molly Bloom, a failed skier who opted for a second career as the operator...
Read MoreSee ya next year! No…no you won’t.
“There is an ounce of fact for every pound of science fiction.” – Chainsaw December 22nd 2017, 9:45 p.m. EST. A familiar scenario, one that’s played out time and time again, perhaps since time began? Or at least since...
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It’s So Cold
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Read MorePanthers Playoff Talk
The Carolina Panthers are making a return visit to the NFL playoffs this weekend. Carolina will square off against the New Orleans Saints in New Orleans. The Panthers will have to put a pair of negative thoughts out of their...
Read MoreNew Year’s Eve Events All Around North Carolina
Mountains New Year’s Eve Street Party , 6-10pm, downtown Bryson City Bring the whole family and gather around the train depot for live music, hot cocoa and popcorn, a kids’ activity area, movie screening and more. Free...
Read MoreA Newcomer & A Familiar Face In HCT’s Comedy Lend Me A Tenor, Opening January 12
Hickory – A major part of the farcical nature of Ken Ludwig’s comedy Lend Me a Tenor centers around a case of mistaken identity between two characters. In the Hickory Community Theatre production, opening January 12th in...
Read MoreAll the Money in the World (***) R
Director Ridley Scott’s second film in the calendar year of 2017—that in itself being quite an accomplishment for a film director who is now in his eighties—was being groomed as an early Oscar contender in early fall. The...
Read MoreThe Darkest Hour (** ½) PG-13
The historical drama The Darkest Hour is basically a retelling of events previously depicted in director Christopher Nolan’s smashing success from last summer Dunkirk, and the end result is roughly the same. Which is to say, not...
Read MoreNever Ending Story
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Read MoreAnd so…that’s how it ends! NO, WAIT…
And so that’s how it ends. John Q., my yellow, stuffed bear side-kick made a new friend—William the lobster. Which means we have yet another roommate, since I decided to let William stay with us… upon John’s humble, eloquently...
Read MoreA Cabaret Christmas With Jackie Finley & Friends, Mon. Dec. 18
Hickory – Award-winning vocalist Jackie Finley, national recording artist, Noel Freidline; percussionist, Rick Cline; Allen Finley; Johnny White; and Carolyn Ousler will present “A Cabaret Christmas,” Monday,...
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Elf, The Musical Has Final Three Shows This Thursday – Saturday At Hickory Community Theatre
Hickory – The funny and charming Christmas show, Elf, the Musical, has its final...
Read MoreHickory Community Theatre Announces Cast Of Comedy Lend Me A Tenor, Coming Jan. 12
Hickory – Guest director Rick Seay has just announced the cast for the Hickory Community Theatre’s upcoming production of Ken Ludwig’s farcical comedy, Lend Me a Tenor, which opens January 12th and continues through the...
Read MoreBigfoot Sculpture Erected Where Some Search For Creature
Whitehall, NY (AP) A nearly 12-foot-tall sculpture of Bigfoot has been erected in an upstate New York town where some say the legendary creature stalks the woods. Paul Thompson told The Post-Star of Glens Falls that he got the...
Read MoreGreat White Shark Tagged By Group In North Carolina Sound
Swan Quarter, NC (AP) A juvenile great white shark tagged by a research group surfaced Saturday inside Pamlico Sound west of the Outer Banks. A satellite ping sent to Ocearch.org on Saturday located Bruin just off Swan Quarter...
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Star Wars: The Last Jedi (***) PG-13
Before I get on with the business of reviewing one of the most anticipated films of 2017, I’ll go...
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The Three Other Reindeer
“Ohhh… Jingle bells, Batman smells! Robin laid an egg! The Batmobile lost a wheel. And the Joker...
Read MoreDear Santa
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Read MoreFinal Performance Of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever Is This Sat., Dec. 16, At HCT’s Jeffers Theatre
Hickory – The Hickory Community Theatre has one more performance of the family Christmas comedy The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson, this Saturday, December 16th at 2:30pm in the Jeffers Theatre. In this...
Read MoreRick Simerly At Jazz On Tap, Sunday, December 17, 7pm, The Olde Hickory Tap Room
Hickory – On Sunday, December 17, the Olde Hickory Tap Room in Hickory will host world renowned jazz trombone artist Rick Simerly from 7 till 10pm for great Christmas Jazz classics. Rick is considered one of the top jazz...
Read MoreComedian James Gregory’s HCT Show Is New Year’s Eve, 8pm
Hickory – Get in some laughs before the year ends with James Gregory, “the Funniest Man in America” when he makes his ninth annual appearance on the Mainstage at the Hickory Community Theatre on Sunday,...
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Free Gifts
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Read MoreHoliday Fave ‘Best Christmas Pageant’ December 9 & 16, At Hickory Community Theatre
Hickory – The Hickory Community Theatre is presenting two public performances of the hysterical Christmas comedy The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson, based on her popular novel. The first performance of the...
Read MoreComedy Soap Opera At Hibriten High School, Dec. 7, 8 And 10th
Lenoir, NC – The Bold and the Young is a soap opera in trouble. One of the leading men is no longer making Soap Opera Digest’s Top 10 Hunks list and the cast constantly argues causing long filming times and constant...
Read MoreTrade Alley Art Supports Habitat For Humanity & The Rudy Project With Event Saturday, December16
Hickory – Trade Alley Art, a cooperative of local artists and artisans, will donate 15% of their proceeds from each purchase to Habitat for Humanity of Catawba Valley on Saturday December 16 from 3pm until 8pm. Trade...
Read MoreFoothills Post-Polio Christmas Holiday Social Is Mon., Dec. 18
Shelby, NC – The Foothills Post-Polio Support Group, will hold their meeting on Monday, December 18th. at 6pm at the conference room of the Life Enrichment Center of Shelby. The conference room is located at the back of...
Read MoreAudiences Love Elf, The Musical At HCT! Four Shows, Thursday-Sunday, This Week & Next
Hickory – The smash hit Christmas delight, Elf, the Musical, brought audiences to their feet during its opening performances at the Hickory Community Theatre this past weekend. The charming, tuneful extravaganza returns...
Read MoreThe Commedia Cinderella Saturday, December 9, At The Green Room
Newton, NC – The Green Room Community Theatre is thrilled to present The Commedia Cinderella. On Sat. Dec. 9th, 2017 at 3pm, there will be a ONE TIME performance of this comical version of Cinderella. The show is...
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For A Good Cause
For the record, Have Chainsaw Will Travel (and the writer thereof) has no qualm with, nor holds...
Read MoreWonder Wheel (** ½) PG-13
Woody Allen’s latest film as director/writer, like his last three or four films (I’ve honestly lost count at this point), is another foray into material that he’s mined before but that won’t be a total surprise for those who’ve...
Read MoreThe Disaster Artist (***) R
After several less than stellar forays behind the camera, actor James Franco has finally struck gold with his behind the scenes take on the making of the infamous cinematic atrocity, The Room. The Disaster Artist, which relates...
Read MoreNovember Blu-ray Releases
Lionsgate: The Hitman’s Bodyguard (**) (2017), is a serviceable action entry starring Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson. Extras include outtakes, deleted/extended scenes, three featurettes. The engrossing thriller from last...
Read MoreConnecticut Airport Therapy Dogs Offer Help During Holidays
Windsor Locks, CT (AP) A Connecticut airport is giving stressed travelers the chance to hug a therapy dog during the holiday season. Officials at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks say their six-month pilot program...
Read MoreTexas Prisons Have Curious Book-Banning Guidelines
Dallas (AP) The children’s book “Where’s Waldo? Santa Spectacular’’ is among the 10,000 books banned from Texas prisons, but Adolf Hitler’s autobiography “Mein Kampf’’ makes the cut. The Texas Department of Criminal...
Read MoreHickory’s Tim Peeler At Poetry Hickory On Tuesday, December 12
Hickory – Hickory’s Tim Peeler, the first poet to read at Poetry Hickory 11 years ago, returns on December 12 to read from his 3 new books, bringing the monthly series full circle. A past winner of the Jim Harrison...
Read More19th Annual Winter Art At The Farm This Saturday, December 2
Hickory – The 19th Annual Winter Art at the Farm will be held at the Farm, located at 5726 Grace Chapel Road in Hickory, NC, on Saturday, December 2, 2017 from 10:00 am to 4:30 pm. Stop by to share refreshments and browse...
Read MoreCity Of Newton Toys For Tots Drop Off Points, Through Dec. 22
Newton, NC – The Catawba County Marine Corps Reserve is seeking donations of toys for local children to help make their holidays a little brighter this year with the 2017 Toys for Tots campaign. The city of Newton has two...
Read MoreEighth Annual Home For Christmas Concert At HUB On Dec. 8 & 9, With Dan Truhitte
Hudson, NC – The 8th Annual Home for Christmas Concert will be presented at the Hudson Uptown Building, (HUB), 145 Cedar Valley Road, Hudson, NC 28638 on Friday and Saturday, December 8th and 9th. Special guest will be...
Read MoreA Cabaret Christmas Show With Jackie Finley & Many More, On Monday, Dec. 18, At HCT
Hickory – Award-winning vocalist Jackie Finley, national recording artist Noel Freidline, percussionist Rick Cline, Allen Finley, Johnny White and Carolyn Ousler will present “A Cabaret Christmas” on Monday, December 18 at...
Read MoreSalinity’s Green Fairy Fest For Hickory Community Theatre Is Sunday, Dec. 10, 3-8pm
Hickory – Join us on December 10th for our first Green Fairy Fest. We will have wonderful, local artists showing and selling their works. While you are there you can have a private session with some very talented readers....
Read MoreMiracle On 34th St. On November 30 – Sunday, December, 3 at J. E. Broyhill Center
Lenoir, NC – “Christmas isn’t just a day, it’s a frame of mind.” So says Kris Kringle in one of the most cherished holiday films of all time. Foothills Performing Arts production of Miracle on 34th...
Read MoreLast Flag Flying (***) R
The first thing that jumped out at me regarding filmmaker Richard Linklater’s latest effort, Last Flag Flying, was its low key approach to the material. It reminded me of some of the better films made during that highly regarded...
Read MoreThree Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (***1/2) R
Irish playwright Martin McDonagh’s third film as a director, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, is the sort of follow up effort I expected after McDonagh’s directorial debut, the outstanding 2008 film In Bruges. The...
Read MoreA Flicker Of Flame
Metaphor – met·a·phor /ˈmedəˌfôr,ˈmedəˌfər/ noun; a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable. A thing regarded as representative or symbolic of...
Read MoreFree Shipping
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Read MoreHCT Is First NC Community Theatre To Perform Elf • Coming Dec. 1!
Hickory – The planned production of the “junior” edition of Elf the Musical at Hickory Community Theatre has been upgraded. Under special arrangement with the show’s publishers, the Theatre has received the rights to...
Read MoreOne-On-One Sessions, “Ask Me Your Computer Questions” At Beaver Library Friday, Dec. 1
Hickory – Patrick Beaver Memorial Library is offering one-on-one sessions for those that have general usage questions related to PC computers in the “Ask Me Your Computer Questions” tutoring sessions on 12/1/2017,...
Read MoreHickory Choral Society’s 40th Anniversary Membership Drive
By Donald W. Mott Hickory – The Hickory Choral Society is sponsoring its annual membership drive and hopes to have a record-breaking membership year to help celebrate its 40th anniversary. Memberships in the Hickory Choral...
Read MoreHCT Welcomes Newcomer Kat Reese To Elf The Musical, December 1-17
Hickory – In the story of Elf the Musical, on stage December 1st through 17th at the Hickory Community Theatre, one of the crucial characters is Jovie, a department store elf that becomes Buddy the Elf’s love interest. At...
Read MoreLady Bird (***) R
If you’ve seen any number of films featuring actress Greta Gerwig’s acting or writing talents then you’re probably pretty familiar with her onscreen persona. It’s hard to articulate precisely but there’s a uniqueness there...
Read MoreJustice League (**) PG-13
The latest exhibit in the ongoing attempts of Warner Brothers to launch DC Comics as a serious contender to the cinematic throne of competitor Marvel Comics, Justice League, is a tough cookie to assess. Being that it’s neither...
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Thank you!
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Read MoreHappy Thinksgiving
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! And a one…and a two and a… Grab your coat and let’s get hopping! Fa-la-la-la-la…la-la-la…la! Time to do holiday shopping!Fa-la-la-la-la…la-la-la…la! Don we now our gay apparel! Fa-la-la-la-la…la-la-WOAH…hold...
Read MoreAuditions For A Streetcar Named Desire November 20 & 21, At The Green Room
Newton, NC – This is your chance to step into the spotlight! The Green Room Community Theatre is holding auditions for the upcoming production of A Streetcar Named Desire, a show playing in the intimate Black Box Theatre...
Read MoreHistory-Themed Trivia Game At Ridgeview Rec. Center, Tuesday, November 21
Hickory – Hey, kids! Would you like a chance to show off your history knowledge? Ridgeview branch library is having a history themed Jeopardy-style game on Tuesday, November 21, beginning at 4:30 pm. We’ll play in teams...
Read MoreHickory International Council Grants Have January, 31 Deadline
Hickory – The Hickory International Council (HIC) is currently accepting applications for grants of up to $500 for community organizations that provide programs supportive of the goals, purposes, and projects of the HIC....
Read MoreMeet Buddy The Elf, Star Of HCT’s Elf The Musical, Playing December 1-17
Hickory – Fairly new to Hickory, but by no means new to theatre, Juan Holquin is playing the lead role of Buddy in Elf the Musical, coming up on the Jeffers Theatre stage from December 1st through the 17th. Tickets are now...
Read MoreBeloved ‘Chitty Chitty Bang, Bang’ Opens Friday, November 17, At Green Room
Newton, NC – The Green Room Community Theatre is thrilled to present Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang – opening Friday, November 17, 2017 in the McCreary Theatre at the Old Post Office Playhouse in historic downtown...
Read MoreCarolina Moonlighters Set December Show Dates
Hickory – Carolina Moonlighter President Lee deArmond announces that the group will be singing in several venues this holiday season. In addition to singing at Pinecrest, Kingston Residence, and Trinity Ridge Retirement...
Read MoreDaddy’s Home 2 (**) PG-13
It’s sad to see seasoned veterans of the acting profession working overtime to give it everything they’ve got and yet being saddled with the thankless task of having so little with which to work. That, in a nutshell, is the core...
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And then…I died! Or, How I Meet Frank, Part 2
The ambulance ride wasn’t altogether unpleasant…what little I remembered of it. They allowed my...
Read MoreBirthday Pause
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Read MoreThief Didn’t Get Far In Motorized Grocery Store Cart
Fairbanks, AK (AP) A man accused of stealing a motorized shopping cart from an Alaska grocery store didn’t get very far or go very fast before his low-speed getaway attempt was foiled by police. The battery-operated cart with a...
Read MoreThor: Ragnarok (** ½) PG-13
The character of Thor has always been—for my money, anyway—one of the least interesting in the Marvel Comics pantheon. The third installment to focus solely on the hammer wielding ‘God of Thunder’ is another effort that, like...
Read MoreMurder On The Orient Express (** ½) PG-13
The latest adaptation of the celebrated Agatha Christie mystery, Murder on the Orient Express, doesn’t exactly succeed on all levels but at least it does have one thing going for it—star power. You can imagine the studio bean...
Read MoreDirector Sonya Briggs Sets Cast For Hickory Community Theatre’s Elf, Jr., Coming December 1
Hickory – The Hickory Community Theatre is bringing the official stage adaptation of the film Elf, Jr. to Hickory for the Christmas season. Director Sonya Briggs has announced the cast for the production, which will be on...
Read MoreShuck & Peel Party (Oysters & Shrimp!) Saturday, November 11, Downtown, With The Extraordinaires!
Hickory – The aroma of fresh cooked seafood, the taste of local craft beers and the sounds of The Extraordinaires will assault your senses when you step onto Union Square on November 11, where the Fourth Annual Shuck ‘n...
Read MoreWarm Comedy Sylvia At HCT This Friday, November 3, Through November 19
Hickory – The doggone good comedy Sylvia begins its 10 performance run this Friday, November 3rd, in the Hickory Community Theatre’s Firemen’s Kitchen and continues through Sunday, November 19th. Sylvia is a modern...
Read MoreThe Florida Project (*** ½) R | Movie Review
Sean Baker’s The Florida Project is another film—along with the recent release Brad’s Status—that has restored my faith in the kind of filmmaking that I so desperately crave. This is a film about people and the struggles that...
Read MoreSuburbicon (* ½) R | Movie Review
The career of George Clooney as director is an interesting case to be sure. This, of course, isn’t to be confused with the career of George Clooney, the actor, which is another subject altogether. Clooney’s work behind the...
Read MoreLife Resume
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Read MoreOctober Blu-ray Releases
Lionsgate: A Ghost Story (2017) (**) A woman is haunted by the ghost of her husband in this artsy fartsy take on an oft told supernatural tale. Pretentious. Rooney Mara and Casey Affleck star. Extras include commentary and...
Read MoreOnly the Brave (**) PG-13 | Movie Review
The tragic story of a an Arizona unit of local firemen known as the Granite Mountain Hotshots serves as the basis for the cinematic recounting of their story in Only the Brave. Now I don’t have to tell you that this isn’t the...
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All I See is You (* ½) R | Movie Review
Director Marc Foster’s failed attempt at a mystery-thriller, All I See is You, is the kind of film...
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Hell-O-ween Finale: Gathering Souls For Satan
In just a few more nights the bowels of Hell will open upon an unsuspecting world. The balance...
Read MoreHaunted Hayfield
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Read MoreComedy Sylvia, About A Man Who’s Crazy (CRAZY!) For His Dog, Opens Nov. 3 -19 At HCT
Hickory – The upcoming comedy Sylvia, opening November 3rd in the Hickory Community Theatre’s Firemen’s Kitchen, features three experienced actors as the three main characters. The story begins when middle-aged,...
Read MoreHickory Fire Dept. Offers These Tips For Halloween Safety
Hickory – Soon “Trick or Treaters” will be roaming the county to find treats on Halloween. Before sending them out, parents should take extra precautions to ensure the safety of these goblins. The Hickory Fire...
Read MoreComedy The Foreigner Has Four Shows Left At Hickory Community Theatre, Oct. 26-29
Hickory – The Foreigner, a hilarious farce on stage at the Hickory Community Theatre, concludes its run this weekend. Final performances are Thursday, October 26th through Sunday, October 29th. The story takes place in a...
Read MoreHamlet Actor Takes On Three Roles In HCT’s Upcoming Comedy Sylvia, Opening Nov. 3
Hickory – In Sylvia, the upcoming comedy opening November 3rd in the Hickory Community Theatre’s Firemen’s Kitchen, veteran local actor Joshua Yoder takes on three distinctly different roles. Yoder, an actor, director,...
Read MoreTesla Quartet & Friends To Give Free Concert, Sun., Oct. 29, LRU
Hickory – In the continuation of Lenoir-Rhyne University’s 2017-18 Concert Series, the Tesla Quartet and Friends will perform on Sunday, Oct. 29, at 4 p.m. in Grace Chapel. As last year’s audience favorite, the quartet plans to...
Read More1940’s Christmas Radio Hour Is Dec. 9 – Tickets On Sale Now!
Hickory – The Hickory Music Factory (HMF) hosts an old fashioned 1940s Christmas Radio Hour at SALT Block – Drendel Auditorium (243 Third Avenue NE Hickory, 28601) on Saturday December 9, 2017. This fifth annual...
Read MoreSmoking In The Foothills BBQ Fest, This Sat. & Sun., Lenoir
Lenoir, NC – As the leaves turn gold and the mountain air cools, the pit masters will don their aprons and start up their smokers on October 20th at the third annual Smoking in the Foothills Barbecue Competition and...
Read MoreFull Circle Arts’ Fall Competition Public Reception Is On Thursday, Oct. 26, From 6-8pm
Hickory – Full Circle Arts of Hickory is announcing the public reception evening for its Annual Fall Competition, to be held Oct.26, 2017 from 6-8:00 pm. The show will run the 4 weeks from Oct. 26 – Nov. 25. Every...
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Southern Comedy The Foreigner Is Back At HCT, This Thurs-Sunday
Hickory – After a brief hiatus for Oktoberfest, the Hickory Community Theatre’s popular...
Read MoreMark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down The White House | Movie Review
Admittedly, I’m a sucker for dramatizations of real life events rooted in the world of politics. Excellent examples of this would be JFK and Nixon, to cite only two films that spring readily to mind. What those films have in...
Read MoreSpaceship Earth
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Read MoreNightmare At 12:34 EST
The first thing his senses acknowledge is the smell—a putrefying, rotting stench. His gorge rises in involuntary response. Quickly sitting up, he stifles it back. Sunlight streams into the room from two perpendicular windows,...
Read MoreWestern Piedmont Symphony Opens 53rd Season With Rhapsody In Blue
October 7, 2017 By W. Gerald Cochran Hickory, NC The Western Piedmont Symphony opened its 53rd season with a concert featuring Rhapsody in Blue at the P.E. Monroe Auditorium on the campus of Lenoir-Rhyne University. This concert...
Read MoreHCT Announces Sylvia Cast, The Comedy Opens November 2
Hickory – Benjamin Thomas, guest director at the Hickory Community Theatre has just announced the casting for the Theatre’s upcoming production of Sylvia, a comedy by A.R. Gurney. It’s the story of an adorable stray dog...
Read MoreCarolina BalloonFest Is Next Week In Statesville, October 20-22, Friday-Sunday!
Statsville, NC – Carolina BalloonFest will celebrate its 44th year on October 20-22. A favorite festival among many families, this three-day event held in Statesville, NC, is filled with live entertainment, attractions,...
Read MoreHCT’s The Foreigner Will Return Next Week, Thursday Oct. 19
Hickory – The Hickory Community Theatre’s hit production of Larry Shue’s hilarious comedy The Foreigner is taking this weekend off to accommodate the Hickory Downtown Development Association’s (HDDA) annual Oktoberfest...
Read MoreDowntown Hickory Candy Crawl & Costume Contest On Oct. 27!
Hickory – On Friday, October 27, Union Square will be teeming with super heroes, princesses, fairy tale folks, monsters and creatures from other worlds as HDDA presents the annual Candy Crawl. Costumed children aged 12...
Read MoreChildren’s Advocacy & Protection Center Sets Vigil For Tuesday, Oct. 24, Downtown Hickory
Hickory – On Tuesday, October 24th, the Children’s Advocacy and Protection Center (CAPC) will hold a Vigil in downtown Hickory. It will be under the Sails at noon on that day. We will be remembering the children in North...
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The Rocky Horror Picture Show At HCT On October 28
Hickory – Reserved seating tickets are now on sale for the Hickory Community Theatre’s...
Read MoreBlade Runner 2049 (** ½) R
The following words will be considered heresy to most serious fans of cinema. Now, having said that then I’ll say this—I never really cared for Ridley Scott’s 1982 film Blade Runner. It isn’t that I haven’t tried. I’ve seen it...
Read MoreGather ‘Round The Urban Campfire
In our modern, overly-socially networked society, if you want a “scary story” all you have to do is “Google it.” And the internet will readily dish you up a piping hot helping of Creepy Pasta. Usually served to a party of one...
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Your Future Is Your Past
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Read MoreFoothills Folk Art Festival Preview Show Is Friday, Oct. 6, 7-10pm
Newton, NC – Don’t miss the Foothill Folk Art Festival Preview Night on Friday, October 6 from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm! Your ticket will grant you exclusive advance access to amazing works by the area’s best folk artists...
Read MoreBig Seaplanes On Lake Hickory, This Sat., Oct. 7, 8am-6pm!
Hickory – See you on Saturday, October 7, for the second annual Hickory Big Splash – Seaplanes on Lake Hickory from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m.! Come to Lake Hickory, Wittenburg Access (89 Wildlife Access Rd., Hickory) to...
Read MoreThirteenth Annual EmergeOrtho Oktoberfest 5K Footrace & Fun Run Is Sat., October 14, 8am
Hickory – The Thirteenth Annual EmergeOrtho Oktoberfest 5K Footrace and Fun Run will take place on Saturday, October 14, at 8:00 am in downtown Hickory as part of Downtown Hickory’s Oktoberfest. The Fun Run (1 city block)...
Read MoreBattle of the Sexes (***) PG-13
The story of the celebrated 1973 tennis match between Billy Jean King and Bobby Riggs gets its second go round, this time as a feature film—the first attempt was a 2001 ABC TV Movie—in the engaging and involving Battle of the...
Read MoreBrad’s Status (****) R
If you are a certain type of film goer, you know that every once in a great while a movie comes along that seems to be about and made just for you. Films like this speak to us personally as human beings. They give us insight...
Read MoreBorn In The Same Hospital, On Same Day. Now They’re Married
Taunton, MA (AP) A couple born on the same day at the same Massachusetts hospital have exchanged vows more than two decades later. The Taunton Gazette reports that Jessica Gomes and Aaron Bairos got married Sept. 9. Each was...
Read MoreThere Is Nothing To Fear But Fear Itself…And That, My Friends, Is A Lie!
It’s cooling down outside, autumn has begun to fall, mosquitoes are dying, pumpkin butchery has started as we officially begin the three month long gauntlet that is the holiday season. During this time of year we here at Have...
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September Blu-ray Releases
Summit/Lionsgate Entertainment: All Eyez on Me (2017) (**) The long awaited biopic of rapper Tupac Shakur turns out to be not much more than a greatest hits collection of events in the man’s life. Extras include Deleted scenes,...
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Oktoberfest Is Next Weekend, Oct. 13-15, In Downtown Hickory
Hickory – Get ready for three days of jam-packed music, food and fun, as Hickory celebrates...
Read MoreJoel Sartore, National Geographic Photographer, At HMA On Sat., Oct., 14, For Talk & Booksigning
Hickory – Catawba Valley Camera Club and Hickory Museum of Art (HMA) present An Evening with Joel Sartore on Saturday, October 14. This event is presented in conjunction with the exhibition ENDANGERED: Joel Sartore...
Read MoreSouthern Comedy The Foreigner Opens At HCT This Friday, Oct. 6
Hickory – The side-splitting southern comedy The Foreigner begins its 10 performance run this Friday, October 6th at the Hickory Community Theatre. It’s the story of Charlie, a guest at a fishing lodge in Georgia who’s shy...
Read MoreMan Who Needed Air In Tires Bought Lottery Ticket, Wins $1M
Ballston, NY (AP) A New York man who stopped at a convenience store to put air in his tires and ended up buying a lottery ticket has won a $1 million jackpot. State lottery officials on Friday introduced 19-year-old Anthony...
Read MoreFoothills Folk Art Festival Is Saturday, October 7, In Downtown Newton, 10am-4pm – Free!
Newton, NC – The second annual Foothills Folk Art Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 7, in Downtown Newton. The festival is a partnership between the Downtown Newton Development Association and...
Read MoreConnie Bools Returns To HCT In The Foreigner, Oct. 6-29
Hickory – The Foreigner, the hilarious comedy by Larry Shue that opens October 6th at the Hickory Community Theatre, takes place at a remote Georgia fishing lodge where a visitor has come to get away from his troubles and...
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The Green Room’s As You Like It, Free Sept. 29 & 30 And Oct. 6 & 7
Newton, NC – The Green Room’s presents its annual Shakespeare in the Park Series! This is...
Read MoreMaster Craftsman Eddie Hamrick To Demonstrate Under The Sails At Oktoberfest, Oct. 13-15
Hickory – Hickory’s Oktoberfest is the place to be on October 13, 14 and 15, 2017 when the festival will be celebrating its 32nd year! There will be music, amusement rides, games, food vendors, arts and crafts, vendors and...
Read MoreHudson’s Annie, Oct. 19-28, Adds A Show On Sunday, Oct. 22
Hudson, NC – The Town of Hudson is presenting its 24th dinner theatre production, the iconic, classic musical, “Annie.” The show will play at the Hudson Uptown Building (HUB) on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, October...
Read MoreAmerican Made (***) R | Movie Review
Several years ago, immediately after taking in the 1989 Oscar winner, Born on the Fourth of July, I found my daughter marveling at Tom Cruise’s revelatory performance in the film. ‘He really can act’ was the comment that sprang...
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She’ll Do Just About ANYTHING!
“Alright now boys, you’re all old enough to have got “the talk” from your daddies. But skootch a...
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Tell Me How You Really Feel!
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Read MoreA, B, Or C List
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Can You Remember Before Remembering Having A Memory?
What’s the first memory you remember? What’s the last recollection you recall? Do you recollect...
Read MoreKingsman: The Golden Circle (***) R
If there’s one reason to recommend the sequel Kingsman: The Golden Circle, it would be Elton John. Yes, that Elton John, in what is going to come up on my year-end list as one of the most inspired moments of casting in any film...
Read Moremother! (** ½) R
Darren Aronofsky’s first film after a three year layoff, mother!, is the type of unruly beast that launches great discussions and stirs deep emotions. For days after seeing it I couldn’t stop thinking about it, which is usually...
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