Newport News Tourism 702 Town Center Drive Newport News, VA 23606 757-926-1400 Toll Free 888-493-7386 Fax 757-926-1441 www.newport-news.org WHAT’S HAPPENING THIS WEEK OCTOBER 3 - 9, 2019 SPECIAL EVENTS AND PERFORMANCES AT NEWPORT NEWS ATTRACTIONS AND PERFORMING ARTS VENUES OCTOBER 3RD POETRY SLAM WITH GOD CHILD Peninsula Fine Arts Center October 3; 6 p.m. Free and open to the public, this open mic night will be lead by renowned in Hampton Roads & beyond, spoken word artist, Godchild the Omen. 101 Museum Drive, 757-596-8175. Click here for more information. LECTURE: THE FIRST AMERICAN COLORING BOOK(S) WITH LARRY E. TISE The Mariners’ Museum and Park October 3; 7 p.m. On a trip to London in 1588, renowned engraver Theodore de Bry met artist John White and mathematician Thomas Harriot, both recently returned from Sir Walter Raleigh’s mission to explore the “new found land of Virginia.” Inspired by White’s watercolors of North American Indians and Harriot’s maps of the Carolina coast’s barrier islands, de Bry published Grand Voyages, a series of exploration narratives illustrated with his own copper plate engravings. De Bry invited many European artists to hand-color the engravings that essentially became America’s first coloring books. Never before have these “complete plates” been published in one exquisite, oversized volume, co-authored by Larry E. Tise. Tise, now a Philadelphia-based historian, spent the last decade traveling across Europe and America, examining all known and accessible copies of de Bry’s books in libraries, museums (including The Mariners’ Museum), and private collections. Tise holds a PhD from the University of North Carolina, and was a history administrator for many years. 100 Museum Drive, 757-596-8175. Click here for more information. GEORGE THOROGOOD AND THE DESTROYERS Ferguson Center for the Arts October 3; 7:30 p.m. It’s that moment when the house lights go down and the audience erupts: a drumbeat punches through the darkness, and the stage lights – almost blindingly bright at first – reveal a killer band ready to unleash a catalog of classic hits like none other. That familiar snarl of a slide guitar rips open the room, and you know you’re about to experience a bad-to-the-bone icon at his very best. 1 Avenue of the Arts, 757-594-8752. Click here for more information. OCTOBER 4TH CIVIL WAR ROUNDTABLE: CONFEDERATE DEFENSES OF HAMPTON ROADS The Mariners’ Museum and Park October 4; 12:30 p.m. Visit the Museum on Friday afternoon to enjoy lunch in the Mariners’ Park Café and stimulating Civil War discussion with renowned historian, John Quarstein. There is no charge to participate. Lunch will be available for purchase at the café! When Virginia left the Union on April 17, 1861, Major Gen. Walter Gwynn was assigned to construct fortifications designed to defend South Hampton Roads against Union naval attack. War of 1812 fortifications on Craney Island were immediately improved and other batteries were constructed at Sewell’s Point and Hospital Point. Defenses at Pig Point helped to defend the Nansemond River, and on Burwell’s Bay, Forts Boykin and Huger were expanded. When all of these fortifications were added to Major Gen. John Bankhead Magruder’s Peninsula defensive systems, the Federals at Fort Monroe, Rip Raps, and Newport News Point were virtually surrounded. Only access from the Chesapeake Bay enabled the Federals to maintain their outposts in Hampton Roads during the war’s first year. 100 Museum Drive, 757-596-8175. Click here for more information. TAKING LEAVE Peninsula Community Theatre October 4; 8 p.m. In the middle of the night, Eliot Pryne, professor of English Literature—specialty Shakespeare— is packing what he thinks is a suitcase and leaving what he thinks is a hotel. In the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, he is "taking leave" of the real world and imagining a new one. Filled with the often farcical behavior that goes along with this disease, and decorated with "good talk" from the literate professor and his daughters, this play had packed houses at the Denver Center laughing, weeping and finally standing and cheering. As the alarming number of Alzheimer's victims keeps growing, this play's relevance increases daily. Performed by special arrangement with Dramatic Play Services. 10251 Warwick Boulevard, 757-595-5728. Click here for more information. OCTOBER 5TH BUTTERFLIES: WINGS OF WONDER Virginia Living Museum October 5; 9 a.m. Butterflies are amazing creatures in so many ways – their vibrant colors, different shapes, sizes, and patterns and the important roles they play in nature’s web of life. Join us on this special day and celebrate butterflies with added exhibits, family-friendly activities, and opportunities to learn about their fascinating life cycle! You’ll get an up-close look at live butterflies to see what makes them so captivating. You might even be able to help release live monarchs for their migratory journey to Mexico. Plants that attract butterflies will be available for purchase. 524 J. Clyde Morris Boulevard, 757-595-1900. Click here for more information. FALL NATIVE PLANT SALE Virginia Living Museum October 5; 9 a.m. Fall, although often overlooked, is a wonderful time for gardening. Cooler temperatures and increased rainfall make it easier to introduce new shrubs, berries, and flowers for the next gardening season. Come to the Virginia Living Museum’s annual Fall Native Plant Sale and choose from an array of beautiful and unusual museum propagated plants ready for fall planting. Many of these native plants are excellent for attracting wildlife to your yard and are a good choice for area gardeners because such plants tolerate the area’s weather. The Museum’s Fall Native Plant Sale is the perfect opportunity to start designing a landscape with brilliant fall hues. Don’t let this opportunity for fall gardening pass you by. The sale is held rain or shine. 524 J. Clyde Morris Boulevard, 757-595-1900. Click here for more information. NEWPORT NEWS FALL FESTIVAL Newport News Park October 5; 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Come to the 46th Newport News Fall Festival at Newport News Park in Newport News, Virginia. The festival, which attracts 35,000 visitors each year, will feature over 150 exhibitors showcasing art, crafts, heritage trade demonstrations, entertainment, children’s activities, and food. 13560 Jefferson Avenue, 757-926-1400. Click here for more information. WHAT’S THE BUZZ: CREATING A BEE HOTEL The Mariners’ Museum and Park October 5; 10 a.m. Presented by Erica Deale, Park Stewardship Coordinator, and Andrea Rocchio, Science Educator $10 Members, $20 non-members. Join a pair of nature enthusiasts at The Mariners’ Museum and Park for the first of its kind Nature Workshop Series as Erica Deale, Park Stewardship Coordinator, and Andrea Rocchio, Science Educator, team up and demonstrate how to create solitary bee hotels to increase the bees’ winter survival. Pollinators have a vital role in our ecosystem, and ensuring their survival is easy and rewarding. Bee hotels, also called nests or houses, are a great way to attract pollinators to a flower or vegetable garden. Come get “bee-sy,” and learn how to build a solitary bee hotel specifically for mason and leafcutter bees! Invite these backyard buddies to pollinate your garden, and give bees a proper place to rest their wings for the winter. The Nature Workshop Series are family-friendly workshops to show all ages how to make beautiful creations using natural resources inspired by The Mariners’ Museum Park. The workshops are held on the first Saturday of each month, and meets in the Monitor Classroom B. Pre-registration is suggested. 100 Museum Drive, 757-596-8175. Click here for more information. MILESTONES IN EARLY SUBMARINE DEVELOPMENT The Mariners’ Museum and Park October 5; 10:30 a.m. & 12:30 p.m. Presented by Liz Williams, Collections Management Technician. Lecture begins at 10:30 AM & 2:30 PM. Free with Museum admission, but seating is limited. Come hear about the intriguing existence of submarines throughout the centuries from Liz Williams, the Museum’s Collections Management Technician. Regarded as part of the “Silent Service” by the American public, the long history of submarines is often hidden below the waves with the subs themselves. The development and improvements that brought these vessels through to modern times have often come out of necessity or lessons learned from emergencies. Through this lecture, we’ll discuss several key submarines that helped change the design, safety, and capabilities of American submarines.100 Museum Drive, 757-596-8175. Click here for more information. VOICES BEYOND OUR SHORES Newsome House Museum and Cultural Center October 5; 12 p.m. Wach as we uplift the voices of our ancestors, telling their stories through music, art, dance, theater and spoken word. This is an indoor and outdoor event. It is free and open to the public. Call for more information. 2803 Oak Avenue, 757-247-2360. Click here for more information. RICHMOND BALLET: “CARMINA BURANA” Ferguson Center for the Arts October 5; 8 p.m. Originally choreographed in 1959 for New York City Opera, John Butler’s powerful, impassioned masterwork uses the full breadth of Carl Orff’s choral score to explore the melding of classical ballet’s structure with the earthiness of contemporary dance. As the score progresses and changes, so too does the character of this groundbreaking work. Butler’s steps seem intimately tied to the extremes of human emotion, as expressed through movement: rapture and release, torture, and true love, all that may succumb to an overwhelming fear of our own morality.