Robert Redford and Paul Newman star in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" to be shown at the Damascus branch library.
The Big Read, celebrating "True Grit," continues at the Washington County (Va.) Public Library System.
An Old-Fashioned Hoedown is held Sunday, Oct. 4 at the Southwest Virginia 4-H Center in Abingdon, Virginia. It begins at 3 p.m., with a Mounted Shooting & Pack Animal Demo featuring Audrey Bevins in the Horse Show Arena. At 4:15 p.m., attendees move to Russell Hall for a traditional barn dance with live music and a caller. All experience levels welcome. Refreshments provided. A leather craft activity in the Dutch Palace breezeway is available. Free.
Fire in the Kitchen brings their Appalachian and Celtic music to the main library in Abingdon, Sunday, Oct. 18 at 2 p.m.
Fire In The Kitchen has performed at venues such as Dollywood, The Virginia Highlands' Festival, The Bristol Paramount Theatre, The Barter Theatre, The Carter Family Fold, The Capital Theater, Sycamore Shoals Celtic Festival, Blue Ridge Celtic Festival and Wake Forest Celtic Festival, among many others. Gill Braswell brings a musical instrument petting zoo to the main library, Oct. 14 at 2 p.m. It's just like the traditional petting zoo, except with musical instruments instead of animals.
Appalachian Center for Poets and Writers holds a Cowboy Poetry Slam, Oct. 1 at 6:30 p.m., at The Arts Depot, Abingdon, Virginia.
The Damascus branch library celebrates all things Western with a week of movies. "High Noon" is shown Oct. 5 at 3 p.m. "The Searchers" is shown Oct. 6 at 4 p.m. "Once Upon A Time in the West" is Oct. 7 at 3 p.m., and "The Wild Bunch" is Oct. 8 at 4 p.m. The series concludes with "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" Oct. 9 at 3 p.m.
Brian and Marie Bridgeforth and Clint Blevins visit the main library Oct. 14 at 4 p.m., for Steampunk and Snacks. The Bridgeforths create illustrations as Blevins reads from his Western steampunk graphic novel. The winners of the youth art and poetry contests will be announced at the event.
William King Museum of Art holds a "Made for Walkin': Make Your Own Cowboy Boot" workshop at William King Museum of Art Saturday, Oct. 3 at 1 p.m. Use your name to create interesting stitching on your very own (paper) cowboy boot. Free.
A complete schedule of The Big Read events is available at WCPLBigRead.wordpress.com.
For more information about the library, visit www.wcpl.net or call 276-676-6222. The Washington County Public Library is located at 205 Oak Hill St., Abingdon, Va. Its four branches are located in Damascus, Glade Spring, Hayters Gap and Mendota.
The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. Media sponsors are Bristol Herald Courier and Washington County News.
