Community Calendar

The Blue Ridge Irish Music School (BRIMS) offers classes for all ages and skill levels in Irish dance, music and singing. The winter/spring semester begins on January 20 & 22 and runs for 12 weeks.

Rocktown House of Music Presents an evening with John McCutcheon

This is a benefit concert for Rocktown House of Music, a local, not-for-profit community music school for all ages.

Doors open at 6:00 with drinks and concessions available
Music begins at 7:00

For more information visit www.rocktownhouseofmusic.com

The Charlottesville Jazz Society, Unity of Charlottesville and WTJU welcome cellist/composer Janel Leppin and her group Ensemble Volcanic Ash for a 7:30 pm concert on April 24th at Unity.

Janel was last seen in Charlottesville with her husband, guitarist Anthony Pirog and the group Skullcap, at a very well received concert at Belmont Arts. Now at the peak of her powers as both a bandleader and a solo performer, she’s released two new projects of staggering beauty as well as vast personal and political insight. Pluto in Aquarius features her longstanding avant-jazz chamber unit, Ensemble Volcanic Ash, with a lineup of her most trusted collaborators including Pirog, bassist Luke Stewart, saxophonist Brian Settles and drummer Larry Ferguson. Slowly Melting is a riveting solo program that puts Leppin’s fuzz-saturated cello at the fore. She also contributes her accompaniment, crafting expansive soundscapes through guitar, bass, piano and synthesizer.

Janel will open the concert in Charlottesville with a solo set playing material from Slowly Melting, followed by a set from the whole Ensemble. Pluto in Aquarius, like all of Leppin’s music, is a deeply personal work, and it’s also intensely political. Leppin wrote about half of the music in the months leading up to the 2024 presidential election, and the remaining half after the inauguration that followed. “So you’ll hear a lot of hopefulness here,” Leppin says, “as well as, of course, a lot of tension.”

Join Eunoia Theatre at 7pm on the final Friday of every month at Black Sheep Coffee, 80 East Market St., Harrisonburg, to hear and discuss some of our favorite plays. Free admission; seating is limited.

A day of roots music, food, beer, and fun on a beautiful farm brewery! Bring a chair & friends and celebrate the heritage of the Valley!

This is an outside music festival. Limited seating (picnic tables) is available but highly recommended to bring your own chair. Food and drinks inclucing beer will be available stageside. No outside drinks or alcoholic beverages, coolers, umbrellas, grills, etc. allowed. Pets must be on leash and well behaved. Children must not be left unattended. Children 10 and under are free, 10 and up requires a ticket.

Lineup includes: The Fly Birds - Corrie Lynn Green - King Street Bluegrass - Stone Spring String Band

Tickets & more info here

Symphony concert of classical music: Dvořák, Ninth Symphony, "From the New World;" Marcello, "Oboe Concerto in C minor," oboe solo by Doug Lane; Del Vecchio, "Divertimento No. 1 in G minor."

Learn how to help the Earth every day at Earth Day Staunton, Saturday, April 25, 11am-3pm at Gypsy Hill Park Bandstand. This year's theme, “Water: Make Every Drop Matter,” focuses on making environmentally friendly decisions surrounding water usage. Enjoy a family-friendly, fun day for all with wildlife programs by the Wildlife Center of Virginia, a live beehive exhibit, electric cars on display, a stream critter touch tank, solar telescope, and much more.

Children will receive an event passport to get stamped by exhibitors to earn a souvenir button. Food trucks will be on site. Composting and recycling will be offered by Shenandoah Green and Black Bear Composting. Bring your own reusable water bottle. In the event of rain, the event will be held in the Gypsy Hill Park Gym. More information can be found at EarthDayStaunton.org

Tandem Friends School is excited to announce the inaugural Tandem Friends School 5K Fun Run/Walk, taking place on Sunday, April 26, 2026 at 9am at Darden Towe Park. This fundraising event will bring together students, families, alumni, and community members for a morning of movement and connection in support of the school.

Open to runners and walkers of all ages and abilities, the event reflects a core value of Tandem’s athletics program: participation. Tandem Friends School has a no-cut sports policy, ensuring that every student has the opportunity to play and be part of a team.
“At Tandem, we often say that fundraising is a no-cut sport,” said Whitney Thompson, Head of School. “This event is a fun way for our whole community to come together and support the programs and opportunities that make Tandem special.”

Proceeds from the event will support Tandem Friends School, a nonprofit independent Quaker day school serving students in grades 5 –12.

Registration is now open at https://www.tandemfs.org/tandem-friends-5k-fun-runwalk.

Shop handmade goods from local artists at the Spring Creek Spring Craft Fair — open to the public.

Grab your mom, your best friend, or just your love of handmade goodies and join us for the first-ever Spring Creek Spring Craft Fair on Sunday, April 26, from 11:00 am – 3:00 pm at the Spring Creek Sports Club in Zion Crossroads, VA.

Shop one-of-a-kind finds, discover the perfect early Mother’s Day gift (or drop a hint for yourself), and enjoy a relaxed spring afternoon filled with creativity and community.

The event is open to the public and free to attend — so bring a friend and come ready to shop small and support local!

Highland’s annual sheep shearing will take place on Sunday, April 26 (rain or shine), at 2:00 p.m. Tom Stanley will demonstrate the New Zealand sheep shearing method at this educational, agricultural event. We will also have traditional wool carding and spinning demonstrations for the family from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Visitors are encouraged to enjoy a picnic lunch on the grounds.

Admission to the sheep shearing event is $6 per person. Children under 6 are admitted free. Monroe’s Farm Friends members are admitted FREE OF CHARGE (email info@highland.org to make a reservation)!

About Tom Stanley
Tom Stanley has worked with sheep his entire life, starting with an orphaned lamb when he was 9 years old. He started shearing his own sheep when he was 14 years old. Today, Tom is employed by Virginia Tech as an Agriculture Extension Agent based in Rockbridge County and keeps a small flock of 40 breeding sheep that lamb each April.

Experience the captivating sounds of classical music as JMU’s Symphony Orchestra collaborates with the winners of the 2025 School of Music Concerto Competition. Students from six areas-woodwinds, brass and percussion, strings, piano, and voice-compete, with two finalists from each selected for the final concert.