Local activities abound

The following events provide something for a variety of interests in the coming week. Here’s What’s Happening:

Porterville College presents ‘60s concert

Porterville College’s Cultural and Historic Awareness Program (CHAP) presents “1960s and Beyond Concert at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 12 in the Porterville College Theater.

The evening will begin with a 1960s media loop to get the audience in the mood for the evening followed by video clips of The Ed Sullivan Show and Laugh-In. Ed Sullivan (portrayed by Bill Jameson), will emcee the evening, which features songs and skits from the 1960’s performed by faculty and students and community members. The night includes songs from “The Supremes” and other popular groups of the time.

If you enjoyed the entertainment of the 1960s this event is for you. Admission is free, and open to the public.

‘The Drunkard’ opens at the barn

The time tested melodrama “The Drunkard” opens at The Barn Theater on Friday, March 12.

Probably the most famous melodrama ever staged, “The Drunkard,” directed by Caroline Harris, gives its audience a chance to “boo” and “hiss” the villain and to cheer the underdog. Written by W.H. Smith, a recovered alcoholic, the play was first performed in 1844. The hero is drunkard Edward Middleton, played by Nick Dibartolomeo. His nemeses, “Squire Cribbs” brings back to the Barn in veteran stage performer Marty Ferguson.

Audiences will be intrigued by this classic tale as love battles liquor for the life and soul of the hero. On the side of love are innocent Mary and her mother Mrs. Wilson. In the end, will the hero win out over demon rum, and will true love triumph? Don’t miss this funny presentation at 7:30 p.m. opening night, and at the same time Saturday, March 13, or the 2:15 p.m. matinee on Sunday, March 14. The Barn Theater is located 42 S. Plano, Porterville. General admission is $10.

Friday Night Market and Street Faire

Lindsay’s Friday Night Market and Street Faire will have something for everyone, including entertainment  and a selection of the “best produce from the best growers in the valley.”

There are also music and art projects, courtesy of the Lindsay public schools. It also sports a flea market where you can find sunglasses, purses, shoes, jewelry, and more.

The event provides free entertainment such as Brazilian dancers, Mariachi and Country music. Approximately 200 stalls are occupied by food, arts and crafts, consumer goods and produce vendors. Bounce houses and face painting for the kids.

The event is held every Friday night from 5:30 to10 p.m., at Sweet Brier Plaza, Lindsay. For more information, call Virginia Loya, 333-1994.

African American exhibit at Farm Labor Museum

Tulare County officials will host a reception celebrating the opening of the exhibition “The African American Experience in Tulare County” from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 13, at the Tulare County Museum of Farm Labor and Agriculture at Mooney Grove Park, Visalia. “Allensworth: 100 years of the California Dream” is the featured exhibit, courtesy of the California African American Museum in Los Angeles.

A video presentation on the topic will be shown in the Museum’s Learning Center. The reception program will include a gospel choir performance as well as a performance by an African drum soloist. African American poetry will also be read.

Refreshments will be served. Admission to the Museum and Mooney Grove Park will be free during the event. For more information, call 733-6616.

Exeter Lions Club Chili Run

Watch for the Exeter Lions Club’s “Wild Hog Chili” ride throughout Tulare County including a stop in Springville on Saturday, March 13. Want to participate? Join motorcyclists for a pre-ride party and last minute sign-up on Friday, March 12, at VIP Pizza in Downtown Exeter from 5:30 to 8 p.m. On Saturday, registration begins at 8:30 a.m. and the ride takes off at 10 a.m. Entry fee is $25 per driver with $15 for additional riders. The first 100 entries will be “Wild Hog Chili Judges.” Entry fee includes a ride pin, t-shirt and lunch at the end of the ride. For information call Sandy at 592-3955.

Eastern Star Fried Chicken Dinner set

Palm Leaf Chapter No. 114 Order of the Eastern Star’s annual “Fried Chicken Dinner with its Famous Pastry Dessert Cart” will be held from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday March 14, at 2440 W. Henderson Avenue.  

Dinners-to-go will also be available. Tickets are available from any Eastern Star Member. For more information, or to purchase tickets for a donation of $10, call Michelle Moore at 784-9229, or Joy Boydstun at 781-9374.  

The Great Western Livestock Show returns
The Tulare County Fair’s Great Western Livestock Show returns to its single weekend format on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, March 12 to 14, bringing in world-class animals, food venues and more to the Tulare County Fairgrounds, 215 Martin Luther King Junior Ave. The show will bring hundreds of agricultural students from across the state and western region together for an action-packed weekend of livestock shows. The show is free and open to the public. Judging is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. on both Saturday, March 13 and Sunday, March 14, and will continue throughout the day. The 2010 entry catalog and a tentative schedule are available online at www.tularefair.org.

Also this year, students, parents and youth advisors are invited to attend a poultry day beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday. The poultry day is a workshop meant to foster a non-competitive, educational environment for all participants to raise the level of education concerning poultry projects. Topics such as bird selection, health issues and how to prepare birds for show will be covered and participants will also have the chance to enter the poultry bowl of knowledge. For more information, call 686-4707 or visit www.tularefair.org.

Mark your calendar for events coming up next week including: Cultural and Historical Awareness Program (CHAP) presentations at Porterville College on March 15 (The Cuban Missile Crisis), March 16 (Leakey’s Angels), March 17 (Remembering ‘68: The Chicano Student Walkouts) and March 18 (Vietnam Era Panel); Porterville Breakfast Lions Club Brewfest, Saturday, March 20; and Springville Chamber of Commerce Awards Banquet, Saturday, March 20.

Send event information to: recorder@portervillerecorder.com to be included in this and other listings.