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Calendar of Events

Sunday Salons Just about every Sunday beginning in April, our Sunday Salons at River House feature musical and theatrical performances, poetry readings, book signings, art displays and literary and historical discussions, followed by dinner. See our calendar below for more. River House 2010 Calendar of Events April 1: Opening night dinner April 2 – 30: Dinner Friday and Saturday only (except for private parties) April 30 – May 1: Steve Plummer Memorial Party May 1 – 31: Dinner Thursday through Sunday May 2: Sunday Salon - Emile Pandolfi May 2–7: A Week with Emile Pandolfi. See Emile Pandolfi's website for details. May 9: Mother’s Day – Seatings at 1:00 PM, 2:00 PM and 3:00 PM - John Stewart on piano May 16: Sunday Salon – Lisa Baldwin and David Haney May 19: Women on the Water, see Packages & Specials. May 21-22: Wedding May 23: Sunday Salon - The Ardmores. Read more on their website. May 26: Women on the Water, see Packages & Specials. May 30 – Sunday Salon:  Steve and Ruth Smith, Read more on their website. June 4, 5,  6, 11, 12 and 13:  Open House at Mangum Pottery of Turkey Knob – 10 AM - 5 PM (www.mangumpottery.com) June 5:  Wine and Tapas at Craven Studios - 12 Noon - 4 PM (www.cravenstudio.com) June 6 – Sunday Salon:  Marie Vanderbeck Jazz Group, Read more on her website. June 13 – Sunday Salon:  Emile Pandolfi. See Emile Pandolfi's website for more. June 16: Women on the Water, See Packages & Specials June 19:  Wayne C. Henderson Music Festival & Guitar Competition at Grayson Highlands State Park – 10:30 AM – 6 PM June 20 – Sunday Salon:  Tim and Debbie Yates, Acoustic Heritage, Read more on their website. June 23: Women on the Water, See Packages & Specials June 27 – Sunday Salon:  Paul Cataldo, Read more on his website. July 3:  Wine and Tapas at Craven Studios – 12 Noon – 4 PM July 4: Independence Day Celebration – Music by Wet Paint - Rob Mangum and Dennis Shaw (Read more on their website) – All-American Barbecue and Fireworks!! July 7: Women on the Water, See Packages & Specials July 9-10: Wedding July 11 – Sunday Salon:  Aaron Price, Read more on his website. July 14: Women on the Water, See Packages & Specials July 17: WINEFEST - Read more July 21: Women on the Water, See Packages & Specials July 25: Blue Ridge Wildlife Institute of Lees-McRae College – Release of birds and animals back into the wild – A benefit.   Followed by a performance by Martha Bassett August 1: Linda Carroll, autoharp and vocals August 4: Women on the Water, See Packages & Specials August 7: Wine and Tapas at Craven Studios – 12 Noon – 4 PM August 8: Tony Williamson, MR. MANDOLIN August 11: Women on the Water, See Packages & Specials August 11-15: Fiddle Retreat with Jamie Laval August 13-14: Wedding August 15 – Sunday Salon:  Jamie Laval, Read more on his website. August 22:  Lower Brass of the Moravian Band August 29: Sunday Salon with The Doug Davis Trio with Lee and Susan Terry September 1: Women on the Water, See Packages & Specials September 1 – 12:  A special sale of porcelain at Craven Studios. Craven Handbuilt Porcelain is holding one of its "iffy" sales during the first 12 days of September – 10 AM to 4 PM. Since they haven't had one for three years this one should be pretty interesting.  "Iffies" are pieces made by apprentices and things that didn't come out quite right. Early birds can find discontinued lines and remnants but these tend to go very quickly. Craven Handbuilt Porcelain is only 15 miles from Riverhouse and is well worth a visit. For directions go to www.cravenstudio.com. September 5: Blues Festival (Read more about it below) Labor Day – November 30: Dinner Thursday through Sunday. Rooms open every day. September 10-12:  Dulcimer Seminar with Ruth Smith. Read more on their website! September 12: Sunday Salon with  Steve and Ruth Smith, Read more about them on their website. September 19: Sunday Salon with Martha Bassett September 24-25: Wedding September 26: Sunday Salon with Hugh Allison, Scottish Talespinner. Read more on his website. October 2: Wine and Tapas at Craven Studios – 12 Noon – 4 PM October 2: Open Mike at River House, 10 PM-1 AM October 3: Sunday Salon with The Clay Lunsford Trio, thumb pickin' and jazz October 9: Open Mike, 10 PM-1 AM October 10: Sunday Salon with Mickey Harte, Irish "Idol" - singer/songwriter. Read more on his website. October 16: Senior Law Association Dinner October 16: Open Mike, 10 PM-1 AM October 17: Sunday Salon with Emile Pandolfi October 17-22: A Fall Week with Emile Pandolfi Wine and Tapas at Craven Studios – 12 Noon – 4 PM October 23: Wine and Tapas at Craven Studios, 12 Noon-4 PM October 23: Open Mike, 10 PM-1 AM October 24: Sunday Salon with Wayne Henderson, world renowned luthier and flat picker October 31: Halloween Party November 6: Open Mike, 10 PM-1 AM November 7: Sunday Salon with Ben Wakeman, Singer/Songwriter November 12-20: Playwrights Workshop – Observers Welcome November 12: Scotland comes to River House! Celebrate Scotland’s National Day a little early by attending a dinner and concert featuring one of Scotland’s treasures, singer/songwriter, Jim Malcolm. Malcolm is the winner of the Scots Trad Music Awards Songwriter of the Year and has been runner up for singer of the year. (www.jimmalcolm.com) He is known for his smooth vocals, his charismatic delivery and his wit. Jim has performed in the past at the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games, as well as other regional venues, and will deliver his tribute to St Andrew’s Day. The dinner will be at 7 PMfollowed by the concert at 8 PM. Tickets for the Scottish dinner and concert are $45 per person, which includes tax and gratuity. Reservations can be made by contacting River House Inn at 336-982-2109. November 14: New River Dramatists present Dylan Thomas at River House. New River Dramatists’ RANDELL HAYNES and BRIAN ROBINSON (stage and film actors) team with Albert Doolan, family and friends for an afternoon of great stories, poetry and drama from the unparalleled DYLAN THOMAS. Live traditional and Celtic music accompany and round out the great entertainment. The entertainment begins at 4:00 PM. A four-course chef’s choice menu follows at 6:00 PM.  For reservations, call 336-982-2109. November 21: The River House PRE-THANKSGIVING SUNDAY SALON CONCERT will be among the most memorable. The first half of the program will feature Sheila Duell, North Carolina playwright/composer/actress who is adding the finishing touches to her new musical, DORIAN GRAY. Sheila, with the help of her gifted colleagues Randell Haynes and Trenton Durham, will offer several musical selections and the story narrative from this exciting new work. Randell Haynes has been a leading actor in over 25 feature films and nearly 100 professional stage productions. Trenton Durham is a 16 year old phenomenon winning numerous competitions (Idol and others) for the past six years. His magnificent vocal and instrumental talent is captivating. The second half of the concert will feature Sheila and Randy Craven performing their new and evolving jazz compositions, introducing an exciting new sound. The show starts at 4pm with intermission at 4:45. Passed Hors d’ouvre for twenty minutes and then the second half of the show ending around 6pm. We will then serve a four course chef’s choice menu. Please call to reserve 336-982-2109 November 25: Thanksgiving. Two seatings - 1 PM and 3 PM December: Dinner Friday and Saturday (plus private parties) December 5: River House presents Robin Voiers in “Truman Capote’s “A Christmas Memory.” Directed by William Voiers, this is a dramatization of Truman Capote’s classic autobiographical sketch of his young life in rural Alabama during the Great Depression.  Deserted by his parents at an early age, Mr. Capote’s richest childhood memories were of his elderly cousin, Miss Sook, and their yuletide tradition of baking fruit cakes. While Miss Sook was largely ignored by the adult members of the family, Capote relied on her love, friendship, and naïve wisdom during his formative years. The lessons of her simple elegance had a major influence on his writings. Robin Voiers is a highly acclaimed regional actress. In addition to modeling, television commercials and choreography, she has starred with numerous theatre groups in the southeast. She is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Florida State University with degrees in English Literature and Dance. She danced with the 13th American Dance Festival at Connecticut College and performed professionally in New York City and Washington, D.C., before teaching dance at the Universities of Georgia and Maryland. She has also taught English, Drama, Humanities, Art Literature and French; and has received several poetry awards for her own work. The bar at River House opens at 3:00 PM and the performance begins at 4:00 PM. Please call 336-982-2109 for reservations and information about the four-course chef’s choice menu to follow the play. December 12: The Forget-Me-Nots bring fresh energy to the ageless tradition of Celtic music. The band originated in 2002 but its roots go back to 1999, when the girls started playing violin at the tender ages of 2, 3 and 4 years old. The players are Willa Finck, Maura Shawn Scanlin, and Ledah Finck, with David Finck on backup guitar. The girls, classically trained through the Suzuki method, also showed an early interest in playing old-time and Celtic fiddle music. This interest blossomed in the fertile grounds of the North Carolina High Country, an area steeped in Appalachian musical traditions. The bar at River House opens at 3:00 PM and the performance begins at 4:00 PM. Please call 336-982-2109 for reservations and information about the four-course chef’s choice menu to follow the play. Read more about them on their web site. December 24-25: Closed December 31: New Year’s Eve January 1, 2011: Clean-Out-The-Pantry Party January 2: Closed until Spring

Week with Emile Pandolfi: Begins May 1, 2011 Steinway Artist Emile Pandolfi is a performing pianist/comedian/recording artist. His catalog of 28 CDs have sold nearly three million copies nationally. All were recorded on his own label, MagicMusic, which he started in 1991. He is reportedly the top-selling artist in the alternative (gift and bookstore) market in the US. He has been performing 25-30 shows a year in Performing Arts Centers around the country for the past 15 years. The shows are solo two-hour performances combining his passion for the piano, his love of laughter, and his instant rapport with his audiences. Emile has never met a stranger - and his fans see it when he takes the stage. His shows are so successful presenters have re-booked him as many as eight times, with three or four venue returns the usual. If a comparison is called for, most people compare his shows to those of Victor Borge because of his signature combination of friendly humor and elegant interpretations supported by an extraordinary classical technique. Participants in the Week with Emile in 2010 were asked to rate the week from 1 to 10. One wrote 212 – BOILING! For streaming audio, video, recording catalog, and a lot of other information about Emile Pandolfi, visit: www.emilepandolfi.com.

New River Blues Festival, September 4, 2011 Over the last 7 seasons the New River Blues Festival has presented some classic blues artists to the High Country resulting in a day of great tunes, food, drink and scenery. Always set in a beautiful location, the festival has grown into an event that delivers a memorable day of music and draws folks from across the country. According to organizers “This location has been called one of the prettiest on the New River and lends itself as a perfect site for some smokin’ blues music. River House Inn has become known for their unique rooms, food and hospitality. When you factor in their experience for hosting all kinds of parties and events, and their lawn that is bordered by the river, you have a great combination for presenting world-class blues in a unique setting."