The area’s still-vibrant arts scene struggles in recession.

The Kiwanians are making the trip to the Carolinas to bring back the shrimp for their annual sale.

There is nothing quite like grabbing your mask and snorkel, plunging into the refreshing James River and coming face to face with a huge catfish.

Israel in the heart of Bedford County.

Music festivals, one pared with wines and the other with brews, are coming up.

Thelma Dalmas, a naturalist, writes a weekly column for The News & Advance. Readers may e-mail her at .

Kent Perdue’s pieces often possess a “museum-like quality,” as he describes it, meant for the gallery rather than the living room.

An almost lifelong vegetarian, a then 22-year-old Dina Brigish went vegan shortly after Norman the pig’s arrival and began volunteering with animal rescue organizations in her native New York.

‘We want a person who is enthusiastic, loves opera, can represent us well in the community and can give us the solid infrastructure we need (to) take us to the next level.‘

—Gail Morrison
Opera on the James board member and chairperson of the hiring committee

Thelma Dalmas, a naturalist, writes a weekly column for The News & Advance. Readers may e-mail her at .

When Don Fraser saw Santana on TV recently, he laughed and thought to himself, “That guy was at Woodstock!” It was a simple sentiment that spoke not only to the longevity of the leader of the Latin rock band, but also the enduring legacy of those 3½ days on Max Yasgur’s farm 40 years ago.

I have never been much of a nomad — I like to find a place to live and stay there for a few years. Having just exited my 20s, my housing expertise has been generally limited to apartments, and I’ve rarely known anyone who lived in one apartment for longer than five years.

NOTE: This is the second part in a series by Blair Amberly on career musicians who have settled down in Lynchburg. The first part, published July 22, focused on former Hackensaw boy Tom Peloso,  of the Virginia Sheiks and Modest Mouse.

It’s upside-down fairy tales.

Several galleries will be open.

Sweet tooth? Indulge.

Thelma Dalmas, a naturalist, writes a weekly column for The News & Advance. Readers may e-mail her at .

Ken West is a professor at Lynchburg College. His book, ‘The Shelbys,’ has been translated into Indonesian and Czech. Readers may write to West in care of The News & Advance, P.O. Box 10129, Lynchburg, VA 24506.

‘I like the colors that are in nature, which are not primary colors. I like the subtleties of that.’

- Janet Dance,
Artist

‘(She is) truly an American icon of ‘love thy neighbor.‘

—Robin Frye
South Carolina cyclist

Right about now, recent high school graduates are feeling that nervous excitement in their stomachs. College starts in a month or so, and what once seemed far away is closer than ever.

‘This is a treasure. It’s just a wonderful place.‘

—Marian Dixson, Shipman

E.C. Glass grad mounts exhibit at Magnolia Foods.

Editor’s note: Ash Lawn Opera, a destination for some Central Virginia music lovers for three decades, has moved some performances from the lawn of the home of President Monroe to the newly renovated Paramount Theatre on the Downtown Mall in Charlottesville. To give you a taste, here’s a review of the current production, “The Marriage of Figaro.” See box for details.

Check out these area happenings.

Art comes to life in this exhibit.

The musical — which Wolfbane will stage at Heritage High School at 8 p.m. Aug. 6-8 and 13-15 and 4 p.m. Aug. 9 — is based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” a tale about a doctor whose experiments create a second personality that exposes his darkest side.

Thelma Dalmas, a naturalist, writes a weekly column for The News & Advance. Readers may e-mail her at .

Never have you been able to accomplish so much by putting on a shirt.

The tiny storefront restaurant is easy to miss amid the hustle and bustle of Wards Road. But for 15 months, the Kabab Grill been a lunch and dinner spot for shoppers, students, area Muslim families and passersby.