06/06/02

THURSDAY, JUNE 6

PERFORMANCE

Floyd Collins: Directed by John Gibson, this final Live Arts show of the season is a bluegrass musical about a young man who explores the wonders of a cave. Tonight's performance is an "early bird" show starting at 7:30. 609 E. Market St. Call for ticket information: 977-4177.

FAMILY AND BOOKS

Munching mouse: Little ones acquainted with the cookie-munching mouse in the picture book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie will be thrilled to meet up with that very rodent at the Barracks Road Courtyard Concert Series tonight at 5:30pm. The folks at Barnes & Noble have persuaded this furry friend to share his cookies and balloons with kids of all ages as the bookstore kicks off a book drive for the Children's Medical Center that runs through July 25. Those who stop in at B&N to donate books get a discount on their purchase. Barracks Road Courtyard (the road will be closed between Origins and Happy Cook). 984-0461

FAMILY

Great expectations: Informed Birth Options of Central Virginia sponsors an educational forum for expectant parents entitled Managing Your Labor Pain tonight in the McIntire Room at Central Library from 7-8:45. The discussion by a panel of professionals includes conventional medicine, acupuncture, massage therapy, hypnosis, and doula-supported birth. 201 E. Market St. 985-9751. See Think feature, page 24.

Run for fun: The Charlottesville Track Club sponsors a summer youth track program for boys and girls ages 6-12 on Thursday evenings from 6 to 7pm starting tonight at the UVA track. The free program ends July 18 with a track meet. 295-5186

BOOKS

Thousands of thumbprints: ...are what the winners of this short-story contest, open to girls in grades four through eight, have in common. Sponsored by the Village School and Lexis Nexis, the contest required that each story contain that phrase. Winners read their stories tonight at 7pm at Barnes & Noble. Cash prizes and publication in the spring edition of Jambalaya for the young writers, an evening of pleasant surprises for the audience. Barracks Road Shopping Center. 984-0461

THINK

Pushing for change

Panel offers choices for birth

By MARA ROCKLIFF

Forceps-wielding masked doctors looming over strapped-down screaming women. Lamaze-trained husbands huffing and puffing helplessly beside their wives. Dumb jokes about passing bowling balls. No doubt about it, as depicted in American popular culture, giving birth is a scary proposition.

Lakshmi Bertram had a different vision when she first became pregnant. "I wanted freedom of movement and choice," she writes in her book, Choosing Waterbirth. "I wanted to be able to do whatever I needed to feel the most comfortable while birthing my baby." Since then, she's given birth underwater five times.

Bertram will be one of a panel of speakers discussing "Managing Your Labor Pain" at 7 pm June 6 in the McIntire Room of the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library downtown. Joining her will be acupuncturist Kyung Lee, massage therapist Pia Adler, hypnotherapist Steve Mustoe, and doula Melaine Copeland. Melissa Dean-McKinney, labor and delivery nurse at Martha Jefferson Hospital, will present what conventional medicine has to offer, including drugs.

Thursday's panel is the first of a series planned by a new group, Informed Birth Options of Central Virginia. The group formed in February after a local talk by Spiritual Midwifery author Ina May Gaskin drew hundreds of couples eager to learn about alternatives to today's standard birthing practices.

In the Charlottesville area, such alternatives are rapidly disappearing. Last year the Birth Center of the Blue Ridge closed down, leaving pregnant women little choice beyond hospital wards. Only one nurse-midwife attends home births now, and she won't work with first-time mothers. Certified professional midwives, still criminalized in Virginia, are leaving for other states where their years of intensive medical training are valued.

Still, local women have more alternatives than they are hearing about from their obstetricians, say the organizers of Informed Birth Options. The group looks toward a day when "all birthing families in Central Virginia are free to birth how and where they choose." Their goal is to make such informed choices possible by spreading knowledge.

"We're trying to offer information that might not be available in hospital birthing classes," says planning committee member Jackie Emm. "We're not a radical alternative group. We want to be welcoming to every birthing family."

Informed Birth Options of Central Virginia presents "Managing Your Labor Pain," a panel discussion by conventional and alternative health practitioners, in the McIntire Room of the Jefferson-Madison Library downtown, Thursday, June 6, 7-8:45pm. Free and open to the public. For more information, call Jackie Emm.

Find that job: Piedmont WORKS offers a free job search workshop, 9-11am. Call 984-7630 to register.

Black Women/White Women: Join an open discussion group that tries to bridge racial, ethnic, and cultural differences. This month's topic: What experiences have we had that contradicted our class expectations? What experiences have reinforced them? FOCUS Women's Resource Center, 1508 Grady Ave. 5:45-7:15pm. 293-2222.

Be debt-free: Debtors Anonymous meets every Thursday at 7:30pm in the Trinity Episcopal Church library (2nd floor), 1042 Preston Ave. 973-8464

Get RADical: Five-week RAD (Rape Aggression Defense) course for women starts tonight, 6-9pm. $40, pre-registration required. Call instructor Lisa Speidel at 961-7738.

TUNES

Free Union Farm Boys at the Outback Lodge: For those who like their Bluegrass fresh, the Free Union Farm Boys are serving up a tasty portion tonight at the Outback Lodge. $5, 10pm.

Mike Westhues at Coup DeVille's. No cover. 10pm. (W)

Chicken Head Blues Band at Dürty Nelly's. $4, 9pm.

Mar e Marada at El Girasol. No cover, 10pm (W)

The Victrolas at High Street Steak and Grill. No cover, 8:30pm. (W)

John D'earth and friends at Miller's. $4, 10pm. (W)

DJ Mighty Matt at Mountain View Grill. $5, 10pm. (W)

Edamame upstairs at Tokyo Rose. 9:30, No cover. (W)

FRIDAY, JUNE 7

ART OPENINGS

Laying it on

Turner's paint has life of its own

BY AARON STEINBERG

As part of a three-venue super exhibit this month, Les Yeux du Monde gives up a bit of wall space for oil paintings by former UVA art professor Ted Turner. It's more than a worthy sacrifice.

In notes accompanying the exhibit, Turner says, "I stopped trying to find the perfect landscape or scene, and instead I decided just to paint whatever I saw... regardless of the subject matter."

That statement certainly applies to his work on display at Les Yeux. Practically every painting on display contains at least one of the following objects: building-like shapes, people-like shapes, and cars-- all in scenes anybody would come across any time of day just by walking up the street. Turner makes these commonplace images his own, however, with broad slabs of color and roughly textured layers of paint so thick that it's surprising the paint didn't slide off the canvas before it dried. "Love at the Watercooler," for example, is so caked with paint that it looks like a topographical map.

Turner's unique use of paint has a decided effect on his work, almost as if he had invented his own painterly equivalent of a computer screen. His thick layers of paint simplify his land- and streetscapes while mildly abstracting them as well. In his spare scenes, people's heads are dime-sized dollops of paint, and large triangles and rectangles of color double as sidewalks and walls, beach and building facades.

In a smaller group of paintings, Turner takes a fairly different approach. Unlike his landscapes, these are tightly-framed, cluttered paintings-- character studies which substitute graffiti scrawl and a child-like drawing style for blocks of color. As reflected in titles like "Out of the Way, Meathead," Turner also injects these with a bit of wiseguy humor. Even here, however, Turner's canvases come heavy with paint and color, a vibrant dimension that almost seems to live separately from the pictures he paints.

Ted Turner's paintings, watercolors, and constructions are at Les Yeux du Monde as part of a collaborative exhibit with UVA's Fayerweather Gallery and the Merchant's Tire Building. Work by Turner's students will be on display at Fayerweather with an opening reception Friday, June 7, 5-7pm. On June 8, from 4 to 6pm, there's a reception for Turner at Les Yeux, where the hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 11am-5pm. Catch Turner's sculpture at the Merchant's Tire Building (856 W. Main St.) Tuesday through Friday, 11am-2pm, and Saturday 1-6pm. All the exhibits run through July 6. Les Yeux is at 705 W. Main St. 973-5566

The Second Street Gallery hosts a reception for "Envisioning Architecture: A Charlottesville Imagined," Friday, June 7, 5:30-7:30pm. David L. Puckett, president of the Central Virginia Chapter of the AIA, will speak briefly at 6pm. The inclusive exhibit showcases the creative talents of local architects, landscape architects, and urban planners. 201 Second St. NW. 977-7284

In June, the McGuffey Art Center presents Kristin Onuf's "Burned In," mixed media; Ann Therese Verkerke's "Go Figure," oils on canvas and wood; and Kathleen Craig's "Studies and Paintings," which includes still lives and interiors in oil. All three exhibits host First Friday receptions June 7, 5:30-7:30. 201 Second St. NW. 295-7973

Karla Berger's "Mother Nature Double-Crossed," an exhibit of color photography, moves to Transient Crafters, where it will hang through June 16. There's a reception Friday, June 7, from 6 to 9pm. 118 E. Main St. 972-9500

BozArt Gallery presents an exhibit by sculptor A.L. Francis. The Color of Stone opens June 7 and runs through June 30, with a reception on Friday, June 7, from 6-9pm. 211 West Main Street on the Downtown Mall. 296-3919. www.bozartgallery.com

PERFORMANCE

Floyd Collins: See Thursday, June 6. Tonight's show is at 8pm.

BOOKS

Reservations recommended: Aggie award nominee Tim Myers reads from his latest mystery, Reservations for Murder, the second in the Lighthouse Inn Mystery series, at 7pm at Barnes & Noble. Barracks Road Shopping Center. 984-0461

THINK

Where am I?: Polish anthropologist Michal Buchowski discusses "Shifting Identities and Fixing Borders: A Creation of the Other in Europe Today" at the Miller Center at 11am. Free and open to the public. 2201 Old Ivy Road. 924-7236

FAMILY

Star-struck: The view is out of this world at Public Night at McCormick Observatory from 9 to 11pm (weather permitting). UVA's research telescopes on O-Hill will be pointed heavenward, and Astronomy Department staff and students will be on hand with a slide show and answers to starry questions. Free. McCormick Road. 924-7494

On the frontier: The Frontier Culture Museum hosts its first First Fridays program of the summer from 6 to 8pm. Tonight's theme is Teacher Appreciation Night. Admission is free, and teachers and families are especially welcome to bring a picnic and dine on the grounds. Walk-through tours are also available. Rt. 250 West in Staunton. 540-332-7850

TUNES

Wisher at Outback Lodge: Rock n' pop come out to play in this band. Something for the coeds to enjoy ("Familiar Air"), as well as something for the big rock fan in all of us. $6, 10pm.

Billy and the Backbeats at Fridays After 5 on the Downtown Mall. Free.

Deep Blue Jones at Mountain View Grill. $5, 9pm.

Jazz Night with Quentin Parker at Rapunzel's Coffee & Books. (W)

Modern Groove Syndicate at Starr Hill. $6, 8pm.

LB and the Soul Connection at Vinegar Hill Grill. $3, 9:30pm.

SATURDAY, JUNE 8

FAMILY

History on foot: The Albemarle County Historical Society begins a new season of walking tours of historic downtown Charlottesville. Every Saturday now through October, tours leave at 10am from the McIntire Building for a one-hour stroll around Court Square viewing reminders of over 250 years of history. A $3 donation per person is suggested. No reservations required. Children under 12 and school groups are free. Group tours can be arranged for other times as well. 200 Second St. NE. 296-1492

Munching mouse again: The cookie-munching mouse from the picture book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie makes an appearance at Barnes & Noble for a special story time at 11am. He'll read the story and share his cookies, too. Barracks Road Shopping Center. 984-0461

Oh, baby: The University of Virginia Health System hosts Baby Fest at Lee Park from 10am to 2pm. Pediatricians will be on hand offering advice on healthy pregnancy and child development. Other activities include child car seat safety training, exhibits of baby products and services, and more. Free in Lee Park downtown next to the Central Library. 982-3678

NATURE

Field studies: Two days, today and tomorrow, of presentations on stream ecology and aquatic macro-invertebrates will help you determine what fish eat and where they hide. Learn to tie the knots every angler must know and perfect fly-casting techniques on the water with the help and instruction of experts. Registration required. Meet at Trillium House at Wintergreen Resort at 9:30am. Route 151 in Nellysford. $90 for both days. 434-325-7451

Hoofing it: Paso Fino horses are known for their smooth, powerful, four-beat gait, regal carriage, and unmatched beauty. This weekend, beginning at 8am each day, they will perform in 83 classes including Bella Forma, Performance, Pleasure, and Classic Fino divisions at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington. Free. For more information visit www.horsecenter.org or call 540-463-2194.

PERFORMANCE

Floyd Collins: See Thursday, June 6. Tonight's show is at 8pm.

Advanced Improv: Brad Stoller offers the opportunity to hone your performance skills through improvisation. Join him on Saturday mornings through June 8. Live Arts LAB, 609 E. Market St. 10am. $45-60. 977-4177, x100.

THINK

Family tree: Teresa Kelley explains how to use Social Security records for genealogical research at a meeting of the Central Virginia Genealogical Association at the Northside Library Meeting Room, at 1:30pm. Free and open to the public. 300 Albemarle Square. 973-7893

TUNES

Eclecticism unbound

Blues according to Corey

BY MARK GRABOWSKI

Schoolhouse Rocks! A smile spreading across my face, I realized I had cracked the code, had stumbled onto the moment that people into music know and love: when you listen to something new for the first time and can, with no difficulty, match it up with another tune from the past.

To me, the first real track from Corey Harris' new CD, Downhome Sophisticate, is a dead-ringer for "I'm Just A Bill" from the mid-70's TV show Schoolhouse Rocks.

"Frankie Dorris," the track in question, begins with a seeming homage to George Clinton's Funkadelic, with its muti-layered "sha-na-na-na" vocals, but when Harris begins singing the verse, he sounds like a higher-pitched version of the animated bill in question. This time, though, the song is about a woman's plans to get a court settlement "any way that she can" instead of a civics lesson.

But before you write off Corey Harris as a mere imitator of camp, let me tell you this-- his new CD is the best that's come across my desk in a while. It is an eclectic array of styles from straight 12-bar blues to funk to native West African. Harris and his band, The 5X5, who play at Starr Hill Saturday, June 8, seem to have mastered them all, producing catchy and vibrant songs on such varied topics as police brutality, good-for-nothing friends, and money.

Born in Denver Colorado, Harris was early on exposed to jazz, gospel, and R&B-- all easily identifiable elements of his present sound. After college, Harris made two trips to Cameroon, which seems to have deeply affected his present-day songwriting style: everything is beat oriented, and some pieces on Downhome Sophisticate are clearly influenced by African Folk music.

Other songs are more in the style of Harris' first album, Between Midnight and Day, a Robert Johnsonish ode to the blues. On these tracks, his voice takes on the grand expressive style that made that album a critical favorite. But the tracks on this disc that diverge from the blues style are the most impressive. "Santano" has a distinctly Ben Harper feel, with a looping guitar riff and a strong melody that sticks strongly to the beat. The title track features near-screaming vocals and Red Hot Chili Peppers-vintage funk.

Listening to a double CD recorded live at Starr Hill last year makes it easy to predict what the band will sound like this time. The songs they performed last time they visited the Main Street venue don't feature the worldly writing style Harris shows on his new CD, instead mostly drawing from the blues and a little funk, but they are performed with great passion and skill.

I'm going to the show just to see how the band performs the new material. With a back catalog of the size and worth of Harris, everything they do is bound to please.

Corey Harris and The 5X5 perform at Starr Hill Saturday, June 8, at 9pm. $10.

##

Dr. Dirg at the Outback Lodge: A pristine specimen of the genre Jambandius Maxiums, Dr. Dirg was the nickname of Dr. Graham at Oxford, thanks to his study of the physics of the didgeridoo there (he got his PhD). This British band combines drums, guitar, bass, and didgeridoo in a mesmerizing sonic opiate for the senses. $8, 10pm.

Corey Harris and The 5X5 at Starr Hill: Rolling Stone magazine gave these young blues musicians' newest album, Downhome Sophisticate, four stars. Shifting in and out of styles like a weaving driver on the Indy 500, with Corey Harris at steering wheel, we have nothing to fear. $10, 9pm.

See Tunes feature, page 29.

Chemistry at Awful Arthur's. No cover, 10pm.

Innerspace at Coupe DeVille's. No cover, 10pm.

Betty Gone Bad at Dürty Nelly's. $4, 9pm.

Courteney Brothers at Vinegar Hill Grill. $3, 9:30pm.

SUNDAY, JUNE 9

PERFORMANCE

Floyd Collins: See Thursday, June 6. Shows today are at 2 and 8pm.

TUNES

The Hogwaller Ramblers at Escafé: An amusing Sunday night dichotomy: the posh Escafé on the Downtown Mall pits upwardly mobile Charlotesvillians against the rootsy melody of the Hogwaller Ramblers. For some reason, it's a match made in heaven. No cover, 10pm.

King Golden Banshee at Dürty Nelly's. No cover, 6:30pm.

Dead Night at Michael's Bistro. No cover, 10pm. (W)

John D'earth Quartet at Miller's. $4, 10pm. (W)

DJ Mighty Matt at Mountain View Grill. $5, 10pm. (W)

George Melvin at Rococo's. No cover, 7pm. (W)

MONDAY, JUNE 10

FAMILY

Endangered species: The Virginia Museum of Natural History at UVA launches a new interactive exhibit today. "Gifts to Our Grandchildren" informs visitors about endangered species, including a display about a local mollusk on the list, the James River spiny mussel. The exhibit also includes puppets, a computer station, an eagle's nest, and a green sea turtle. Admission is free. 104 Emmet St. 982-4605

THINK

Talking things over: Fluvanna League of Women Voters meets at 4:30pm in Room 122 of the County Office Building in Palmyra. For information, call Sue Chapin, 589-2523.

Board hopefuls: Tonight at 7 in City Council Chambers, the League of Women Voters of Charlottesville/Albemarle moderates a forum for candidates for three vacant seats on the City School Board. All applicants will provide an introductory statement, answer four questions provided to them in advance, and make a closing statement. Questions from the audience are welcome. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call the League office at 970-1707, or visit the website at monticello.avenue.org/lwv.

Plugging in: Carter administration policymaker and UVA professor Matthew Holden Jr. speaks on "Energy Policy: A Perspective of Thirty Years" at the Miller Center at 11am. Free and open to the public. 2201 Old Ivy Road. 924-7236

TUNES

Butter at Orbit: The international debut of this star-studded "slamming dance fusion" trio (consisting of members of the Guano Boys and The Trouble With Harry, among others). No cover, 10:30pm.

Open mic at Baja Bean, 9pm, no cover. (W)

Haider's Five at the College Inn. No cover, 8pm. (W)

DJ's Myson and Mason at Michael's Bistro $2, 10:30pm.

George Melvin at Rococo's. No cover, 7pm. (W)

Holiday Inn, and Atsushi Miura upstairs at Tokyo Rose. No cover, 9:30pm. (W)

TUESDAY, JUNE 11

BOOKS

Look out, Savannah

Richmond murder case gets book treatment

By ELIZABETH KIEM

Look out Savannah. All those literary rubber-neckers flocking to your carriage tours and guided cemetery prowls for a taste of high-brow homicide in Dixie... well, they're headed for Richmond now.

What Jon Berendt did for tourism in the locale of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, veteran journalist John Taylor is sure to do for the Capital of the Confederacy with his new book The Count and the Confession, the story of the 1992 death of Roger de la Burde and the subsequent murder conviction of his utterly wholesome looking lover, Beverly Monroe.

Taylor's account is an impressive display of careful research and reporting as well as a whopping good yarn. For that, the author has to thank the almost giddy array of sexy elements in this true crime.

Let's start with the victim, a generally unlikable scientist who left a long tenure at Philip Morris under questionable circumstances, amassed a collection of African art (the value and authenticity of which were widely disputed), claimed dubiously to be of Polish aristocracy, and chronically cheated on his mistresses. This paragon of duplicity (aka the Count) was found dead in the library of his 220-acre James River estate, with a single bullet in his head. His .38 special lay inches from his powder-burnt fingers.

Beverly Monroe was a genteel middle-aged mother of three whose affair with de la Burde had ended his first marriage but in no way had made an honest man of him. She stuck with him through multiple dalliances and learned shortly before his death that his current mistress was expecting his child. The "confession" is Monroe's admission-- not that she whacked the lousy, unctuous fraud-­ but that she was, in fact, in the house when her companion killed himself (and not, as she had previously and would later testify in court, at the Safeway, having left the house at least a half-hour before de la Burde's death). Despite a receipt from the supermarket, that one-time diversion from her otherwise constant story secured a guilty verdict for Monroe, and she was sentenced to 22 years. Taylor begins his story with Monroe's arrival at prison with a copy of A Year in Provence for entertainment.

So was it suicide or homicide? The mystery is never solved in The Count and the Confession. Indeed, Monroe's case is undergoing judicial review in Richmond even as Taylor signs copies and the studios bid for screen rights. Better polish up that Tidewater drawl, Kevin Spacey.

John Taylor will read excerpts from and sign copies of The Count and the Confession, A True Mystery at New Dominion Bookshop on the Downtown Mall, Tuesday, June 11, at noon.

True crime: Former Esquire writer John Taylor reads from his new book The Count and the Confession, an account of a notorious 1992 Richmond murder case which may have sent an innocent woman to prison. Favorable treatment from the New York Times Book Review should bolster attendance at Taylor's promotional events. New Dominion Bookshop at noon. 404 E. Main St. on the Downtown Mall. 295-2552. See Books feature, page XX.

Entrapment: UVa prof and poet Gregory Orr is on hand at Barnes & Noble to read selections and sign copies of his newest collection, The Caged Owl. 7pm. Barracks Road Shopping Center. 984-0461

THINK

Prose topic: The Wednesday Night Book Group meets the second Wednesday of each month to share insights on a variety of classic and contemporary fiction. Tonight's book: The Blue Angel by Francine Prose. Gordon Avenue Library, 1500 Gordon Ave., at 7:30pm. For more information, call Ruth Slone at 979-0172.

TUNES

B.C. upstairs at Tokyo Rose: One part cello, one part guitar, one part "intelligent" vocals = the best thing to happen to "smartrock" since, well, some of you know the answer to that one. No cover, 9:30pm.

Steve and Timmy Ryalls at Dürty Nelly's. $3, 9pm. (W)

Glenn Mac at Coupe DeVille's. No cover, 10pm.

Project Roland at Michael's Bistro. $3, 10:30pm.

Monticello Road at the Outback Lodge. $3. 10pm. (W)

George Melvin at Rococo's. No cover, 7pm. (W)

Karaoke at Baja Bean, no cover, 9pm. (W)

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12

BOOKS

What goes on that little head?: A Good Start in Life: Understanding your Child's Brain and Behavior is the topic for discussion at Barnes & Noble tonight at 7pm. A native of Basel Switzerland, Dr. Norbert Herschkowitz is a pediatrician and neuroscientist. He and his wife, English teacher Elinore Chapman Herschkowitz, will sign copies of their book. Barracks Road Shopping Center. 984-0461

PERFORMANCE

Floyd Collins: See Thursday, June 6. Tonight's "pay what you can show" starts at 8pm.

NATURE

Canoe, can you?: The Wintergreen Nature Foundation takes to the water again. Join them for a canoe cruise down the James River from Wingina to Howardsville. Bring water and lunch and wear clothes that can get wet. Meet at Trillium House at Wintergreen Resort. Route 151 in Nellysford. $45. 434-325-7451

TUNES

Paul Goes Richter at Michael's Bistro: The band cites Phish as one of its musical influences, along with other artists playing similar music. 'Nuff said? Acoustic then electric sets. $3, 10:30pm.

Ezra Hamilton at the Blue Moon Diner. No cover, 10pm. (W)

Bennie Dodd at Coupe DeVille's. No cover, 10:30pm. (W)

B.C. at Mellow Mushroom. No cover, 11:30pm. (W)

Jeff Decker and Mike Rosensky Quartet at Miller's. $4, 9pm. (W)

DJs Mason and Myson at Orbit. $2, 10:30pm. (W)

Lynman w/Sol Tribe at the Outback Lodge. $6, 10pm.

George Melvin at Rococo's. No cover, 7pm. (W)

Beleza upstairs at Tokyo Rose. No cover, 9:30pm. (W)

THURSDAY, JUNE 13

PERFORMANCE

Floyd Collins: See Thursday, June 6. Curtain time tonight is 7:30.

THINK

Over there: Guenter Burghardt, European Union ambassador to the United States, speaks about "The Present and Future of the Transatlantic Relationship" at the Miller Center, 2201 Old Ivy Road, at 11am. Free and open to the public. 924-7236

BOOKS

Hall of Famer: Christina Bartolomeo's first novel was adapted for a Hallmark Hall of Fame television movie. Her new novel, The Side of the Angels, is available for purchase and signing at 7pm at the mighty-busy-this-week Barnes & Noble in the Barracks Road Shopping Center. 984-0461

TUNES

Donna the Buffalo at Starr Hill: Sometime singer Tara Nevins sounds a lot like 10,000 Maniacs singer Natalie Merchant, so use that band as a point of reference when you ride your palomino over to Starr Hill tonight. Deeper pop music than most, this multi-instrument band plays down-home rock with a hint of despair. $12 adv / $14, 8pm.

Chris Winter Band at Coupe DeVille's. No cover, 10pm. (W)

Blues Night at Dürty Nelly's. $4, 9pm. (W)

Mar e Marada at El Girasol. 10pm, no cover. (W)

The Victrolas at High Street Steak and Grill. No cover, 8:30pm. (W)

Wynn Walent at the Mellow Mushroom. $5, 10pm.

John D'earth and friends at Miller's. $4, 9pm. (W)

DJ Mighty Matt at Mountain View Grill. $5, 10pm. (W)

Edamame upstairs at Tokyo Rose. No cover, 9:30pm. (W)

Ongoing events

FAMILY

Enchanted land

Toddlers get a room of their own

BY LINDA KOBERT

Walking into the light-filled space of the Village Playhouse is entering an enchanted place. Wooden play stands draped with blue swaths of fabric form a pillow-lined playhouse in one corner. A waist-high kitchen sink and stove create another cozy alcove with a tea-party-ready knee-high table set with tiny cups and plates. Bamboo wind chimes rustle, and a silvery spiral mobile hanging almost low enough for a child to touch twirls in the breeze of a ceiling fan. Every diminuitive element of this new indoor play park is thoughtfully arranged specifically for the under-three crowd.

"I kept hearing parents saying, 'Charlottesville doesn't have a playground for my preschooler,'" says Playhouse founder Cynthia Jordan Fisher, a child development specialist whose Montessori Open Mornings (MOMs) program has developed a significant following over the past five years. It was these parents with young children whom she had in mind for this new, more extensive venture, which she hopes will become a community resource for all families.

Village Playhouse offers a delightful mix of both Montessori manipulative play experiences and Waldorf imagination and wonder. Families can bring their children to the Playhouse anytime for an outing that's just right for pre-walkers and young toddlers. Older pre-school siblings can also enjoy imaginative play or lend a hand as helpers.

Coffee and snacks next to garden-style benches invite adults to sit and chat while their wee ones romp on the wooden play structures or dig through the basket of hats and capes in the dress-up basket. #

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