Entertainment options and events for children and family in the Rocky Mount area.
As the hot summer continues, one of the favorite Rocky Mount Family Events of the season, “Summer Night Lights,” will host four more of its fun filled Friday night events at a variety of locations between July 20 and August 10.
Created five years ago in an attempt to offer more Rocky Mount Family Events that teenagers and their parents could both attend and enjoy, “Summer Night Lights” has done just that, giving kids an alternative to taking the chance of winding up in less than satisfactory situations while still being able to interact socially with their peers.
Since the initial launch of these Rocky Mount Family Events, “Summer Night Lights” has grown in popularity, giving teens and adults an outlet for fun like no other throughout the summer months. A free, block party style program that takes place most weekends throughout the summer, “Summer Night Lights” was described by Rocky Mount Parks and Recreation Program Supervisor, Heather White, who said, “While the program is designed to attract area teens, over the past few years, it has grown into an outreach for families as well.”
The remaining schedule for
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July 20th: Stith-Talbert Park, Rocky Mount, NC
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July 27th: Aycock Park, Rocky Mount, NC
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August 3rd: Lancaster Park, Rocky Mount, NC
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August 10th: South Rocky Mount Community Center, Rocky Mount, NC
For more information on these and all other Rocky Mount Family Events, visit the city’s website at rockymountnc.gov.
After a long, cold winter faded into the warmer months of Spring, it was just a matter of time before the warmth of the summer sun came around. To many local residents, this means their favorite of all Downtown Rocky Mount Events, the Downtown Live concert series returns. This is just minutes from your new home at Belmont Lake Preserve in the heart of downtown Rocky Mount.
The schedule for the 2018 Downtown Live series has been released and it will feature no less than nine weeks of Downtown Rocky Mount Events. Beginning the week of May 24, and running through the week of September 18 these weekly concerts feature some great local talent.
These Downtown Rocky Mount Events take place every other Thursday during that time frame and as start at 6:00 pm. The Downtown Live concert series is held outside of the Imperial Centre for the Arts and Sciences building, at 270 Gay Street in Downtown Rocky Mount. There will be local food and beverage vendors on site at each of these Downtown Rocky Mount and you can bring your own lawn chairs to set up, as admission as always is free.
The remaining 2018 Downtown Live concert schedule is:
- July 19: Jim Quick & the Coastline
- August 2: The Main Event Band
- August 16: The Entertainers
- August 30: The Band of Oz
- September 13: The Embers featuring Craig Woolard
For more information on the Downtown Live concert series and all the great upcoming Downtown Rocky Mount Events, visit downtownrockymount.com.
Moving from the winter months and into the Spring, the temperature is not the only thing seeing an increase here locally, as there is always an influx of activities being offered in Downtown Rocky Mount. Whether you are a toddler or a senior citizen, if your preference is science, art, or theatre, just a few minutes up the road from your new home at the premier North Carolina golf community, Belmont Lake Preserve, the Imperial Centre for the Arts open up their schedule with numerous options for Art Classes in Rocky Mount for all ages.
This first part in our three part series will look specifically at the Art Classes in Rocky Mount this month at the Imperial Centre, which is located at Gay Street in the heart of downtown. For starters, those ages 12 and up that wish to catch the “acting bug,” this Spring can partake in “Intro to Acting: Auditions and Scene Study.” Described at the official site of the Imperial Centre as “the perfect class for the beginning actor or for experienced actors who want to sharpen their skills. This class will focus on how to prepare cold scenes at auditions as well as how to dissect scenes into beats and make strong choices in the audition, rehearsal, and performance process.”
Whether acting and performance art is your thing, or whether your preference is to express your creativity on canvas, the Imperial Centre has you covered with Art Classes in Rocky Mount for all. “Intro to Painting,” is another class where anyone age 13 and older can learn to “Study the language of painting.” Technique, materials, and elements of art are all topics focused on in this course, as you learn to build a better understanding of different mediums.
For those looking for some fun activities that the whole family can partake in, look no further than the Art Classes in Rocky Mount and the “Paint Together: Family Workshop.” Join the pros at the Imperial Centre and “explore the basics of painting as a family” at this workshop. Working with acrylic paints, family members will work together on a project and leave with a beautiful piece of art to hang at home as a memory of what is certain to be a fantastic day of fun together.
Yet another genre of art will be focused on at another of the Art Classes in Rocky Mount offered at the Centre, as you and family members can come out and “use their hands” as part of “Intro to Clay: Functional Wares.” A variety of items will be created at this truly, “hands-on” two session workshop and it is open to anyone age 14 and up.
The Art Classes in Rocky Mount offered up at the Imperial Centre are just a few of the fantastic things that everyone in the house hold can enjoy. For further information, ioncluding special lower rates on these courses for Rocky Mount residents, visit the Imperial Centre website here.
D.R. Horton’s Raleigh division is pleased to announce it is now selling homes in the Rocky Mount community of Belmont Lake Preserve. Offering popular single-story ranch and two-story home plans, the beautiful golf community offers resort-style amenities everyone can enjoy.
Belmont Lake Villas features four- and five-bedroom, two-story home plans ranging from 1,927 to 2,361 square feet, with prices in the high $180s to the low $200s. For customers interested in D.R. Horton’s highly sought after ranch style plans, Belmont Lake Villas Estates features single-story homes from the high $190s to the low $200s. Homes in this section of the community range from 1,588 square feet to over 2,600 and offer two to four bedrooms and two-car garages.
The community boasts an 18-hole public golf course, with a 7,000-square-foot clubhouse including a full pro shop, grille room and beautiful patio. Stay active with a state of the art fitness facility, relax by the indoor and outdoor swimming pools, or socialize in the clubhouse dining room, billiard room or many activity rooms. Nearby attractions include the historic Tar River Trails along its namesake river, stretching over 20 miles of waterways connecting the Tar River and Stony Creek.
For more information, visit www.drhorton.com/North-Carolina/Raleigh-Durham/Rocky-Mount /Belmont-Lake-Villas.
D.R. Horton, “America’s Builder,” has been building families beautiful homes in desirable locations for more than 35 years. America’s largest homebuilder for fifteen years in a row by volume, D.R. Horton has built more than 600,000 homes with quality, functionality, value and style in mind.
For more information about D.R. Horton’s Raleigh division, please visit www.drhorton.com/North-Carolina/Raleigh-Durham. Home and community information including pricing, included features, terms, availability and amenities are subject to change and prior sale at any time without notice or obligation. Square footage dimensions are approximate. D.R. Horton is an equal housing opportunity builder.
Located just minutes from the Belmont Lake Preserve new home community, at 270 Gay Street in Rocky Mount, Cummins Planetarium offers an array of fun-filled, educational special events that children of all ages and adults likewise have been enjoying since they first opened their doors in the Spring of 2006.
Upon its opening, Cummins Planetarium, which is housed inside the Imperial Centre for the Arts and Sciences building, became the very first planetarium in North Carolina to feature a full-dome video projection system. In addition to this, the incredible 30-foot dome at Cummins Planetarium sets tilted slightly forward to allow for a maximum viewing audience of up to 50 people per show.
Giving visitors both young and old a consistent and divers variety of shows, Cummins Planetarium runs four different shows monthly, with each being having a showing once daily every Tuesday-Saturday. One of the upcoming featured shows at Cummins Planetarium is called “Solar Superstorms,” which takes a dramatic look at the sun and the solar system. “The Amazing Telescope,” is also running at Cummins Planetarium and will take detail how observatories use telescopes to bring you on an exploration of some of the universe’s great mysteries including the ring’s of Saturn, the spiral structures of the galaxies, and the Galilean moons.
The two other shows at Cummins Planetarium are more specifically aimed at different age groups, with one that is sure to have the youngsters smiling from ear to ear and a second that will get the parents in the family tapping their toes and maybe even reminiscing of some great music from the past.
A can’t miss showing for the young ones this month at Cummins Planetarium is , “One World, One Sky,” is advertised as “a magical musical journey into space for families with kids ages 3-6 years old. Featuring all your children’s favorite characters from the show “Sesame Street,” this is “Big Bird’s Adventure,” and he and many of his pals take you and the kids on a fun-filled journey to the moon and back. For the older generation, “Laser Classic Rock” will bring them back to the days of stadium-sized rock and roll from the late 1960’s and 70’s as this show is set to the tunes of some of the greatest classic rockers of all time, including, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, Queen, Pink Floyd, and many more.
For more information on the other upcoming shows and special events at Cummins Planetarium for this month and the remainder of 2016, visit their website at museum.imperialcentre.org.
With two legendary tales taking center stage at the theatre at the Imperial Centre for the Arts and Science, the winter schedule for great entertainment, just up the street from your new home at Belmont Lake Preserve NC Golf Community, will continue to heat up as the temperature drops with “Pride and Prejudice,” and the holiday classic, “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”
Starting on October 26 and running through the 29th, Jane Austin’s “Pride and Prejudice is a brilliant tale of a simpler time in history. The Imperial Center home website describes the show as, “ humorous story of love and life among English gentility during the Georgian era. Mr Bennet is an English gentleman living in Hartfordshire with his overbearing wife. The Bennets 5 daughters; the beautiful Jane, the clever Elizabeth, the bookish Mary, the immature Kitty and the wild Lydia.”
Just in time for the holidays, the Winter Lineup at Imperial Centre welcome the Charles Shultz classic, “A Charlie Brown Christamas,” to the Rocky Mount stage, starting on November 30 and running until December 3. 49 years after first stealing the hearts of a nation and becoming a holiday staple on television in its near five decades of existence, the Peanuts crew will no doubt be a crowd pleaser that all ages can enjoy. The Imperial Centre Christmas Choir will also take part in this show, making this a can’t miss part of the Winter Lineup at Imperial Centre.
With these great offerings on the horizon and several familiar stage favorite already scheduled for the Spring, it is safe to say that the fantastic Winter Lineup at Imperial Centre is just the beginning, as 2018 promises to be a talented and entertaining ride for all to enjoy.
The Imperial Centre is located at 270 Gay Street in Rocky Mount. For more info on the Winter Lineup at Imperial Centre and all the other great vents coming up, visit imperialcentre.org
For all of the dog lovers and those who just would like to lend a hand to a great cause under the roof of your new home at Belmont Lake Preserve can head out to the Rocky Mount Dog Park on Saturday, November 5 and take part in Bark for Life of Nash County, and event organized by the American Cancer Society (ACS).
Much like their successful, Relay for Life program has raised millions of dollars across the United States to help save lives and for research on those who have been unfortunately stricken with cancer, Bark for Life of Nash County is a noncompetitive walk event to help with this great cause. Bring your favorite “furry friend” out to Rocky Mount Dog Park, located 480 North Lee Street in Rocky Mount at and start the day with the walk and enjoy the rest of the day with contests, games, and other demonstrations you and your dog can partake in together.
Welcoming those who are unfamiliar with the Relay for Life program or Bark for Life, the American Cancer Society explains the goal of this incredible program on their website, saying, “By supporting Bark For Life, you help the American Cancer Society save lives, and that helps us move closer to our ultimate goal of a world with less cancer and more birthdays.”
There is still time to help out with Bark for Life of Nash County as a sponsor if interested, as the generosity of the surrounding communities at these events is truly what helps to save live as the ACS also explains, “The success of the American Cancer Society’s Bark For Life depends on individuals, teams, and, of course, the generous support of our sponsors. Our lifesaving work in the fight against cancer would not be possible without the generosity of sponsoring businesses and community organizations.”
The opening ceremony for Bark for Life of Nash County begins at 9:00 a.m. and the day’s activities will run until 1:00 p.m. For further details on Bark for Life of Nash County, visit the American Cancer Society events page at acsevents.org. For specific questions or more information on the event you can also contact Bennita Dunham by phone at 252-314-5740 or via email at [email protected].
Open every Saturday through the month of November, and located conveniently at 1006 Peachtree Street, just a short drive from your new home at the Belmont Lake Preserve new home community, the freshest produce, meats, seafood, and all other local products you could imagine are available at the Rocky Mount Farmers Market.
Running each Saturday morning from 8:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m., the Rocky Mount Farmers Market gives area farmers a “storefront” in which to sell their fantastic produce and local residents can not only get their fresh items straight from the farm, but also support the hardworking members of their community in doing so.
The philosophy of the Rocky Mount Farmers Market is simply described on the official Nash County website as a place where “local farmers sell products they actually produce.” Going on it explains, “This market philosophy is consistent with long term economic development and preservation of our local farming community.”
Over the years, the Rocky Mount Farmers Market has become a tradition and somewhat of an institution on Saturday mornings, with residents enjoying not only the goods for sale, but the friendly, community feel and the social aspect of the market as well.
“This market is not just a building,” the Nash County website explains. “It’s the dynamic activity of all of the people involved in growing, harvesting, buying, selling and sometimes socializing. Shoppers come to enjoy the farmers market experience.”
Throughout the Rocky Mount Farmers Market annual schedule, which runs from April through November, they also have a variety of activities periodically that take place at the market including live music and entertainment, opportunities to tour the farms of some of the participants following the Saturday sales, and much more.
The Rocky Mount Farmers market is a great place to get in touch and support the local community and its also a great place to get some unique items and some of the most delicious, homegrown fruits, veggies, meats, and more. For more information o the market or to see some photos of some of the produce and goods you’ll find there each Saturday, vista the Rocky Mount Farmers Market Facebook page here.
One of the most anticipated and for sure tastiest annual events on the Town of Rocky Mount calendar will be returning to town for a “smokin’” good time, as just a few minutes from the Belmont Lake Preserve NC golf community, the 9th Annual Eastern Carolina BBQ Throwdown takes place on Friday and Saturday, October 7-8.
The Eastern Carolina BBQ Throwdown festivities kick off this year on Friday at noon, at 101 Coastline Street in Downtown Rocky Mount, directly in front of the Helen P. Gay Historic Rocky Mount Train Station. And the “delicious” fun on opening day goes until 8:00 p.m. Saturday morning The “Throw Down” continues and swings into full effect as will be evident by the incredible smell wafting through town from the countless BBQ pros plying their craft from 10:00 a.m until 6:00 p.m.
For those who have not yet had a “taste” of the Eastern Carolina BBQ Throwdown, it is a professional cooking competition based on the Kansas City Barbeque Society’s (KCBS) official categories, which are chicken, pork ribs, pork brisket, and beef brisket. Awards are given out annually for the Grand Champion, Reserved Grand Champion, and the People’s Choice Award, decided upon by the attendees of the tops in Fall Events in Rocky Mount. Additionally, prizes to include cash awards, trophies, and plaques will be given out to the top ten finishers in each of the above categories.
Returning for the second consecutive years on the heels of its success at last year’s Eastern Carolina BBQ Throwdown will be the 2nd Annual Home Brew Competition, as once again, local beer enthusiasts and brewers will compete on Saturday. Each entrant in this competition may submit any style beer of their choosing, and each will be judged in different categories based upon the style they enter. If the entry does not fit into one of the specific categories they still are eligible for the overall “Best in the East” award that will awarded by a panel of judges representing this events sponsor from Rocky Mount Mills.
Although the Eastern Carolina BBQ Throwdown begins at noon on Friday, and the judging will commence throughout the two-day festival, there will also be other great food and entertainment ongoing throughout. The “Kick Off Party and Concert” has become almost as much of a tradition as the ribs, chicken, brisket, and other delicious food, with great live, local music being played throughout the day. Always a family friendly event, there will also be an assortment of vendors, and kid specific activities throughout the weekend as well
The 9th Annual Eastern Carolina BBQ Throwdown is free to the public. For a full schedule of events and more information on the Eastern CarolinaBBQ Throwdown, visit their website at bbqthrowdown.net.
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