FanFare: Tunes, Talks & Whole Hog BBQ
April 10, 2025
Hi, it’s Phil Vavra, back on the hunt for the entertaining, engaging, and edible. This week, we have musical vocalizing, some early Easter fun, and honest to goodness North Carolina whole hog barbecue!
More to SHOUT! About
Charlotte SHOUT!* continues for another week with events and exhibits of art, music, food, ideas, and diversity in Uptown Charlotte through April 20th. Each year, the festival brings together internationally and locally acclaimed artists, dancers, musicians, poets, storytellers, photographers, chefs, and thought leaders. Events take place all over the city and ticket prices vary, so check the official website for full details. Many events are free! April 4-20.
Stars Shining Brightly
Join the voices of 7th Son, Vox Dominae, and Spite & Malice for The Stars Are Out, a celebration of LGBTQ+ songwriters, lyricists, and performers who have forever reshaped modern American pop and Broadway music. The program features the trailblazing works of icons like Cole Porter, Tracy Chapman, Jacob Collier, Craig Hella Johnson, Wrabel, Benj Pasek, Toderick Hall, Brendon Urie, Miley Cyrus, and Janelle Monáe. The Long Room, 1111 Central Avenue, Charlotte. April 11-12.
Join the Party
One of the first live music experiences I had in North Carolina was a Tosco Music Party. Back then, it was held at the Great Aunt Stella Center in uptown Charlotte, and I went into it without knowing a thing about this unique, intergenerational event. By the end of the night, I was hooked.
If you’ve never experienced a Tosco Music Party, get yourself over to Knight Theater (430 S. Tryon Street, Charlotte) on Saturday, April 12. You’ll hear a dozen local, regional, and national acts performing a wide range of musical genres. And they’ll hear you because the party includes singalongs led by John Tosco and the TMP House Band & Singalong Choir. There’s a group discount when you buy 6 or more tickets at once so bring the whole family and maybe a few neighbors. Use the code: GROUP20. Saturday, April 12, 7:30 p.m.
The Future of Film
Celebrating its 27th year, the RiverRun International Film Festival has announced the official 2025 lineup. With almost 2,000 entries submitted this year, the festival will showcase 175 films representing 33 countries. You could be seeing the work of a Hollywood star in the making. The slate features full-length narrative films, documentaries, animated shorts, and even a few from the archive. When was the last you saw Blue Velvet and The Wizard of Oz in a theater?
Screenings are scheduled at venues across the Triad, including Hanesbrands Theatre, Kilpatrick, Marketplace Cinemas, Reynolds Place Theatre, and UNCSA in Winston-Salem, as well as RED Cinemas in Greensboro. Tickets to individual screenings and festival ticket samplers are available now. April 11-19.
Hopping on the Bunny Train
When my now-grown sons were little, they were obsessed with machines that moved. Cars, trucks, planes, trains, boats, bikes, you name it. As a result, we spent a lot of time at the North Carolina Transportation Museum in Spencer. Every now and then, the museum would host a special event involving a train ride and my young sons’ minds would be blown. I miss those days.
Thankfully, the North Carolina Transportation Museum is still delighting families with their moving exhibits and events, including their four-day Easter-themed “eggstravaganza.” There are plenty of fun activities, including a hop down the Bunny Trail with a take-home treat at the last stop, model trains, inflatable games, photos with the Easter Bunny, and a 25-minute train ride aboard the Easter Bunny Express through the 60-acre museum site. Tickets include full access to the museum grounds and exhibit buildings. April 12-13, 18-19.
Hogs, Haggis, and Holes-in-One
The NC Whole Hog BBQ Competition heads to McDuffie Square in downtown Laurinburg, North Carolina, as part of Suds & Swine. The two-day festival features live music, beer trucks, and all manner of porky goodness. April 11-12.
The 2025 Loch Norman Highland Games and Scottish Festival are set for this weekend at Historic Rural Hill (4431 Neck Road) in Huntersville, North Carolina. The 31st edition includes traditional Scottish music and dance performances, athletic competitions, Scottish food trucks (haggis, anyone?), Celtic vendors, historical reenactments, and presentations about Scottish history and culture. April 12-13.
And just outside the Carolinas, but close enough, the 2025 Masters golf tournament takes place this week in Augusta, Georgia, and plenty of Charlotte-area fans will make the three-hour drive. As the crown jewel of the four majors in the PGA, tickets aren’t cheap. However, the concessions are surprisingly affordable, and the prices rarely change. Here’s the 2024 menu:
- Egg Salad: $1.50
- Pimento Cheese: $1.50
- Masters Club: $3
- Chicken Salad on Honey Wheat: $3
- Ham/Cheese on Rye: $3
- Classic Chicken: $3
- Domestic Beer: $6
- Import Beer: $6
Apparently, the folks at Augusta National Golf Club didn’t get the memo that everything is supposed to be ridiculously expensive now. Let’s not tell them! April 10-13.
Check back next week for more sounds, sights, and bites. And don’t forget that new things are always showing up on the WDAV Events Calendar.
*Disclosure: Charlotte SHOUT! (Center City Partners) is a WDAV underwriter.
