The Old Courthouse Theater has a reputation for bringing the best national shows to downtown Concord. "Nunsense" is no exception. The show has won numerous awards, including Best Off-Broadway Musical.

Nunsense begins when the nuns at the Little Sisters of Hoboken convent learn that their cook, Sister Julia, Child of God, has accidentally poisoned 52 of the sisters. The nuns need funds for the burials and decide to host a variety show as a fundraiser. Set in a school auditorium, the fundraiser includes tap dancing nuns, ballerinas in habits, audience quizzes and general hilarity.

The show has become an international sensation. First performed on the stages of New York, its run has grown to include 5,000 productions worldwide and has been translated into 21 languages. The latest version of the play was written by Dan Goggin and includes more jokes, additional lyrics and new arrangements to bring even more hilarity to the original show.

Performances are held at 8 p.m. February 26-27 and February 28 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and $10 for children. The Old Courthouse Theater is located at 49 Spring St. NW in Concord. For more information, go to www.oldcourthousetheatre.org or call 704-788-2405.

By Jodi Helmer

You’ll never find “lose 10 pounds” or “save for retirement” among my list of New Years resolutions. Instead, I make resolutions to paint the bedroom, install ceramic tile in the bathroom and landscape the backyard. I’m hoping the Greater Charlotte Home & Landscape Show can help me keep those resolutions.

The 6th annual event runs from January 29 to 31 at the Cabarrus Arena and Events Center in Concord. The three-day event features the best innovations in home and garden products, seminars, demonstrations and hundreds of exhibitors who are available to showcase their products and answer questions.

Brian Santos, “The Wall Wizard” from HGTV, will present workshops on painting techniques and faux finishes like sponging, ragging and leathering and Master Gardeners will offer seminars on saving seeds and growing lush lawns.

The show is the best place in the metro region to get inspired. The arena is packed with stunning landscape vignettes that were designed to get visitors thinking about choosing plants, building decks and changing their landscape this spring. It’s also a perfect place to learn about the latest trends in home and landscape design.

The show runs from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. on January 29, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on January 30 and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on January 31. Admission is $7.50 for adults (children 16 and under are free). Seniors and active members of the military receive $1 off admission. Parking is free. For more information, call 704-920-3976 or click here.

By Jodi Helmer

Is the name Mike Curb familiar? No? It should be. Even though Curb isn’t a household name, his influence on the music business can be felt around the globe.

Curb has been named The Billboard Producer of the Year, has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and has worked with the likes of Hank Williams Jr. and Roy Orbison. He is a musical powerhouse. He’s also a major racing enthusiast and has owned cars driven by NASCAR legends Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty.

The Curb Museum of Music & Motorsports combines Curb’s two loves: music and motorsports. The centerpiece is the car Earnhardt drove during his Winston Cup Championship in 1980. The 20,000 square foot museum also houses the Pontiac Grand Prix that Richard Petty drove across the finish line for his 199th Winston Cup win in 1984 and a 1995 black Dodge Viper that was the first car owned by country superstar LeeAnn Rimes as well as gold records, autographed posters of country and pop superstars and hundreds of photos.

It’s worth the trip to Concord to check out the museum. You’ll be surprised at the number of famous names that appear within its walls and the impressive collection of memorabilia that Curb has amassed.

The museum is located at 218 Chestnut St., in Concord. Admission is free. For more information, call 704-938-6121.

By Jodi Helmer

You’ll have to make a lengthy road trip to get to the closest zoo (it’s in Asheboro), but that doesn’t mean there isn’t wildlife to be spotted close to home.

Lazy 5 Ranch is an exotic animal park located in Mooresville, just 20 minutes from Concord. The park has a 3.5-mile trail that winds through various wildlife habitats. The park is home to 750 animals from six different continents, including zebras, water buffalo, giraffes, rhinos and more emus and antelope than you’ve ever seen.

You can drive through the park, or take a wagon ride, to see the animals. Park the car to explore the petting area where camels, llamas, goats and sheep are waiting to be fed. Actually, all of the animals are waiting to be fed: Buckets of feed can be purchased at the gate and fed to the animals throughout the park. But be careful: The emus, zebras and antelope aren’t afraid to stick their heads in your car for a bite!

Lazy 5 Ranch is located at 151100 Mooresville Rd., in Mooresville. Admission is $8.50 for adults, $5.50 for seniors (60+) and children (2-11). Wagon rides are extra. Animal feed is $3/bucket. CASH OR CHECKS ONLY! No debit or credit cards. For more information, call 704-663-5100 or go to www.lazy5ranch.com.

By Jodi Helmer

There is just one thing I love more than spending time in art galleries: Hearing artists speak about their work. I’ll have a chance to do both, starting this week.

The Cabarrus Art Guild is offering art lovers the unique chance to hear artist Alison Overton speak about her work on January 14 from 7 to 8 p.m. Overton, a North Carolina native whose photos have been exhibited at galleries and universities around the U.S., will discuss the inspirations for her photos and how she approaches her work.

The event kicks off the new exhibit at the Arts Council Galleries, All in the Approach, which runs from January 19 to March 13, 2010. The exhibit features the work of 15 artists, including Chris Craft, Tim Turner, Jennifer Kincaid and Susan Brenner, who work in a number of different mediums. The overall theme — using abstraction, allegory and analysis to approach art — ties the exhibit together.

The Arts Council Galleries are located at 65 Union Street South in historic downtown Concord. The event is free. For more information, call 704-920-2787 or go to www.cabarrusartscouncil.org.

By Jodi Helmer

 

Your New Years Eve celebration probably involved sipping champagne and staying up until midnight to watch the ball drop. The passing of another year hasn’t always been marked with champagne toasts and noisemakers. The Cabarrus County Parks & Recreation department is hosting an event that honors a more traditional New Years celebration.

Native American New Year was created to introduce families to the traditional celebrations hosted by Native American tribes. Spend the afternoon of January 9 at Camp T.N. Spencer Park learning about Native American cultural traditions. From 1 to 2 p.m., children ages 5 to 12 will play traditional games and plant seeds in honor of Native American bean planting festivals. Once the event is over, explore the walking trails, fishing ponds and boardwalk in the 50-acre park. It’s a perfect family activity to kick off 2010.

Camp T.N. Spencer Park is located at 3155 Foxford Road in Concord. For more information, call 704-795-4492 or go to www.cabarruscounty.us.

By Jodi Helmer

One of the best New Year’s Eve parties I ever attended started off with an interrogation. We asked pointed questions of each partygoer — “Where were you last night?” and “Did you have a reason for wanting her dead?” — in an attempt to solve a murder mystery.

You can try to figure out whodunit at a New Year’s Eve murder mystery hosted by the Old Courthouse Theatre. The Annual New Year’s Eve Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre & Silent Auction takes place on December 31 from 8 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Tickets are $75 per person.

During the course of the evening, you’ll be introduced to a Shakespearean actor with a drinking problem, a bimbo with a short memory and a washed-up former child star who will each try to convince you that they are not the murderers. While you try to figure out who did commit the crime, you’ll have a chance to enjoy dinner and dancing as well as champagne and party favors at midnight. There is also a silent auction where you can bid on tons of great items.

The annual murder mystery event is the main fundraiser for the Old Courthouse Theatre. To reserve your spot, call the box office at 704-788-2405. Click here for more information. Space is limited. The reservation deadline is December 29.

By Jodi Helmer

There is nothing quite like a holiday light display to put you in the Christmas spirit. And there is no better place to see holiday lights than McAdenville, North Carolina.

The town of McAdenville is just 30 minutes from Cabarrus County and has been dubbed Christmas Town USA for its annual light display. Homes in the picturesque town are decorated with thousands of twinkling lights, festive lawn ornaments and yards of the prettiest garlands and bows.

McAdenville has been hosting the annual holiday spectacular for 54 years! The lights are switched on from 5:30 - 9:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 5:30 - 11 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday from December 1-26. The colorful displays transform the town into a sight that belongs on the front of a holiday postcard.

The best way to see the lights is to park in one of the designated lots and walk along the city streets taking in the twinkling holiday spectacular. Of course, driving through town is also an option. Just remember, Christmas Town USA is one of the most popular attractions in North Carolina during the holidays so be prepared to move very slowly. It’s definitely worth the wait.

For more information, including directions, click here.

By Jodi Helmer

It’s probably not going to be a white Christmas in Cabarrus County. Since it hardly ever snows in the South, Great Wolf Lodge has decided to bring a touch of the North Pole to Concord.

Snowland transforms Great Wolf Lodge into a winter wonderland complete with snowflakes, icebergs, holiday trees and twinkling lights. The annual event runs through December 25 and includes holiday story time and a Writing Depot where kids can write, decorate and mail letters to Santa. There is also a special Polar Wolf Walk that takes little ones on a winter hike to see polar bears and penguins and a Toy Creation Station where guests can make toys just like the elves in the North Pole. It’s called Snowland for a reason: Real snow falls from the sky three times a day during the snow show.

Don’t let the icebergs fool you. It’s never too cold to swim at Great Wolf Lodge. Frolic among snowflakes and splash pools in the largest indoor water park in North America.

Rates start at $189.95/night. Use the promo code SNOWLAND when booking your stay at Great Wolf Lodge to get special room rates. For more information, go to www.greatwolf.com/concord.

By Jodi Helmer

Christmas means just one thing in Tuna, Texas: It’s time for the annual Christmas Yard Display Contest. The competition is heated: Vera Carp is hoping to take home the prize for the 15th year in a row and Joe Bob might not be able to compete because of unpaid electric bills. To complicate matters, a Christmas Phantom has been vandalizing the yard displays.

Tuna might be the third smallest town in Texas but hijinks are larger than life - and they’re all being reported by radio personalities Thurston Wheelis and Aries Struvie on OKKK radio.

A Tuna Christmas was written by Ed Howard, Joe Sears and Jaston Williams as a sequel to their award-winning comedy, Greater Tuna. A hilarious take on small-town Southern life, the play has been performed for audiences around the country, including a performance at the White House for former president George H.W. Bush.

The family-friendly performance is a perfect way to start the holiday season with a laugh. According to a review published in USA Today, “Its slyness and affection have made A Tuna Christmas a viable alternative to A Christmas Carol.”

Performances are held at 8 p.m. on December 3-5 and December 10-12 and at 2:30 p.m. on December 6 and 13. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and $10 for children. The Old Courthouse Theater is located at 49 Spring St. NW in Concord. For more information, go to www.oldcourthousetheatre.org or call 704-788-2405.