Thursday, Apr. 09, 2009

Bargain tickets available for ‘Bob the Builder’

I know that a lot of families are struggling, and so does the RiverCenter for the Performing Arts.

If you have kids who love “Bob the Builder,” we have some good news.

The show, “Spud’s Big Mess,” will be in the Bill Heard Theatre at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on April 28.

Tickets are $17-$32, and if you get the tickets in the RiverCenter box office, you can buy one and get one free.

It’s too bad my great-nephew Elijah doesn’t live here. I know he’d love to see this show.

In this musical that features 10 original songs, Bob and the Can-Do crew are building the first recycling center and wind farm in Sunflower Valley. But some items go missing and then some of the crew members disappear. The rest have to figure out how to finish the project and find their friends.

During the 90-minute show, the crew goes on a adventure that promotes caring for the environment, recycling, teamwork, cooperation and the importance of having a can-do spirit.

Bob and his crew always demonstrate the power of positive thinking, problem solving, teamwork and follow-through.

Bob’s crew includes Scoop, Dizzy, Lofty and Scrambler, and his friends, Spud, Farmer Pickles and Mayor Bentley from Sunflower Valley.

I have never seen a single episode of “Bob the Builder” and assumed that Spud was a dog. He’s not. He’s a scarecrow.

Call 706-256-3612.

Top outdoor event

A few years ago, Ellen Gay McEwen and her mother, Joann Gay Fischer, came to visit me. I’d been talking on the phone for years with Ellen, who was in charge of the Cotton Pickin’ Fair in Gay, Ga. (And yes, the town is named after their family.)

I’d been to the Cotton Pickin’ Fair many times, but never knew how it got started.

Back in 1971, Joann Gay Fischer awoke her late husband William Gay and told him that she wanted to start a fair. Groggily, he asked, “An affair?”

“No, a fair,” she replied.

He thought it was a great idea.

In the spring of 1972, the first Cotton Pickin’ Fair began. The first festival had about 50 arts and crafts and food vendors on one block of downtown Gay.

Today, the fair has grown to more than 300 vendors on eight acres and two weekends a year — the first weekend of May and in October.

This year, the Southeast Tourism Society has named the fair one of the Top 20 Events in the Southeastern United States monthly listing.

The 70th edition (though in its 38th year) of the Cotton Pickin’ Fair is 8 a.m.-5 p.m. May 2-3.

Tickets are $5, $3 for children 4-12, children 3 and younger get in free. Call 706-538-6814 or go to www.cpfair.org