Best Bets | Oct. 9, 2009

Friday, Oct. 9

Rock Hill Community Theatre's production of “Moonlight and Magnolias” opens at 8 p.m. at 240 E. Black St. in Rock Hill. The show, a behind-the-scenes look at how “Gone with the Wind” became a movie, also runs Saturday, Sunday and next weekend. For ticket and reservation information, call 803-324-2578 or go to www.rockhilltheatre.org.

Mike Compton and Joe Newberry will perform bluegrass and old-time music at 7:30 p.m. at the Great Aunt Stella Center, 926 Elizabeth Ave. in Charlotte. The show, presented by the Charlotte Folk Society, is free, but donations are appreciated. Doors open at 7 p.m.

“Be our guest” as The Children's Theatre of Charlotte's performs Disney's “Beauty and the Beast” at the McColl Family Theatre. Tickets cost $18 to $24. For more information, call 704-973-2828 or go to www.ctcharlotte.org

Saturday, Oct. 10

Art on Main returns to downtown Fort Mill from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The fine art and master craft festival will include items for sales, local entertainment and food vendors. To go www.fortmillartonmain.com for more information.

Five Times August will perform at 8 p.m. in the Dinkins ATS Café at Winthrop University. Tickets cost $5 with a Winthrop I.D. and $10 for the general public. Go to www.fivetimesaugust.com for more information.

The 16th annual Carolina Renaissance Festival kicks off its two months of entertainment, feasting and games. Step back in time and enjoy more than 22 acres of fun with 10 stages of non-stop entertainment, a tournament arena for jousting, an open-air market with 100 artisan shops, kitchens and pubs, games of skill and the people-powered rides. For more event information, call 877-896-5544, or go to RenFestInfo.com.

Nationally known silhouette artist Clay Rice will appear at the South Carolina State Museum to sign copies of his new children's book, “The Lonely Shadow.” Using the elegant black and white silhouette tradition, Rice has blended it with a colorful world in a story of friendship between a lonely shadow and a little boy. Twenty-three original illustrations from the book are on display until March 7 at the museum, alongside Rice's large steel sculpture “Lowcountry Sunrise,” commissioned and acquired by the museum in 2007. For more information, visit www.southcarolinastatemuseum.org or call (803) 898-4968.

Sunday, Oct. 11

Take part in some spooky fun for the little ones at Carowinds Howl-O-Fest's Boo Blast from noon to 5 p.m. The daytime Halloween event includes a hay bale maze, foam zone, costume parade, puppet show and more.

The Carolina Panthers return from the bye week at 1 p.m. at Bank of America stadium in Charlotte to take on the Washington Redskins. Can the Cardiac Cats get their first win?

Catch the last performance of a dramatic-comic play from Winthrop students about Charlie Brown's teen years at 2 p.m. at Johnson Theatre. Senior theater major David Hutto Jr. and a student cast and crew will explore the radically altered lives of “Peanuts” characters in their production of Bert V. Royal's “Dog Sees God.” Tickets cost $5 with a Winthrop I.D. and $10 without. Call 803-323-4014 or e-mail boxoffice@winthrop.edu for more information.

Monday, Oct. 12

It is Columbus Day – a time to honor Christopher Columbus' arrival in the Americas.

Celebrate all things Italian at Festa Italiana from 3 to 9 p.m. at Augello's Coffeehouse and Delicatessen, 140 E. Main St., downtown Rock Hill. Admission is free; food will be available for purchase. There will be live music; dancing, children's activities.

Tuesday, Oct. 13

The Our Natural World Book Club will meet at 6:30 p.m. at the Fort Mill Public Library to discuss “A History of the World in Six Glasses” by Tom Standage. The group, in conjunction with the Culture and Heritage Museum, picks books that connect readers with nature through our food.

Fall in love again with Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds (and Betty White, who steals all her scenes) as the romantic comedy “The Proposal” comes out on DVD.