What You'll Do: March 19-21

By WYDaily Staff Thursday, March 18, 2010

We're doing things a little differently this week to help you get a jump on the weekend's diversions. What You'll Do is popping up on Thursday instead of Friday, which we hope will give you ample opportunity to plan your escape from home duties, whether that means you'll be bugging out of chores or just rewarding yourself for chores well done.

We don't claim to know all that's going on in the Triangle, so share other don't-miss events in the comments. And feel free to use our free, interactive calendar on WYDaily that's called Talk of the Town. You post your events on it, everybody can read it, everyone has fun. Couldn't be easier.

And we thought it was just Marian, Madame Librarian
But no, that's not the only famous librarian on the silver screen. To celebrate the Williamsburg Regional Library's 100th anniversary the Thursday Afternoon Film Series is showing movies this month that feature librarians. Today at 2 p.m., it's "Weird Woman," a 1944 'B' thriller where "a professor finds himself caught between his voodoo practicing wife and a jealous college librarian. It stars Lon Chaney, Jr., Anne Gwynne and Evelyn Ankers and sounds like the perfect antidote to a week of Mondays, which is what we seem to be having. Marian, btw, is on the screen next Thursday when "The Music Man" is featured. Click here for details.

H.S. thespians take on Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
This is a great play - singing, dancing, funny bits - and you can see Lafayette High School students' interpretation of the classic this weekend at LHS. Showtimes are Thursday and Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and also at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $8 for students, $10 for adults. Get details right here.

Third Thursday means Arts Cafe at Pfac
Arts Cafe offers Peninsula Fine Arts Center patrons the chance to mix, mingle and enjoy the current exhibits while some musical entertainment performs. This Thursday is the third, and it features the acoustic duo of Susan & Lloyd, who perform covers of classic rock tunes as well as original Americana and folk music. There's also an open mic poetry experience at 6 p.m., so bring a favorite poem to share. The current exhibit features Williamsburg architect and artist Carlton Abbott. Click here for details.

Find a spot in your yard for ferns
Speaking from firsthand experience here, you would likely be very surprised to see how hardy these delicate-in-appearance plants are. So head over to York County Extension Agent (and gardening guru) Jim Orband's talk on ferns and their use in the landscape at Thursday's meeting of the John Clayton Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society. It's at the York County Library. Get details right here.

Break the bunko record this weekend at W&M
The Kingsmill Bunko Ladies and Friends will host their third annual Bunko Tournament for Breast Health Awareness on Saturday, March 20 at 7 p.m. at William & Mary’s Sadler University Center. The event benefits Beyond Boobs! Inc. and Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and is going for the “World’s Largest Bunko Tournament” Guinness Record. It's not just bunko, but a raffle and silent auction with donations from many local businesses, including spa treatments, luggage, beautiful jewelry, restaurant gift certificates, rounds of tennis and golf, a weekend rendezvous at King’s Creek Plantation, tooth whitening services and much more. Click here for details, including ticket into. Questions? Email KMBunko@yahoo.com Walk-ins accepted on a space available-basis, and no Bunko (dice game) experience necessary!

Women's History Month at the Christian Science Reading Room
The Reading Room is open Monday through Saturday almost always, but March is Women's History Month and it's a good time to explore the life of Church of Christ, Scientist founder Mary Baker Eddy. Staff members can lead visitors through the Reading Room, library and bookstore. It's all free. Click here for details.

Astronomical discoveries to delight
The curator of the very cool traveling exhibit "Visions of the Universe: Four Centuries of Discovery" that's been at the James City County Library will be in town Friday. At 7 p.m. he'll talk about selected events in astronomical history that have transformed - and continue to shape - our views of the universe. It's a free talk, and one curator Dr. Frank Summers will be giving at selected locations across the country. Don't miss it if you have any interest in the world beyond ours. Get details right here.

Let the beat control your passion for PASHN at the WM Dance Marathon
It all starts Friday at 8 p.m. at the W&M Rec Center on campus. It's free to get in to watch, and $5 per dancer, $50 per team. This is a huge benefit for PASHN, Parents and Advocates for Special Housing Needs. They're a nonprofit established in 2007 to provide housing options for disabled adults who desire to live independently. With state support waning, PASHN's goal is more immediate than ever. They have a partnership with Presbyterian Homes and Family Services and proceeds from the W&M fun will go toward making the first residence a reality. Click here for details.

Ukranian egg decorating workshop
If you like crafts and haven't tried this artform that dates to primitive times, make your reservation now for the Virginia Living Museum's workshop. It's all day Saturday, March 20, at the VLM. Click here for details.

Run for Ali on Saturday
The Sixth Annual Ali's Run 5K, which you are also welcome to walk, is Saturday at the College of William and Mary Law School. Registration is $20 and begins at 9 a.m., the race starts at 10 a.m. and the event benefits the Alan Bukzin Memorial Bone Marrow Drive. Click here for details and info about Alison Ruth Kaplan, the "Ali" in whose memory this race is run.

An important local Civil War battle you may not know about
Civil War history is an important part of our region's history and Sunday offers a chance to learn more about it. The New Kent County Historic Commission sponsors a free public lecture at 2 p.m. in the New Kent Middle School auditorium. The topic: The Battle of Eltham's Landing, which took place in May 1862 off the shore of the York River in New Kent. It's a little-known battle that became pivotal in the conflict between Union and Confederate forces. Click here for details.