Fayetteville welcomes a hot, young performer and former U.S. Marine who honed his skills on the American Idol stage by the name of Josh Gracin this Saturday at the Villages Amphitheater. Gracin is no stranger to success as he is one of only three solo country artists in recent years to release a debut album with three consecutive Top 5 country hits. He’s also one of only three new male country singers to be introduced in the last few years to earn a gold album, and Gracin’s self-titled debut is quickly edging in on platinum status.

Bring the family out to The Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater on June 20 to enjoy free movie entertainment under the stars sponsored by Dolce Hotels and Resorts and Dixieland Fun Park.

Backyard KidsTheatre announces their production of the classic “Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella.” 

“Cinderella” is entirely creatively directed and performed by students, largely middle-school aged.  Although the directors, musicians, cast, crew, costume advisor, choreographers, etc. are all youth aged 7-17, audiences will be amazed at the talent.  Directed by 8th grader Chase Thomaston, music directed by Stephanie Earle, and starring Paige McCauley as Cinderella,

The performance will be held June 13 at 7 p.m., and June 14 at 3 p.m. at Heritage Christian Church in Fayetteville.  Tickets can be purchased for $8 from www.brownpapertickets.com/event/64423 (for early seating) or at the door.  

The public is invited to come aboard a WC-130J Hurricane Hunter Aircraft and meet the crew members who fly into hurricanes on Saturday, June 13 from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. . In recognition of “Hurricane Awareness” and kick off of the 2009 Hurricane Season, the National Weather Service office in Peachtree City is teaming up with the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron to bring a heightened awareness of inland tropical storm threats. The National Weather Service Office will also host an “Open House” to give area residents a chance to learn more about forecasts and warnings. In addition to learning about the various hazards, the public will be informed on how to monitor the tropics, track storms, receive warnings and take actions to protect life and property. The Red Cross and various Emergency Management agencies will be invited to participate in the event.

The Fayette County Public Library welcomes teens seeking shelter from summer heat and vacation boredom, with a wide variety of things to do for ages 12 to 18 during the hot summer months of June and July. The theme for the 2009 Summer Reading Program for teens and adults is “Express Yourself @ Your Library.” Accordingly, this summer is chock-full of hands-on opportunities for creative expression. As always, the summer reading program also offers teens the chance to have fun reading and earn prizes for what they read.

The Victorian Adventures History Day Camp will be offered at Southern Oaks again this summer, on a limited basis: two days per week, for three weeks.

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Let me begin by saying that Pixar always impresses me even if it is in a small way. Their unique ideas (I.E rats that want to cook, toys that move around and speak when no humans are present) are always totally original and usually hilarious. However, Pixar’s last film, Wall-E, was in my opinion more aimed at adults and environmental groups then kids. But Pixar came back and gave us Up, an action comedy with heart. It is also the 2nd Pixar film to be rated PG. The first was The Incredibles back in 2004.

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While most of the big summer movies involve a heavy amount of special effects or computer animation, a few times a summer a comedy sneaks up, grabs the attention of audiences and tickles their funny bones. In recent years, the big comedies seem to all have connections to Judd Apatow and his crew. Todd Phillips (‘Old School,’ ‘Road Trip’) struck first this summer with ‘The Hangover,’ an entertaining film about a bachelor party in Las Vegas gone horribly wrong.

The Fred, Peachtree City’s premier 2,500 seat outdoor amphitheater, continues the Lexus of South Atlanta Summer Concert Series on June 5th and 6th with country music super-star LeAnn Rimes. Tickets are still available and may be purchased at the Fred Box Office (770-631-0630) or by ordering online at www.amphitheater.org.

Always mature beyond her age, the 13-year-old girl with the Patsy Cline twang earned two Grammy Awards for Blue, her 1996 major label debut.

Multi-talented Atlanta author Phillip DePoy returns to the Fayette County Public Library on Saturday, May 30 at 1 p.m. to read from and talk about his new novel, “The King James Conspiracy.” Copies of the book will be available for sale at the event, with proceeds benefiting the Friends of the Fayette County Public Library. The program is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served, compliments of the Friends of the Fayette County Public Library.

BlazeSports America, in collaboration with Leg's Don't Work.com, will host exciting competition at the 2009 Run/Roll Tennis Challenge on Saturday May 23 at The Peachtree Tennis Center in Peachtree City, Georgia.   Match play begins at 9:00am and ends 7:00pm, rain or shine.

Senoia’s 4th annual Memorial Day Celebration and Festival begins at 10 a.m. on Monday, May 25th in historic downtown Senoia.

Newnan Community Theatre Company’s 2009 Season continues on May 22 with the opening of the musical comedy “Lucky Stiff.” Lonely shoe salesman Harry Witherspoon (portrayed by NCTC newcomer Robbie Kirkland) finds out he has inherited $6 million from a distant uncle he’s never met. Of course there’s a catch – he must take his dead uncle (portrayed by John Chappell, the lucky stiff) on one last adventure to Monte Carlo.

Focuses on Americans’ Sacrifices Throughout U.S. History

With the theme “Our Shared American Heritage: Let Freedom Ring” the 11th Annual Peachtree City Memorial Day remembrance will highlight sacrifices Americans have made throughout the country’s history

Most one-man shows are monologues espousing the author’s core beliefs. However, this is not what Newnan Community Theatre Company’s first one man show is. What it is is a hilarious comedy written by Becky Mode. On May 15 and 16, Trey Stephens will star in “Fully Committed.”

 Offshoot Productions’ company-developed Who? What? Where? has been greeted by enthusiastic audiences as this new participation show tours metro-Atlanta schools, camps and libraries. Teachers and parents have appreciated the production’s humor and clarity in exploring and comparing the art of storytelling and the art of acting, while children have responded to the opportunity to participate and to provide key elements in the scenes.

This is one of the Fayetteville’s biggest weekends of the year. Not only can area residents check out the annual Old Courthouse Art Show and sample some of the best food in the area with the annual Taste of Fayette event, but the Holliday-Dorsey-Fife Museum will present “A Taste of Living History” and there will be two big concerts to get people up and moving.

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‘Star Trek’ comes with a lot of baggage. Not the new movie, necessarily, but the entire universe. It can be exhausting and more than a little off putting to consider the numerous television programs, movies, novels, fan created webisodes, conventions, etc. that tend to bog this series down. For a lot of people, it seemed like they had missed the ‘Star Trek’ bus and it wasn’t going where they wanted to go anyway.

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My colleague Mike Boylan is also reviewing this film, so I’ll tell you all the things he may not. I have not been introduced to the Star Trek franchise until now, and I thought it was so far one of the best action films this year! It’s not driven by computer animation, and it has some very good acting in it. To tell you the truth, I was a true cynic about the film since it looked very different, but now I am a true fan.

The Southern Crescent Chorale makes its sixth appearance at the Villages Amphitheater with a rollicking evening of Big Band music. The seventy voice choir will fill the evening air with the swinging sounds of Big Band music from the 1940s through music of today. A special feature of this concert will be the seventeen piece big band Night Train who will not only accompany the Chorale but will also play many great tunes featuring soloist Tony Winston.

Due to popularity, Newnan Community Theatre Company's improvisational troupe, the NITWITS, have added a Friday evening performance along with their usual Saturday show.

If you are intested in acting or directing, The Newnan Community Theatre Company will be offering classes this summer to help you with those skills.

Looking for an inexpensive night of great entertainment and fun? The Fred will showcase local bands, musicians and even comedy on Saturday, May 9 beginning at 7 p.m. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. and the “ticket” for the night is a Fred wrist band that may be purchased for $5 in advance or $10 the night of the show at the box office.

Are they country or rock and roll? The fans of the Marshall Tucker Band don’t care either way. Known for such classic hits as “Desert Skies” and “Can’t You See,” the Marshall Tucker Band has been entertaining audiences around the world for over 30 years. The band, originally from Spartanburg, S.C., earned seven gold and three platinum albums and have found themselves with hits on Billboard’s rock, country and gospel charts at different times during their career.

Crossroads Christian School and Tyrone First Baptist Church are sponsoring a Free 2 Hour Self-Defense Seminar this Saturday May 9 at 1 p.m.

Southside Theatre Guild has staged some terrific comedies in the past and many of the more farcical shows they have presented have been set in England with a very British sense of humor. Their current production, “Whose Wives Are They Anyway” is considered an American farce and the author is a British playwright who wanted to set a farcical show in the states with an American brand of humor.

Mark your calendars for Saturday, May 2 for the Fayette County Master Gardener Association 2009 Spring Garden Tour and Plant Sale. Six gardens will be open for your enjoyment from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

“Darius Goes West,” an award-winning documentary, tells the story of Darius Weems, a young man from Athens, Ga. who had a dream of being featured on MTV’s hit show, “Pimp My Ride”. Raising awareness for the disease that has taken over his physical abilities, Duchene’s Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), Weems dreamt of creating a more loving, compassionate world by making younger generations aware of the debilitating disease that has affected one in every 3,500 births; thus, he and 11 of his closest friends set out on a three-and-a-half week, 7,000-mile journey from the hometown that Weems had never left across the country to MTV’s Los Angeles studios.

Drake Field, located between City Hall and Lake Peachtree in Peachtree City, will be abuzz with activity Saturday as a host of activities are planned to commemorate Earth Day.

This weekend several celebrations of Confederate Memorial Day will take place.

On Saturday, April 25, the Frankie Lyle Chapter #2074 United Daughters of the Confederacy, whose members are from Fayette, Clayton and Coweta counties, will hold a brief ceremony at the Patrick Cleburne Cemetery in Jonesboro at 3 p.m.