Shockingly enough, we are at the start a new month. It seems like this happens every few weeks now. This particular month kicks off with two big events that irritate the piss out of me, so we will largely ignore them, but aside from those, there is still plenty of STUFF TO DO in Charleston and all over the Mountain State and beyond as we avoid fake holidays based on unfunny puns and giant celebrations of animal cruelty.

As I have been copying and pasting of late, this a good time to remind you that THIS IS NOT A COMPLETE LIST OF EVENTS.  It’s just a starting point, so don’t expect anything comprehensive, and if you feel strongly about me leaving anything out, feel free to mention it in the comments.

The Bridge Road Bistro is closing this weekend, and our old friend, Brian Diller will be there Saturday to provide the music for their closing night of this Charleston  restaurant institution. The msuic begins at 6PM, and Brian will be like a one man dance band on the Titanic…only the restaurant isn’t sinking or anything.

We have dueling model railroading events this weekend. The KVRA Model Train and Craft Show happens 10 AM. to 6 PM Saturday and 10 AM to 4 PM Sunday at the Charleston Coliseum. Tickets are $6 for adults, children 12 and younger admitted free. For more information, visit The KVRA website. We’ll probably be there to shoot some video on Sunday.

Meanwhile, in Saint Albans, The Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Society will be showing off their new O Scale layout at the Historic Saint Albans Depot at 400 4th Avenue. Visitors can see the progress being made on the operating layout and new interpretive museum constructed inside the one-of-a-kind depot. Visitors can also take home books for $1 or own a unique piece of history with the Blenko Glass Company suncatchers manufactured in Cobalt Blue to represent St. Albans Junior High School. In addition, other railroad books and memorabilia will be available in support of the St. Albans Depot. The first Saturday of each month, the Depot will be open to the public from 10 AM to 2 PM so folks can see the progress on the layout and the museum.

Live Music is on tap at Taylor Books. There is no cover charge, and shows start at 7:30 PM.  Friday it’s Shawn Benfield. Saturday Brandon Costello takes the stage at the beloved bookstore/cafe/art gallery, before running a couple of blocks to play as part of the Mountain State Music show.

The World Famous Empty Glass Cafe has some great stuff this week  to tell you about.   Thursday at 5:30 PM the Helping Hour with Swingstein & Robin makes the world a better place with music. Later Thursday, at 9:30 PM, James Vernon Brown will play a few tunes.  Friday, Tim Courts plays during happy hour.  Look below for graphics for additional shows at The Empty Glass.

Please remember that the pandemic is still not entirely over yet. It’s a going concern with the ‘rona still lurking about. And now there are nasty seasonal allergies, fans of a certain movie spewing a certain awful pun, people who enjoy torturning animals while wearing dumb hats and getting drunk, death metal cicadas and other damned good reasons to be careful. Many people who have very good reasons are still wearing masks, and many of us, understandably, are still nervous about being in crowds, masked or not. Be kind and understanding  while you’re out.

Keep in mind that all shows are subject to change or be cancelled at the last minute.

Because we have so many of these this week, we’re starting off with a theatre section…

NOTE: Mid-Ohio Valley Players present CARRIE: THE MUSICAL, in Marietta, Ohio. Tickets are $15 each and are available at midohiovalleyplayers.com or at the box office 90 minutes before each show. The location was not included in the graphics I had.

If you’re up for going out for other stuff, here are a few suggestions for the next week, roughly in order…