ERIC BRADY The Roanoke Times

Opening day for the Taubman Museum of Art is Nov. 8.

By now, many people know admission to the Taubman Museum of Art on opening day Nov. 8 will be free. What they may not know is that they'll still need a ticket to get in.

The reason: Museum officials are anticipating so many visitors that they will have to regulate the number of people in the building at any one time.

That means tickets, with specific entry times marked on them, museum external affairs director Kimberly Templeton said.

The tickets will still be free. But people will likely have to make two trips to the museum on opening day to get in -- one to get their tickets, and another at their designated time. Tickets will be handed out starting at 9 a.m.

"There is certainly a limited number of people we can have in the building, and particularly in the gallery spaces, at any one point," Templeton said. "The easiest way to make sure that everybody has a good experience is to issue timed tickets."

The museum's admission fees kick in Nov. 9, the day after opening day.

General admission will be $8.50 -- an increase over the $3 admission fee when the museum was at Center in the Square. Senior citizens will pay $7.50, students $6.50, and children age 5 to 12 will pay $4.50. Children 4 and younger get in free.

The museum has also announced its hours of operation. It will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, and from noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The museum will be closed Mondays.

More tickets

Speaking of tickets, you can get yours for the second annual Roanoke Arts Festival now by visiting the festival's Web site. Tickets will also be sold through the Roanoke Civic Center.

"We're pleased to partner with the civic center to offer tickets for all events through one convenient source," festival manager Rick Salzberg said.

This year's two-day event will occur on the same weekend as the art museum opening and will include bluegrass music, a puppet show and a concert by country crooner Crystal Gayle. www.roanokeartsfest.org; 853-5483.

Moonshine express

"White Liquor, Blue Ridge Style," an exhibition about moonshine, opens Oct. 24 at The History Museum of Western Virginia in Roanoke. The exhibit includes photographs, still displays and interviews with former moonshiners and federal agents. A "Moonshine Express" bus tour (date TBA) will be led by the Franklin County Historical Society. 342-5770.

More artist grants

Just a few weeks ago, Laura Rawlings, executive director of the Arts Council of the Blue Ridge, confirmed it would start awarding $5,000 in annual grants to local artists beginning in the spring.

Make that $10,000.

No sooner had the news been reported than someone walked into Rawlings' office at Center on Church and offered to double the funding for the program, she said. Like the original donor, the new donor has chosen to remain anonymous.

Rawlings, who has worked for the Nevada Arts Council in Carson City, Nev., and for the National Endowment for the Arts, has made finding grant money for arts and culture in the region a priority.

The application process for the grants has not been finalized. For more information, call Rawlings at 342-5791.

Christmas at the Dumas

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority alumnae and the Dumas Drama Guild present "The Secret of Christmas" at 3:30 p.m. today at the Dumas Center on Henry Street. Free. Nonperishable food items will be accepted for donation to the Southwestern Virginia Second Harvest Food Bank.