Group to bring island beat to Smith Mountain Lake

Smith Mountain Arts Council is bringing calypso music to the lake. The New Pan Steel Orchestra, which plays a variety of Caribbean favorites on steel drums, will perform outdoors at the W.E. Skelton 4-H Conference and Recreational Center in Wirtz at 4 p.m. on Aug. 11.

The venue at 775 Hermitage Road provides free parking, picnic tables and a covered open-air pavilion for the performers. Guests are encouraged to bring a picnic, and, in keeping with the theme, wear tropical attire. SMAC will award prizes for the best costumes, and there will be a limbo contest with prizes.

The family-friendly show is designed to bring multi-generational groups out to enjoy an afternoon of music, picnicking and dance.

In addition, the orchestra will schedule a future workshop for those who want to learn to play a steel drum.

Tickets for the concert are $10 for SMAC members and $12 for others. Children younger than 16 are free. Tickets can be purchased at The General Store on Scruggs Road, the Visitor Center at Bridgewater Plaza and Radio Shack on Scruggs Road.

For more information or to reserve tickets, contact Mike DeGiorgi at 719-0642 or mikedegi@aol.com.

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