Wall Street Journal columnist and best-selling author Peggy Noonan will give the Cutchins Distinguished Lecture at Virginia Tech on Thursday, March 25, 7:30 p.m., in Burruss Auditorium. (more…)

The Fiddle, Banjo and Dance Club at New River Community College will host a free concert on Saturday, March 13. (more…)

Monday, March 8 marks the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day, celebrating the strengths and achievements of women. On this day Women for Women International will hold an annual campaign called Join Me on the Bridge, a way of symbolizing unity with women survivors of war in the Congo, Rwanda, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, Sudan, and Nigeria, and showing that women can build the bridges of peace and development for the future.

Women and men in the New River Valley are invited to gather at the Radford Public Library parking lot from noon to 1 p.m.  on Monday, March 8, to participate in this event and “say no to war and yes to peace and hope.”

To prepare, the Radford University Women’s Studies Club will be decorating a banner from 10 a.m to 2 p.m. Friday, March 5 in the Bonnie. Contact Michele Ren with questions.

Spring’s not quite here yet, but the forecast for Friday is supposed to be pretty good—considering the winter we’ve had in the NRV. Here’s a bit of what will be going on in downtown Blacksburf on Friday, March 5, as the theme for First Friday is Celebrate and Create.

In the Lyric

• Artist Jessica Schaudt displays her work 4:30-6 p.m.
• Artist Allie Kelley displays her work 4:30-6 p.m.
• Free belly dance lesson with Jennifer from 5:15-5:45 p.m.
• Belly Dance performance by Danielle  5:4 -6 p.m.
• Mobile Town Hall with Susan Anderson and Leslie Hager-Smith 4:30-5:30 p.m.

Around Town

• Faces of Feminism Gallery Reception in Community Arts Information Office 5-7 p.m., sponsored by CAIO, The Lyric Council and The Women’s Center at VT
• Mish Mish- Gallery Opening on March 5 from 5-7 p.m. March will be an employee show with numerous Mish employees displaying work.
• Main Street Inn Make a night of it; 15 percent discount at Main Street Inn located in the heart of downtown Blacksburg.
• Free Wine & Cheese Tasting at Gourmet Pantry 5-7 p.m. with live music by Mood Swing
• Free Daytime Class at New Tech Fitness choices include Low Impact Aerobics, Healthy Backs, Body Pump, Pilates; for details see newtechfitness.com
• Free 45 minute Hot Yoga class In Balance Yoga Studio. CLASS IS FULL SORRY!
• Live Music in Gillie’s by The Apatite
• Retail: Create your own discounts in participating locations—pick a discount or gift certificate from the Pot of Gold at point of purchase. Participating locations include Xanadu, Mad Dog, Matrix Gallery, Gourmet Pantry, Mish Mish, and Fringe Benefit.
• Collect a coupon card from downtown stores to get dining discounts at Champs, Awful Arthur’s, Cabo Fish Taco, Green’s, Happy Wok, India Garden, Ceritano’s, Café de Bangkok, Gillie’s, Bollo’s, The Cellar and Rita’s.

In Market Square Park

• The NRV Master Gardener’s Association
• YMCA Community Gardens
• Blacksburg Farmer’s Market vendors

March is National Women’s History Month and Radford University is hosting a month-long series of events coinciding with the university’s Centennial Year Celebration. The opening reception, which also celebrated the 10th anniversary of RU’s Women’s Studies Program, was Monday in Muse Banquet Hall featuring guitarist and RU graduate student Martha Radike-Craig. (more…)

Blacksburg and Virginia Tech have teamed up to submit a joint application for Google’s recent push to build ultra-high speed fiber networks in a number of locations across the country. If selected, Blacksburg would be the recipient of Internet speeds 100 times faster than what most Americans have access to today. (more…)