Previous Contests

Pat Metheny

Pat Metheny

Prize Package Details: ONE (1) lucky winner will win TWO (2) Gold Section Seats for Pat Metheny live at The Harvester Performance Center on Saturday, April 6th, 2019.

Contest ends at midnight on 3.31.19

Total Value: $184

About The Show: Three gold albums and twenty Grammys in ten categories!

The Incomparable…Pat Metheney-"Side Eye" Tour! Pat Metheney's "live experience" is coming to the Harvester Performance Center in Rocky Mount April sixth!

The first edition of side eye will feature James Fancies on keys and drummer Nate Smith.

More Info: Pat Metheny is launching a new playing environment called “Side Eye” for this upcoming season. Pat explains “I wanted to create an ongoing setting to feature a rotating cast of new and upcoming musicians who have particularly caught my interest along the way.” Pat continues “From my earliest days in Kansas City onward, I was the beneficiary of so many older musicians giving me a platform to develop my thing through the prism of their experience and the particular demands of what their music implied. I have been feeling like I wanted to have a specific platform to focus on some of the many younger musicians I have enjoyed recently who I have felt some kind of a kinship with.” “I hear regularly from new players on the scene who have professed an influence from my records and tunes and I often invite them up to my house to play. Very often, it is really natural and organic to the music to play with them, they have literally grown up with it. I find myself inspired by how they deal with the musical challenges that come with the territory of some of those older tunes, and at the same time I find myself intrigued with the possibilties of what might be possible in writing new music just for them. This band setting is what that will be all about.” The first edition of Side Eye will feature James Francies (keyboard, piano) and drummer Nate Smith.

For Tickets or More Info: Harvester-music.com


Win a Texas Tavern Prize Pack!

(Because you're not a REAL Roanoker until you've eaten at Texas Tavern)

Texas Tavern

Prize Package Details: ONE (1) lucky winner will win ONE (1) Texas Tavern prize pack containing the following: one apron, one coffee mug, five $5 gift certificates, four calendar magnets, two bumper stickers.

Contest ends at midnight on 2.24.19

Total Value: $55

About The Texas Tavern: On Feb. 13th, 1930 during the height of the great depression, I.N. "Nick" Bullington opened the 10 stool Texas Tavern and began serving its famous bowls of chile, hamburgers, hotdogs, and cheesy westerns. With a no frills atmosphere and the motto "Give the customer a fair shake" the Texas Tavern has become a landmark and a rite of passage for many locals and visitors alike. Known as "Roanoke's Millionaires Club”, it is still run by the same family, now in its 4th generation of ownership.


Virginia Craft Spirits Roadshow

January 19, 2019
12:00 PM to 5:00 PM (EST)
at The Hotel Roanoke 

Spirits Roadshow

Prize Package Details: ONE (1) lucky winner will win FOUR (4) tickets to the Virginia Craft Spirits Roadshow on January 19, 2019 at the Hotel Roanoke (110 Shenandoah Avenue Northwest Roanoke, VA 24016.)

Contest ends at midnight on 1.6.19

Total Value: $100

About The Roadshow: Calling all lovers of local spirits! Come join us for the next The Virginia Craft Spirits Roadshow at The Hotel Roanoke in Roanoke, Virginia, on January 19th from 12-5pm. Tickets will include all samples of artisan spirits, craft cocktails, and local beers – inside the beautiful backdrop of the Hotel Roanoke.

Guests will have the opportunity sip on spirits neat, and also enjoy those same spirits as craft cocktails while engaging with Virginia distillers firsthand.

Guests can purchase bottles of spirits on-site for offsite enjoyment.

Featured Virginia Distilleries:

  • Belle Isle Moonshine, Richmond
  • Chesapeake Bay Distillery, Virginia Beach
  • Franklin County Distilleries, Boones Mill
  • Five Mile Mountain Distillery, Floyd
  • Ironclad Distillery, Newport News
  • KO Distilling, Manassas
  • Virginia Distillery Company, Lovingston

Featured Brewery: Redbeard Brewing Company, Staunton
 

This is strictly a 21 and up event. 

Rain or shine (the event will be indoors).

Presented by the Virginia Distillers Association

Enter Now Button


Win a Friends & Family 4-Pack!

RSO Holiday Pops 2018

Prize Package Details: ONE (1) lucky winner will win FOUR (4) tickets to the RSO Holiday Pops concert on Friday, December 7 at the Salem Civic Center.

Contest ends at midnight on 11.27.18

Minimum Total Value: $128

About The Tour: The most highly anticipated holiday show of the season – Holiday Pops! There’s no better way to lift your spirits than with the music of the season delivered in full sound and spectacle by the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra. This year, David Stewart Wiley conducts Holiday Pops with all the magical elements you have come to expect – high energy, familiar carols, and lots of holiday warmth, and we’ll throw in a surprise or two! We can’t wait to celebrate the season with all of you!

David Stewart Wiley, conductor
RSO Chorus, John Hugo, chorus master
Blacksburg Master Chorale, Dwight Bigler, director
Roanoke Valley Children’s Choir, Kimberly Davidson, director


Win a V.I.P. Family 4-Pack and a
Part & Parcel Holiday Gift Basket!

The Nutcracker
Live at Berglund Center

Saturday, December 8 @ 2:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, December 9 @ 3:00 p.m.
Berglund Performing Arts Theatre

The Nutcracker 2018

Prize Package Details: ONE (1) lucky winner will win FOUR (4) V.I.P. tickets to Southwest Virginia Ballet presents: The Nutcracker live at Berglund Center, including a preview of the cast, stage, and backstage, during the December 8, 2018 performance at 7 PM (V.I.P. access begins at 5:30) as well as a Holiday Gift Basket provided by Part & Parcel in Roanoke!

Contest ends at midnight on 11.27.18

Total Value: $390

About The Show: Virginia’s Blue Ridge Holiday Tradition! 

Clara always looked forward to the Christmas Eve celebrations at the Silberhaus household: the party, the dancing & gifts always made for a special evening. This Christmas Herr Drosselmeyer arrives with special presents and magic, making this night one she will cherish forever. Join Clara and the Nutcracker Prince as they battle giant mice, dance with snowflakes and journey to the Land of the Sweets where the Sugar Plum Fairy entertains them with exotic dances from around the world.

Southwest Virginia Ballet, now celebrating its 28th season, has made the annual production of the Nutcracker a holiday tradition for families and visitors to the Roanoke Valley. Featuring a cast of 150 performers that represent over 15 dance schools from the Roanoke Valley and beyond, the ballet continues to delight audiences of all ages year after year. Cast members drawn from the community join SVB’s dancers to bring this story to life with choreography by Pedro Szalay following Terri Post and Elie Lazar, and the traditional music by Tchaikovsky. “The Nutcracker” is adapted from the story The Nutcracker and the Mouse King by E.T.A. Hoffmann. The beautiful music, lush scenery and lavish costumes bring the magic to life as Clara’s Christmas tree grows to huge proportions, mice and soldiers battle, and candies and sweets from exotic lands arrive to entertain Clara and her Prince.

Platinum Award Voted Best Arts Performance 2018 by Roanoker Magazine

VIP Tickets - Come see how the magic happens! Catch the ballerinas as they prepare for performance, and chat with Clara, Drosselmeyer and the Nutcracker Prince. Come up on the big stage and take a peek at show preparations as the cast transforms themselves into soldiers, mice and snowflakes! Get a few dance tips from the artistic director, check out Clara’s sleigh and find out why Mother Ginger is so tall! Join us with your special VIP ticket for an introduction to “backstage” at the Nutcracker. Limited availability at the 2pm and 7pm shows Saturday, December 9th.
 

part and parcel gift basket

Gift Basket Contents: You'll be instantly transported to the Land of Sweets with this Sugar Plum Fairy-inspired gift basket, courtesy of Part & Parcel. It features a generous assortment of delectable treats, including cookies, meringue, chocolates, macarons, and marshmallows. You'll also find gourmet hot chocolate, perfect for a wintry day, and can fill your home with the soothing aroma of a scented candle. A keepsake Nutcracker ornament completes this gift valued at $150. Items Included: Molly & Me "Sugar & Spice" Pecans, Macarons from Dana's Bakery, Malvi "Cotton Candy" Marshmallows, Unna Bakery "Raspberry Cave" Cookies, Louis Sherry Chocolates, Meringue Roses from The Meringue Bakeshop NYC, Ferrero Rocher Chocolates, Sugarfina "Milk Chocolate Champagne" Bar, Williams Sonoma "Salted Caramel" Hot Chocolate, Nutcracker Ornament, Sweet Fig Candle by Brooklyn Candle Studio


Win Dinner and a Show

Christmas Wonderland:
Holiday Spectacular 

Live at Berglund Center

Tuesday, November 27 at 7:30 PM 
Christmas Wonderland

Prize Package Details: ONE (1) lucky winner will win TWO (2) Broadway Buffet tickets and TWO (2) tickets to Christmas Wonderland: Holiday Spectacular Live at Berglund Center on Tuesday, November 27, 2018 at 7:30 PM

Contest ends at midnight on 11.18.18

Total Value: $180

About The Show: BROADWAY CHRISTMAS WONDERLAND is one of the most delightful and enchanting Christmas shows ever. This most loved Christmas show features glittering costumes, a dazzling cast and the highest kicking Chorus Girls this side of the North Pole. Start Christmas in style as Santa and his merry helpers take you on an unforgettable nostalgic Christmas journey. Songs Include “White Christmas,” “Winter Wonderland,” “Have Yourself A Very Merry Christmas,” “Chestnuts Roasting,” “Jingle Bells,” “Away In A Manger,” “Silent Night,” “Deck The Halls,” “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree,” “O Holy Night” and many more. This sparkling Holiday Show is ideal for the whole family.


Old SW Parlor Tour 2018

Saturday December 1, 2018 – 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Sunday December 2, 2018 – 1:00 pm to 5:00pm

Prize Package Details: ONE (1) lucky winner will win TWO (2) tickets to the Old Southwest Parlor Tour of Homes on Saturday December 1 and Sunday December 2, 2018.

Contest ends at midnight on 11.18.18

Total Value: $40

About The Tour: Start a new tradition and join hundreds who’ve done it for the past 38 years! Eight homes, and the Gish House, will be open to highlight traditional and unique perspectives of holiday living and entertaining in Roanoke’s first, and longest-standing historic district!

Old Southwest Inc., a non-profit organization, presents its biggest annual fundraiser the first weekend of December! Participants have been readying for your visit since this summer and graciously open their doors for you to come and enjoy. Walk, drive, or utilize complimentary transportation to get a glimpse of the diversity and excitement of this neighborhood.

Tickets are $20, payable by cash, check or credit card, and will be on sale at the entrance of Highland Park at the intersection of Fifth Street and Washington Avenue. Early ticket sales are available at Sunnyside Market, 502 Mountain Avenue (on the corner of Fifth and Mountain) and Upcycled Gifts, inside Towers Shopping Center on the Upper Level.

Candlelight tour Saturday, Dec 1; 5pm-9pm and Sunday afternoon, Dec 2; 1pm-5pm.
 


Postmodern Jukebox
Free Ticket Giveway
Postmodern Jukebox

Prize Package Details: ONE (1) lucky winner will win TWO (2) Gold Tickets to Postmodern Jukebox live at The Harvester Performance Center on Tuesday, November 13, 2018 at 8:00 PM

Contest ends at midnight on 11.4.18

Total Value: $128

About The Show: "Welcome to Back in Black & White" Tour

Ever since I was in middle school, I knew I was something of an old soul. While my friends listened to ’90s pop hits, I listened to old jazz and Motown records and spent hours upon hours attempting to figure out their inner workings on the piano. Listening to these records truly transported me — I appreciated the creativity, skill, and — above all — natural talent that went into their creation. Years later, as a musician living in New York City, I formed Postmodern Jukebox as way to bring the classic sounds I loved back into the mainstream, and to build a platform to celebrate real, unadulterated, deserving talent. Today, it’s been five years since Postmodern Jukebox performed its first show, and our family has grown to include nearly fifty singers and another fifty instrumentalists, all of whom now have the opportunity to perform the classic genres they love for the audiences who appreciate them. The vocalists sing every note live, without any tuning help. The musicians make every sound you hear on stage and in my living room with the instruments you see them playing. That doesn’t matter to everyone, but it matters to us and I believe it matters to our fans. We do it the old fashioned way and we love every second of it. Thanks to our millions of fans around the world, Postmodern Jukebox has become the rotating collective of musical outcasts that have somehow found a home and there are still many incredible, undiscovered talents out there that I really am excited to share with you. And its my promise to continue to share with you, the best natural performers from around the world, and give them a platform they deserve in this wonderful, musical universe we call Postmodern Jukebox.

–Scott Bradlee Creator, Postmodern Jukebox

 For Tickets or More InfoHarvester-music.com


Zoo Boo Family 4-Pack
Saturday, October 27 from 11-4pm

ZooBoo

Prize Package Details: ONE (1) lucky winner will win TWO (2) Adult Tickets and TWO (2) Child Tickets to Zoo Boo on October 27, 2018 at Mill Mountain Zoo.

Contest ends at midnight on 10.21.18

Total Value: $32

About The Event: Are you looking for a great, safe place to bring your family for some howling Halloween fun? Spend your Halloween holiday at Mill Mountain Zoo’s annual Zoo Boo! From trick-or-treating, to costume contests, to performances and “spooktacular” art activities, Zoo Boo is a fun-filled day for the whole family! Plus, you get to enjoy it all in the beautiful outdoor setting of Mill Mountain Zoo. Even better, all of these activities are FREE with Zoo admission! So for a “terrorably” good time, come and celebrate Halloween 2018 with the animals and staff of Mill Mountain Zoo.

Admission prices are $9 for adults, $7 for children 3-11 and children 2 and under are free. Seniors, 55 and up, are $8.25. We support our military! Anyone who presents their military ID card will receive 10% off their admission. Any patron that visits the Don & Barbara Smith Children’s Museum located at Center in the Square and brings their receipt to the Mill Mountain Zoo will receive $1.00 off admission; and, patrons of the Zoo that visit the Children’s Museum and bring their Zoo receipt will receive $1.00 off admission.


Win a Sinkland Farms Family 4-Pack!

Sinkland Farms

Prize Package Details: ONE (1) Family 4 pack of FOUR (4) tickets to the Sinkland Farms 27th Annual Pumpkin Festival plus ONE (1) large pumpkin

Contest ends at midnight on 10.15.18
(Festival Runs Through 10.28.18) 

Total Value: $50

About The Event: Sinkland Farms Pumpkin Festival, voted as the #1 Best Pumpkin Patch in Virginia, is celebrating its 27th year and has become regionally noted as a "family tradition" for many. The festival has something for everyone: from hayrides to the pumpkin patch, a corn maze, pony rides, horseback trail rides, farmyard animals, live local music (2 stages, 10 bands and 20 shows), special kids zone with giant slides, Sinkland’s own craft beer and wine tastings, home cooked goodies, ice cream, kettle korn, coffee bar, interesting demonstrations, arts and crafts, football and sports viewing, as well as extra special entertainment attractions every weekend. Open for 5 fall weekends, starting September 28-29 and continuing through every October weekend, this is a festival NOT TO BE MISSED. All day fun and a place to purchase all your autumn décor needs. Many sizes and varieties of pumpkins, gourds, and winter squash grown on the farm for sale. No orange pumpkin is over $10, and we have huge ones this year. Check out our website for the entertainment schedule.

Sinkland Farms is the largest and longest running pumpkin festival in the region and has also been voted a BEST FARM TO VISIT, top 10 EPIC WEDDING VENUE in the Commonwealth and BEST FALL FESTIVAL in the region.

Admission is $10 per person, $8 for Seniors/Military, FREE for kids under 3. Open Fridays: from 4 pm to 8 pm with limited attractions/pay as you go pricing; Saturdays: 10 am to 5 pm; Sundays: NOON to 5 pm. We are located in Christiansburg, 2 miles off Exit 114, I-81, approximately 10 minutes from Blacksburg and Radford, 20 minutes from Salem, and 30 minutes from Roanoke.

Admission includes: Hay ride, visit through corn maze, farm animal viewing, all live music and additional entertainment, and many kids attractions. Special pricing on pony and horseback rides.

 For Tickets or More Info: SinklandFarms.com


Brew At The Zoo

Saturday, October 6 from 5-8pm

Zoo Brew

Prize Package Details: ONE (1) lucky winner will win FOUR (4) tickets to Brew At The Zoo on October 6, 2018 at Mill Mountain Zoo.

Contest ends at midnight on 10.3.18

Total Value: $60

About The Event: Join us for the last Brew at the Zoo of the 2018 season! This relaxing event will give our guests an opportunity to see our animals and the view from the mountain while enjoying cold beer from the popular local brewery, Twin Creeks Brewing Company. Musical entertainment will be provided by the local bluegrass band Mason’s Creek. Plus, you’ll want to bring your appetite with you and get some tasty dinner at the Mountain Grille food truck!

Due to limited seating, we do recommend that guests bring a lawn or camping chair or you can simply dance the night away under the stars!

Pricing:
Adults: $10 for members and $15 for non-members (a drink ticket is included)
Children (21 and under) $7

Adults who purchase a Mill Mountain Zoo collectible commemorative cup will receive one free drink ticket.

Tickets can be purchased at the gate during the event or ahead of time through our Square Store.


Karla Bonoff
Live at The Harvester

Karla Bonoff

Prize Package Details: ONE (1) lucky winner will win FOUR (4) General Admission tickets to Karla Bonoff live at The Harvester Performance Center on Saturday, September 22, 2018 at 8:00 PM

Contest ends at midnight on 9.16.18

Total Value: $112

About The Show: Born and raised in Southern California, Karla Bonoff was a songwriter by the age of fifteen. She and her sister Lisa were writing songs and playing as a duo titled "The Daughters of Chester P" named after their father, Dr. Chester Paul Bonoff. She had already fallen in love with the guitar and studied with Frank Hamilton of the famous folk group, The Weavers. By 16, Karla and her sister Lisa auditioned for Elektra Records. An 11-song demo [recorded by Doors' engineer Bruce Botnick] was recorded but no deal came of this first effort.

Karla's sister became a teacher of history and religion, but Karla's passion was always music. She became friends with other singer-songwriters and musicians [in the '60s] who were creating their own unique sound. She talks about lining up at the legendary Troubadour at noon on Mondays to get a slot in the famous Monday night Troubadour "hoot," which was a breaking ground for many artists who went on to great success. She says, "It was an amazing time. Jackson Browne, James Taylor and Elton John were around the Troubadour in those days." There were some other writer-singers who became friends of Karla's, and eventually, they decided to put a band together. They were Kenny Edwards, (who had started the Stone Poneys with Linda Ronstadt and Bobby Kimmel), Wendy Waldman, and Andrew Gold. Something powerful in their combined sound drew them together. Thus the band Bryndle was born - one of the early songwriter groups, even before the Eagles. The band made an album for A&M, but it was never released. They were, unfortunately, a bit ahead of their time.

Speaking of the A&M project, Karla says, "They didn't release it. I think they didn't really know quite what to make of it. This was right before Crosby, Stills and Nash, and before Fleetwood Mac. We were these two girls and two guys... the closest thing they could compare us to was the Mamas and the Papas. They actually had Lou Adler [producer for the Mamas and Papas] produce a single to try to make us like that. In the next few years, had we stayed together, I think we could have done well." A single, with Karla singing lead, was released from those sessions, but failed to forward the band's career. "It was a hit in Santa Maria [California]," Karla remembers. Bryndle broke up, but it launched four very illustrious careers. Kenny and Andrew joined Linda Ronstadt's band, and through that connection, Ronstadt was to hear a demo of hers. Karla recalled playing a tape of "Lose Again" for her. "Hey, you know that's real good," Bonoff remembers Ronstadt saying, "What else have you got?" On Linda's "Hasten Down the Wind" album [released in 1976], there were three Bonoff songs: "Someone to Lay Down Beside Me," "If He's Ever Near" and "Lose Again."

 For Tickets or More InfoHarvester-music.com


Young The Giant
Live in Elmwood Park

 

Young The Giant

Prize Package Details: ONE (1) lucky winner will win FOUR (4) tickets to the Budweiser Summer Series: Young The Giant Live at Elmwood Park on Saturday, September 22, 2018.

Contest ends at midnight on 9.16.18

Total Value: $140

About The Show: Los Angeles quintet Young the Giant continue to brave new sonic landscapes with their wildly adventurous third album, Home of the Strange. On this new release, the band explores their expansive musicianship with boldly eclectic arrangements anchored by a keen melodic presence.

To direct the band’s continued evolution, they collaborated with producer Alex Salibian (Elle King, Mikky Ekko) and Executive Producer Jeff Bhaskar, 2016 Grammy winner for Producer of the Year. Thematically, Home Of The Strange builds from the opening track “Amerika”, a song inspired by Franz Kafka's posthumously published and unfinished novel of the same name. The members of Young the Giant are all the sons of immigrants, with a majority of the band being first generation Americans. They can relate to Kafka's story of Karl, a sixteen year old who flees Germany under uncertain circumstances. The book tells the tale of a bizarre coming of age story of a boy caught between the cultures of two worlds, struggling to belong.

The poignant message and bold sonics on Home of the Strange have been met with critical acclaim, leading to an NPR interview expanding upon the immigrant experience and Rolling Stone picking up on “a new-wave sheen that flatters them, replete with nifty electronic sound effects. [Lead singer Sameer Gadhia] developed an edge of paranoid menace reminiscent of Muse’s Matt Bellamy.”

Young the Giant first broke through with their 2010 self-titled debut album, which featured the RIAA-gold certified hits, "My Body" and "Cough Syrup." This was followed by the release of 2014’s Mind Over Matter, which was both a commercial and critical success. In addition to scoring a Top 10 debut on the Soundscan/Billboard 200 chart and Top 5 Alternative Radio hit with “It’s About Time,” the album received a raft of praise from Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, USA Today, and The New York Times who not only raved about how "...the group gobbles up bits of several segments of rock history - prog-rock, boogie metal, Southern rock, soft rock, new wave, dance-rock, and more - and claims ownership of them" but also declared frontman Sameer Gadhia as "one of the great contemporary rock voices." Since then, the band has toured the world, with their most recent route featuring sold out performances at Radio City Music Hall, The Greek Theatre, and Aragon Ballroom. They have become a festival mainstay at high profile outings such as Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits, Lollapalooza, Outside Lands and Governor's Ball among others. Over the course of their career, Young The Giant has charted 5 singles on the Billboard Alternative Top 10.

More Info: DowntownSummerSeries.com


Broadway in Roanoke 2018-2019 Giveaway - Final

Prize Package Details: ONE (1) lucky winner will win ONE (1) Broadway in Roanoke Season Parking Pass, SIX (6) Broadway Buffet meals for two, and TWO (2) Season Passes to the Broadway in Roanoke 2018-2019 season, including the following SIX (6) shows:

Christmas Wonderland Holiday Spectacular
Tuesday, November 27, 2018 at 7:30 PM

RENT 20th Anniversary Tour
Thursday, January 3, 2019 at 7:30 PM

Finding Neverland
Wednesday, February 6, 2019 at 7:30 PM

Chicago The Musical
Tuesday, March 19, 2019 at 7:30 PM

Kinky Boots
Monday, April 8, 2019 at 8:00 PM

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music
Wednesday May 1, 2019 at 7:30 PM

Contest ends at midnight on 9.3.18

Total Value: $1,240

For Tickets and More Info: BroadwayInRoanoke.com


Gary Allan 
Live in Elmwood Park

Gary Allan

Prize Package Details: ONE (1) lucky winner will win FOUR (4) tickets to the Budweiser Summer Series: Gary Allan Live at Elmwood Park on Friday, September 7, 2018.

Contest ends at midnight on 9.3.18

Total Value: $100

About The Show: With the allure of a modern day outlaw, Gary Allan has won over fans, peers and critics with his signature blend of smoldering vocals, rebellious lyrics and raucous live performances. While becoming a force on the country music scene, Allan has remained true to his artistic voice each step of the way. Allan just re-signed with Universal Music Group Nashville, the label home for the entirety of his twentyyear career. “Do You Wish It Was Me?”, the debut single from his upcoming EMI Nashville release, hit radio this June. The single was cowritten by Allan, Jonathan Singleton and Andrew Dorff and co-produced by Allan and Greg Droman. His last album, SET YOU FREE, topped the Billboard 200 (Pop Chart), a career first for Allan. The album also made its debut at the top of the Billboard Country Album chart (for the fourth time in a row), and produced his fifth #1 country radio chart topper with “Every Storm Runs Out Of Rain.” The California native released his first album, Used Heart for Sale, in 1996 and since then has released eight additional studio albums selling over 7 million albums, been certified platinum on three back-to-back albums, and been certified gold five times. Allan has five #1 hits at country radio, fourteen Top 10 hits to his credit and amassed over 270 million total streams. He’s described as “dark and dreamy” in Entertainment Weekly, “soulful and rough around the edges” in Playboy and deemed a “maverick” by Rolling Stone. He sells out venues as a headliner from NY to LA, appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Live with Kelly and Michael and Jimmy Kimmel Live. He has also landed on the covers of Country Weekly, Pollstar and People magazine.

More Info: DowntownSummerSeries.com


FREE TICKET GIVEAWAY

Win 4 Free Tickets to The B-52s Live in Elmwood Park

b-52s

Prize Package Details: ONE (1) lucky winner will win FOUR (4) tickets to the Budweiser Summer Series: The B-52s Live at Elmwood Park on Friday, August 17th, 2018.

Contest ends at midnight on 8.12.18

Total Value: $140

About The Show: The B-52s are bringing the fun to Elmwood Park on Friday, August 17th for the first show in the Budweiser Summer Series lineup! Downtown Roanoke, Inc. has another great season of music planned with a diverse lineup of shows! Don’t miss it!

"You don’t need to look too hard to see or hear the multi-dimensional influence of The B-52s…For as loud as anthems like ‘Dance This Mess Around,’ ‘Love Shack,’ and ‘Rock Lobster’ might resound, the group have quietly impacted alternative music, fashion, and culture over the course of four-plus decades. Selling over 20 million albums worldwide, the GRAMMY® Award-nominated quartet—Fred Schneider [vocals, toy piano], Kate Pierson [vocals, keyboards], Cindy Wilson [vocals, percussion], and Keith Strickland [guitar, drums, keys, programming]—ignited a legacy of innovation and inspiration that dates back to 1976."

More Info: DowntownSummerSeries.com


FREE TICKET GIVEAWAY

Win a Salem Red Sox Family 4 Pack

Red Sox logo

Prize Package Details: ONE (1) lucky winner will win FOUR (4) General Admission Vouchers valid for ONE (1) entry each to any 2018 Regular Season Home Game at the Salem Red Sox in Salem, Va.

Total Value: $40

Contest ends at midnight on 8.5.18

About The Sox: The Salem Red Sox are a Minor League Baseball team in Salem, Virginia, an independent city adjacent to Roanoke, Virginia. It is a team in the Class A-Advanced Carolina League and a farm team of the Boston Red Sox. The team, known from 1995 through 2008 as the Salem Avalanche, was previously affiliated with the Houston Astros from 2003 to 2008 and the Colorado Rockies from 1995 to 2002. Prior to 1995, the franchise played under several different names and affiliations. The Red Sox play home games at Haley Toyota Field at Salem Memorial Ballpark, a 6,300 seat facility opened in 1995 that hosted the Carolina/California League All Star Game in 2006.


2019 Readers' Choice

Dining Awards Ballot

Dining Awards 2016

Our 33rd Annual Readers' Choice Dining Awards Survey offers you the chance to WIN a $100 Gift Card simply by voting for your favorite restaurants! (official rules)

VOTING ENDS AT MIDNIGHT
ON AUGUST 5, 2018

Editor's notes: This ballot is meant to highlight LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED restaurants only. Any votes for fast food or national chain restaurants will be disqualified. Votes for regional chains are permissible.

To be eligible to win the free gift card your online ballot must include votes for at least 10 different restaurants or establishments. Any perceived attempt at ballot stuffing will cause the affected entries to be disqualified. Ballot is not valid unless you provide your email, and all ballots are confidential.

Limit of one entry per valid email address. Duplicate ballots will be rejected, so please cast your votes carefully the first time. Thank you!

Vote Now!


FREE TICKET GIVEAWAY

ABBA The Concert

ABBA The Concert

Prize Package Details: ONE (1) lucky winner will win TWO (2) Gold Level tickets to ABBA The Concert live at The Harvester Performance Center on Wednesday, August 1, 2018 at 8:00 PM

Contest ends at midnight on 7.29.18

Total Value: $159

About The Show: 21st Century Artists, Inc. has been presenting its ABBA tribute show throughout North America for well over a decade, known as ABBA The Music, ABBA The Concert, and ABBA The Hits. The audience and press all agree – “This is the closest to ABBA you’ll ever get.” ABBA The Concert brings one of the greatest pop phenomena back to life…

Here are a few highlights from its many successful US tours…

• Sold-out shows at the famous Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles (15,000 people)
• Highland Park in Chicago (20,000 people)
• Seaside Summer Concert Series in Brooklyn, NY (11,000+ people)
• Sold-out nights at both the Sunrise Theatre in Fort Pierce, FL and at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach, FL
• Sold-out performance at the Wolf Trap in Vienna, VA

ABBA The Concert continues to be the top ABBA tribute group in the world, dazzling all who see with their fantastic performance while playing the most iconic hits from ABBA, including “Mamma Mia,” “S.O.S,” “Money, Money, Money,” “The Winner Takes All,” “Waterloo,” “Gimme, Gimme, Gimme,” and “Dancing Queen.”

Many critics agree, ABBA The Concert is the most amazing and authentic ABBA tribute show in the world. Come dance, come sing, having the time of your life at THE ULTIMATE TRIBUTE CELEBRATION!

* ABBA The Concert is not affiliated with the original ABBA group or Mamma Mia. *

For Tickets or More Info: Harvester-music.com


FREE TICKET GIVEAWAY

Beach Music Fest 2018

Prize Package Details: TWO (2) tickets to the 20th Annual Bank of Botetourt Beach Music Festival & Classic Car Show at Glen Maury Park in Buena Vista, Va on July 28th, 2018.

Total Value: $40

Contest ends at midnight on 7.22.18

About The Festival: Dedicated to promoting beach music, shag dancing, old & young friends, the age of the baby boomers, good clean fun and dancing fever! Featuring The Entertainers, Blackwater Rhythm and Blues and The Band of Oz. Concert starts at Noon on Saturday. Gate opens at 10 a.m. on covered pavilion stage. RAIN OR SHINE-CONCERTS GO ON!

SPONSORED BY: Bank of Botetourt, Virginia Mountain Mortgage, Papa Johns Pizza, James Allen Printing, WR Deacon & Sons Timber, Glen Maury Park, City of Buena Vista, May's Grocery and 3WZ Classic 96.7FM


Grandin Date Night
LAST CHANCE Giveaway


Win DINNER and a YEAR OF FREE MOVIES*
at the Grandin Theatre for You and a Friend!

*24 total viewings, one per month per person.

Grandin Giveaway


Prize Package Details: ONE (1) $50 gift card to The Quarter Restaurant, and TWO (2) Grandin Theatre Star Passes, valid for 12 free movie viewings each. Restrictions apply.

Total Value: $290

Contest ends at midnight on 7.1.18

About The Grandin: In 1931, Roanoke architect John Zink and his crew began construction on The Grandin Theatre. On March 26, 1932, Roanoke’s top movie palace opened its doors for the first time for a screening of “Arrowsmith.” Tickets were 25 cents for adults and 10 cents for kids at the time the auditorium and balcony sat 944. The Grandin Theatre was the first theatre in Roanoke to have “talking pictures.”

It stayed a cinema for over 40 years until it closed in 1976 and was taken over by Mill Mountain Theatre in 1976, who over the next seven years produced shows like The Sound of Music, Guys and Dolls and Annie Get Your Gun. In 1983, Jack Andrews bought the Theatre and screened classics, second run movies, and art films. He also presented Live Shows. During this time, blues musicians such as John Lee Hooker, Ray Charles and BB King rocked the house.

Two years later, the Grandin closed its doors once again, this time due to financial issues. However, in 1986, the theatre opened up again under the guidance of manager Julie Hunsaker, who brought in art house, indie and foreign films. She even brought in comedy legend Bill Murray, who in 1990, hosted a benefit to help the Grandin pay its bills. Unfortunately, it was still a challenge to keep the history alive. In November of 2001, The Grandin Theatre was forced to close for the third time.

However, just one month before, under the guidance of community developer Ed Walker, the Grandin Theatre Foundation was formed. Over the next year, the Foundation held the “Save the Grandin” campaign and on October 20, 2002, the theatre was able to reopen after raising the funds to buy and renovate the theatre. It has been keeping the history alive ever since. It’s not just about the movies.

It’s about the community. It’s the history. It’s the people. It’s the Grandin Theatre.


Free Ticket Giveaway:

The Bacon Brothers

Live at The Harvester Performance Center

Bacon Brothers

Prize Package Details: ONE (1) lucky winner will win TWO (2) general admission tickets to the Bacon Brothers live at The Harvester on Friday, June 1, 2018 at 8:00 PM

Total Value: $114

Contest ends at midnight on 5.28.18

Description: Most people would agree that there’s nothing stronger, more durable and occasionally, even more volatile, than the bond between brothers. And when that bond includes the common goal of making music, the results often offer reason for an audience to sit up and take notice. There have been any number of examples in music’s modern era -- the Everly Brothers, the Beach Boys, the Kinks and Oasis to name but a few. Not that it’s easy or even agreeable, but there is common cause, and that’s generally enough to ensure there’s passion and purpose in its creation.

Just as the Bacon Brothers. Fiercely devoted to making music, even from an early age (they cite such influences as the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Motown, Led Zeppelin, Philly soul, and James Taylor, with mentions from Michael of Pete Seeger, Jimmy Rogers, Chet Atkins, and the Jim Kweskin Jug Band, and additional kudos to Michael from Kevin for his input), the two siblings share a singular body of work that’s found them spending more than 20 years of working the road and paying their dues, resulting in seven albums -- Forosoco (1997), Getting There (1999), Can’t Complain (2001), Live: The No Food Jokes Tour (2003), White Knuckles (2005), New Year’s Day (2009), Philadelphia Road (2011) and 36 Cents (2014) -- spanning rock, soul, folk and Americana. Never content to be typecast, they’re fiercely devoted themselves to the cause of making music, undeterred by fame, fortune or the pitfalls that frequently obstruct the path to success. Read More

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Free Ticket Giveaway:
Vinton Grapes & Grains Festival


Win a Friends and Family 4-Pack!

Vinton Grapes & Grains

Prize Package Details: FOUR (4) tickets to the 2018 Vinton Grapes & Grains Festival on Saturday, May 19, from 1 to 6 pm at the Vinton War Memorial. (Complimentary wine glass included with each ticket!)

Total Value: $60

Contest ends at midnight on 5.13.18

About The Festival: Mark your calendars for the 8th Annual Vinton Wine & Food Festival, May 19, 2018 - 1pm to 6pm at the Vinton War Memorial. It will be a day of fun, food and wine! Don't worry though, if you aren't a fan of the "grape", we will have some "wheat & barley" available for your taste buds too.

Participating Wineries:

  • West Wind Vineyard & Winery,
  • Fincastle Vineyard & Winery, Inc.
  • Brooks Mill Winery
  • Ramulose Ridge Vineyards
  • White Rock Vineyard Winery & Brew Haus
  • DeVault Family Vineyards
  • Rural Retreat Winery

Food Vendors

  • Mountain Grille LLC
  • Snack Wagon
  • Sherri's Crab Cakes
  • CampICan

 Grandin Date Night

Second Chance Giveaway


Win DINNER and a YEAR OF FREE MOVIES*
at the Grandin Theatre for You and a Friend!

*24 total viewings, one per month per person.

Grandin Giveaway

Prize Package Details: ONE (1) $50 gift card to Awful Arthur's Seafood Company, and TWO (2) Grandin Theatre Star Passes, valid for 12 free movie viewings each. Restrictions apply.

Total Value: $290

Contest ends at midnight on 5.2.18

About The Grandin: In 1931, Roanoke architect John Zink and his crew began construction on The Grandin Theatre. On March 26, 1932, Roanoke’s top movie palace opened its doors for the first time for a screening of “Arrowsmith.” Tickets were 25 cents for adults and 10 cents for kids at the time the auditorium and balcony sat 944. The Grandin Theatre was the first theatre in Roanoke to have “talking pictures.”

It stayed a cinema for over 40 years until it closed in 1976 and was taken over by Mill Mountain Theatre in 1976, who over the next seven years produced shows like The Sound of Music, Guys and Dolls and Annie Get Your Gun. In 1983, Jack Andrews bought the Theatre and screened classics, second run movies, and art films. He also presented Live Shows. During this time, blues musicians such as John Lee Hooker, Ray Charles and BB King rocked the house.

Two years later, the Grandin closed its doors once again, this time due to financial issues. However, in 1986, the theatre opened up again under the guidance of manager Julie Hunsaker, who brought in art house, indie and foreign films. She even brought in comedy legend Bill Murray, who in 1990, hosted a benefit to help the Grandin pay its bills. Unfortunately, it was still a challenge to keep the history alive. In November of 2001, The Grandin Theatre was forced to close for the third time.

However, just one month before, under the guidance of community developer Ed Walker, the Grandin Theatre Foundation was formed. Over the next year, the Foundation held the “Save the Grandin” campaign and on October 20, 2002, the theatre was able to reopen after raising the funds to buy and renovate the theatre. It has been keeping the history alive ever since. It’s not just about the movies.

It’s about the community. It’s the history. It’s the people. It’s the Grandin Theatre.


Free Ticket Giveaway:

Rhiannon Giddens

Live at The Harvester Performance Center

Rhiannon Giddens

Prize Package Details: ONE (1) lucky winner will win TWO (2) general admission tickets to Rhiannon Giddens live at The Harvester on Tuesday, April 17, 2018 at 8:00 PM

Total Value: $76

Contest ends at midnight on 4.8.18

Description: Rhiannon Giddens is the co-founder of the GRAMMY award-winning string band Carolina Chocolate Drops, in which she also plays banjo and fiddle. She began gaining recognition as a solo artist when she stole the show at the T Bone Burnett– produced Another Day, Another Time concert at New York City’s Town Hall in 2013. The elegant bearing, prodigious voice, and fierce spirit that brought the audience to its feet that night is also abundantly evident on Giddens’ critically acclaimed solo debut, the Grammy nominated album, Tomorrow Is My Turn, which masterfully blends American musical genres like gospel, jazz, blues, and country, showcasing her extraordinary emotional range and dazzling vocal prowess. Giddens’ follow-up album Freedom Highway was released in February, 2017. It includes 9 original songs Giddens wrote or co-wrote along with a traditional song and two civil rights-era songs, Birmingham Sunday and Staple Singers’ well-known “Freedom Highway,” from which the album takes its name. Giddens’ recent televised performances include The Late Show, Austin City Limits, Later…with Jools Holland,and both CBS Saturdayand Sunday Morning, among numerous other notable media appearances. She performed for President Obama and the First Lady on a White House Tribute to Gospel, along with Aretha Franklin and Emmylou Harris; the program was televised on PBS. Giddens duets with country superstar Eric Church on his powerful anti-racism song “Kill a Word”, which is currently top 15 on country radio; the two have performed the song on The Tonight Show and the CMA Awards, among other programs. Giddens received the BBC Radio 2 Folk Award for Singer of the Year and has won the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Bluegrass and Banjo in 2016. Giddens, who studied opera at Oberlin, makes her acting debut with a recurring role on the recently revived television drama Nashville, which debuts on CMT in January, playing the role of Hanna Lee “Hallie” Jordan, a young social worker with “the voice of an angel.


Grandin Date Night Giveaway

Win DINNER and a YEAR OF FREE MOVIES*
at the Grandin Theatre for You and a Friend!

*24 total viewings, one per month per person.

Grandin Giveaway

Prize Package Details: ONE (1) $50 gift card to Rockfish Food & Wine, and TWO (2) Grandin Theatre Star Passes, valid for 12 free movie viewings each. Restrictions apply.

Total Value: $290

Contest ends at midnight on 3.25.18

About The Grandin: In 1931, Roanoke architect John Zink and his crew began construction on The Grandin Theatre. On March 26, 1932, Roanoke’s top movie palace opened its doors for the first time for a screening of “Arrowsmith.” Tickets were 25 cents for adults and 10 cents for kids at the time the auditorium and balcony sat 944. The Grandin Theatre was the first theatre in Roanoke to have “talking pictures.”

It stayed a cinema for over 40 years until it closed in 1976 and was taken over by Mill Mountain Theatre in 1976, who over the next seven years produced shows like The Sound of Music, Guys and Dolls and Annie Get Your Gun. In 1983, Jack Andrews bought the Theatre and screened classics, second run movies, and art films. He also presented Live Shows. During this time, blues musicians such as John Lee Hooker, Ray Charles and BB King rocked the house.

Two years later, the Grandin closed its doors once again, this time due to financial issues. However, in 1986, the theatre opened up again under the guidance of manager Julie Hunsaker, who brought in art house, indie and foreign films. She even brought in comedy legend Bill Murray, who in 1990, hosted a benefit to help the Grandin pay its bills. Unfortunately, it was still a challenge to keep the history alive. In November of 2001, The Grandin Theatre was forced to close for the third time.

However, just one month before, under the guidance of community developer Ed Walker, the Grandin Theatre Foundation was formed. Over the next year, the Foundation held the “Save the Grandin” campaign and on October 20, 2002, the theatre was able to reopen after raising the funds to buy and renovate the theatre. It has been keeping the history alive ever since. It’s not just about the movies.

It’s about the community. It’s the history. It’s the people. It’s the Grandin Theatre.


Free Ticket Giveaway:

Roseanne Cash

Live at The Harvester Performance Center

Roseanne Cash

Prize Package Details: ONE (1) lucky winner will win TWO (2) general admission tickets to Rosanne Cash live at The Harvester Performance Center on Monday, April 2, 2018 at 8:00 PM.

Total Value: $123

Contest ends at midnight on 3.25.18

Description: One of the country’s pre-eminent singer/songwriters, Rosanne Cash has released 15 albums of extraordinary songs that have earned four GRAMMY Awards and nominations for 11 more, as well as 21 top-40 hits, including 11 No. 1 singles. She is also an author whose four books include the best-selling memoir Composed, which the Chicago Tribune called “One of the best accounts of an American life you’ll likely ever read.” Her essays have appeared in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, the Oxford-American, the Nation and many more print and online publications. In addition to continual touring, Cash has partnered in programming collaborations with Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, San Francisco Jazz, Minnesota Orchestra and The Library of Congress. She was awarded the SAG/AFTRA Lifetime Achievement award for Sound Recordings in 2012 and received the 2014 Smithsonian Ingenuity Award in the Performing Arts. She was chosen as a Perspective Series artist at Carnegie Hall and hosted four concerts (including a major show of her own in February 2016) during their 2015-2016 season. She continues her association with Carnegie Hall as a Creative Partner. She also served as 2015 Artist-in-Residence at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville. On October 11, 2015 she was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters’ Hall of Fame. Cash’s landmark 2009 album, “The List,” won the Americana Music Album of the Year award. In her latest release, “The River and the Thread,” a collaboration with husband/co-writer/producer and arranger John Leventhal, Cash evokes a kaleidoscopic examination of the geographic, emotional, musical and historic landscape of the American South. The album has received impressive worldwide acclaim and attained the highest debut in the Billboard charts of any of her previous albums. It received 3 Grammy Awards in 2015. Read More


Free Ticket Giveaway

Hot Tuna

Hot Tuna

Prize Package Details: TWO (2) tickets to "Hot Tuna" live at Jefferson Center on March 30, 2018 at 8:00 PM

Total Value: $75
 

Contest ends at midnight on 3.18.18

Description:

Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award Winners Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady are a 50-year-strong force of American Music

Hot Tuna, Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady, perform with a well-honed and solid power – always in the groove from their years of experience and mutual inspiration. Started as a side project during Jefferson Airplane days, the constant, the very definition of Hot Tuna, has always been Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady. The two boyhood pals have never wavered in one of the most enduring friendships in Rock history.

From their days playing together as teenagers in the Washington, DC area, through years of inventive Psylodelic rock in San Francisco (1996 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees), to their current acoustic and electric blues sound, no one has more consistently led American music for the last 50 years than Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady, the founders and continuing core members of Hot Tuna. At the 2016 Grammys, Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady were honored with Lifetime Achievement Awards.

"Hot Tuna is a Psychedelic-Blues Institution” – Rolling Stone Magazine


Free Giveaway
 

St. Pat's Street Party

at Martin's Downtown

St Pattys at Martins

Prize Package Details: FIVE (5) lucky winners will each receive ONE (1) prize pack containing the following:

  • Free Admission for 2 to the Annual St. Pat's Street Party Event on Saturday, March 17, 2018
  • ONE (1) $25 Gift Card to Martin’s Downtown
  • TWO (2) Martin's St. Pat's Day T-Shirt's
  • Stickers and other St Pat's related swag (TBD)

Contest ends at midnight on 3.11.18

Description: Martin's is proud to announce our famous and beloved St.Pat’s Day Block Party for 2018! We are shutting down the street and packing it full of food,drinks,and 12....yup, TWELVE bands on TWO stages! Martin's is thrilled to bring Big Something, Empire Strikes Brass, C2 & The Brothers Reed, Trae Pierce & The T-Stones, Sol Searchers, South Hill Banks, Mardeen, The Kind, Shorefire, A Place Called Home, Gote, and Barefoot West to the two #MartinsStages for what is sure to be an epic day of music. Admission is only $10 at the gate. Get ready Roanoke, we are going to #ShamrockTheBlock!


Free Ticket Giveaway:

The Wizard of Oz – The Musical

Wizard of Oz

Prize Package Details: FOUR (4) tickets to "The Wizard of Oz - The Musical" live at Berglund Center on March 20, 2018 at 7:30 PM.

Total Value: $248
 

Contest ends at midnight on 3.11.18

Description: The greatest family musical of all time, THE WIZARD OF OZ, is touching down in Roanoke on March 20th! This magical production is a celebration of the 1939 MGM movie, and will be presented with breathtaking special effects that will sweep audiences away from the moment the tornado twists its way into Kansas. Featuring the classic songs, as composed by Harold Arlen, “Over the Rainbow,” “Ding Dong the Witch is Dead” and “If I Only Had A Brain,” along with the other beloved characters, THE WIZARD OF OZ will have the entire family captivated as they travel down the yellow brick road for an unforgettable day at the theater.


Free Ticket Giveaway

An Evening With
Branford Marsalis Quartet

 

Branford Marsalis

Prize Package Details: THREE (3) tickets to "An Evening With Branford Marsalis Quartet" live at Jefferson Center on March 23, 2018 at 8:00 PM

Total Value: $75
 

Contest ends at midnight on 3.11.18

Description:

"The Standard to Which Other Ensembles of its Kind Must Be Measured”

Branford Marsalis Quartet: NEA Jazz Master, renowned Grammy Award®‐winning saxophonist and Tony Award® nominee Branford Marsalis is one of the most revered instrumentalists of his time.

Leader of one of the finest jazz quartets today, and a frequent soloist with classical ensembles, Marsalis’ most current recording with his quartet is Four MFs Playin’ Tunes. On this album, the song takes center stage, with the band members bringing their considerable musical expertise to bear, as they focus on each tune as an important musical entity unto itself and not merely a vehicle for showcasing individual talent. Charles Gans from the Associated Press exclaims, “Saxophonist Marsalis leads one of the most cohesive, intense small jazz ensembles on the scene today…. This album shows that Marsalis' quartet hasn't skipped a beat with the change in the drummer's chair, effortlessly playing often complex original tunes that are thoroughly modern while referencing past jazz masters.”

The Branford Marsalis Quartet is one of the most innovative and forward‐thinking jazz ensembles around today!


Free Ticket Giveaway

To Ray With Love
Starring Maceo Parker
Featuring The Ray Charles Orchestra & The Raelettes

Ray Charles Maceo Parker

Prize Package Details: FOUR (4) tickets to To Ray with Love, Starring Maceo Parker Featuring The Ray Charles Orchestra & The Raelettes at Jefferson Center on Feb. 7 2018 at 7:30 PM

Total Value: $228
 

Contest ends at midnight on 2.1.18

Description: A spectacular tribute to a true American music icon, from one of his most adoring--and most celebrated--fans A young saxophonist from North Carolina once stood outside the Greensboro Coliseum hoping to just catch a glimpse of his idol Ray Charles. Maceo Parker went on to become one of the most legendary saxophonists in funk history, and Charles’ music remained an undeniable influence throughout his career. Maceo has included a Ray Charles cover on each one of his albums, and was thrilled to have the opportunity to go on tour with Charles in the 90s. Now, Maceo joins forces with the Ray Charles Orchestra and the Raelettes for a spectacular program honoring his hero, To Ray With Love . The program premiered at the Hollywood Bowl last summer, followed by a performance at the Monterey Jazz Festival in the fall, and more to come!


Free Ticket Giveaway

Riverdance
20th Anniversary World Tour
Live at Berglund Center

Riverdance

Prize Package Details: TWO (2) tickets to "Riverdance” at Berglund Center on Jan. 31, 2018 at 7:30 PM.

Total Value: $138
 

Contest ends at midnight on 1.28.18

Description: Moya Doherty is proud to announce that Riverdance - The 20th Anniversary World Tour, back by popular demand, will play a strictly limited engagement at Berglund Center on Wednesday, January 31, 2018. Celebrating an extraordinary milestone for an incredible show, The Edinburgh Evening News raves about Riverdance - The 20th Anniversary World Tour, “As for the flaws? Well, there simply aren’t any. Here’s to another 20 years!”

Riverdance - The 20th Anniversary World Tour is composed by Bill Whelan, produced by Moya Doherty and directed by John McColgan. Riverdance - The 20th Anniversary World Tour will feature new costumes, new lighting, new projections and the addition of a brand new number, “Anna Livia,” featuring the female members of the Irish dance troupe in an a cappella hard-shoe number.


Free Ticket Giveaway

Lea DeLaria

Lea DeLaria

Prize Package Details: FOUR (4) tickets to Lea DeLaria at Jefferson Center on Feb. 3 2018 at 8:00 PM

Total Value: $128
 

Contest ends at midnight on 1.28.18

Description: LEA DELARIA seems to have achieved overnight stardom with her two time, SAG Award winning, stand-out role as Carrie ‘Big Boo’ Black in the Netflix hit series Orange is the New Black. However, DeLaria’s multi-faceted career as a comedian, actress, and jazz musician has, in fact, spanned decades.

DeLaria holds the distinction of being the first openly gay comic on television in America which led to countless television and film roles portraying police lieutenants, PE teachers and the lesbian who inappropriately hits on straight women. Selected TV credits: Awkward, Clarence, Californication, The Oblongs, One Live to Live, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, Will and Grace, Friends, & Matlock. Selected film credits: First Wives Club, Dear Dumb Diary, Edge of Seventeen.

She’s received Obie & Theater World Awards and a Drama Desk nomination for her portrayal as Hildy in the Public Theatre’s revival of On The Town, an Ovation nomination for The Boys From Syracuse, and has played both Eddie & Dr. Scott in the gender-bending Broadway musical The Rocky Horror Show.

DeLaria was the featured vocalist at the 50th Anniversary of the Newport Jazz Festival, and has performed in some of the most prestigious houses in the world including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Chicago Symphony, Hollywood Bowl, The Royal Albert Hall and the Sydney Opera House.

DeLaria has five records on the Warner Jazz and Classics label, and her book, Lea's Book of Rules for the World, is in its third printing at Bantam Doubleday and Dell.

Her sixth record, House Of David: delaria+bowie=jazz, was released in the Summer of 2015 to critical acclaim.


Win Dinner and a Show! 

Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story

Plus a $50 Gift Card to The Quarter!

Buddy Holly

Prize Package Details: FOUR (4) tickets to "Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story” at Berglund Center on Feb. 3, 2018 at 7:30 PM and ONE (1) $50 gift card to The Quarter in Downtown Roanoke

Total Value: $348
 

Contest ends at midnight on 1.28.18

Description: Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story tells the true story of Buddy’s meteoric rise to fame, from the moment in 1957 when ‘that’ll be the day’ hit the airwaves until his tragic death less than two years later on “the day the music died”. The show features over 20 of Buddy Holly’s greatest hits including ‘That’ll Be The Day’, ‘Peggy Sue’, ‘Everyday’, ‘Oh Boy’, ‘Not Fade Away’, ‘Rave On’ and ‘Raining In My Heart’, plus Ritchie Valens’ ‘La Bamba’ and the Big Bopper’s ‘Chantilly Lace’.

The incredible legacy of the young man with glasses, whose musical career spanned an all-too-brief period during the golden days of rock & roll, continues to live on in Buddy.

Seen by over 22 million people around the world, Buddy will have you on your feet and “send you out of the theater on an unstoppable high” (The Boston Globe).


Free Ticket Giveaway:

Taj Mahal

Live at The Harvester Performance Center

Taj Mahal

Prize Package Details: ONE (1) lucky winner will win TWO (2) General Admission tickets to Taj Mahal live at The Harvester Performance Center on Wednesday, January 24, 2018 at 8:00 PM

Total Value: $113

Contest ends at midnight on 1.14.18

Description: One of the most prominent and influential figures in late 20th century blues and roots music Taj Mahal is a 2014 recipient of the Americana Music Association Lifetime Achievement Award along side such luminaries as Jackson Brown, Loretta Lynn and Flaco Jimenez. Though his career began more than four decades ago with American blues, he has broadened his artistic scope over the years to include music representing virtually every corner of the world – West Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, the Hawaiian Islands and so much more. What ties it all together is his insatiable interest in musical discovery. Over the years, his passion and curiosity have led him around the world, and the resulting global perspective is reflected in his music.

The two-time Grammy winner and one of the most influential American blues and roots artists of the past half-century, celebrates over four decades of blues, roots, reggae and beyond with his latest release The Hidden Treasures of Taj Mahal 1969-1973 (Legacy, 2012), a two disc set. This is a follow up to 2008’s Maestro: Celebrating 40 Years, marking the fortieth anniversary of Taj's rich and varied recording career by mixing original material, chestnuts borrowed from classic sources, and songs written by a cadre of highly talented guest artists.


Free Ticket Giveaway:

Henry Rollins - Travel Slideshow

Live at The Harvester Performance Center

Henry Rollins

Prize Package Details: ONE (1) lucky winner will win TWO (2) Gold Level tickets to Henry Rollins - Travel Slideshow live at The Harvester Performance Center on Saturday, January 13, 2018 at 8:00 PM

Total Value: $83

Contest ends at midnight on 1.7.18

Description: In describing Henry Rollins, the tendency is to try to squeeze as many labels as possible into a single sentence. "Rollins is many things," says the Washington Post, "diatribist, confessor, provocateur, humorist, even motivational speaker…his is an enthusiastic and engaging chatter." Entertainment Weekly's list includes "Punk Rock icon. Spoken word poet. Actor. Author. DJ. Is there anything this guy can't do?" TV Guide has more concisely called him a "Renaissance Man" but if Henry Rollins could be reduced to a single word, that word would undoubtedly be "workaholic." When he's not traveling, Rollins prefers a to keep a relentless schedule full of work, with gigs as an actor, author, DJ, voice-over artist and TV show host to name a few of the roles that keep his schedule full.

Rollins has toured the world as a spoken word artist, as frontman for both Rollins Band and Black Flag and as a solitary traveler with insatiable curiosity, favoring road-less-traveled locales in places such as Nepal, Sri Lanka, Siberia, North Korea, South Sudan and Iran.


Free Ticket Giveaway:

Rosé With Garden Rose:
A Wedding Planning Event 

Garden Rose

Prize Package includes:

• TWO (2) tickets to Rosé with Garden Rose on 1/14/18 at The Patrick Henry in Roanoke, Va.
• TWO (2) porcelain coffee mugs
• TWO (2) candles
• TWO (2) stationery kits

Total Value: $90

Contest ends at midnight on 1.1.18

Description: Want to take part in the ultimate bridal experience and get pampered while do so? We thought ya might. Garden Rose is hosting a wedding planning event for the newly engaged bride. We’ll teach you our secrets for saving time, money, and stress when planning your wedding and set you up to interact with some of the best wedding professionals in the Roanoke and NRV areas - all while sipping on Rosé.


Free Giveaway 

Win a Mill Mountain Zoo
Tote Bag Prize Pack!

Mill Mountain Zoo Gift Basket

Prize Package Details: Prize Package includes one Mill Mountain Zoo Tote Bag Prize Pack containing the following: 

• One Family Pass to Mill Mountain Zoo
• 2 Limited edition Vintage Zoo Choo t-shirts
• 2 “Hug-em” stuffed animals- one tiger, one fox
• 1 Signed Jack Hanna book
• 1 Ruby the Tiger print
• 1 Mill Mountain Zoo tote bag

Total Value: $100+

Contest ends at midnight on 12.17.17

About the Mill Mountain Zoo: Mill Mountain Zoo was founded in 1952 as a nursery-rhyme themed petting zoo that featured farm animals, birds, and native Virginia wildlife. For the first twenty-five years, we were operated by Roanoke’s Parks and Recreation Department. In 1978, the Roanoke Jaycees renewed the zoo and replaced old exhibits to create a place appealing to all ages. Governance was turned over to the Blue Ridge Zoological Society of Virginia, Inc. in 1988 (more commonly known as Mill Mountain Zoo). In the early 1990’s, a citizens’ committee created a master plan for exhibitions, visitor amenities, and expansion of the site to our current eight acres. Other improvements included new exhibits and an upgrade of infrastructure.


Win Dinner and a Show!

 Jim Brickman: A Joyful Christmas
(Plus dinner at The Quarter restaurant!)

Live at Berglund Center

Jim Brickman

Prize Package Details: TWO CHANCES TO WIN!
TWO (2) lucky winners will each win TWO (2) tickets to "Jim Brickman: A Joyful Christmas” at the Berglund Center on Dec. 20 2017 at 7:30 PM. 

Grand Prize Winner will also receive a $50 Gift Card to The Quarter restaurant! 

Total Value: $189 (runner up $139)
 

Contest ends at midnight on 12.13.17

Description: Be part of the holiday concert tradition of the season with Grammy nominated songwriter and piano sensation Jim Brickman as he celebrates A Joyful Christmas in Roanoke. Jim Brickman delivers the sound and spirit of the season with carols, classics and original songs on his 21st holiday tour. Holiday music brings yuletide memories to life as Brickman helps you escape from the holiday hustle-bustle and keeps your days merry and bright. Bring your family, friends or that special someone and make Jim Brickman your new holiday tradition. Celebrate the faith, love and togetherness that we value most this time of year and share in the celebration of A Joyful Christmas.


Free Ticket Giveaway:

Va Fly Fishing & Wine Festival 

FlyfishWineFest2018

Contest presented by Blue Ridge Country, The Roanoker and Life Outside magazine.

Limit of one entry per valid email address. Contest ends at midnight on December 3, 2017.

Prize Package Details: 
TWO (2) lucky winners will each win TWO (2) Weekend Passes to the 2018 Virginia Fly Fishing & Wine Festival in Doswell, Va on Jan 13-14, 2018.

Total prize package value: $70 each!

Event Description:
The Virginia Fly Fishing Festival is the largest event of its kind in the country and attracts fly anglers from across the United States and the Mid-Atlantic in particular. Nowhere else can anglers learn about the quiet sport in such a beginner-friendly environment. Our unique event combines fine wine tasting, microbrewery beer, and everything you ever wanted to know about fly fishing but were afraid to ask.

Festival attendees will be able to listen to lectures from various experts and practice hands-on skills at the two-day, family-friendly event. Several wineries from throughout the Old Dominion provide free wine tastings for those 21 and older.


Free Giveaway 

Win 2 Tickets to Dollywood

Dollywood

Win 2 Tickets to Dollywood

Presented by Blue Ridge Country and The Roanoker magazine.

Limit of one entry per valid email address.
Contest ends at midnight on November 20, 2017.

Prize Package Details: 
One (1) lucky winner will win TWO (2) Passes to Dollywood, just in time for Smoky Mountain Christmas! 
Passes valid through 01-01-18

Description: Smoky Mountain Christmas, presented by Humana (Nov. 4 - Jan. 1) features the most spectacular light display and a lineup of live Christmas shows that celebrate the true meaning of Christmas, all at Dollywood. 


Free Ticket Giveaway:

Dirty Dancing

Live at Berglund Center

dirty dancing

Prize Package Details: Prize Package includes TWO (2) tickets to "Dirty Dancing, The Classic Story on Stage” at Berglund Center on November 16, 2017 at 7:30 PM. 

TWO CHANCES TO WIN! 2 Lucky winners will be chosen at random!

Total Value: $139

Contest ends at midnight on 11.12.17

Description: DIRTY DANCING – THE CLASSIC STORY ON STAGE is an unprecedented live experience, exploding with heart-pounding music, passionate romance and sensational dancing. Seen by millions across the globe, this worldwide smash hit tells the classic story of Baby and Johnny, two fiercely independent young spirits from different worlds who come together in what will be the most challenging and triumphant summer of their lives. Featuring the hit songs, Hungry Eyes,Hey Baby,Do You Love Me? and the heart-stopping (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life. London’s Sunday Express says, This crowd-pleasing stage adaptation hits the jackpot!Don’t miss your chance to see this record-breaking live theatre sensation. You’ll have the time of your life!


Free Giveaway

Win a Stocked Market Gift
Basket and Ticket Pack!


November 10-12, 2017
Berglund Center, Roanoke, Va.

Stocked Market Basket

Prize Package Details: One lucky winner will win one (1) Stocked Market Gift Basket containing the following: 

• TWO (2) Stocked Market tickets for ALL THREE days of shopping extravagance, November 10-12, 2017 at Berglund Center in Roanoke, Va.
• Hot-off-the-press Virginia's Blue Ridge swag to rep your community
• Fun goodies for the home and office
• Sweet treats
• And some awesome coupons for amazing local businesses.

Total Value: $85 

Contest ends at 4 PM on 11.9.17. Winner will be notified by email after 4pm on 11.9.17. Prize package will be waiting for the winner at the Will Call desk of the Stocked Market.

About the Stocked Market: The Stocked Market is the JLRV’s Annual Shopping Extravaganza. Held at the Berglund Center each November, this holiday market boasts over a hundred vendors from across the country. This fundraiser has raised over $3.4 million over the past 27 years. All funds raised stay within the Roanoke Valley and are used to further the JLRV’s mission.

The Junior League of Roanoke Valley would like give special thanks to The Welcome Basket, Visit Virginia's Blue Ridge, and Eddy Communications for their help with this giveaway basket! Thanks also to ProSource of Roanoke, Decorating Den Interiors - Kristin Kopcial, Peak Performance Chiropractic & Wellness, and Neely's Accounting Services Inc for their basket contributions.


Free Ticket Giveaway:

ELF The Musical

Live at Berglund Center

ELF the musical

Prize Package Details: Prize Package includes TWO (2) tickets to "ELF, The Musical” at the Berglund Center on November 11, 2017 at 2 PM.

TWO CHANCES TO WIN! 2 Lucky winners will be chosen at random!

Total Value: $139

Contest ends at midnight on 11.5.17

Description: ELF The Musical is the hilarious tale of Buddy, a young orphan child who mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported back to the North Pole. Unaware that he is actually human, Buddy’s enormous size and poor toy-making abilities cause him to face the truth. With Santa’s permission, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father, discover his true identity, and help New York remember the true meaning of Christmas. This modern day Christmas classic is sure to make everyone embrace their inner ELF.


Free Ticket Giveaway:

ILUSIO, Magic on Ice

Live at Berglund Center

Ilusio

Prize Package Details: Grand Prize Package includes FOUR (4) Box Seat tickets valued at $47 each / $188 total to "ILUSIO, Magic on Ice” at Berglund Center.

Total Value: $188

SECOND CHANCE GIVEAWAY: Contest ends at midnight on 10.24.17

Description: "ILUSIO, Magic on Ice” is the riveting new spectacular created by Steve Wheeler. One-of-a-kind and critically acclaimed, it has entertained millions of people in over 400 performances across America, Europe, and Asia. A new genre of ice show, “ILUSIO, Magic on Ice” is a rare treasure that combines the intrigue of grand illusion with the powerful artistry of Olympic athleticism. Featuring a renowned cast of figure skating gold medalists, this unconventional fusion captivates with a thrilling series of larger than life and mind ...blowing magical moments. Awe-inspiring costumes, music, scenery, and dramatic lighting unite to bring this powerful and touching show to life. “We have created an incredible spectacular that transports audiences to a fantasy world,” said Wheeler. “You’ll see some amazing acts of strength, power and elegance, and also scenes that make you laugh. We’re excited to premiere some never seen before illusions that will blow your mind!” ILUSIO is the story of a frozen world that comes to life. The meaning is rooted in joy and happiness, conjures references to magical fantasy and illusion, and evokes a dreamlike reality. • Friday, October 27 – 10:30am, 7:30pm • Saturday, October 28 – 3:00pm, 8:00pm • Sunday, October 29 – 1:00pm, 5:00pm • Berglund Center Coliseum • Ticket prices: $17, $27, $47, $57, $77 (10+ Group Discounts available – 540-853-5382)


Free Ticket Giveaway:

Jimmy Thackery

Live at The Harvester Performance Center

JimmyThackery

Prize Package Details: ONE (1) lucky winner will win TWO (2) general admission tickets to Jimmy Thackery live at The Harvester Performance Center on Saturday, November 4, 2017 at 8:00 PM

Total Value: $54

Contest ends at midnight on 10.22.17

Description: Whether Jimmy Thackery headlines a festival in South Dakota or jams for hours in one of numerous blues bars that dot the musical landscape, he'll always unleash an intense volley of rockin' blues guitar guaranteed to leave crowds emotionally spent. His double edged guitar dynamics allow him to fire off tracer missiles, bend a note so it will fit under a limbo bar, run off dive bomber riffs, and find space within the trembling of one stinging note. "I put all my senses on hold and find the zone and follow what's inside. There's an electricity from your mind to your heart to your fingers. You just try and remember to breathe."

He's one of the few blues guitarists who learned first hand from the masters of the blues, not off a blues record or DVD. Though most associate Jimmy with his 15 years as the co-founder of the Nighthawks, he ended his time with them in 1987. Since then, Jimmy has been on the road as a solo musician for 15 years doing nearly 300 shows a year proving each night that he is still the guitar powerhouse in the blues. 


Free Ticket Giveaway:

Opera Roanoke presents

Puccini’s Tosca

Tosca

Prize Package Details: Prize Package includes TWO (2) Center Orchestra seats to Puccini’s Tosca on October 27 or 29, 2017

Total Value: $130

Contest ends at midnight on 10.15.17

Description: Opera Roanoke opens its 42nd season with a new production of Tosca. Not seen in Roanoke since 2001, Puccini’s melodrama teems with its composer’s signature blend of sweeping passions and compelling theatricality. The show features a cast of Opera Roanoke returning favorites including, Dinyar Vania (La Traviata ’16), Thomas Cannon (Madama Butterfly ’11), and Emily Johnson (Falstaff ’08) in the title role. This taut musical thriller is a perfect opera for the weekend before Halloween.


Free Ticket Giveaway:

ILUSIO, Magic on Ice

Live at Berglund Center

Ilusio

Prize Package Details: Grand Prize Package includes TWO (2) Box Seat tickets valued at $47 each / $94 total to "ILUSIO, Magic on Ice” at Berglund Center. Runner Up Prize Package includes FOUR (4) concourse-level seats, a maximum value of $27 each / $108 total. Both packages are for the Saturday, October 28, 2017, 8 PM performance.

Total Value: $94 or $108

Contest ends at midnight on 10.15.17

Description: "ILUSIO, Magic on Ice” is the riveting new spectacular created by Steve Wheeler. One-of-a-kind and critically acclaimed, it has entertained millions of people in over 400 performances across America, Europe, and Asia. A new genre of ice show, “ILUSIO, Magic on Ice” is a rare treasure that combines the intrigue of grand illusion with the powerful artistry of Olympic athleticism. Featuring a renowned cast of figure skating gold medalists, this unconventional fusion captivates with a thrilling series of larger than life and mind ...blowing magical moments. Awe-inspiring costumes, music, scenery, and dramatic lighting unite to bring this powerful and touching show to life. “We have created an incredible spectacular that transports audiences to a fantasy world,” said Wheeler. “You’ll see some amazing acts of strength, power and elegance, and also scenes that make you laugh. We’re excited to premiere some never seen before illusions that will blow your mind!” ILUSIO is the story of a frozen world that comes to life. The meaning is rooted in joy and happiness, conjures references to magical fantasy and illusion, and evokes a dreamlike reality. • Friday, October 27 – 10:30am, 7:30pm • Saturday, October 28 – 3:00pm, 8:00pm • Sunday, October 29 – 1:00pm, 5:00pm • Berglund Center Coliseum • Ticket prices: $17, $27, $47, $57, $77 (10+ Group Discounts available – 540-853-5382)


Free Ticket Giveaway:

Bridal Celebration Showcase

Bridal Showcase Logo

Prize Package Details: Prize Package includes FOUR (4) tickets to the Bridal Celebration Showcase on 10/22/17 at The Inn at Virginia Tech & Skelton Conference Center and 2 Yankee candles.

Total Value: $100

Contest ends at midnight on 10.15.17

Description: Brides: We've got you covered! Spent countless hours researching but still have questions? Its wedding show time! Plan on attending the Bridal Celebration Showcase, the premier bridal show hosted this year in Blacksburg at the Inn at Virginia Tech. Meet local and statewide vendors, get wedding planning tips & information, interact with other brides going through the same process, all while enjoying a day out with mom or your best friends at our bridal expo. Why we'd like to help: A lot of bridal shows only cater to one style and one budget. We weren't fans. We're here to offer every type of bride and groom tools that speak to them, are budget friendly, and make them excited for their big day. What you'll find there: Blacksburg Bridal Show featuring local and statewide vendors, hosted by Starshine Events Meet with the area’s top-notch wedding vendors Get inspiration for your wedding in a convenient & fun manner! Enter to win prizes and giveaways!


Free Ticket Giveaway:

The Glenn Miller Orchestra

Live at The Harvester Performance Center

GlennMiller

Prize Package Details: ONE (1) lucky winner will win TWO (2) General Admission tickets to the Glenn Miller Orchestra at The Harvester Performance Center on Sunday, October 8, 2017 7:30 PM

Total Value: $58

Contest ends at midnight on 10.1.17

Description: “The World Famous, Glenn Miller Orchestra, the most popular and sought after big band in the world today for both concert and swing dance engagements. With its unique jazz sound, the Glenn Miller Orchestra is considered to be one of the greatest bands of all time. The present Glenn Miller Orchestra was formed in 1956 and has been touring consistently since, playing an average of 300 live dates a year all around the world. Nick Hilscher is the orchestra’s present music director."


Free Ticket Giveaway:

Boz Scaggs

Boz Scaggs

Prize Package Details: ONE (1) lucky winner will win TWO (2) General Admission tickets to Boz Scaggs at The Harvester Performance Center on Tuesday, September 19, 2017 at 8:00 PM

Total Value: $203

Contest ends at midnight on 9.10.17

Description: “I’m at a point where I’m having a lot of fun with music, more than ever,” Boz Scaggs says about his spellbinding new album, A Fool to Care. “It’s like I’m just going wherever I want to go with it.” You can hear that sense of fun, as well as that ability and willingness to wander in any musical direction throughout the album’s twelve tracks. The inspirational heart of those songs lies in the sounds of Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma that played such a vital role in shaping Scaggs’ musical sensibility, but they venture forth boldly from there, ranging from the seductive New Orleans rumble of the title track to the wry social commentary of “Hell to Pay” and a heartbreakingly wistful interpretation of The Band’s “Whispering Pines.” As he did on his most recent previous album, Memphis (2013), Scaggs worked with producer Steve Jordan and a telepathic core band consisting of Jordan on drums, Willie Weeks on bass, Ray Parker, Jr. on rhythm guitar and Jim Cox on keyboards. “Steve works on a high energy level,” Scaggs says of his prized collaborator. “It’s relaxed and easy, but also very highly charged. His direction is laser-focused, and his playing is intense. It’s a whirlwind and he’s a strong leader, but it’s also lovely and loose and cool. That’s all a comfort to me. I’ve produced myself and I feel pretty solid in the studio, but it’s really nice for me not to have to do anything but help select the material and be free to be a singer and a guitar player.” Fans who have followed Scaggs’ remarkable career dating back to the late Sixties with the Steve Miller Band; his solo triumphs with such classic albums as Silk Degrees (1976) and Middle Man (1980); and the splendid assurance of late-period high points like Some Change (1994) and Dig (2001), will instantly recognize Scaggs’ characteristically deft touch as a singer. He brings a sly drawl to a funky workout like Li’l Millet and the Creoles’ “Rich Woman,” a conversational intimacy to Bobby Charles’s “Small Town Talk,” and an elegant delicacy to the Impressions’ “I’m So Proud.” He easily negotiates the Latin flavoring of “Last Tango on 16th Street” and “I Want to See You,” both written by San Francisco bluesman (and longtime Scaggs compatriot) Jack Walroth. His soul is effortless and deeply felt, never making a show of itself, but unmistakably evident in every lyric he delivers.


Free Ticket Giveaway:

Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion

BRR

Prize Package Details:
Two lucky winners will each win two (2) 3-day wristbands to the 2017 Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion on State Street in Historic Downtown, Bristol, VA/TN. on September 15-17, 2016.

Total value: $250!

Contest Ends at Midnight on Sept. 10, 2017

Festival Description: The Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion music festival is an electrifying music experience that features the very best roots music. Held annually the third weekend in September in historic downtown Bristol TN/VA, the three-day music is amped to the beat of Appalachia’s past, present, and future. The Festival digs down deep into the roots of the traditional Appalachian sound and lifts its branches to new heights. It all happens in the heart of the Birthplace of Country Music.


Vote for your favorite restaurants and

WIN A $100 GIFT CARD!

Dining Awards 2016

Our 32nd Annual Readers' Choice Dining Awards Survey offers you the chance to WIN a $100 Gift Card simply by voting for your favorite restaurants!

VOTING ENDS AT MIDNIGHT
ON AUGUST 6, 2017


Free Book Giveaway

Last Ride to Graceland
by Kim Wright

last-ride-graceland

Prize Package Details: ONE (1) lucky winner will win ONE (1) free copy of Last Ride to Graceland by author Kim Wright, recipient of the 2016 Willie Morris Award for Southern Fiction

Retail Value: $16

Contest ends at midnight on 7.23.17

Description: Blues musician Cory Ainsworth is barely scraping by after her mother’s death when she discovers a priceless piece of rock ‘n’ roll memorabilia hidden away in a shed out back of the family’s coastal South Carolina home: Elvis Presley’s Stutz Blackhawk, its interior a time capsule of the singer’s last day on earth.

A backup singer for the King, Cory’s mother Honey was at Graceland the day Elvis died. She quickly returned home to Beaufort and married her high school sweetheart. Yearning to uncover the secrets of her mother’s past—and possibly her own identity—Cory decides to drive the car back to Memphis and turn it over to Elvis’s estate, retracing the exact route her mother took thirty-seven years earlier. As she winds her way through the sprawling deep south with its quaint towns and long stretches of open road, the burning question in Cory’s mind—who is my father?—takes a backseat to the truth she learns about her complicated mother, the minister’s daughter who spent a lifetime struggling to conceal the consequences of a single year of rebellion.

About the Willie Morris Award: The Willie Morris Award for Southern Fiction is named for the late author, Willie Morris, and the spirit of the winning novel should reflect his words, “hope for belonging, for belief in a people’s better nature, for steadfastness against all that is hollow or crass or rootless or destructive.” The selected book may contain violence and despair, and feature terrible events, but in the final analysis must be uplifting, and suggest hope and optimism.


Free Ticket Giveaway:

Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers

HornsbyNoisemakers

Prize Package Details: ONE (1) lucky winner will win TWO (2) GOLD section tickets to Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers at The Harvester Performance Center on Saturday, July 29, 2017 at 8:00 PM

Total Value: $184

Contest ends at midnight on 7.16.17

Description: Bruce Hornsby’s work displays a creative iconoclasm that’s been a constant in the artist’s two-and-a-half decade recording career. His commercial stock soared early on, when “The Way It Is”–the title track of his 1986 debut album–became one of the most popular songs on American radio. Despite his early mainstream successes, Hornsby has pursued a more personal, idiosyncratic musical path, focusing on projects that sparked his creative interest, including collaborations with the Grateful Dead, Spike Lee, Ricky Skaggs, Don Henley, Ornette Coleman, Bob Dylan, Bela Fleck, Bonnie Raitt, Pat Metheny, and Robbie Robertson. Hornsby’s performance will offer a glimpse of a restless spirit who continues to push forward into exciting new musical terrain.


Free Ticket Giveaway

Deschutes Street Pub

Prize Package Details: ONE (1) lucky winner will win TWO (2) VIP Tickets to the Deschutes Street Pub on July 15, 2017 in Elmwood Park from 2 to 10 pm.

Total Value: $100

Contest ends at midnight on 7.9.17

Event Description: We’re excited to bring our pub to Roanoke for one day! Street Pub is a family friendly one-stop shop to try lots of our beers with over 50 taps – from our Black Butte Anniversary Series all the way to year-round favorites like Mirror Pond Pale Ale and Fresh Squeezed IPA. We’ll pair these beers up with culinary creations from our Executive Chef, Jeff Usinowicz and local Chefs from the Roanoke area.

Partners: This year, we’ve partnered with Hydro Flask, Humm Kombucha and KEEN Footwear to bring the fun to an all new level!

Benefits: Proceeds benefit the Roanoke Outside Foundation, Pathfinders for Greenways, Bradley Free Clinic & Blue Ridge Land Conservancy.

Bands: Local, live music will keep everyone moving to the beat. Info on bands and times coming soon… **There will also be a kids zone & bike parking… more info at our FAQ page coming soon!

VIP Tickets Black Dog Architectural Salvage and Martin’s Downtown VIP LOUNGE: This is your chance to get exclusive access to specialty beer tastings led by one of our brewers. Our chef will be serving up beer snacks like beer salami, beer nuts, hop corn and more. Tickets include: two beer tokens, rare barrel tastings, exclusive seating away from the crowd, and some fun swag from Deschutes Brewery, Keen Footwear, Hydro Flask, Humm Kombucha and more!


Free Ticket Giveaway

BaconFestLogo

Prize Package Details: ONE (1) lucky winner will win TWO (2) Whole Hog Prize Packs, including 2 general admission tickets and 2 sets of Whole Hog taste tickets (12 tickets each) to BaconFest VA on July 15, 2017 from 10 am to 5 pm at The Berglund Center.

Total Value: $50 (That's a whole lot of bacon!)

Contest ends at midnight on 7.9.17

Event Description: We'll be serving up bacon-inspired dishes for our fifth year in a row to thousands of hungry bacon fans! Baconfest 2017 will be our biggest and best year yet! On July 15, 2017 come join us at Berglund Center in Roanoke, VA from 10am-5pm for delicious bacon dishes beyond your wildest dreams! Everything from bacon-wrapped pork belly to bacon hot sauces, bacon tacos to bacon cupcakes, every bacon creation imaginable!


Free Ticket Giveaway:

“An Evening With Béla Fleck & Chris Thile"

The Harvester Performance Center 
Friday, May 26, 2017 at 8:00 PM


FleckThileGiveawayBanner

Contest ends at midnight on 5/21/17

Ticket Giveaway: Béla Fleck & Chris Thile

Contest presented by The Harvester Performance Center and The Roanoker magazine

Prize Package Details: 
ONE (1) lucky winner will win TWO (2) General Admission Tickets to “An Evening With Béla Fleck & Chris Thile" at The Harvester Performance Center on Friday, May 26, 2017 at 8:00 PM

Total value: $156!

Event Description: 
Multiple Grammy Award-winner and MacArthur Fellow Chris Thile, a member of Punch Brothers and Nickel Creek, is a mandolin virtuoso, composer and vocalist. With his broad outlook that encompasses classical, rock, jazz, and bluegrass, Thile transcends the borders of conventionally circumscribed genres, creating a distinctly American canon and a new musical aesthetic for performers and audiences alike. 

A child prodigy, Thile first rose to fame as a member of Grammy Award-winning trio Nickel Creek, with whom he released three albums and sold over two million records. In 2014, along with a national tour, the trio released a new album, A Dotted Line, their first since 2005. 

As a soloist Thile has released five albums including his most recent, Bach: Partitas and Sonatas, Vol.1, which was produced by renowned bassist Edgar Meyer. In February 2013 Thile won a Grammy for his work on The Goat Rodeo Sessions, collaborating with Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer and Stuart Duncan. Then, in September 2014, Thile and Meyer released their latest album collaboration, Bass + Mandolin, which won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album. Punch Brothers released their latest album, The Phosphorescent Blues, in January 2015.

And just in case you aren’t familiar with Bela Fleck, there are some who say he’s the world’s premier banjo player. Others claim that Béla has virtually reinvented the image and the sound of the banjo through a remarkable performing and recording career that has taken him all over the musical map and on a range of solo projects and collaborations. If you are familiar with Béla, you know that he just loves to play the banjo, and put it into unique settings.

The recipient of multiple Grammy Awards and nominations going back to 1998, Béla Flecks’ total Grammy count is 15 Grammys won, with 30 nominations. He has been nominated in more categories than any instrumentalist in Grammy history.

In recent years he’s found himself bouncing between various intriguing touring situations, such as duos with Chick Corea, Chris Thile and Abigail Washburn, in a trio with Zakir Hussain and Edgar Meyer, performing his concertos with symphonies, concerts with the Brooklyn Rider string quartet, performances with African artists such as Oumou Sangare and Toumani Diabate, in jazz collaboration with The Marcus Roberts Trio, rare solo concerts and doing bluegrass with his old friends. And after nearly 30 years, the Flecktones are still performing together.


Free Ticket Giveaway:

Barenaked Ladies

Live at The Harvester
May 2, 2017 8:00 PM


BNL Banners

Contest ends at midnight on 4/24/17

Ticket Giveaway: Barenaked Ladies at The Harvester

Contest presented by The Harvester Performance Center and The Roanoker magazine.

Prize Package Details: 
ONE (1) lucky winner will win TWO (2) General Admission Tickets to Barenaked Ladies at The Harvester Performance Center on Tuesday, May 2, 2017 at 8:00 PM

Total value: $203!

Event Description:
Barenaked Ladies - A biography 

Ed Robertson: guitar, vocals
Jim Creeggan: bass, vocals
Kevin Hearn: keyboards, guitar, vocals
Tyler Stewart: drums, vocals

"Gotta see the show, 'cause then you'll know," sings Ed Robertson on Barenaked Ladies' chart-topping hit, "One Week," a song featured on the band's new live album 'BNL Rocks Red Rocks,' recorded at the fabled Morrison, CO, Amphitheater on June 10, 2015 during the band's Last Summer On Earth tour.

That's as good a description as any about seeing these rock icons in concert, an experience filled with the kind of energy, precision, finesse and outright celebration among its fans that is a tribute to Barenaked Ladies' remarkable longevity. The band is still together after nearly three decades, producing 14 studio albums which have collectively sold more than 14 million copies, won eight Juno Awards, earned multiple Grammy nominations, a U.S. chart-topping single ("One Week") and the theme song to one of TV's most popular shows, "The Big Bang Theory."

"I don't think there's a secret," Robertson explained to People magazine last year when asked how BNL managed to not just survive, but thrive, continuing to sell out venues wherever they go. "It's work. You've got to respect each other, you got to give each other space, but you also have to support each other... This band learned early on to communicate, right from the beginning we didn't want to burn out. We wanted to keep making music."


Free Ticket Giveaway:

 Blacksburg Chocolate Festival

And Friday Night Gala at the P. Buckley Moss Gallery 

April 14 and 15, 2017
 


BBurg choco fest

Contest ends at midnight on 4/9/17

Free Giveaway: Blacksburg Chocolate Festival

Presented byThe Roanoker magazine.

Prize Package Details: 
TWO (2) lucky winners will each win a prize package containing the following:

• 2 tickets to the Friday Night Gala at the P. Buckley Moss Gallery on April 14 from 6 to 8:30 p.m.
• 20 Chocolate Tasting Tickets for use during the festival on April 15 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Downtown Blacksburg
• 3 Drink tickets for use at the Beer & Wine Garden

Total Value: $135 Value 

Event Description:
The Rotary Club of Blacksburg is presenting our Signature Chocolate Event to enable us to continue to support our local and international needs while providing a valuable service to our community.

Sample from thousands of delicious chocolates, have a drink in the beer and wine garden, enjoy live music, and bring the kids for family friendly activities and more!


Free Ticket Giveaway:

SF JAZZ Collective

Live at The Jefferson Center
April 13, 2017 7:30 PM


SF JAZZ

Contest ends at midnight on 4/2/17

Ticket Giveaway: SF JAZZ Collective

Presented by The Jefferson center and The Roanoker magazine.

Prize Package Details: 
ONE (1) lucky winner will win TWO (2) Tickets to the SF JAZZ Collective live at The Jefferson Center on Thursday, April 13, 2017 at 7:30 PM

Total value: $60!

Event Description:

An all-star ensemble comprising eight of the finest performer/composers at work in jazz today, the SFJAZZ Collective’s mission each year is to perform fresh arrangements of works by a modern master and newly commissioned pieces by each Collective member. Through this pioneering approach, simultaneously honoring music’s greatest figures while championing jazz’s up-to-the-minute directions, the Collective embodies SFJAZZ’s commitment to jazz as a living, ever-relevant art form. Over their 10-year existence, the Collective has honored the music of John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, Herbie Hancock, Thelonious Monk, Wayne Shorter, McCoy Tyner, Horace Silver, Stevie Wonder, Chick Corea, Joe Henderson, and Michael Jackson. For 2016-17, they pay tribute to trumpeter, composer, and innovator Miles Davis. More than any other figure, Davis changed the sound of jazz – not once, but consistently over his career – from the birth of bebop in the 1940s to the integration of rock approaches that gave rise to the fusion movement in the 1970s. Read More.


Free Ticket Giveaway:

Win Free Tickets to the 2017 

Virginia Fly Fishing and Wine Festival!

Doswell, VA 
April 8-9, 2017
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.


FlyfishWineFest2017

Contest ends at midnight on 3/19/17

Free Giveaway: VA Fly Fishing & Wine Festival

Presented by Blue Ridge CountryThe Roanoker and Life Outside magazine.

Prize Package Details: 
THREE (3) lucky winners will each win TWO (2) Weekend Passes to the 2017 Virginia Fly Fishing & Wine festival in Doswell, Va on April 8-9, 2017 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Total prize package value: $70 each!

Event Description:
The Virginia Fly Fishing & Wine Festival is the largest event of its kind in the country and attracts fly anglers from across the United States and the Mid-Atlantic in particular. Nowhere else can anglers learn about the quiet sport in such a beginner-friendly environment.

Our unique event combines fine wine tasting, microbrewery beer, live music, and everything you ever wanted to know about fly fishing but were afraid to ask.

The mission of the Virginia Fly Fishing & Wine Festival is to introduce as many people to the sport of fly fishing as possible, especially young families with children.

We do this believing that people, who are connected to the outdoors in their recreational activities, are more inclined to protect the natural resources they enjoy.

Bring your family, relax, take a casting class, and pick up a new sport that the entire family can enjoy.

The 2017 Virginia Fly Fishing & Wine Festival will be held at the Meadow Event Park, just a few miles outside of Richmond, Virginia, on April 8-9, 2017.

The festival — the largest event of its kind in the country, drawing fly anglers from as far away as New York and Georgia — appeals to anglers of all ages and stages.

Festival attendees listen to lectures from various experts and practice hands-on skills at the two-day, family-friendly event. Several wineries from throughout the Old Dominion provide free wine tastings for those 21 and older.

Last year’s festival enjoyed record turnout, and the event was flooded with children.

Those who have enjoyed the outdoor festival environment for years can rest easy: Although the new facility will enable all vendors to be under roof, the events center is surrounded by extensive grounds suitable for outdoor classes and wine tastings

All tickets include: 
• Access to all classes open to the public 
• Free wine tastings (21 and over)
• Kayak trials
• Stand-up paddle board demos
• and more! 


Free Ticket Giveaway:

Dianne Reeves

Live at The Jefferson Center
March 3, 2017 8:00 PM


dianne reeves

Contest ends at midnight on 2/19/17

Ticket Giveaway: Dianne Reeves

Presented by The Jefferson center and The Roanoker magazine.

Prize Package Details: 
ONE (1) lucky winner will win TWO (2) Tickets to Dianne Reeves live at The Jefferson Center on Friday, March 3, 2017 at 8:00 PM

Total value: $64!

Event Description:

Dianne Reeves is the pre-eminent jazz vocalist in the world. As a result of her breathtaking virtuosity, improvisational prowess, and unique jazz and R&B stylings, Reeves received the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Performance for three consecutive recordings—a Grammy first in any vocal category. 

Featured in George Clooney’s six-time Academy Award nominated “Good Night, and Good Luck,” Reeves won her fourth of five Best Jazz Vocal Grammys for film's soundtrack. 

Reeves has recorded and performed with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. She has also recorded with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra conducted by Daniel Barenboim and was a featured soloist with Sir Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic. Reeves was the first Creative Chair for Jazz for the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the first singer to ever perform at the famed Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Reeves worked with legendary producer Arif Mardin (Norah Jones, Aretha Franklin) on the Grammy winning A Little Moonlight, an intimate collection of standards featuring her touring trio. When Reeves’ holiday collection Christmas Time is Here was released, Ben Ratliff of The New York Times raved, “Ms. Reeves, a jazz singer of frequently astonishing skill, takes the assignment seriously; this is one of the best jazz Christmas CD's I've heard.” 
Read More.

Free Ticket Giveaway:

Sugaray Rayford Blues Band

Live at The Jefferson Center
February 25, 2017 8:00 PM


Sugaray Rayford

Contest ends at midnight on 2/12/17

Ticket Giveaway: Sugaray Rayford Blues Band

Presented by The Jefferson center and The Roanoker magazine.

Prize Package Details: 
ONE (1) lucky winner will win TWO (2) Tickets to Sugaray Rayford Blues Band at The Jefferson Center on Saturday, February 25, 2017 at 8:00 PM

Total value: $64!

Event Description:

Sugaray Rayford is a revelation as he powerfully moans the blues….Blues in Britain Magazine 2013

Sugaray has fronted his own band since 2010, called the Sugaray Rayford Band. This band is currently made up of world-class musicians. Ralph Carter on bass who is also his writing partner, Gino Matteo on guitar, Leo Dombecki on keyboards, Lavelle Jones on drums, Allan Walker on sax, and Gary Bivona on trumpet. But the Sugaray Rayford Band is only one of his projects. As of May 2011, Sugaray became one of the lead vocalists for the Mannish Boys, who are under Delta Groove management. This international act performs 6-8 times a year. He sang lead vocals on 9 songs on Double Dynamite the Mannish Boys CD that won Best Traditional Blues Album in May 2013 at the Blues Music Awards. His first solo CD Blind Alley was a self-release in 2010, which garnered critical acclaim. His second solo CD Dangerous, was just released on 9/17/2013 under the Delta Groove label and debuted at # 2 on Blues Debut Chart, #6 on the Roots Music Chart and is currently #2 on The Living Blues Chart. Below is the journey that has taken Sugaray to this point in his career.

Texas born Caron “Sugaray” Rayford began his musical career at the age of 7 singing & playing drums in church, and his gospel influence can be heard and felt in his music. Rayford's phrasing is intimate and conversational and the soulful gravel in his voice hints at his firsthand experience with hardship. He grew up in Texas, his childhood marked by poverty and loss. He remembered a sad game he played with his brothers, a competition that determined who was skinniest by counting the number of belt holes left unused. His mother struggled to raise three boys alone while battling cancer. When she died, it was a kind of relief. "She suffered and we suffered," Rayford said. "Then, we moved in with my grandmother and our lives were a lot better. We ate every day and we were in church every day, which I loved. I grew up in gospel and soul.” 

When Sugaray belts out a song, you not only hear it, you feel it. The excitement in the room is palpable when he takes the stage; he is a superb vocalist and entertainer. His dynamic voice is large just like the man. With his old school vocal style, echoes of Muddy Waters, Otis Redding and Teddy Pendergrass can be heard. At 6’5” he is a big man, but he moves with grace and energy. His fluid dance steps will remind you of the Legendary James Brown. 
Read More.

Free Ticket Giveaway:

Cory Henry & The Funk Apostles

Live at The Jefferson Center
February 16, 2017 7:30 PM


Cory Henry Funk Apostles

Contest ends at midnight on 2/5/17

Ticket Giveaway: Cory Henry & The Funk Apostles

Presented by The Jefferson center and The Roanoker magazine.


Prize Package Details: 
ONE (1) lucky winner will win TWO (2) Tickets to Cory Henry & The Funk Apostles live at The Jefferson Center on Thursday, February 16, 2017 at 7:30 PM

Total value: $50!

Event Description:

Cory Henry is a multi-instrumentalist and producer with a catalog worthy of a man twice his age. His primary instrument is the organ, and he began playing at the age of two. At the age of six he competed at the Apollo Theater and made it to the finalist round. In 2010 he co-produced Jay White's Larger than Life. Later that year he released his first album Christmas With You, which featured his lively renditions of Christmas classics and prominently showcased his skill as an improvisor. Kim Burrell's Grammy nominated and Stellar Award winning Love album released in 2011 boasted several tracks that were written and produced by Henry. That year he wrote for and produced much of Krishnar Lewis' One Lover's Trilogy album and released his first, "Leave you alone".

Henry is primarily known for harmonically rich organ playing that owes a greater debt to the virtuosic unpredictability of Tatum and Peterson than it does to Jimmy Smith and other members of the Hammond organ pantheon. In his best moments he seems to capture the breadth of the Jazz and Gospel idioms and produce something altogether new through his unique blending of the two genres. Although he possesses a great deal of technique, in his solos he regularly subordinates it to a narrative arch and exhibits a maturity that surpasses his years. Unlike many virtuosos he is a great accompanist, and perhaps this is why he excels also as a producer and sideman.

At the tender age of nineteen he had the opportunity to begin traveling with the Jazz legend Kenny Garrett as his organist in a stint that lasted three years. He has done television work playing on the third season of Sunday's Best for BET and on the Jimmy Fallon Show. He has worked with Yolanda Adams, Sara Bareilles, Stanley Brown, Ray Chew And The Crew, P. Diddy, Kirk Franklin, Rob Glasper, Ron Grant, Lalah Hathway, Derrick Hodge, Israel Houghton, Joe, Shaun Kingston, Donald Lawrence, Mary Mary, Donnie McClurkin, Michael McDonald, Boyz 2 Men, NAS, Snarky Puppy, Tommy Sims, Bruce Springsteen, The Roots, Hezekiah Walker, Bishop Jeffrey White, Betty Wright, the late Timothy Wright, and many others. Henry's awe inspiring impromptu YouTube performances have gained him a loyal and sizable following. His latest release, "First Steps" was released in the Spring of 2014 and went to #1 on iTunes Jazz Chart. 
Read More.


Free Ticket Giveaway:

Tastings at the Taubman

Bourbon + Bacon

February 10, 2017 6:30-9 PM


Tastings at the Taubman

Contest ends at midnight on 1/31/17

Free Giveaway: Tastings at the Taubman (Feb 10)

Presented by The Taubman Museum of Art and The Roanoker magazine.

Prize Package Details: 
TWO (2) lucky winners will each win TWO (2) Tickets to the Tastings at the Taubman - Bourbon & Bacon at The Taubman Museum of Art on Friday, February 10, 2017 from 6:30-9 PM

Total prize package value: $130 each!

Event Description:

Explore the richness of whiskey through bourbon pairings with distinctive pork dishes created by local chefs. 

This event is presented by BB&T Wealth with additional support provided by 101.5 The Valley¹s Music Place.

Friday, February 10, 2017, 6:30-9 p.m.
Taubman Museum of Art, 110 Salem Avenue SE, Downtown Roanoke
Tickets: $55 in advance, $65 day of event

Details and Tickets: 
www.TaubmanMuseum.org/Tastings or 540.342.5760


Free Ticket Giveaway:

Tastings at the Taubman
International Wine Festival

January 29, 2017 1-4 PM


Tastings at the Taubman

Contest ends at midnight on 1/22/17

Free Giveaway: Tastings at the Taubman (Jan 29)

Presented by The Taubman Museum of Art and The Roanoker magazine.

Prize Package Details: 
TWO (2) lucky winners will each win TWO (2) Tickets to the Tastings at the Taubman – International Wine Festival at The Taubman Museum of Art Sunday, January 29, 2017 from 1-4 PM.

Total prize package value: $110 each!

Event Description:

Now in its fourth year, this highly anticipated event¹s highlights include:

• Sampling of 30+ wines from around the globe (along with a small
selection of beers)
• Expert food and wine pairings
• Tasting notes from seasoned wine stewards
• "What's HOT" spotlight talk by John Boyer, Senior Instructor, Virginia Tech
• Live music
• Silent auction
• Souvenir wine glass
• Designated driving service sponsored by Coca-Cola (15-minute radius from the Museum)

The International Wine Festival is presented by Kroger with lead sponsorship support provided by Lionberger Construction Company. Coca-Cola is the Designated Driver Sponsor. Additional support is provided by City
Lifestyles Magazine.

Taubman Museum of Art, 110 Salem Avenue SE, Downtown Roanoke
Tickets: $45 in advance, $55 day of event

Details and Tickets: 
www.TaubmanMuseum.org/Tastings or 540.342.5760


Free Ticket Giveaway:

Big Bad Voodoo Daddy

Wild & Swingin' Holiday Party 

The Harvester Performance Center 
December 13, 2016 8:00 PM


BBVD Holiday Banner

Contest ends at midnight on 12/04/16

Ticket Giveaway: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy

Presented by The Harvester Performance Center and The Roanoker magazine.

Limit of one entry per valid email address. Contest ends at midnight on Sunday, December 4, 2016.
Official Rules. 

Prize Package Details: 
ONE (1) lucky winner will win TWO (2) General Admission Tickets to Big Bad Voodoo Daddy: Wild & Swingin' Holiday Party at The Harvester Performance Center on Tuesday, December 13, 2016 at 8:00 PM

Total value: $79!

Event Description:

Together for over 23 years, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy — famously named after an autograph by blues legend Albert Collins — has appeared in concert venues across the world, sold millions of records, and had their music appear in hundreds of movies and television shows. With sold out concerts from the Hollywood Bowl to Lincoln Center, appearances with many of the country's finest symphony orchestras, and television appearances ranging from Dancing with the Stars to Superbowl XXXIII, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy continues it's decades long mission to celebrate and revitalize jazz and swing music — America's original musical art form — and bring joy to audiences around the world. Read More.


Free Ticket Giveaway:

Sierra Hull

The Harvester Performance Center 
November 11, 2016 8:00 PM


Sierra Hull

Contest ends at midnight on 10/30/16

ONE (1) lucky winner will win TWO (2) General Admission Tickets to Sierra Hull at The Harvester Performance Center on Friday, November 11, 2016 at 8:00 PM

Total value: $60!

Event Description:
Bluegrass roots inform and inspire this soundscape, but bluegrass does not define or limit Weighted Mind. This is not bluegrass music, or chamber music, or pop music. This is original music, from a virtuoso who tells the truth and speaks from herself.

“If you won’t go where I’m going, then I’ll have to go alone,” she sings. “Choices and changes/ I’m tired of trying to be someone else.” Then she unleashes an octave mandolin solo—first fluttering, then tense and troubled—that could come from no one else.

Hull wrote eleven of Weighted Mind’s twelve songs (and she arranged the twelfth tune), penning some with co-writers Jon Weisberger, Zac Bevill, and Josh Shilling, and writing “Stranded,” “Wings of the Dawn,” “Birthday,” “Lullaby,” “I’ll Be Fine,” and “Black River” on her own.

“The moment you start to be yourself, there’s an honesty about that, that people connect with,” she says. “This album feels like the story of my early twenties, of that searching. Now, it feels like everything worked out the way it was supposed to.”

“I’d like to say to you, ‘Come follow,’” Hull sings on “Compass.” “But you may find my heart’s been hollowed out.”

Now, she knows. If her heart was hollowed, it was only so it might be filled anew, and then revealed. Welcome to a Weighted Mind, at ease.


Free Ticket Giveaway:

Blacksburg Brew Do 2016


Brew Do 2016 Header

Contest ends at midnight on 10/02/16

Prize Package Details: ONE (1) lucky winner will receive TWO (2) tasting tickets to Blacksburg Brew Do 2016. Each ticket includes festival entry and TWENTY (20) 4-oz beer tastings at any brewery at the event. Winners must be 21 or older. 

Total value: $60! 


Festival Description:
The wait is over! The 8th annual Blacksburg Brew Do will be held on Saturday, October 8, 2016 from noon-5pm. It will once again be in the spacious location of 1600 Innovation Drive in the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center (CRC).

This year the festival welcomes back the best in craft brewers from the Mid-Atlantic region and beyond, offering another outstanding selection of ales, lagers, stouts, pilsners, ciders, and specialty beers. Delicious food, cooking and brewing demonstrations and live entertainment will compliment a great day of beer tasting.

Proceeds from this event will benefit The Blacksburg Partnership, a non-profit organization working to enhance the quality of life in Blacksburg. For more information about The Blacksburg Partnership, visit stepintoblacksburg.org.


Free Ticket Giveaway:

Opera Roanoke Presents

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s

South Pacific


South Pacific Banner

Contest ends at midnight on 09/25/16

Prize Package Details: 
Two tickets to Opera Roanoke's performance of "Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific" at the Jefferson Center's Shaftman Performance Hall on Friday, October 7, 2016 at 7:30pm or Sunday, October 9, 2016 at 3:00pm (your choice of shows.) Total value $150!


Event Description:
Opera Roanoke opens their 41st season with one of the great “American Operas” from Broadway, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s World War II-era classic, South Pacific. With its signature balance of wit and warmth, and characters whose stories engage us, South Pacific continues to entertain, inspire, and provoke us. Following his acclaimed production of Rossini’s La Cenerentola, J.J. Hudson returns to direct an all-star cast, including local favorites, Corey Crider (Sweeney Todd, ’15), in his role debut as Emile de Becque, and Ariana Wyatt (The Pirates of Penzance, ’13), making her role debut as Nellie Forbush. Artistic Director Scott Williamson leads the musicians of the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra in what is bound to be one of the most talked-about shows of the season.


Free Ticket Giveaway:

Virginia Craft Spirits Showcase


VCSS banner 8-8-16

Contest ends at midnight on 09/18/16

Prize Package Details: 
ONE (1) lucky winner will win TWO (2) VIP tickets to the Virginia Craft Spirits Showcase at the Berglund Center on Saturday, November 5, 2016 from 3-7 p.m. 

Total value: $119.50!

Event Description:
Sip and savor Virginia spirits at the first-ever 100% made-in-Virginia distilled spirits festival. Meet master distillers from more than 20 Virginia distilleries, sample unique cocktails, and get new recipes. All in a fun atmosphere with live music, a food truck, and even a few of the best Virginia craft beers. Live music provided by My Radio Band. Plus, you won't want to miss the Battle of the Bartenders! 

The VIP Experience 
A VIP pass gets you 10 tasting tickets plus admission to a whiskey OR moonshine class and tasting from 3-4pm. Sit, sip, relax and learn from Virginia’s distilled spirit experts. Learn about the history of the drink. VIP Lounge Access with Buffet Dinner for the entire event also included. Be first in line for drinks and tastes from the distillers. Souvenir etched glass for drinks and tastings included.

Plus, all VIP attendees will have a chance to win a pair of tickets to see BOB DYLAN perform live right next door immediately after the Showcase!


Free Ticket Giveaway:

An Evening With Buddy Guy

The Harvester Performance Center 
September 22, 2016 8:00 PM


Buddy Guy

Contest ends at midnight on 09/14/16

Prize Package Details: 
ONE (1) lucky winner will win TWO (2) General Admission Tickets to An Evening with Buddy Guyat The Harvester Performance Center on Thursday, September 22, 2016 at 8:00 PM

Total value: $205!

Event Description:

At age 79, Buddy Guy is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, a major influence on rock titans like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, a pioneer of Chicago’s fabled West Side sound, and a living link to the city’s halcyon days of electric blues. Buddy Guy has received 7 GRAMMY Awards, a 2015 Lifetime Achievement GRAMMY Award, 34 Blues Music Awards (the most any artist has received), the Billboard Magazine Century Award for distinguished artistic achievement, a Kennedy Center Honor, and the Presidential National Medal of Arts. Rolling Stone Magazine ranked him #23 in its "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time." Read More.


Free Ticket Giveaway:

Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion


rhythm-roots-banner

Contest ends at midnight on 09/06/16

Prize Package Details: 
Two 3-day wristbands to the 2016 Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion on State Street in Historic Downtown, Bristol, VA/TN. on September 16-18, 2016. 

Total value: $200! 


Festival Description:
Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion music festival is an electrifying music experience that features the very best roots music. Held annually the third weekend in September in historic downtown Bristol TN/VA, the three-day music is amped to the beat of Appalachia’s past, present, and future. The Festival digs down deep into the roots of the traditional Appalachian sound and lifts its branches to new heights. It all happens in the heart of the Birthplace of Country Music.


Free Ticket Giveaway:

Zoo Do 2016


Zoo Do Header

Contest ends at midnight on 08/23/16

Prize Package Details: 
ONE (1) lucky winner will win TWO (2) tickets to Zoo Do 2016 at the Mill Mountain Zoo on Friday August 26, 2016 from 6-10 p.m.

Total value: $100!

Event Description:
Join us for the Zoo’s biggest night of the year! Your ticket opens the gates to an evening of great food provided by Lib & Amy and pumpernickel pickle catering co., music under the stars by DJ Vicki Thompson of Creative Entertainment, souvenir caricatures by Kyle Edgell and so much more! Enjoy your craft beer and wine provided by P.A. Short in your free Kleen Kanteen tumbler or wine glass. Bring your Kleen Kanteen tumbler from last year and get one extra drink ticket. Don’t forget about the Zoo Choo rides all evening until dark! All for only $50 per person.

Our Silent Auction will be full of great items headlined by family passes to Disney’s Magic Kingdon, wonderful art by local artists and some by our animal residents, VIP Tours of the Columbus Zoo and the Louisville Zoo, overnights at McCorn Winery and B&B in New York State’s beautiful Finger Lakes wine region and so much more!


Free Ticket Giveaway:

The Beach Ball:
Brian Wilson Presents Pet Sounds 

Celebrating The 50th Anniversary With Special Guests Al Jardine And Blondie Chaplin


Brian Wilson Banner

Contest ends at midnight on 08/07/16 - Enter Now!

Prize Package Details: 
Three (3) lucky winners will each win Two (2) tickets to The Beach Ball: Brian Wilson Presents Pet Sounds, Celebrating The 50th Anniversary With Special Guests Al Jardine And Blondie Chaplin at Elmwood Park Amphitheater in Downtown Roanoke at 7:30 p.m. on Aug 20, 2016. (Gates open at 6 p.m.) Total Value: $110 per prize package!

Event Description:
FloydFest and Across-the-Way Productions, Inc. are excited to present the “Totally Rad Roanoke~Star City Concert Series” in 2016 at the beautiful Elmwood Park Amphitheater in downtown Roanoke, Virginia. Situated in the heart of downtown Roanoke, this 4,500-seat amphitheater offers both the pristine beauty of mountain vistas and proximity to the liveliness of vibrant downtown Roanoke, including restaurants, lodging, boutique shopping and night life.

Taking place on April 20, May 12 and August 20, the Totally Rad Roanoke Star City Concert Series will feature all the usual hallmarks of an AtWP event — fantastic live performances backed by great food, craft beer, attention to detail and top-notch customer service.

He is one of popular music’s most deeply revered figures, the main creative force behind some of the most cherished recordings in rock history. Indeed, it is no exaggeration to call Brian Wilson one of the most influential composers of the last century. On Saturday, August 20, Brian Wilson will bring to life the 50th anniversary of Pet Sounds — for the last time ever on tour — and you’re invited. Tickets on sale April 1, 2016.



2017 Readers' Choice

Dining Awards Ballot

Dining Awards 2016

Our 31st Annual Readers' Choice Dining Awards Survey offers you the chance to WIN a $100 Gift Card simply by voting for your favorite restaurants! Ballot Closes at midnight on Aug 3, 2016


Free Ticket Giveaway:

FloydFest 16: Dreamweavin'


floydfest16banner

Contest ends at midnight on 07/10/16 - Enter Now!

Prize Package Details: 
Two (2) 3-day general admission Friday-Sunday tickets to FloydFest 16: Dreamweavin' on July 29-31, 2016. Total Value: $460!

Festival Description:
"FloydFest's mission is to be the best music festival experience of our time. To sell a limited quantity of tickets to the highest quality event experience, bar none, celebrating music, art and life in an intimate, visually stunning environment."


Free Ticket Giveaway:

2016 Horse & Hound Wine Festival


Horse & Hound Wine Festival

Contest ends at midnight on 06/26/16 - Enter Now!

Prize Package Details: 
FIVE (5) lucky winners will each win FOUR (4) tickets to the 12th Annual Horse & Hound Wine Festival at the Peaks of Otter Winery on July 9, 2016, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.!

Each ticket is good for admission plus a FREE wine glass for tasting (must be 21 or older) or free general admission for under 21 or a dog.

Total value of each prize package: $80

Festival Description:
The 12th annual festival takes place on the grounds of Johnson’s Orchards & Peaks of Otter Winery at 1410 Elmos Rd, Bedford Va 24523. Enjoy live music, food, events, arts, crafts and of course, wine from 8 of Virginia's finest wineries!

Activities: 

• Equine events provided and directed by The Campbell County Bits N Pieces 4-H Horse Club

• Demonstration of Lure Coursing given by Laura Cormier. Lure coursing is a humane sport which re-creates the chase of the hare by the pursuing hound.

• Muskrat Races. This event uses the Jack Russell Terrier's highly developed prey drive to swim through water in pursuit of an artificial lure.

• Kiddie Korral: Supervised activities for children simulating rodeo games and quiet games include: games such as, cornhole, stickhorse races, hand-painting a horse, duck pond with prizes, active games similar to horse activities.

• Daredevil Dogs and Divas: We’re looking for pets that can dance, beg, shake hands, catch a Frisbee, play dead, smile, speak, sing, take a bow, or do something really amazing. Can your pet do a single trick or do an entire dance routine? 

• Jousting demonstrations provided by the Natural Chimneys Jousting Club 

AND MORE!


Free Ticket Giveaway:

2016 Miss Virginia Pageant

Miss VA Banner

Contest ends at midnight on 6/19/16 - Enter Now!

Prize Package Details: 
ONE (1) lucky winner will win TWO (2) tickets to the 2016 Miss Virginia Pageant at the Berglund Center on June 25, 2016 at 8 p.m.

Total value: $100

Event Description:
The Miss Virginia Pageant, a scholarship pageant, was held for the first time in Roanoke in 1953. That year, Elizabeth Bowles, a member of the Valley Junior Woman’s Club went to Atlantic City and requested a franchise for the Miss Virginia Pageant for her Club. She was successful in getting the franchise and the pageant was directed and produced by the Valley Junior Woman’s Club until 1963. In October of 1963, a non-profit organization, the Miss Virginia Pageant, Incorporated, headed by Jack C. Smith, Executive Vice President of the Roanoke Valley Chamber of Commerce, was formed, and the franchise was granted to that group by the Miss America Pageant. The pageant celebrated its 50th year in Roanoke in June 2003.


Free Ticket Giveaway

Win VIP Passes to 19 Southern Highlands Attractions!

Total Value: More Than $900!

SHA VIP Tix

Contest ends at midnight on 6/19/16 - Enter Now!

Prize Package Details: 
One (1) lucky winner will win a pair of VIP Passes granting FREE admission to all of the 19 Southern Highlands Attractions listed below: 

• Barter Theatre
• Biltmore Estate
• The Blowing Rock 
• Cherokee Historial Association
• Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock Park
• Gatlinburg Sky Lift
• Grandfather Mountain
• Great Smoky Mountains Railroad
• Lookout Mountain Incline Railway
• The Lost Sea
• Luray Caverns
• Museum of the Cherokee Indian
• Nantahala Outdoor Center
• Old Salem Museum & Gardens
• Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies & Ripley's 7 other TN attractions
• Rock City
• Ruby Falls
• Shenandoah Caverns
• Tweetsie Railroad

Total Value: MORE THAN $900!


Free Ticket Giveaway:

"American Chronicles: The Art of Norman Rockwell" Exhibition

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978), “No Swimming,” Cover illustration for “The Saturday Evening Post,” June 4, 1921, Norman Rockwell Museum Collections

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978), “No Swimming,” Cover illustration for “The Saturday Evening Post,” June 4, 1921, Norman Rockwell Museum Collections

Contest ends at midnight on 5/30/16 - Enter Now!

Prize Package Details: 
TWO lucky winners will each win two (2) tickets to the "American Chronicles: The Art of Norman Rockwell" exhibition at the Taubman Museum of Art. Don't miss out, this unique exhibition ends June 12, 2016! 

Total value of each prize package: $25

Exhibition Description:
The Taubman Museum of Art is pleased to present a major exhibition exploring the legendary American illustrator and artist Norman Rockwell and his unparalleled role as an icon-maker and storyteller. American Chronicles: The Art of Norman Rockwell has been organized by the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts and features original works drawn from its permanent collection. Norman Rockwell (American,1894-1978) painted the best of America, creating indelible images of the lives, hopes, and dreams of Americans in the 20th century. The exhibition includes such beloved and well-known images as Triple Self-Portrait (1960), Girl at Mirror (1954),Going and Coming (1947), and Art Critic (1955) as well as preliminary sketches, Saturday Evening Post covers, photographs, color studies, and detailed drawings. The rare exhibition chronicles Rockwell’s career during 65 years of painting and highlights his unique artistic legacy that profoundly influenced American perceptions and ideals.

"American Chronicles: The Art of Norman Rockwell" is the inaugural exhibition in the museum’s new Special Exhibition Gallery and is on view through June 12, 2016. "American Chronicles: The Art of Norman Rockwell" on view at the Taubman Museum of Art is presented by Friendship Living, with additional generous support made possible by WDBJ-7; Kroger; Boxley Materials; Carilion Clinic; Kate and Drew Parker; the Virginia Commission for the Arts; the National Endowment for the Arts; the Henry Luce Foundation; Curtis Licensing, a division of The Saturday Evening Post; Norman Rockwell Family Agency; and the Stockman Family Foundation.


Free Ticket Giveaway:

Mountain Music Festival

Ace Adventure Resort
Minden, W.Va
June 3-4, 2016


mtn music banner

Contest ends at midnight on 05/22/16 - Enter Now!

Prize Package Details: 
Two (2) lucky winners will each win a pair of 2-Day (Friday-Saturday) All Mountain Pass tickets to Mountain Music Festival on June 3-4, 2016. 

Included With Each Pass: 
• 2-day festival pass for Friday & Saturday
• 2-night campground reservation - Car Camping 
• Parking
• Full day ACE Lake Pass for Saturday.

Total Value: $400 per prize package!


Festival Description:
"We really like outdoor adventures, and we really like music, so we wanted to create a weekend where we could do both at the same time. This became the Mountain Music Festival, and probably the best weekend of the summer in West Virginia (or at least our favorite).

The stage sits right in the middle of ACE Adventure Resort, a 1,500-acre outdoor adventure property in the heart of the New River Gorge, WV. This way, festival attendees are always close to the gorge’s best outdoor activities, ranging from the country’s best white water rafting, to rock climbing, to world-class mountain biking, and basically anything in between. Not to mention, the kind of comfortable cabins and nice bathrooms/showers that you’ll find on an established campground like ACE. And because of the simple ethos behind the festival, you’ll be surrounded by a community of like-minded outdoor adventures who don’t mind a little moonshine with their music, or the other way around.

2014 was our inaugural year, and it was a big hit. We kicked it up a notch in 2015 and had even more fun. Ever since the moment it ended (or rather, after we made up for all the sleep we DIDN’T get that first weekend in June), we’ve been working hard and looking forward to our third year - with new and old friends who love the Appalachian Mountains and its soundtrack as much as we do.

– Jerry Cook and Ernie Kincaid"



Free Ticket Giveaway:

Mayday! FloydFest

Presents Blondie


Blondie Banner

Contest ends at midnight on 05/01/16 - Enter Now!

Prize Package Details: 
Three (3) lucky winners will each win Two (2) tickets to Mayday! FloydFest Present Blondie at Elmwood Park Amphitheater in Downtown Roanoke at 7 p.m. on May 12, 2016. (Gates open at 6 p.m.) Total Value: $90 per prize package!

Event Description:
FloydFest and Across-the-Way Productions, Inc. are excited to present the “Totally Rad Roanoke~Star City Concert Series” in 2016 at the beautiful Elmwood Park Amphitheater in downtown Roanoke, Virginia. Situated in the heart of downtown Roanoke, this 4,500-seat amphitheater offers both the pristine beauty of mountain vistas and proximity to the liveliness of vibrant downtown Roanoke, including restaurants, lodging, boutique shopping and night life.

Taking place on April 20, May 12 and August 20, the Totally Rad Roanoke Star City Concert Series will feature all the usual hallmarks of an AtWP event — fantastic live performances backed by great food, craft beer, attention to detail and top-notch customer service.

On Thursday, May 12, FloydFest and Blondie invade Elmwood Amphitheater for MayDay! For the last four decades, Blondie has become and remains a true national treasure; a punk band from New York City whose influence both shaped and continues to inform the worlds of music, fashion and art. Debbie Harry and Chris Stein have kept their ears to the ground, creating trends, never following them. They helped push punk onto the dance floor at the dawn of the new wave era and introduced a wider audience to hip-hop sounds, all the while building a catalog of enduring pop hits along the way.


Free Ticket Giveaway:

The 2016 Butterfly Ball


Butterball Banner

Contest ends at midnight on 05/01/16 - Enter Now!

Prize Package Details: 
One lucky winner will win two (2) general admission tickets to the 2016 Butterfly Ball at the Science Museum of Western Virginia from 7-11 pm on May 7th, 2016. Total value: $130!

Event Description:

The perfect way to celebrate Mom and support a worthy cause!

Surprise your Mother a day early with elegance and merriment at the Science Museum of Western Virginia’s 3rd annual Butterfly Ball on Saturday May 7th, 2016. From 7 p.m. until 11 p.m. Guests will enjoy food, drink, and dancing with live music provided by Le Hotclub de Biglick jazz troupe – all set against the gorgeous backdrop of the Downtown Roanoke skyline from the rooftop of Center in the Square. 

All proceeds from this spectacular evening will support the transformation of the Science Museum of Western Virginia. Please contact Rachel Hopkins at (540) 224-1202 for tickets and sponsorship packets.


Free Ticket Giveaway:

SML Beer & BBQ Festival

Downtown Moneta
May 7th, 2016
1-7 pm


SML Beer & BBQ

Contest ends at midnight on 05/01/16 - Enter Now!

Prize Package Details: 
One lucky winner will win Two (2) tickets to the Smith Mountain Lake Beer & BBQ Festival in Downtown Moneta on May 7, 2016 from 1-7 p.m. Total Value: $60!

Event Description:
New name. New date! The Smith Mountain Lake Beer & BBQ Festival, Saturday, May 7th from 1pm – 7pm on Route 122 in Downtown Moneta.

Enjoy the juiciest, most tender BBQ Smith Mountain Lake has to offer. From Kansas City to North Carolina style BBQ, indulge in fall-off-the-bone ribs, tender pulled pork, and melt-in-your-mouth brisket. NEW this year, 20 local and regional craft breweries and cideries representing 60 craft beers. Enjoy live music and check out over 60 quality craft vendors.

Rain or Shine! No coolers allowed. Children 6 and under free.


Free Gift Card Giveaway:

Win a $50 Nature's Emporium

Gift Card to Pamper Your Pet


Natures Emporium Contest Banner

Contest ends at midnight on 04/24/16 - Enter Now!

Prize Package Details: 
One (1) lucky winner will win one (1) $50 Gift Card to Nature's Emporium, located at 3912 Brambleton Ave, Roanoke, VA 24018

About Nature's Emporium:
Nature's Emporium provides customers with the finest products and services. Treat yourself to a Wild Shopping Experience. Our knowledgeable staff will help you find the right products for your loving pet in our newly remodeled store. In addition to a wide selection of pet food and supplies, we offer grooming services for dogs.


Free Ticket Giveaway:

Allison Miller's Boom Tic Boom
live at the Jefferson Center

Allison Miller

Contest ends at midnight on 04/21/16 - Enter Now!

Prize Package Details: 
Two (2) tickets to Allison Miller's Boom Tic Boom at Jefferson Center's Shaftman Performance Hall on Saturday April 30, 2016 at 7:00pm. Total Value: $60! 

Event Description:
Powerhouse drummer-composer Allison Miller has a tendency for coloring outside the lines. Her melodies are overlaid with a whirlwind of percussive imagination; her swing is edged with ferocity. Miller’s been the rhythmic force behind such popular artists as Ani DiFranco and Natalie Merchant, but it’s in the jazz world that she fully shines. Her group, Boom Tic Boom, has been selected by NPR as Top Five Bands to Discover, with their recordings making “best” lists in Downbeat and the LA Times.


Free Ticket Giveaway:

Huey Lewis & The News
With Special Guest Love Canon
Live at Elmwood Park Amphitheater
April 20th, 2016

 

Huey Lewis

Contest ends at midnight on 04/11/16 - Enter Now!

Prize Package Details: 
Three (3) lucky winners will each win Two (2) tickets to Huey Lewis & The News With Special Guest Love Canon at Elmwood Park Amphitheater in Downtown Roanoke at 7 p.m. on April 20, 2016. (Gates open at 6 p.m.)

Event Description:
FloydFest and Across-the-Way Productions, Inc. are excited to present the “Totally Rad Roanoke~Star City Concert Series” in 2016 at the beautiful Elmwood Park Amphitheater in downtown Roanoke, Virginia. Situated in the heart of downtown Roanoke, this 4,500-seat amphitheater offers both the pristine beauty of mountain vistas and proximity to the liveliness of vibrant downtown Roanoke, including restaurants, lodging, boutique shopping and night life.

Taking place on April 20, May 12 and August 20, the Totally Rad Roanoke Star City Concert Series will feature all the usual hallmarks of an AtWP event — fantastic live performances backed by great food, craft beer, attention to detail and top-notch customer service.

On Wednesday, April 20, iconic rockers Huey Lewis & The News — with special guest Love Canon — take over Elmwood Park Amphitheater for FloydFest 4/20. Huey Lewis & The News are truly one of America’s great rock & roll bands. As they enter their 37th year together, their contagious brand of music has outlasted countless trends, and is as fresh today as ever. Formed from two rival Bay Area bands in 1979, they continue to thrill audiences worldwide, selling over 20 million albums in the process, earning them the right to mark their place on the pop history map. Huey Lewis & The News will be joined by special guest Love Canon, who “doesn’t cover the music of the ’80s as much as kidnaps it and takes it on a bluegrass-tinged joyride.” Get ready to go back to the future, folks.


Free Ticket Giveaway:

Opera Roanoke's "La Traviata"

traviata

Contest ends at midnight on 03/27/16 - Enter Now!

Prize Package Details: 
Two tickets to Opera Roanoke's "La Traviata" at the Shaftman Performance Hall at 7:30 pm on Friday 04-8-16 OR 3 pm on Sunday 04-10-16, 2016 (your choice of shows.) Total value $120!

Event Description:
Violetta Valery is the quintessential operatic heroine, and a benchmark role for the
soprano voice. From covering acclaimed diva Renée Fleming at Houston Grand Opera,
to opera companies across the USA and Europe, Amy Cofield Williamson (Carmen, ’12;
Julius Caesar, ’14) has made Verdi’s La Traviata her signature role. With a cast including
star baritone Levi Hernandez (Cinderella, ’15), Opera Roanoke’s 40th Anniversary Season
closes in a crescendo of passion with one of the greatest dramatic masterpieces in the
operatic repertoire
.


Free Ticket Giveaway:

Louisiana Live
FEATURING REBIRTH BRASS BAND AND CEDRIC WATSON & BIJOU CREOLE

Live at the Jefferson Center

LOUISIANA LIVE

Contest ends at midnight on 03/23/16 - Enter Now!

Prize Package Details: 
Two (2) tickets to LOUISIANA LIVE FEATURING REBIRTH BRASS BAND AND CEDRIC WATSON & BIJOU CREOLE at Jefferson Center's Shaftman Performance Hall on Friday April 1, 2016 at 8:00pm

Event Description:
Rebirth Brass Band and Cedric Watson & The Bijou Creole bring Louisiana to Roanoke for what’s sure to be a hot and spicy evening of music. Seen on HBO’s “Treme,” Rebirth Brass Band blends funk, hip-hop, and traditional brass band music to create their own Grammy-winning signature sound. Singer, fiddler, accordionist, and songwriter, Cedric Watson leads a Cajun-Creole-Zydeco group with an apparently bottomless repertoire of songs at his fingertips.

“Rebirth can be precise whenever it wants to, but it’s more like a party than a machine.” - New York Times


Free Ticket Giveaway:

Norman Rockwell
Opening Shindy

Shindy Updated

Contest ends at midnight on 03/13/16 - Enter Now!

Prize Package Details: 
TWO lucky winners will each win two (2) tickets to the Norman Rockwell Opening Shindy at the Taubman Museum of Art on Saturday, March 19, 2016, from 7-11pm. 
The total value of each package is $98!

Event Description:
Join The Taubman Museum of Art for a “shindy” as we celebrate the opening of our new gallery and 1940s Rockwell! 

Come in your retro dress and enjoy big band tunes courtesy of the Star Dusters, Americana Hors d'oeuvres, and a first look at the museum’s inaugural exhibition in the new gallery space featuring the timeless work of Norman Rockwell. Capture the moment with memories that last forever with themed photo opps and learn some moves for the dance floor with led instruction during the event's cocktail hour.


Free Ticket Giveaway:

Menopause The Musical

Menopause Banner

Contest ends at midnight on 02/29/16 - Enter Now!

Prize Package Details: 
Two (2) tickets to the Friendship Foundation Presents: Menopause The Musical at the Berglund Center on Tues. March 8, 2016 at 7:30 p.m.

Event Description:
"Menopause The Musical® - COME JOIN OUR SISTERHOOD!

Four women at a lingerie sale have nothing in common but a black lace bra AND memory loss, hot flashes, night sweats, not enough sex, too much sex and more! This hilarious musical parody set to classic tunes from the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s will have you cheering and dancing in the aisles! See what millions of women worldwide have been laughing about for 14 years!

It's the Hilarious Celebration of Women and The Change!®" 


Free Ticket Giveaway:

Patty Griffin
With Sara Watkins & Anais Mitchell

live at the Jefferson Center

Patty Griffin With Sara Watkins & Anais Mitchell

Contest ends at midnight on 02/18/16 - Enter Now!

Prize Package Details: 
Two (2) tickets to Patty Griffin With Sara Watkins & Anais Mitchell at The Jefferson Center's Shaftman Performance Hall on Sunday, Feb 28, 2016 at 7:30pm

Event Description:
In a highly anticipated national tour, Grammy Award-winner Patty Griffin arrives in the Star City with Nickel Creek’s Sara Watkins and folk luminary Anais Mitchell for an unprecedented celebration of American songwriting. More than just a three-act program, this special “singers-in-the-round” style show features all three artists on Shaftman Performance Hall stage together, sharing songs and accompanying each other for the entire evening. The melding of these artists’ distinct voices—Griffin’s bluesy itch, Watkins’ earthy purity and Mitchell’s alternative twang—will give Roanoke song-lovers a night of shimmering music they won’t soon forget.


Free Ticket Giveaway:

Mummenschanz
live at the Jefferson Center

mummenschanz

Contest ends at midnight on 01/28/16 - Enter Now!

Prize Package Details: 
Two (2) tickets to Mummenschanz at The Jefferson Center's Shaftman Performance Hall on Saturday, February 6, 2016 at 3:00pm

Event Description:
Playful. Inventive. Transcendent. Wonderfully Strange. In the wordless universe of Mummenschanz, the ordinary blossoms into the extraordinary. The Swiss theatrical troupe, which has toured the world for over 40 years, combines the timeless arts of mime and puppetry in an astonishing celebration of life, over-sized balloons, giant hands, clay masks, free-range abstractions, and the most inspired use of toilet paper ever to hit the stage. The Jefferson Center show will feature both classic audience favorites, as well as brilliant new creations seen for the first time.

Since its founding in 1972, Mummenschanz has pioneered a new form of visual theater. The troupe has toured in 60 countries on five continents and was featured for a three-year run on Broadway. As founder and performer Floriana Frassetto says, “[w]e hope that our show will awaken the little child in everyone.”


Free Ticket Giveaway:

Kenny Rogers
Once Again It's Christmas Tour

Kenny Rogers

Contest ends at midnight on 12/8/15 - Enter Now!

Prize Package Details:
Two (2) tickets to the Kenny Rogers Once Again It's Christmas Tour at the Berglund Center on December 16 at 7 p.m.

Event Description:
Rogers released his first new Christmas album in seventeen years on September 25 via Warner Bros./Warner Music Nashville. Titled Once Again It’s Christmas, the festive set is Rogers’ first Christmas release since Christmas From The Heart (1998), and his sixth Christmas release overall. Since the release of his first-ever Christmas album, Christmas, in 1981, Rogers has embarked on an annual Christmas & Hits Tour, which continues this winter as the Once Again It’s Christmas Tour featuring Linda Davis.

“I can’t tell you how much fun it’s been doing another Christmas album—it’s my favorite time of year. Recording a project like this means I was able to re-live some old memories singing some of the songs I was raised listening to and grew to love as a child. The process also allowed me to make many new memories working with some very talented people. I’m excited about all of the special guests who joined me for this, and hope you enjoy it, too,” Rogers said.


Free Ticket Giveaway:

Wine, Pine & Pint

Wine Pine Pint 2015

Contest ends at midnight on 11/15/15 - Enter Now!

Prize Package Details:

Four tickets to Wine & Pine at the Berglund Hall on December 3 at 5 p.m.

Event Description:
Wine, Pine & Pint is a great option for your company holiday party or just a chance to celebrate the season!

Included with your tickets you will receive:
• Complimentary wine glass
• Plated Dinner
• Entertainment by Dueling Piano's - The FUNKEYS

• Wine and Beer Tasting


Free Ticket Giveaway:

Mannheim Steamroller Christmas

Mannheim Steamroller Banner

Contest ends at midnight on 11/8/15 - Enter Now!

Prize Package Details:

Two (2) tickets to Mannheim Steamroller Christmas at the Berglund Performing Arts Theatre on Tuesday, November 24, 7:30 p.m.

Concert Description:
"This year marks the 31st Anniversary of the Christmas Tour and release of Mannheim Steamroller Christmas, an album that revolutionized the Holiday Season music category.

Grammy Award® winner Chip Davis will direct and co-produce Tour performances. The show features classic Christmas hits from Mannheim Steamroller and dazzling multimedia effects in an intimate setting. The spirit of the season comes alive with the signature sound of Mannheim Steamroller.

In addition to being a holiday tradition for many families, the Mannheim Steamroller Christmas Tour regularly attracts repeat attendance from multi-generational guests and is one of the longest running tours in the music industry."


Free Ticket Giveaway:

Opera Roanoke's Sweeney Todd

Sweeney Todd

Contest ends at midnight on 10/25/15 - Enter Now

Prize Package Details:
Two tickets to Sweeney Todd at the Shaftman Performance Hall at 7:30 pm on Friday 10/30/15, or 3 pm on Sunday 11/1/15 your choice. Total value $120!


Event Description:
Opera Roanoke launches its Ruby Anniversary season with Sweeney Todd, one of the greatest dramas from the American musical theatre stage. Stephen Sondheim’s “musical thriller” has always been popular with opera companies, whose exceptional production and musical values set a new standard for such genre-defying repertoire.

Opera Roanoke favorite Carla Dirlikov (Carmen, ’12; The Flying Dutchman, ’13; Julius Caesar, ’14) makes her role debut as Mrs. Lovett, opposite exciting young baritone Corey Crider, praised by Opera News for his “seductively sympathetic” portrayal of the Demon Barber of Fleet Street title character.


Free Ticket Giveaway:

The Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Grandin Theatre

Rocky Horror

Contest ends at midnight on 10/25/15 - Enter Now

Prize Package Details:
Four tickets to The Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Grandin Theatre on Friday October 30 at 9 p.m.

Event Description:
For the first time in the new millenium, the Grandin Theatre proudly presents the return of THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW!!!

9 pm showing. Rated R - This showing will be RUDE.

A newly engaged couple have a breakdown in an isolated area and must pay a call to the bizarre residence of Dr. Frank-N-Furter.

Live-Action Shadow Casting for these two screenings will be provided by the TOLLS OF MADNESS troupe from Virginia Tech. Basic accessory packs will be available for $2 (rice, playing cards, newspaper, toilet paper, rubber gloves, and noise maker) and $1 extra for small water gun.


Free Ticket Giveaway:

The Price is Right Live!

The Price is Right Live!

Contest ends at midnight on 10/18/15 - Enter Now

Prize Package Details:

Two tickets to The Price is Right Live at the Berglund Performing Arts Theatre on Tuesday, October 27, 7:30 p.m.

Show Description:
The Price Is Right Live™ is the hit interactive stage show that gives eligible individuals the chance to "Come On Down" to win. Prizes may include appliances, vacations and possibly a new car! Play classic games from television's longest running and most popular game show from Plinko™, to Cliffhangers™, to The Big Wheel™, and even the fabulous Showcase.

Playing to near sold-out audiences for nearly nine years, the Price Is Right Live! has given away more than 10 million dollars in cash and prizes and sold more than 1.2 million tickets.

If you enjoy the rush of emotions experienced while watching the show on television, just imagine the possibilities if you were actually in the audience watching it live.


Get $20 OFF Tickets to
The Illusionists

Friday, October 2 at 9 p.m. at the Berglund Center

Use Promo Code: ROANOKER 

Promo Code Expires at 11:59 p.m. on 10-1-15

illusionists

Congratulations to Cathy W., winner of our FREE ticket giveaway!


If you still want to see THE ILLUSIONISTS, here's your chance! Just click here and use the promo code ROANOKER to receive $20 off your tickets to the 9 p.m. show while supplies last!
 
Valid on select seats only.
Promo code expires 10/1/15 at 11:59 pm

Regular Price: $67
YOUR Price: $47 
Regular Price: $49.50 
YOUR Price: $29.50

 

GET YOUR TICKETS


Free Ticket Giveaway:

The Illusionists

illusionists

Contest ends at midnight on 9/24/15 - Enter Now!

Prize Package Details:

Two tickets to Broadway in Roanoke: The Illusionists at the Berglund Performing Arts Theatre on October 2 at 9 p.m.

Show Description:
Full of hilarious magic tricks, death-defying stunts and acts of breathtaking wonder, THE ILLUSIONISTS has shattered box office records worldwide and thrilled audiences of all ages with a mind-blowing spectacular showcasing the jaw-dropping talents of seven of the most incredible illusionists on earth.


2016 Readers' Choice
Dining Awards!

Dining Awards 2016 Ballot

This year’s Readers' Choice Dining Awards Survey offers you the chance to WIN a $100 Gift Card simply by voting for your favorite restaurants!

VOTING ENDS AT MIDNIGHT ON AUG 2, 2015

Cast Your Ballot Now!


FloydFest Ticket Giveaway
Complete the short form below for a chance to win TWO 3-day Passes to FloydFest 14: Fire on the Mountain!

Floydfest 14

Contest runs from 5/29/15 to 7/19/15 - Enter Now!

Presented by The Roanoker and Blue Ridge Country magazine.

Prize Package Details:
(2) 3-day tickets to FloydFest 14: Fire on the Mountain - Venue: Blue Cow Pavilion, Floyd, VA
Date/Time: July 24-26, 2015

Festival Description:
"FloydFest's mission is to be the best music festival experience of our time. To sell a limited quantity of tickets to the highest quality event experience, bar none, celebrating music, art and life in an intimate, visually stunning environment."


Beach Boys Ticket Giveaway
Win FREE tickets to see The Beach Boys Perform LIVE at the Berglund Center!

Beach Boys

Contest runs from 5/27/15 to 6/22/15

Prize Package:

  • TWO tickets to see The Beach Boys perform live at the Berglund Center on Tuesday, June 30 at 8:00 p.m.

Show Description:
In addition to permanent members Mike Love, guitarist Jeffrey Foskett and singer-keyboardist Bruce Johnston, the Beach Boys' touring lineup includes bassist Randell Kirsch, keyboardist Tim Bonhomme, drummer John Cowsill and guitarist Scott Totten. Though not on the road, Brian Wilson, Jardine and guitarist David Marks remain members of the Beach Boys.

The Beach Boys formed in 1961. The title track to the band's 1962 debut album, "Surfin' Safari," reached No. 14 on the singles charts. The hits celebrating Southern California's surfing and car culture came in waves, including the No. 1 singles "I Get Around" and "Good Vibrations."


John McCutcheon & Lost and Found Ticket Giveaway

mccutcheon banner

Contest runs from 5/27/15 to 6/11/15

Enter for a chance to win 4 VIP passes to see John McCutcheon and Lost and Found perform LIVE at the Harvester Performance Center in Rocky Mount on June 20.

Prize Package Details:

  • THREE lucky winners will each receive 4 VIP passes!

Show Description:
"The Crooked Road's Mountains of Music Homecoming is pleased to present The Entertainers, a concert featuring John McCutcheon and Lost and Found at the Harvester Performance Center. Great entertainers in concert together. Johnny Cash admired his musicianship, and the Washington Post once referred to McCutcheon as a “rustic renaissance man.” He came to Appalachia in his 20s to learn from local storytellers and musicians, taking our traditions to heart. Since then, he’s performed globally, an able ambassador for Appalachian culture. Likewise, Lost and Found has been influential in their genre. Allen Mills’ well-crafted songs have long been part of the universal bluegrass repertoire and the presentation is just as well-crafted as the songs. VIP seats are "best seats in house" and are guaranteed seats up till show time. With VIP tickets, there is no need to get there early for a great seat. The Harvester Performance Center is located at 450 Franklin Street Rocky Mount, VA 24151. "


Win a Family 4-pack to the Science Museum of Western Virginia’s Butterfly Garden!

SMWV Butterfly Garden
Contest runs from 5/5/15 to 5/24/15
Prize Packages:

  • FIVE lucky winners will each receive a family pack of 4 vouchers valid for entry to the Butterfly Garden at the Science Museum of Western Virginia!

About the Butterfly Garden:
The crowning jewel of the reinvented Science Museum, our year-round Butterfly Garden lets you interact with more than 40 species of live exotic butterflies from around the world.


Mother’s Day Prize Package Giveaway
Win FREE Dinner, Flowers and a Show!

dinner_flowers

RSO Solo Showcase May 2015

Contest runs from 4/10/15 to 5/3/15
Prize Package:

  • Two tickets to the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra Solo Showcase on Saturday, May 9, 2015
  • One $50 gift card to Luigi's Italian Gourmet Restaurant
  • One $100 gift card for free flowers from Creative Occasions

Concert Description:
Hear RSO musicians in solos, duets, trios and quartets at this Saturday, Destination performance. RSO Principals William P. Parrish Jr., Kathleen Overfield-Zook, Kelley Mikkelsen, and Tracy Cowden perform music by Baroque and Classical masters in the beautiful and resonant acoustics of Calvary Baptist Church. Don't miss this special opportunity. Musicians will also be available to "meet & greet" following the concert.


Share Your Pet Story and Win!

None

Contest ends 4/30/15

In our March/April 2015 issue we shared stories about some of our own pets - now it's your turn! Tell us about your pet for a chance to be featured online and to WIN a $50 Gift Card!


"Dinner and a Show" Giveaway
2CELLOS /
Luigi's Italian Gourmet Restaurant

2 Cellos
Update, 4-28-15: Unfortunately this show has been cancelled due to an injury to one of the performers. We will award the winner of this contest with a similar package of equal value as soon as arrangements can be made. We regret the inconvenience.

Contest runs from 4/14/15 to 4/28/15 - Enter Now!
Prize Package:

  • Two tickets to see 2CELLOS perform live at the Jefferson Center on 5/5/15 at 7:30 pm. (Editor's note: this show is ALREADY sold out, but you can still WIN tickets here!)
  • One $50 gift card to Luigi's Italian Gourmet Restaurant

Show Description:
“…Go and see them live, because it really is astonishing! I can’t remember seeing anything as exciting as them since I saw Jimi Hendrix live back in the 60’s…”  Elton John

Young Croatian cellists Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser, together known as 2CELLOS, have achieved sensational success by taking the cello to a new level. Their playing style has broken down the boundaries between different genres of music, from classical and film music to pop and rock. 2CELLOS have no limits when it comes to performing live and are equally as impressive when playing Bach and Vivaldi as they are when rocking out AC/DC.

2CELLOS rose to fame in 2011 when their version of Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal” took the world by storm. The YouTube video became a massive viral sensation leading to a record deal with Sony Masterworks and an invitation to join Sir Elton John on his worldwide tour.


"Dinner and a Show" Giveaway
Cécile McLorin Salvant / Luigi's Italian Gourmet Restaurant

Cecile Salvant
Prize Package:

  • Two tickets to see Cécile McLorin Salvant perform live at the Jefferson Center on 4/18/15 at 9 p.m.
  • One $50 gift card to Luigi's Italian Gourmet Restaurant

Show Description:
When you hear the sometimes smoky, sometimes crystalline voice of Cécile McLorin Salvant, it’s impossible not to think of legendary jazz vocalists of the past. As the New York Times has pointed out, "If anyone can extend the lineage of the Big Three—Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald—it is this 23-year-old virtuoso.” Classically trained at the Darius Milhaud Conservatory in France, Salvant was unknown when she won the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition at the Kennedy Center in 2010. The young singer’s well earned confidence, almost palpable flexibility and theatrical expression combine in a rare talent—one which may have Roanoke music lovers saying many years from now, “I heard her when…”


"Dinner and a Show" Giveaway
Step Afrika! / Luigi's Italian Gourmet Restaurant

Step Afrika
Prize Package:

  • Two tickets to see Step Afrika! perform live at the Jefferson Center on 3/29/15
  • One $50 gift card to Luigi's Italian Gourmet Restaurant

Show Description:
An energetic exploration of the human form, Step Afrika! delivers a riveting mix of dance, body-percussion, and spoken word certain to inspire audiences of all ages. The first professional dance company dedicated to the tradition of stepping, Step Africa! promotes teamwork and cross-cultural understanding worldwide through its spirited and artistic interpretations. Join us as the group's stomping feet and chanting voices transform Shaftman stage into a rare and joyful space--one where movement is embraced for all its power, humor, and grace.


"Dinner and a Show" Giveaway

Brian Blade and the Fellowship Band
/ Luigi's Italian Gourmet Restaurant

Brian Blade

Prize Package:

  • Two tickets to see Brian Blade and the Fellowship Band perform live at the Jefferson Center on 3/6/15
  • One $50 gift card to Luigi's Italian Gourmet Restaurant

Show Description:
It is no overstatement to say that Brian Blade is among the best jazz drummers in the world. The son of a preacher and musician from Louisiana, Blade absorbed the unique drumming styles of the American South and distilled them over the years into a powerful, swinging, percussive trademark. Having played with everyone from jazz greats Joshua Redman and Kenny Garrett, to popular icons Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, and Joni Mitchell, Blade last appeared at Jefferson Center with Chick Corea and Christian McBride. He and his Fellowship Band now bring their brilliant, atmospheric compositions to Shaftman Performance Hall.


Valentines Giveaway
Creative Occasions Logo RSO-romance Luigi's Logo

Presented by The Roanoker magazine Complete our short survey for a chance to WIN Free Flowers, Dinner and a Show! (Limit of one response per household. Official Rules.)

Prize Package:

  • Two tickets to the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra’s “Tchaikovsky’s Romantic First concert” on February 16th, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. at Shaftman Performance Hall at the Jefferson Center
  • One $50 Gift Card to Luigi’s Italian Gourmet Restaurant
  • One $50 Gift Card to Creative Occasions Events Flowers & Gifts