May Meatball Madness to Invade Ashe Civic Center

By Joel Frady

Meatballs will be the theme of the evening on Saturday, May 2, when songwriter/comedienne Christine Lavin

brings her show One Meat Ball to the Ashe Civic Center. In addition to the concert, the Ashe County Arts Council will be holding a meatball competition before the show.

Jane Lonon, executive director of the arts council, said that Lavin performed a Christmas concert in 2006 and they wanted to bring her back because she "has the innate ability to put together programs that have broad, family appeal. Her songs are clever, funny, thought-provoking and witty.

"Her comedic timing is just fantastic," Lonon continued. "She has wonderful interaction with the audience members and she just makes it a fun experience."

Lavin, who has been performing professionally for 25 years, said her show is "mostly fun," but she does "touch on some serious issues, too." She noted that she learned how to play guitar when she was 12 by watching lessons on public television and, after a multitude of day jobs, became a full-time musician in 1985.

"It's one of those things that I've always done but I didn't think I could make a living at it," she said. She noted that she got the idea to try it out because the "one consistent thing I did was play guitar and sing."

Lavin now lives in New York City and has released 19 solo albums, including I Was in Love with a Difficult Man and Shining My Flashlight on the Moon. She said that she is currently working on albums 20 and 21 and is about to release a book, Cold Pizza for Breakfast, which is a compilation of 25 years of "funny road stories."

The event won't simply feature Lavin's music, however, since a meatball competition will be held before the show.

"When the arts council was brainstorming, we knew that we wanted it to be more than a concert," said Lonon. "We wanted to celebrate food. So we are holding the inaugural meatball cook-off contest, May Meatball Madness."

The contest is open to anyone in the community, and anyone entering the meatball competition will get two complimentary tickets to the show. Lonon noted the meatballs need to be "marble-sized," appropriate to put on a toothpick. Guests can spend an extra $5 to get a tasting pass (and a meatball necklace) and will be able to vote for their favorite meatball.

The winner of the meatball competition will be announced and awarded a pottery bowl at intermission, when more food will be on the tables. Local chefs will prepare a "dessert buffet," according to Lonon, using recipes from Lavin's One Meat Ball: The Album, The Cookbooklet.

Whether patrons are hungry or not, however, Lavin said that they "should just come expecting to have fun."

Anyone wanting to compete in the meatball contest must pre-register by Tuesday, April 28. Admission to the concert is $12 for adults and $5 for students.

To find out more about the show, or to purchase tickets, contact the Ashe County Arts Council at (336) 846-2787. To find out more about Lavin, click to www.christinelavin.com.