Health & Fitness Expo scheduled at Civic Center

Mind Muscle Connection will host the 2nd Annual DMV Health & Fitness Expo on Saturday, May 9, at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center. The event will offer fun and safe events for attendees of all ages from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

 The Expo will feature demonstrations from local and regional talent including martial arts, physical fitness competitions, strength contests and prize giveaways. There will also be a Q&A session with semi-pro competitors who are training for their pro cards in the fields of bodybuilding, physique, figure and bikini. The event will also offer a Zumba group exercise demonstration, seminars for student-athletes, cooking demonstrations, recipe makeovers and plenty of samples for tasting.

 Whether you are launching a new line, new products or just looking to grow your business, do not miss this once a year opportunity to meet and network with consumers, retailers, distributors, exporters and other industry influences. Admission begins at $10 for adults, $5 for teens 13-17 and children 12 & under are admitted free.

A portion of the proceeds will benefit Wicomico Friends of Recreation & Parks’ Tomorrow Fund, which provides scholarships to youth participating in County child care programs and youth sports. For more information call 301-646-6930.

Chorale Concert is Saturday at SU

The Salisbury Chorale and University Chorale, directed by Dr. Folger, SU Department of Music Chair, pay tribute to 20th-century composers Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein during the chorales’ annual Spring Concert.

Scheduled 7:30 p.m. Saturday in Holloway Hall Auditorium, the concert commemorates the 25th anniversary of the composers’ deaths in 1990. The performance is part of SU’s annual Spring Music Festival, “From Havana to Harlem to Hollywood: A Tribute to Music of the Americas.”

Music includes selections from Copland’s The Tender Land and Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms. The concert features SU Opera Workshop director John Wesley Wright, trombonist and Salisbury Pops director Lee Knier, musicians from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and Salisbury Symphony Orchestra at SU (SSO), and SSO director Jeff Schoyen and concert master Sachi Murasugi.

Sponsored by the Department of Music, admission is $10, $8 for seniors and SU faculty and staff, $5 for non-SU students and children 12 and under. SU students with ID receive one ticket free.

For more information call 410-543-6385 or visit the SU website at salisbury.edu.

Gospel Choir to perform at Guerrieri Center

The Salisbury University Gospel Choir, directed by Deborah Johnson, performs 6 p.m. Saturday in the Wicomico Room of the Guerrieri University Center.

The presentation is part of SU’s Multicultural Festival Week celebration.

Admission is free and the public is invited. For more information call 410-548-4503.

Women invited to volunteer during National Women Build Week

Women in the Salisbury area are invited to help address the need for affordable housing throughout the community during Habitat for Humanity’s eighth annual National Women Build Week. Habitat for Humanity of Wicomico County is one of more than 300 Habitat affiliates nationwide hosting Women Build projects with support from Lowe’s, Habitat’s longtime partner in the event.

On May 2-9, local volunteers will come out to three project sites and help finish our community garden, frame a house at 200 Naylor St. and help to renovate another home at 1007 E. Church Street. All of these projects are in the revitalization targeted area for Habitat for Humanity.

National Women Build Week, held May 2-10, challenges women to devote at least one day to building simple, decent and affordable housing in their local communities. More than 62,000 women from all 50 states have volunteered in previous years.

“We are excited to participate in National Women Build Week,” said Molly Hilligoss, executive

director of Habitat for Humanity of Wicomico County. “This is a great opportunity for women of all skill levels to come together to help a family in need of better housing.”

Lowe’s helped launch National Women Build Week in 2008, and each year provides the support of Lowe’s Heroes employee volunteers and conducts how-to clinics at stores to teach volunteers construction skills.

This year, Lowe’s contributed nearly $2 million to National Women Build Week. Since its partnership began in 2003, Lowe’s has committed more than $63 million to Habitat and helped nearly 4,000 families improve their living conditions.

To volunteer or donate to this project, call 410-546-1551 or email Sharon@wicomicohabitat.org. For more information on National Women Build Week, visit Habitat.org/wb.

Bingomania returning to Civic Center May 9

Bingomania, the Eastern Shore’s largest bingo cash prize event, returns to the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center on Saturday, May 9. Doors open at 5 p.m. for early bird games and regular games begin at 7:30 p.m.

Admission to Bingomania includes all regular and special games, including the Jumbo Jackpot Game. Regular game payouts are $500 while special games will pay out $1,000. The Jumbo Jackpot Game pays a maximum of $10,000 depending upon attendance.

Increase your chances of winning and help a local food bank at the same time by bringing three non-perishable food items to the game. Those that do will receive three additional cards for the first early bird game.

Tickets are $45 per person in advance and $55 per person at the door, fees may apply to ticket prices. Tickets are on sale now at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center Box Office, online at WicomicoCivicCenter.org and by phone at 410-548-4911.

All proceeds benefit the Mardela Middle and High School Bands. For more information contact the Mardela Band-Aides at 410-677-5170.

Festival of Delmarvalous Traditions is May 16

The Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art, Salisbury University, announces its Festival of Delmarvalous Traditions on May 16 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Come visit the Ward Museum on that Saturday to join in a celebration of the light-hearted, and sometimes competitive, side of local traditions! Inspired by the upcoming exhibit, “The Art of Sporting and Playing,” (May 15 – Sept. 20) the Ward Museum is bringing together the best of regional carnivals and festivals in this one-of-a-kind event.

Representatives from communities and places featured in the new exhibit will be at the museum with samples of their traditions, including unique food, games, and other family-friendly activities. Experience the Chincoteague Pony Drill Team, vote in a Maryland crab soup cook-off, watch a Smith Islander make Maryland’s State Dessert, the Smith Island Cake.

In the spirit of the Museum’s spring exhibit “The Tradition and Sport of Falconry,” live raptors will also be on hand from 10 a.m. to noon, and children and teens will have the opportunity to create art based on these live models.

This festival is free to the public.

News is topic of Downtown gallery discussion

Artist Jonathan McFadden doesn’t just watch the news — he analyzes it.

In his exhibit “Surveillance Machine,” on display April 30-May 30 at the Salisbury University Art Galleries Downtown Campus, he reacts to contemporary news cycles, drawing attention to fractured and sensationalized coverage.

An artist talk with McFadden is 5:30 p.m. Thursday, April 30, followed by a reception from 6:30-8 p.m.

Using appropriated material, McFadden has combined works on paper and installation to construct new narratives about global society and how information is digested in a culture of dramatized news.

Earning his M.F.A. from Edinburgh College of Art (U.K.), McFadden has exhibited throughout the United States and in Europe. He has held residencies in the U.S., U.K. and Germany. His works are part of public collections in New York, Texas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois and Italy, as well as private collections throughout the U.S. and Europe.

Gallery hours are noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, noon to 4 p.m. Saturdays. Sponsored by SU Art Galleries, admission is free and the public is invited.

For more information call 410-548-2547 or visit the SU Art Galleries website at salisbury.edu/universitygalleries.

Salisbury Symphony Spring Concert is May 9

The Salisbury Symphony Orchestra at Salisbury University, directed by Dr. Jeffrey Schoyen, presents its annual Spring Concert, “A Broadway Star Comes Home: Music From Stage and Screen,” with guest Jennifer Hope Wills 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 9, in Holloway Hall Auditorium.

Wills, a Maryland native and SU alumna, has made her mark on Broadway, starring as Christine Daae in The Phantom of the Opera and co-starring with Brooke Shields in Wonderful Town. She also has portrayed Belle in the Broadway production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, and performed in the City Center’s popular Encores! Series, as well as with some of the leading regional theatres across the country.

The New York Times has hailed her “assured stage presence,” adding that “it is a pleasure to hear her sing.” Variety has called her “warm and winsome,” noting her “sweet soprano.”

She participates in a pre-concert question-and-answer session 1 p.m. Friday, May 8, in the Black Box Theatre of Fulton Hall.

The concert is part of SU’s annual Spring Music Festival, “From Havana to Harlem to Hollywood: A Tribute to Music of the Americas.”

Admission is $25, $20 for seniors age 60 and older, and $5 for non-SU students and SU faculty and staff. SU student ID holders receive one ticket free. Advance tickets are available online at SalisburySymphonyOrchestra.org and at the Information Desk of the Guerrieri University Center.

Native Plant celebration scheduled May 9

The Lower Shore Land Trust hosts the 8th Annual Native Plant Celebration, taking place Saturday, May 9, 2015, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Ward Museum, 909 South Schumaker Drive, Salisbury.

For sale will be more than 60 different native perennials, ferns, ornamental grasses, shrubs and trees, selected for their wildlife and pollinator value, drought tolerance, deer resistance, hardiness, and beauty. Preorders are highly encouraged and should be submitted by April 28th.

The Pocomoke River State Park’s Scales and Tales environmental educators will be on hand with live owls, hawks and reptiles from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. Maryland Master Gardeners will answer plant-related questions and the Eastern Shore Beekeepers Association will offer a beehive demonstration.  

For more information and to download the order form and plant guide, visit lowershorelandtrust.org or call the Lower Shore Land Trust at 410-641-4467.