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Wayne Caldwell at Thomas Wolfe Memorial

Local author Wayne Caldwell not only writes in Western N.C. but about WNC. Both of his novels (Cataloochee and Requiem by Fire) are set in Haywood County’s Cataloochee Valley. Caldwell was awarded the 2010 Thomas Wolfe Memorial Literary Award: Fittingly, he appears with Stephen Woody (whose grandfather served as inspiration for Silas Wright, a main character in Requiem) at the Thomas Wolfe Memorial on Sunday, March 6, 2-4 p.m. Info: 253-8304.

Photo by Bill Rhodes

Mardi Gras parade

Asheville's Mystic Mountain Krewe presents the local, annual Mardi Gras parade on Sunday, March 6 at 3 p.m. Parade organizers say, “We invite residents to get together with friends, neighbors and coworkers to create high quality surprising and entertaining entries, add upbeat music, and strut their stuff tossing those ubiquitous beads to the crowd. Zaniness, political satire and amazing displays of populist art appreciated!” (No alcohol or nudity, please — Asheville Mardi Gras is family friendly). The parade lines up at Asheville Community Theater on Walnut Street, then heads down Lexington Avenue to College Street. After a loop around Pritchard Park, it continues up Patton Avenue to Pack Square. A Mardi Gras Ball will follow at Pack’s Tavern’s Century Room. facebook.com/group.php?gid=54757104281.

Warm the Bell with The Cheeksters

Jangly, breezy, folky-yet-modern: Warm the Bell draws on the best of its members previous projects. Sean Robbins and Vickie Burick of Nevada with Sam Brinkley (Rafe Hollister) and Caleb Beissert (The Zealots) recently formed this indie-rock/Americana act. They'll perform on the LAB's back stage on Saturday, March 5 with Brit-pop group The Cheeksters. 10 p.m., $5. lexavebrew.com.

The Bone Yard

Because truth is weirder than fiction, Jefferson Bass' newest installment in the Body Farm novel series is based on fact. Jefferson Bass is the collective pen name of forensic anthropologist Dr. Bill Bass (who founded human decomposition laboratory the Body Farm) and journalist/writer/filmmaker Jon Jefferson. The new novel is inspired by a boys reform school in Florida where grisly secrets were discovered. The authors come to Malaprop's on Wednesday, March 9, 7 p.m. Free. malaprops.com.

JiffyPop, PepperJack and the Magical Mr. McCrackles, featuring the Sonic Scientist

There is a back story to this band name and it starts out like this: "The Sonic Scientist was poking about his lab one day when, in a cloud of purple smoke appeared the Magical Mr. McCrackles." In fact, these are the pseudonyms of local musicians/Donna the Buffalo players Vic Stafford (drums) and Dave McCracken (keys) with DTB alum Jay Sanders (bass) and Moog engineer Cyril Lance (guitar). Check out the sonic experiment at MoDaddy's on Thursday, March 3. 10 p.m., $5. modaddysbar.com.

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