Dave’s Drive-Through Weekend

Hi I’m Dave Lavender from The Herald-Dispatch and here’s Dave’s Drive-Through Weekend in 60 seconds or less and starting now...

From Camden Park and outdoor movies to awesome adventures at area state parks, everyone’s rolling outside for fun.

Here’s a look at just a few ways people are taking the party outside this weekend.

Summer Start Your Engines

It’s Memorial Day weekend, school is out and the summer starts now.

Ona Speedway Revs Up Action

Ona Speedway revs up the action on Saturday for its first race of its 50th anniversary season.

Come out and check out six classes of racing action at the asphalt oval.

Gates open at 5 and racing begins at 7 p.m. Admission is $10, $7 for children (11-17) and free for kids 10 and under.

AJ’s Pig Pickin’ will be doing concessions at the family-friendly track. The first race is the Vernon Craddock Memorial Night. There will be racing every other Saturday through the fall. Go online at www.hughest-motorsports.com for more info.

Get Your Yard Sale On

Looking for a good deal, head over to the Country Music Highway as U.S. 23, hosts an epic sale, the annual U.S. 23 Yard Sale that runs from Greenup County to Letcher County 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, May 23-25. Boyd County’s organized sale will be at Sargent’s Tires (at U.S. 23 and Hoods Creek Pike). Vendor sites are first come, first served. Call the Ashland Area Convention and Visitors Bureau at 606-329-1007 for more info about the sale.

Power Calling All ‘Duck Dynasty’ Fans

It’s duck calls gone wild on Saturday night as the West Virginia Power host Redneck Night featuring a guest appearance by Mountain Man from the hit A&E show, “Duck Dynasty,” as well as a duck call giveaway, a redneck wedding and a replica of The General Lee car. For more info, go online at www.wvpower.com or call (304) 344-BATS. Gates open one hour prior to the start of the game.

Cruzin On the Plaza

Downtown Huntington gets cranked up with the annual Cruzin’ On the Plaza a car show that’ll take place in downtown and sponsored by the Pullman Plaza Hotel, 1001 3rd Ave., Huntington.

The main part of the show runs 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday on Third Avenue (between 10th Street and 13th Streets). They’ll be a Kids Zone on 11th Street, a DJ from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and The Esquires in concert at 7 p.m. Saturday. The awards ceremony is set for 3 p.m. Sunday, May 26. For more information, call 304-691-5414.

Park it At Camden

Celebrating its 110th season, the family-run Camden Park gets the summer season rolling in high gear this Memorial Day weekend. There’s more than 30 rides and attractions including the new ride, The Rattler. Steve Free and his band perform at 2 and 3:30 p.m. Saturday through Monday. Balloon artist, Gary Boothe will be crafting balloon creations each day beginning at 1 p.m. daily on the Midway for young children. For more info, go online at www.camdenpark.com

ARTS Heats Up the Stage With Business-Themed Comedy

The acting company at Arts Resources for the Tri-State will present the opening weekend of the comedy musical, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” that will be performed at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, May 24-25 as well as 21 p.m. Sunday, May 26.

The musical won 7 Tony’s after it first opened on Broadway in 1961, and has since been revived a couple times with such famed actors as Matthew Broderick working the show in the 1990s and Harry Pottter star Daniel Radcliffe and John Larroquette starring in a 50th anniversary Broadway revival in 2011.

The show will also be performed May 31 through June 2 as well at the Renaissance Theatre, 900 8th St., Huntington.

Tickets are $15 or $30 for dinner and a show. Call 304-733-ARTS (2787).

For Those About to Rock

The V Club, 741 6th Ave., Huntington is putting some wattage in the cottage this weekend with back-to-back nights of wall-shaking rock ‘n’ roll.

On Saturday night, the local Huntington rockabilly kings, The Heptanes tag team a show with the Charleston ska blasters, The Tom McGees and as well as The Big Bad. Cover is $7 for this 18 and up show.

On Friday night, the V gets heavy on it bringing in Georgia sludge metal band, Black Tusk with a host of top notch locals including Dana White’s new band, Nation, and Sangoma and two-man metal warriors, Warzawa. Cover is $10 for the 18 and up show.

Go online at www.vclublive.com for more info.

Ironton Alive with the Sounds of Music

Head over to Itown on Sunday as there’s concerts a plenty this Memorial Day weekend. The Greater Huntington Symphonic Band will perform a patriotic music concert at 5 p.m. Sunday, May 26 at Ohio University Southern in the Riffe Center Mains Rotunda. Admission is free and open to the public

At 7 p.m. Sunday, the historic Ro-Na Theater, 310 South 3rd St., Ironton, hosts the Ironton Opry, the third annual fundraiser to help with renovations at the theater.

Performers include Knockin’ Spirits, the Lawrence County Bluegrass Coalition and others. The show starts at 8 p.m. and doors open at 7 p.m. There will be a cash bar, and a $10 donation at the door.

Splash Down At Area Pools

Area pools are opening for the season and the YMCA Kennedy Center pool will be opening Saturday, May 25 and will be open through Aug. 11 at the YMCA Glenbrier up on WV 2.

Beat the crowds and the heat by rolling out on a Monday when the pool is open until 7:45 p.m. Special passes are on sale through May 31. The cost for a family pool pass is $250 (babysitter add-on is $70) or $175 for a single pool pass (ages 12 and older).

The pool has been completely renovated. There’s two pool slides, a large and low diving board, a baby pool, changing and shower areas, gazebos surrounding the pool and deck and reclining chairs.

The pool is open noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, noon to 7:45 p.m. Fridays and noon to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sundays. Call 304-525-8127 and www.huntingtonymca.org

Huntington Through the Lens

Take a new look at Huntington through the amazing camera lens of the late, great Huntington photographer, Levi Holley Stone.

The Huntington Museum of Art will feature 80 photographs by tone in a new exhibit titled, “The Herald-Dispatch Presents: Looking Back: Huntington through the Lens of Levi Holley Stone.”

This exhibit goes on view May 25 and continues through Aug. 18, at HMA.

Emmy Award-winning writer and documentary filmmaker John Witek will lead a Gallery Walk through the exhibit as part of the Fourth Tuesday Tour at 7:15 p.m. June 25. Admission is free.

Witek purchased more than 1,000 negatives by Stone at a local flea market stumbling upon an undiscovered cache of unique images taken by a self-taught photographer with great vision.

For more information on events at HMA, visit www.hmoa.org or call 304529-2701. HMA is fully accessible.

Dave Trippin:
My road trip pick this weekend is Ironton, Ohio where you can see one of America’s coolest small-town parades, the 145th Ironton Memorial Day parade that starts at 10 a.m. Monday.

The nation’s longest continuously running Memorial Day parade — The 145th Ironton-Lawrence County Memorial Day Parade — is held on Monday, May 27 in Ironton. Start time is 10 a.m. for the parade which has a theme for 2013 of "Respect - Honor - Never Forgotten" (but you’ll want to get there early by 9 or 9:15 since about 50,000 of your closest friends will also be checking out the parade).

Also check out the Ironton St. Joe High School charity fair and many other cool things in downtown Ironton that weekend and tons of live music at local clubs.

Follow the Dave Trippin’ adventures on Dave’s Facebook page as well as his Twitter account, @DaveLavenderHD.