CULLOWHEE – The annual Jazz Festival at Western Carolina University will take place Friday, April 8, and Saturday, April 9, on the WCU campus.

This year’s evening performances, at 7:30 p.m. in the in the Fine and Performing Arts Center, feature legendary saxophonist Bobby Watson and the Libor Smoldas Quartet, the first European band to play the festival. On April 8, Watson will play with the WCU Jazz Ensemble and then the Pavel Wlosok Trio. On April 9, Watson will take the stage with the Steve Wohlrab Trio and then with the Libor Smoldas Quartet. Concert tickets cost $5 for each night.

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This year’s Franklin Folk Festival is shaping up to be the biggest ever, say organizers, as the event has gained support from the Tourism Development Authority, the Franklin Main Street Program and the Tourism Development Commission (TDC). The July 16 event will be held on Macon County Heritage Day, and will celebrate the rich cultural history of the Appalachian Mountains.

Organizers said that the bulk of the festival’s budget is spent on advertising, through print, radio, and signage. Last year, the combined amount spent on advertising the event was $7,192 of $11,701 – 62 percent of their total expenses for the festival. Ads are put in surrounding city publications within a threehour radius. Regional radio ads run several weeks prior to the event in WNC and the North Georgia/Metro Atlanta area.

A lot of generous people turned out for a benefit for Relay for Life on Saturday, March 25 at the Franklin High School Fine Arts Building. The "Singing For A Cure" Relay for Life concert was held from 6 to 10 p.m., and featured several homegrown musical acts.

The audience was entertained by Empty Pockets, with Donnie Clay and Conrad Heffner; Bruce Hedden and the Gospel Mountaineers; and Curtis Blackwell and the Fescue Four, among others.

The evening also featured a cake auction, a 50/50 raffle and refreshments for those attending the event.

Fans who like Neil Simon plays will enjoy the Licklog Players’ season opener, Prisoner of 2nd Avenue, to be staged April 8 at the Peacock Playhouse in Hayesville.

During its two-year run on Broadway, the comedy packed houses during 678 performances, and took away a Tony Award for Best Show. Simon’s box office appeal has made his plays among the most regularly performed in the world.

Audiences will remember past Licklog productions of the award-winning playwright, including “Barefoot in the Park,” “Plaza Suite,” “Rumors,” “Last of the Red Hot Lovers,” and “The Odd Couple.”