Approximately 200 people turned out Saturday night at the Spring Fling musical event.

Held at Franklin’s Slagle Memorial Building, the show featured bands from across the region.

Punk band Eureka California (from Athens, Ga.), progressive group Crow vs. Hawk (Franklin/Asheville), heavy New-Wave band Total War, jazzy-dance rock band The Unawarewulves played throughout the night.

“Jazz It Up,” a concert by saxophonist Lloyd Weinberg and vibraphonist Paul Babelay, was presented Thursday, March 17, at 8 p.m., in the main hall of the Macon County Public Library.

The program spanned jazz styles from Dixieland, Latin and Swing, to contemporary works, including classics like “Sweet Georgia Brown” and “Take the A Train,” with an audience participation tribute to Saint Patrick’s Day.

Macon County Public Library, in partnership with Western Carolina University, is celebrating the Ninth Annual Spring Literary Festival. This year’s Festival will feature more than a dozen established and emerging writers, including Alan Weisman. Weisman’s most recent book, The World Without Us, a bestseller translated into thirty languages, was named the best nonfiction book of 2007 by both Time Magazine and Entertainment Weekly. It was also a finalist of the National Book Critics Circle Award in Nonfiction and a finalist for the Orion Book Award.

Neighbors, friends and family from Rabun, Macon and Oconee counties will gather Saturday, March 26, at the annual bluegrass and barbecue benefit for the Satolah, Georgia volunteer fire department.

The volunteer firefighters and the hard-working women of the Station 8 auxiliary will begin serving food at 5 p.m., with the music starting around 7 p.m.

Chief James Reed is hoping for a stellar turnout, as the routine costs for properly outfitting just one volunteer takes almost $1,000, costs borne by the volunteers. This family-friendly benefit always has been highlight of spring (and the official start of the trout season) in this part of the tri-state area. “We hope everyone will mark their calendars, and do their best to help – even in these uncertain times,” Reed said.