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Each week, Times features writer Brandon Oland provides a list of must-see entertainment events for the week ahead.

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CARROLL COUNTY
Ramblin Jack Elliott in concert

AP FILE PHOTO

Ramblin Jack Elliott is performing at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Carroll Arts Center in Westminster as part of the Common Ground on the Hill concert series. Synopsis: Elliott, 80, in his seventh decade of performing, won a Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Recording in 2009 for A Stranger Here. He performs as part of the Common Ground on the Hill music series. When: 8 p.m. Saturday Where: Carroll Arts Center, 91 W. Main St., Westminster Admission: $19 for adults, $17 for students, seniors and teens Information: 410- 848-7272 or www.commongroundonthehill.org
Organist Ken Cowan in concert

Down country roads

Jim Curry will perform Take Me Home, the Music of John Denver at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Westminster High School as part of the Carroll County Community Concert Associations subscription series. BY BRANDON OLAND
TIMES STAFF WRITER

SUBMITTED PHOTO

Concert association series to feature John Denver tribute singer and more
2011-12 SERIES SCHEDULE
The Carroll County Community Concert Association returns with four concerts for its subscribers this year. The concerts are all held at Westminster High School, 1225 Washington Road, Westminster. Tickets for the concert series are $50 for adults and $20 for students. For more information, call 410- 848-7123 or www.cccca.info. Here is a look at the upcoming shows, along with thoughts on each act from CCCCA president Ronda Robinson:
Take Me Home, the Music of John Denver

Synopsis: After a yearlong restoration project, the McDaniel College Aeolian-Skinner 100- pipe organ is sounding better than ever. Ken Cowan, a nationally renowned organist, will play the instrument that was originally donated to McDaniel in 1958. When: 3 p.m. Sunday Where: Baker Memorial Chapel, McDaniel College, 2 College Hill, Westminster Admission: Free Information: 410- 857-2599 or www.mcdaniel.edu

IN THE REGION
Richard Marx in concert

Synopsis: Hes known for his ballads Right Here Waiting and Hold On To The Nights, which he will be performing with 20 strings musicians as a backdrop in this special acoustic show. When: 8 p.m. Friday Where: Weinberg Center for the Arts, 20 W. Patrick St., Frederick Admission: $30- $40 Information: 301- 600-2828 or www.weinbergcenter.org
Sugarloaf Crafts Festival

Synopsis: Westminster blacksmith Nick Vincent and Pigeon Hills Pottery artists Cliff Losee and Ben May are among the more than 250 artisans at the 35th annual Sugarloaf Crafts Festival. When: Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday Where: Maryland State Fairgrounds, 2200 York Road, Timonium Admission: $7 if purchased online and $9 at the door, children under 12 are free Information: 800-210- 9900 or www.sugarloafcrafts.com

Jim Curry said he makes no effort to impersonate John Denver. He just happens to look, and sound, just like him. For the last decade, Curry and his band have been performing Take Me Home, the Music of John Denver all over the country. The show features the only fulllength concert tribute to Denver. When he performs during the first concert of the 2011-12 Carroll County Community Concert Associations four- act subscription series at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Westminster High School, he will perform Denvers many hits, ranging from Take Me Home, Country Roads to Thank God Im a Country Boy with the help of his band. Denver died in 1997 when the experimental plane he was flying crashed into the Pacific Ocean near Pacific Grove, Calif. Fourteen years later, his music is still in demand, Curry said. Thank God Im a Country Boy is played during the seventh- inning stretch of Baltimore Orioles home games. Country Roads remains wildly popular in West Virginia, Curry said. He often signs contracts where he is obligated to play Country Roads twice. What were seeing and sensing in this market is a growing interest in his music, Curry said. The music seems to be coming back in that sense. A lot of the music still seems to be timely and still applies to living today as much as it did then. Curry said hes always had an admiration for Denvers music. He was hired to be the singing voice for Denver in the

When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday What to expect: Jim Curry looks, and sounds, just like the legendary folk singer who died in a 1997 plane crash. Denvers songs live on in this show that pays tributes to his hits, including Rocky Mountain High, Annies Song and Thank God Im a Country Boy. Robinsons take: He really looks and sounds just like [John Denver].
AP FILE PHOTO

John Denver is shown performing in Moscow July 1, 1985. Jim Curry performs the music of the late Denver, who died in an airplane crash in 1997.

Deborah Henson- Conant

A lot of the music still seems to be timely and still applies to living today as much as it did then.
Jim Curry John Denver tribute singer
2000 CBS movie, Take Me Home, the John Denver Story. With that on his resume, Curry decided to start his own tour 10 years ago. Hes been booking dates ever since, including as the featured entertainment for Holland America Cruise Lines. Hes part of the Live On Stage talent roster this year. Each year, Carroll County Community Concert Association leaders attend a Nashville forum, where the majority of the Live On Stage acts perform. Concert association president Ronda Robinson said it is always difficult to pick which acts they would prefer in Westminster. Its hard, she said, because you want to have a variety and it has to fit the budget and our timeline. All Carroll County Community Concert Association concerts are held at Westminster Please see Series, C3

When: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 21 What to expect: The Grammy nominated performer presents a high- energy show where she plays her custom- built electric harness harp. She plays everything from blues to flamenco music on it. Robinsons take: We were trying to find someone different, and she certainly fits that category.
Carpe Diem String Quartet

When: 7:30 p.m. April 2 What to expect: Carpe Diem, nominated for four Grammy Awards in 2009, performs a wide range of genres, including folk, pop, rock and jazz. Robinsons take: They are very high energy. I think the crowd will like that type of music.
The Water Coolers

When: 3 p.m. May 6 What to expect: This five- person troupe of New York City comics and singers pokes fun at everything in their session of song and sketch comedy. Robinsons take: They are a lot like The Capitol Steps. They do a take on business, education, kids, that kind of thing. They take music and rewrite it with repartee.