Posted: Thursday, June 4, 2009 2:15 pm

First Friday Night Live takes the stage on the Courthouse lawn tonight at 6:30 p.m.

Music will be provided by Buddy Spicher & the Nashville Swing Band.

All events are taken from the Murfreesboro Post Community Calendar, which can be found at www.murfreesboropost.com/mod/comcal.

Smokin’ South Beach
The Secret Garden Party turns Bill and Kathy Jones backyard into a little Miami on Friday night.

The party is an annual fundraiser for the Discovery Center that raises money for the innovative programs and hands-on exhibits for its 110,000 annual visitors.

Catered by Ryan’s Smokin’ Rotisserie, the "Smokin' South Beach" event will feature Caribbean fare, specialty drinks, and a wonderful wine selection provided by Stones River Total Beverages.

Rounding out the night will be a fantastic auction, a beautiful setting, great friends, and a wonderful opportunity to support Murfreesboro’s own Discovery Center.

Preview party attendees will get a sneak preview of the Jones home and garden from 6-7 p.m., with the party beginning at 7 p.m.

Contact the Discovery Center at Murfree Spring at  615-890-2300 for more information.

Secret Garden Tour
Five unique area gardens will be on display at The Discovery Centers Secret Garden Tour Saturday, June 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

In addition to the garden tour, participants can also take part in activities at Discovery Center that include vegetarian cooking samples provided by Sassy Veg Productions from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and a container gardening activity for kids. This is a rain or shine event.

Tickets are $10 for adults, $3 for kids three and up. Ticket includes admission to Discovery Center

Tickets can be purchased at the Discovery Center, at the gardens day or tour or by visiting online at www.secretgardenparty.org.

**Hard-to-find Roses for Sale**
The Cassidy's will have some amazing plants, such as yellow and red knockout roses, available for sale at their home during the tour. Proceeds benefit the Discovery Center. Cash and checks only please.

Movies Under the Stars
Movies Under the Stars, the city’s annual summer tradition, returns for another family-fun summer.

This week’s selection, a tale about Central Park Zoo animals that end up in Africa, will be screened at 8:30 p.m. at Mitchell-Neilson Primary on Friday and Hobgood Elementary on Saturday.

Bring your lawn chairs, blanket and picnic and enjoy the show. Concessions will be available.

For more information, please contact Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation Department at 890-5333 or e-mail recreation@murfreesborotn.gov.

Small Fry Tri
Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation holds the 6th annual Small Fry Tri from 10-11 a.m. Saturday at the Old Fort Park Trailhead.

Kids ages 2-6 will run, bike and swim (well, run through the sprinklers) to the finish line where everyone receives a trophy.

Parents, older siblings, or personal trainers may help. Bring a bicycle or tricycle and a helmet.

Races will be held about every 10 minutes and cost $5, which includes a trophy.

T-shirts for little competitors will be on sale on the day of the event.

Old Fort Park Trailhead is located at Old Fort Park, 1025 Old Fort Pkwy.

For more information, contact Angela Jackson at 893-2141 or ajackson@murfreesborotn.gov.

Juneteenth
Bradley Academy Museum & Cultural Center and the Rutherford County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority will hold the 7th annual Juneteenth Celebration from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, June 6 at Bradley.

All the residents of Middle Tennessee are invited to enjoy the free event themed “Celebrating Unity and Freedom”, which is designed to honor African-American freedom while emphasizing education and achievement.

It will be a day of celebrations, guest speakers, food and fun. It is a time for reflection and rejoicing, self-assessment, self-improvement and looking ahead toward a brighter future.

Theatre
If theatergoers don’t recognize at least one of the women in First Baptist of Ivy Gap, which opens Friday at The Arts Center of Cannon County, they probably haven’t been to church in a while.

First Baptist of Ivy Gap is a warm and very funny story about six strong and resourceful characters that just happens to include a preacher’s wife, an organist with a penchant for honky-tonk music, and a stripper.

The story centers around six Bible thumping Baptist girls from Tennessee during the closing days of World War II, brought together to roll bandages for the Red Cross and plan their church’s 75th anniversary celebration. 

First Baptist of Ivy Gap will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and at 2 p.m. Sundays.  

Ticket prices are $10 for adults, and $8 for seniors, students or groups and may be purchased by calling the Arts Center box office at 615-563-(ARTS) 2787 or 1-800-235-9073. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.artscenterofcc.com.

The Arts Center Cafe is now open before all performances, so be sure and call in advance for our discounted dinner/show packages.

The Arts Center is located on 1424 John Bragg Highway, just west of the town of Woodbury, approximately 20 minutes from Murfreesboro.

Stones River National Battlefield
The battlefield will hold Hallowed Ground: A Lantern Tour of the Stones River National Cemetery this Saturday. It is an hour-long tour through the Stones River National Cemetery.

Visitors will learn to look beyond the stones and into the stories of the men and women who felt the impact of war.

Reservations are required and must be made by phone at 615-893-9501.

Rangers will also present A Soldiers Story, There Are Many Sides To A Story and a Bicycle Tour of Stones River National Battlefield.

For more information, visit the park’s Web site at www.nps.gov/stri or call 893-9501.

Car shows
Cruise-In to The Avenue with the Murfreesboro Hot Rod Club on Friday night in the Belk’s parking lot.

Starting at 5 p.m., step back to the rock’n roll era with DJ music, giveaways, prizes and fun.

The club requests a donation of $1 that will go to local charities. This fun event begins the first Friday in May and continues weekly (weather permitting) through the first Friday in October. Visit www.4mhrc.net for more information.

Eagleville also holds the Park-N-Show Car Show on Saturday at the Eagleville School, 500 Highway 99, Eagleville.

Proceeds go to benefit the Eagleville City Park. Contact Ronnie Hill at 615-274-2200 for more information.

Book singing
Author Corey Buckner will be available to sign copies of his book, "Everyday Surrender: Godly Truth from a Myspace Philosopher" from noon-2 p.m. Saturday at Barnes and Noble in The Avenue.

For more information, contact Jim Miller at 888-361-9473 or
jim@tatepublishing.com.

If you have an event you’d like included, contact Michelle Willard at 615-869-0816 or mwillard@murfreesboropost.com.