With temperatures in Charleston already reaching a searing 90 degrees, here are three great ways to beat the heat!

1) Bring an umbrella.

You may get some funny looks at first — after all, why bring an umbrella with you if it’s not raining? However, umbrellas or parasols were originally meant to provide shade during hot summer days — not as rain gear. So if you find yourself headed out in the blistering heat, bring an umbrella along to keep cool and prevent heat stroke.

The Vandalia Gathering for 2011 is scheduled to take place this weekend — the 28th until the 29th of May at the West Virginia Capitol grounds. The Vandalia Gathering is a well-known West Virginian festival devoted to bluegrass music, as well as folk arts such as dance, quilting, cooking and baking.
Some of the highlights of this year’s competitions include pound cake and apple pie baking contests, with awards for the top three cakes and pies, as well as a special award for bakers fifteen years old and younger. The competition …

Konami — the Japanese gaming company responsible for the full-body motion-sensitive dance game Dance Dance Revolution, has partnered with elementary, middle, and high schools across West Virginia to help prevent and reverse child obesity.

Dance Dance Revolution is a rhythm game invented in Japan, where the player had to dance to pop tunes while keeping in time to the moving arrows sliding across a screen. It was cool, fun, and did not feel like real exercise, so many children were immediately taken with the game.

Title: WV Birthday Celebration and Band ConcertLocation: Kanawha State Forest Rte. 2, Box 285 Charleston, West Virginia 25314Link out: Click hereDescription: Come celebrate West Virginia’s Birthday with us and enjoy the concert by the Kanawha Valley Community Band directed by Robert Leighty. Birthday cake and cold drinks provided. Free admission. Time: 3:00 p.m. concert at the swimming pool area. Ample parking. Bring a lawn chair for seating if you like.
Contact: 304-558-3500Date: 2011-06-19

Title: Free Lunchtime Lecture – Passages to India Location: One Clay Square Charleston, West Virginia 25301Link out: Click hereDescription: 12:15PM
with Rebecca Burch
Take an adventure through the temples, castles, fortresses and ever-changing landscape of India. Enjoy photos and narratives from Rebecca’s travels through the 2010 India Institute, sponsored by Davis & Elkins College and the West Virginia Humanities Council.
Date: 2011-06-08

Title: The Blind Boys of Alabama – Amy LaVere – Bell X1 – Marti Jones & Don DixonLocation: Mountain Stage 1900 Kanawha Boulevard East Charleston, WV 25311Link out: Click hereDescription: Bell X1
Bell X1 and Damien Rice used to be a band called Juniper. Juniper berries are used to make gin. “Gin and tonic dressing gown…” is a lyric from Bell X1′s debut album, Neither am I, released in 2000 in Ireland. Ireland used to be poor, and now it’s blingin, with scattered showers.
Amy LaVere
“I want to pretend it’s kind …

Indian cuisine is vibrant and zesty, noted for its extensive use of spices and herbs, on a wide selection of vegetables and meats (including beef, lamb, poultry and seafood). Due to the size of the country and the number of regional groups living in different areas, not just the ingredients but also the cooking techniques vary from place to place.

Little India in Charleston’s East End (at 1604 Washington St., East Charleston, to be exact) brings a little bit everything to the plate. Featuring dishes from both Northern and Southern India, the restaurant has a wide array of meat and vegetarian appetizers, sides, and entrees as well as exotic Indian desserts and beverages.

Charleston’s Live on the Levee is back with another stellar line-up of live acts!

The free evening concert series starts Memorial Day weekend, with performances all the way through to Labor Day weekend. This year’s series is scheduled for Friday night every week, from 6:30 PM to about 9:30 PM.

Live on the Levee features not just fantastic live music performances from local and coast-to-coast acts, but also benefit raffles, t-shirt sales, and other fundraising activities for worthy causes.

Title: Free Art Lecture – Coming Home – Part IILocation: One Clay Square Charleston, West Virginia 25301Link out: Click hereDescription: 6:00 pm
Tom Nakashima, artist featured in “Coming Home: Joseph Hughes, Tom Nakashima and Kit White” exhibit, discusses art.
Date: 2011-06-21

Title: Sara Bareilles Location: Charleston Civic Center (End Stage) 200 Civic Center Drive Charleston, WV 25301 Link out: Click hereDescription: She refused to write her label a “Love Song” and brought the experience to life with her #1 pop single. Sara Bareilles has emerged as one of pop’s most soulful singer-songwriters in generations. Her piano driven melodies and powerful vocals have garnered her accolades and chart success.
Date: 2011-06-16