NEED TO KNOW: Week of April 20

Apr. 20—THERE'S A NEW MURAL IN TOWN

Take a stroll along South Wisner Street to see the latest public art piece in downtown Frederick. The Frederick Arts Council commissioned Michael Rosato to create the mural, which depicts the rich history of McCutcheon's Apple Products and the people involved in the local company. Rosato is best-known for his mural of Harriet Tubman at the Harriet Tubman Museum & Educational Center in Cambridge, and we are excited about his contribution here, a welcome addition to our town's story.

MISSED WOODSTOCK? NEXT BEST THING.

OK, so maybe a night at the Weinberg Center doesn't compare to four days of drugs, sex and rock 'n' roll (and mud) in a farm field in Woodstock, New York, nor could we pack 500,000 hippies into the historic auditorium, but the energy and spirit of the music will be in full force when "Neil Berg's The 60's" takes the stage this week, bringing a collection of Sixties sounds to Frederick. If you're a fan of the psychedelic era of rock, step into the Weinberg on Friday and step back in time.

BOOT SCOOT ON OVER TO MOUNT AIRY

Mount Airy Main Street Association will host Boot Scootin' on Main Street at Liquidity Aleworks on April 24, with local food, ales and country line dancing instruction, courtesy of Dean Garrish, aka the "Dancin' Realtor." Learn two country line dances and have the opportunity to participate in a "flash dance" on Main Street.

LISTEN TO AN ART TALK

A new solo exhibition just opened at the FAC Art Center in downtown Frederick, and artist Khánh H. Lê will give an artist talk about his work at 6 p.m. April 20, which is free and open to the public. "Making Memories While We Wait" explores the collective memories of the artist's and his relations' experiences as refugees living in Vietnamese internment camps in the 1980s. If you miss the talk, you still have plenty of time to see the show, which will remain up through July at 5 E. Second St., Frederick.

READ A NOVEL THAT TAKES PLACE IN A FICTIONALIZED VERSION OF FREDERICK

Justin M. Kiska, who readers might know through his work at the Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre, recently published the book "Fact & Fiction" (Level Best Books). What might be perhaps the most interesting to local readers is the murder mystery's setting, Parker City, a fictionalized version of Frederick that has served as the backdrop of all of Kiska's novels. "To make the setting as real as possible, like many writers, I looked around for inspiration and ended up not having to look very far," he says.

VOICES OF APPALACHIA ON DISPLAY

In other book news, the beloved Anthology of Appalachian Writers has a new volume out this month featuring new writing and photography. The ongoing Shepherd University project highlights work that relates to the Appalachian Heritage Writer in Residence — in this case, 2022 resident Barbara Kingsolver. A reading from the Kingsolver volume of the anthology is planned for 5 p.m. July 8 at Four Seasons Books in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.