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Hey, all you country music lovers! Mark your calendars for May 31, 2013, when country music legend Loretta Lynn will appear in concert at the Embassy Theatre, 125 W. Jefferson Blvd., Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Best known for her 1970 hit record, “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” Lynn’s music has consistently earned more than 50 of the Top Ten songs throughout her career. Her rags-to-riches autobiography, “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” made the New York Times’ bestseller list, and subsequently became an Academy Award winning movie.

Lynn also appeared on the cover of Newsweek in 1973 when her hit song “Dear Uncle Sam” was one of the first musical venues for protesting the Vietnam War.

The mega-star will be opened by Holly Williams, a singer-songwriter and the granddaughter of Hank Williams, Sr. and the daughter of Hank Williams, Jr. Williams recently toured with Keith Urban, Billy Bob Thornton, Jewel, Train and other musicians and her latest album – “The Highway” – includes backup singing by Dierks Bentley, Jackson Browne and Jakob Dylan.

Tickets for the concert which will begin at 8 p.m. can be purchased at the Embassy box office 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday or at Ticketmaster locations (www.ticketmaster.com) or by calling 1-800-745-3000. Prices will range from $39-69, with a limit of 10 tickets per person, and a restricted number of VIP tickets will go for $103.

Kingston Residence (7515 Winchester Road, Fort Wayne) will hold its fifth annual “Taste of Waynedale” on March 19, 2013 from 4:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., with proceeds benefiting Community Harvest Food Bank and Fort Wayne Trails – Waynedale Initiative.

Carole Klaehn waits her turn at the tables.

The popular event features samples of food and beverages from more than 25 local restaurants and businesses, including seasonal dishes, new menu items or a house specialty. In addition, vendors will provide coupons and literature about their eateries.

Vendors that plan to participate include Azar’s Big Boy, Bandido’s, Belmont Beverage, Captain Ron’s Corral, Casa Ristorante Italiano, China Palace, Dairy Queen, Ellison Bakery, Gimme Diner/Mike’s Donuts, GFS Marketplace, Hall’s Original Drive In, Hill’s Market, HoneyBaked Ham, Kingston Residence, Nine Mile Restaurant, Olive Twist, Penguin Point, Phoenix Dragon, Pizza Hut, PopCotton Flavored Popcorn, Qdoba Mexican Grill, Spyro’s, The Stand, Subway, Waynedale Bakery and Waynedale Cafe.

Vendors offer food samples to huge crowds.

Other businesses that are providing support to the event include The Waynedale News, JW Signs, and Hair Affair; these places are also selling tickets, which are $15 each if paid in and $20 the day of the event. There will also be more than 60 Silent Auction items to bid on that have been donated.

Please RSVP to 260-747-1523, CGarrison@kingstonhealthcare.com, or stop by between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday to pick up your tickets.

Fans of the popular band Third Day will be happy to know that their 45-city Miracle Tour concert will be making a stop in Fort Wayne on March 8, 2013. The concert will also feature American Idol finalist Colton Dixon and singer/songwriter Josh Wilson.

The concert will take place at the University of St. Francis Performing Arts Center, located at 431 W. Berry Street in downtown Fort Wayne.

The Christian band, which began in 1991, is comprised of lead singer Johnny Mac Powell, guitarist Mark Lee, bassist Tai Anderson and percussionist David Carr. They took their name from Jesus’ resurrection on the third day after His crucifixion.

Third Day has won many Grammy and Dove awards as well as many other honors, including Billboard Magazine’s Christian Albums Artist of the Decade.

Many may remember Cat Stevens and his powerful pop hit in the 1970s, “Morning Has Broken.” Third Day has taken this ageless piece and given it new life, re-introducing a beautiful song for contemporary times. Other hits performed on their Miracle Tour include “Hit Me Like a Bomb,” “Kicking and Screaming,” “The Victory,” and “Your Love is Like a River.”

In addition to the music, the band will also share inspirational stories from their nearly two decades in the Christian music world.

Tickets are currently available through itickets.com. For more information about the group and to order licensed merchandise and albums, visit www.thirdday.com

Outdoor lovers, please welcome the new outdoor tenant that replaced the longtime Bait & Hook Store in Waynedale last March.

A view of the Hook & Arrow interior includes a service area at the back of the shop.

The content of the new Hook & Arrow shop, however, remains partially the same as that of its predecessor – it will carry fishing supplies and live bait.  The other big draw of the store is archery and its spacious shooting range, complete with six indoor lanes at 20 yards.

“The fee is $5 per hour with targets ranging from $1 to $5.95.  An outdoor range will be coming soon,” said co-owner Scott Ruse, who with partner Kirk Heemsoth opened the business last March. Jon Eisberg is the shop’s Bow Shop Technician.

Bow technician Jon Eisberg practices archery on the shop’s indoor range, using a chronograph which measures the velocity of the arrow.

The archery range also features a chronograph to measure the speed of the arrow (feet per second) as well as velocities for any projectile including bullets, pellets, etc.

Fishing gear includes the latest in rods, reels, artificial baits and tackle.

According to Ruse, his shop, which serves Allen and surrounding counties, has been successful for several reasons.

“Our best feature would be the staff interaction,” said Ruse.  “We can fit the equipment to each customer.  In big stores you can probably buy some equipment, but I can guarantee that their employees would not know anything about archery or fishing like we do, especially when it comes to outfitting a beginner.

“People should patronize a smaller store for service. For example, if you’re looking for a special item and we don’t have it, we can order it.  Big stores use corporate ordering, not having a clue what people use in the specific region for hunting and fishing.  They are not going to special-order one item for anyone.

“We also teach people how to fish or shoot a bow. Once I had a customer who didn’t know how to clean fish. I told him to go catch a dozen and I would show him how. He did. I showed him how and now he fishes all the time and his family enjoys fish fries. Word got out that I showed him, so all his buddies come by now, too.”

Come to the Fort to see this fun new shop that offers popular brand products like Hoyt Archery, Bass Pro, Bowtech, Strother, Parker, Octane and more.  Ruse has an offer to VFW readers:  mention this article and receive 10% off any item except licenses through October 31, 2012 only.

For more information, call 260-739-6661, or visit Hook & Arrow at 7536 Winchester Road, Fort Wayne, IN 46819.  Business hours are Mon – Tue: 9 am – 6 pm, Wed – Fri: 9am-7pm, Sat: 8am – 4pm, Sun: 9am-3pm.  Website is www.hookandarrow.net  and Email is info@hookandarrow.net

Another Insider tip: Scott and Kelley Ruse also own Pike’s Pub, across the driveway from the shop, and the specialties there are pizza subs and sausage rolls, and “a LOT” of wings, which are cooked in a smoker seasoned with a dry rub.

To hear Ron Layton tell it, making the trip to Fort Wayne to dine at his restaurant – Captain Ron’s Corral Bar – is almost like winning the lottery.

“With this economy it seems you can’t get a complete meal at McDonald’s for under $6,” lamented Layton.

A menu card shows the biggest draw to the restaurant: the $5.99 steak dinner.

“We offer an 8-oz. NY strip steak with a salad, baked potato and a piece of garlic bread for only $5.99!  This sets me apart from everyone in town and is a HUGE draw for out-of-towners. The advantage is that customers can have a very affordable dinner and leave all the cooking and cleaning to us.”

Children are allowed to dine until 9 p.m. each day as long as they don’t enter the bar area, said Layton.  After 9 p.m., the place comes alive with music.

“Live entertainment is fall, winter and spring,” said Layton, “and we have live country bands only on Fridays and Saturdays.  I also own a karaoke system where people can sing any night they wish.”

Ron Layton in his restaurant / bar.

Layton works at the restaurant / bar seven days a week, 12-18 hours a day depending on the day, just to make his business succeed. It’s worth noting that the facility is totally accessible with an entranceway ramp, and also offers outdoor dining.  Hours are 4 pm everyday (until football season, then 11 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays) until 3 a.m., unless no one is here after midnight.

From the bar, one can order $3 wells 7 days a week. There are menu features each day (Friday’s special, for example, is Deep-fried Pollack with real potato chips, $6.99 or with side salad, baked potato and garlic bread, $5.99) and also fun options like satay (chicken or beef) served over rice, pizza, quesadillas (cheese or chicken),  corral burgers, fish, tenderloin or chicken sandwiches and more.

Salads include a house salad or a grilled chicken salad with ranch, bleu cheese, honey mustard and Caesar dressings.

Just in:  new offerings of T-bone ($12), rib eye ($9), ribs ($12), blackened Pollack ($8) and a breaded tenderloin dinner for $9.

So, throw on your spurs and chaps and gallop on over to Captain Ron’s Corral (260-478-0591; 4530 Bluffton Road) and tell him I sent you!  Yeehaw!