Things to do this week: June 2-7 arts and culture picks from Martinsville to Greensboro

Readers looking for practical arts-and-culture plans for the first full week of June do not have to go far. The strongest local mix this week leans toward Martinsville and Danville early in the week, then widens out with a history talk in Greensboro, a free downtown concert night in Martinsville and a family-friendly street event in Greensboro on Saturday, June 6, 2026.

• Tuesday, June 2: Clyde Hooker Awards at 5:30 p.m. at Piedmont Arts, 215 Starling Ave., Martinsville. Piedmont Arts says the annual event will honor DelShana LeGrant and 3rd Bay Cafe for support of the arts. Admission is free, with the museum asking guests to consider a scholarship-fund donation.
• Tuesday, June 2: Little Explorers Storytime at 11 a.m. in the Maker Space at Ruby B. Archie Public Library in Danville. The city calendar lists songs, stories and activities for children ages 2-5 with registration required.
• Wednesday, June 3: Code Challengers: Dino Pet Game at 4:30 p.m. in the Ruby B. Archie Public Library computer lab. Danville's library lists the coding session for ages 8-12 and says no prior experience is required.
• Thursday, June 4: Fireside Chat & Book Signing honoring WWII veteran Vern Schmidt from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Greensboro History Museum, 130 Summit Ave. The museum lists the program as free with registration and says refreshments and a signing follow.
• Friday, June 5: Sounds on the Square begins at 5 p.m. at the Martinsville-Henry County Heritage Museum, 1 E. Main St. The Historical Society says the summer series is free outdoors and includes half-price museum admission inside during concert nights.
• Friday, June 5: Roanoke offers a more ticketed option with Murder Mystery at the Museum from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Taubman Museum of Art. The Taubman lists it as an adults-only interactive event, and the museum's separate Architectural Highlights Behind-the-Scenes Tour follows at 7 p.m. that same night.
• Saturday, June 6: First Saturday Stroll on Elm runs from noon to 6 p.m. on the 300 block of Elm Street in downtown Greensboro. The city describes it as a free block event with vendors, live music, dancing and family activities.

For readers who want a museum stop that does not depend on a start time, there are solid backup options all week. The Virginia Museum of Natural History in Martinsville continues The Age of Dinosaurs special exhibit and lists summer-season Sunday hours in addition to its Tuesday-through-Saturday schedule. The Danville Museum of Fine Arts & History remains open Thursday through Sunday with permanent Civil War, Civil Rights and Camilla Williams exhibits in the Sutherlin Mansion. The Taubman Museum of Art continues free general admission in Roanoke, with current exhibitions including LeUyen Came Along: The Art of LeUyen Pham through June 14 and 75th Anniversary: New Visions for the Permanent Collection through Aug. 16.

The practical play this week is to use Martinsville and Danville for the short local outings, then save Greensboro or Roanoke for a longer Friday or Saturday drive if you want a fuller event night.

Sources: Piedmont Arts calendar pages for the Clyde Hooker Awards and current listings, checked June 1, 2026; Danville city calendar at danvilleva.gov/Calendar.aspx for Ruby B. Archie Public Library events checked June 1, 2026; Greensboro History Museum event page for the June 4 fireside chat, checked June 1, 2026; Martinsville-Henry County Historical Society homepage and events pages for Sounds on the Square, checked June 1, 2026; Taubman Museum homepage and event pages for current exhibitions, Murder Mystery at the Museum and Architectural Highlights Behind-the-Scenes Tour, checked June 1, 2026; City of Greensboro event page for First Saturday Stroll on Elm, checked June 1, 2026; Virginia Museum of Natural History homepage checked June 1, 2026, vmnh.net; Danville Museum visit page checked June 1, 2026, danvillemuseum.org/visit.