DANCE - FINE ARTS - MUSIC - THEATER - WRITING

ARTBITS by Richard B. Harper


VOLUME 23 * * All Arts News On the Web * * June 20, 2019

STUFF YOU SHOULDN'T MISS

      ArtBits always features a calendar of the goings on of Franklin County artists. Check out these events around Franklin County. Each issue includes the entire text of our weekly newspaper column.


     Franklin County's arts and music gatherings bring new opportunities, gossip, "show-and-tell" and occasional workshops. There are also booked and acoustic Open Mic Nights that feature music, readings, and more from the best new artists in Vermont.

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COUNTDOWN TO SUMMER

HIGHGATE--Summer starts tomorrow!
      Summer Sounds kicks off the 29th summer of music with the debut of our Summer Sounds Surprise at the Highgate Municipal Park in just two weeks on Sunday, July 7, at 7 p.m. Ray's Extrusion Dies and Tubing brings back the "rock 'n roll outlaw," now 78, to rawk on as summer officially starts. The season continues with renowned Florida Keys troubadour John Bartus, plus favorites Banjo Dan and Pioneers, Jenni Johnson and the Jazz Junketeers, Anderson Gram, and Mark Shelton returning as Elvis.
      The Summer Sounds concerts are sponsored by the Town of Highgate and the All Arts Council, and underwritten by Chevalier Drilling Co. Inc, Desorcie's Market, Drummac Septic Service, La Quinta Inn and Suites of St. Albans, O. C. McCuin and Sons, and Ray's Extrusion Dies and Tubing. Click here for more info.


MAKE MUSIC

VERMONT--Musicians of all ages and experience will take to the porches, public parks, pickup trucks, and sidewalks around the state as part of the International Make Music Day. There are planned events in Bennington, Bristol, Burlington, Colchester, Ferrisburgh, Greensboro, Rochester, St. Albans, Stowe, Waterbury, and many more.
      Make Music Day is an international event celebrated more than 1,000 cities in over 180 countries. Click here for more info.


CALL FOR ARTISTS

FAIRFIELD--Meta Strick continues the 2019 A.I.R. Sunday Afternoon Art Workshops on Lettering and Calligraphy at her studios on Sunday from 12 - 5 p.m. Materials and tools are provided (as well as a good time with great people).
      Ms. Strick describes the workshops as, "Loose, experimental, and fun." Each is a five hour opportunity to learn a new technique or improve on another. Try a different material. Share some new ideas. Enjoy exploration and play, and leave with a unique project. Ms. Strick is a mixed media artist who has been "playing with art since she was old enough to clutch a crayon in a chubby fist." The studio can accommodate eight participants. The cost is $45. Click here to register and pay in advance.


ART ON THE WALLS

HIGHGATE CENTER--NCSS hosts Celebrating the Artists in the Program for Adaptive and Expressive Arts with the 4th annual Art Library Tour at the Highgate Library and Community Center this week. The library and art show are open today from 2 - 6 p.m. The creations of these talented people will be on display in the libraries of Franklin and Grand Isle Counties. The Art Library Tour remains in Highgate through June 26.
      Find them on Facebook for more info.


IN THE SAC

SWANTON--The Swanton Arts Council Writer's Group will meet at the Swanton Free Public Library this evening at 6 p.m. Members can share progress and join in the discussion about longer projects and anything else about writing, reading, publishing, and more.
      Call Becky Rupp (802.733.7471) or email for more info


COMEDY FOR A CAUSE

ST. ALBANS--Have as much fun as possible as Twiggs continues Comedy for a Cause, the edgy benefit event series, for the Highgate Library and Community Center on Friday at 7 p.m.
      A night of stand up comedy with seven of Vermont's best comedians -- Carrie Rae Shamel, Kathleen Kanz, Cori Marnellos, Melyssa Ardelle, and Boom City Improv with Rachael Sherman, Eric Wright, Noel Porter, and Tami Lantz -- the show will benefit the summer programs for children and adults of all ages.
      Admission is $25. There are just 70 tickets available. Call the Highgate Library and Community Center (802.868.3970) to reserve a ticket or for more info.


LET'S DANCE

SWANTON--The Swanton Arts Council Night Club 2-Step dance lessons take over the Swanton Free Public Library on Saturday at 12 noon. Open dance will begin at 1 p.m. A library is a wonderful place to dance.
      Kevin Laddison of First Step Dance will teach. There is no need to bring a partner, he notes, but ask a friend. The groups will trade partners throughout each lesson.
      Admission is $10 per person for two hours of dancing. Call Ali Boren (509.592.0990) or email for more info or to register.


FILM

MONTGOMERY--It's Movie Night at The MCA for the screening of One Town at a Time in the Montgomery Center for the Arts on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
      Vermont has 251 towns. Film maker Mike Leonard explored them … "One Town at a Time." Between semesters at college in 2006, Mr. Leonard joined the 251 Club to visit every town in the state. He met with locals and visited some of Vermont's most celebrated nooks and crannies. After living outside Vermont for over a decade, he moved back home and has revisited the 251 Club, returning to some of the same places and re-interviewing some of the same people he met 12 years ago to learn about how Vermont has changed, how it has stayed the same, and how the wayfarer's club has shaped his own identity.
      The coming-of-age story is firmly rooted in the community spirit. The film includes diverse voices such as former Governor Jim Douglas, Jerry Greenfield, and 251 Club members from across the state. He met a Franklin County Sheriff's deputy in Richford and a golden retriever named Biscuit in Highgate.
      Admission is by suggested donation of $10.


ON STAGE LIVE

Thursday
ST. ALBANS--The Old Foundry at One Federal makes it Blues Night with the Nobby Reed Project in the Thursday Night Music Series this evening at 7 p.m.
      Call 802.524.0330 or find them on Facebook for more info.


ESSEX JUNCTION--On Tap offers Summer Sounds favorites Jenni Johnson and the Jazz Junketeers tonight at 7 p.m.
      On Tap has music on Tuesday through Saturday nights. Call 802.878.3309 or email for more info.


Thursday-Saturday
ST. ALBANS--Twiggs presents Singer, songwriter, guitarist, band leader, and working man Tim Brick on Thursday, Vermont singer-songwriter with simple, honest songs Tim Howard on Friday, and the Red Dirt Oklahoma and Texas alt country sounds of the Flycatchers on Saturday. Shows begin at 7 p.m.
      Call 802.524.1405 or click here for more info.


Friday
ST. ALBANS--Make Music Day owns downtown St. Albans on Friday from 3 - 7 p.m.
      The City's first freestyle music festival is open to everyone, anywhere in the city. Some events are staged but the day is devoted to jams. Amateurs, dabblers, families, and professional musicians, with any instruments or none, will take part in an afternoon free and open celebration of music. Scott Aaron Martell plays at the Traveled Cup 3:30 - 6:30 p.m. The Smokey Newfield Project performs on the City Hall steps 5 - 7 p.m. AmeriKana Blue is at Twiggs at 7 p.m. Artist In Residence will also host a musician for International Music Day.
      Click here to RSVP.


MILTON--Arrowhead Golf Course hosts Dynagrrrrrl Carol Ann Jones and Will Patton with Americana, classic country, folk, and blues for the Friday Night Live Music and Buffet on Friday at 6:30 p.m. Friday's theme is "Western." The pulled pork buffet starts around 7 p.m. Both run until 9 p.m.
      The buffet costs $11 per person ($5 for each child). You don't have to be a member; the public is welcome. Be sure to come early, usually around 6, to get a good seat.


Friday-Saturday
ST. ALBANS--The Old Foundry at One Federal presents solo jazz guitarist Bob Gagnon on Friday and what seems to be the four-piece Justin LaPoint Duet on Saturday. Shows begin at 6:30 p.m.
      Call 802.524.0330 or find them on Facebook for more info.


Saturday
ST. ALBANS--Praise in the Park joins praise bands from Georgia Plain Baptist Church, Grace UMC, St. Paul's UMC, and more, along with the Smokey Newfield Project in the E.A. Loomis Bandshell in Taylor Park on Saturday at 6 p.m. Come at 5:30 for a free BBQ, put on by Church of the Rock and St. Paul's UMC.
      Admission is free but an offering will be taken for local non-profits, including the Samaritan House and Martha's Kitchen. Please bring a non-perishable food item for the local food shelf.


ST. ALBANS--14th Star Brewing Company presents SoN oF a GuN live on the taproom stage on Saturday at 6 p.m.
      Cynthia Sullivan, lead vocals; Mike Socha, lead guitar; Dale Lumbra, guitar; Bill Pike, bass; and Jeff Macia, drums bring an energetic set of rock music from the 80s, 90s, and today.


Tuesday
ENOSBURG FALLS--The Enosburg Town Band plays a weekly free summer concert in Lincoln Park on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
      Bring a chair or a blanket to enjoy an hour long concert under the stars under the direction of Alisa Martin. Performances will continue on Tuesday evenings at 7 p.m. through August 21.


Wednesday
ST. ALBANS--The Nobby Reed Project continues the Downtown Summer Concert Series in the E.A. Loomis Bandshell in Taylor Park on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. 14th Star Brewing and the Traveling Canteen serve food and drink at all of this year's Summer Concert Series events.
      In the even of rain, the concert may move to 14th Star. Admission is free.


MORRISVILLE--The Wednesday Night Live summer music series continues with Shellhouse in Oxbow Riverfront Park on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. Don't miss kite making and flying at the River Arts tent. The series continues each week through August 22. There will be a rotating mix of food vendors every week, from American barbecue to Nepalese staples.


ST. ALBANS--The Citizens Concert Band plays a free concert in St. Albans Bay Town Park on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
      The rain site is on site for light rain only; if the rain gets heavy CCB will cancel.


JUNE-JULY ART DEADLINES

MAG WHEELS: ARTISTRY IN MOTION (June 26)--The Milton Artists' Guild will feature art related to automobiles including photography, sculpture, 3-D mixed media, paintings, and video as well as custom paint jobs on cars and car parts (fenders, wheel and more). Selected pieces will be used to decorate the front window displays at the Milton Art Center and Gallery during the month of August.
      Call MAG (802.897.2014) or email Sharon Radtke for more info.


VILLAGE FRAME SHOPPE SHOW (June 21)--The annual Northern Vermont Artists Association show is fast approaching. Email label info to Andy by tomorrow and to drop work off on Friday, July 12.


LABEL MAKER (June 30)--Mill River Brewing is looking for their next big craft beer label and have enlisted St Albans Community Arts to help find a winner. The family-owned craft beer company wants captivating art to give their Oktoberfest label an end-of-Autumn vibe with a Vermont twist. The winner will be announced in July. Click here for more info.


ON THE BOOKSHELF

      ArtBits features a quick weekly peek at library events in and around Franklin County. That popular feature has a page of its own at the Franklin County Bookshelf here on the AAC site at AllArtsCouncil.org/books. We also take an occasional peek at the bookshelf or night stand of the folks you know in and around Franklin County. Those reviews can be found on the ArtBits Bookshelf.


Good News!

There are so many events around the region that we miss some of them.
Be sure to check these calendars for what's happening near you ...
All Arts Council of Franklin County
Cambridge Arts Council
Franklin County Regional
Chamber of Commerce
Island Arts
St Albans Community Arts
Swanton Arts Council
Young Tradition Vermont

Music!

Links to the Summer Music series in Franklin County
Summer Sounds
Summer Music at Grace
Downtown Summer Concert Series
Summer Evenings with
Vermont Treasures
Citizens Band
Wednesday Night Live
Enosburg Town Band


SUPPORT LIVE ARTS IN YOUR TOWN!


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