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July 2009
Bobcat comes to Go Bananas with film crew, Aug. 3
Bobcat Goldthwait, 8 p.m. Monday, Aug. 3, Go Bananas Comedy Club, 8410 Market Place Lane, Montgomery. $15. (513) 984-9288.
“Not to make you feel insignificant or anything,” Bobcat Goldthwait says by way of apologizing for being six minutes late for our scheduled phone interview, “but you’re like my seventh interview this morning.”
So I ask him if there’s anything left to talk about.
“No one has asked me about my bulging disc,” he says. “It hurts, but I’m fine now. I got a cortesone shot, the same day that Michael Jackson’s funeral went by,” and tells a funny story about his position at the time and the doctor’s funny comment, but we’ll let that slide here.
Goldthwait will be bringing his stand-up comedy act (“Forty-five minutes of talking like Grover,” he describes it) to Go Bananas Comedy Club for a one-night stand Monday, Aug. 3. And since it seems unusual for a busy high-profile guy like Bobcat to be touring the Midwest (he’s calling from Toledo), I ask him why he’s doing it.
“I don’t do as much stand-up as I used to,” he says. “But I do it to pay the bills. I’ve just made two independent movies lately, so truly the reason I do stand-up is because it’s a good way to avoid being on reality shows.”
And while he really is driving from gig to gig in a car, “It’s got some really sweet rims on it,” he says.
“I’ve been filming the last 10 cities in 12 days to do a documentary about being on the road,” he says. “It’s kind of funny because it’s the complete opposite of the Jerry Seinfeld movie (“The Comedian”), about the flip side of comedy. It’s not a movie about how awesome it is to be a stand-up comedian, but about how we make it up as we go along.”
He tells me that with a good career in film and television, he was a little crabby at first about getting back on the comedy club circuit, but he soon made peace with it, that a job is a job.
“I realized that I never heard my dad say, ‘Great, I just want to get out there and weld today,” he says. “With the recession and the economy being the way it is, I feel really fortunate that I have fans who still want to come out and see me. It may sound a little hokey, but it hit me in a personal way, glad that I have a couple of fans — they may be a little fatter and balder, but they’re still coming out.”
One of his latest films, “World’s Greatest Dad,” stars long-time friend Robin Williams, so I ask him how he managed to get an A-list star to be in an independent film.
“Robin and I have been friends since I was in my 20s,” says the 47-year-old. “He’s always been very supportive and he said he really liked ‘Sleeping Dogs Lie’ (Bobcat’s 2006 film) and so one night I was telling him the story of ‘World’s Greatest Dad.’ I wasn’t trying to pimp him or anything. We’re always talking about things we’re working on, some of it never happens. But he read the script and said he’d like to do it.”
In the movie, Williams plays a middle-aged man who starts to break out of a persona that he carefully crafted for himself through the years.
“It all came about from my being a middle-aged guy realizing that there are some people in my life who aren’t really good for me,” Goldthwait says. “In America, being rich and famous is something we’re supposed to aspire to, having a hot wife is something we’re supposed to aspire to, but I have turned my back on all that — or maybe I just like to fool myself.”
Williams had a cameo in Goldthwait’s first directing effort, the 1992 cult favorite “Shakes the Clown,” but since then Williams won an Oscar for “Good Will Hunting” and has become an even bigger star.
“The night before we went to film I had a little moment of panic,” he says. “I worried that I would give him a direction and he’d be like, ‘Who are you? I won an Academy Award and you were in “Hot to Trot.”’ But it wasn’t that way at all. We really worked together as a team, and when it was over he said, ‘I want to be in all the films you make.’”
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TweetHollywood on the water: Lawrenceburg casino gets Tinseltown make-over
It’s a little bit Vegas, a whole lot Golden Age of Tinseltown.
Earlier this summer, the former Argosy Casino Hotel in Lawrenceburg, Ind., completed a $336 million renovation to become the Hollywood Casino, nearly doubling its capacity while adopting a look that harkens back to the Golden Age of the movies.
“The Hollywood decor and theme is flawlessly executed throughout the facility,” said Penn National Gaming Chief Executive Officer Peter M. Carlino at the ribbon cutting. “We have added a large number of slots and gaming positions to accommodate significantly more patrons during peak periods and we have expanded parking and made infrastructure improvements which will make the facility more accessible than ever before.”
Carlino credits the new facility’s modern-meets-retro look as a primary factor in the casino’s becoming a stop on the World Poker Tour.
The new Hollywood Casino boat is more than twice the size of the property’s existing casino vessel and offers 4,400 gaming positions, claiming the most of any riverboat casino in the United States.
Hollywood’s two decks, each wider than an aircraft carrier and nearly as long as a football field, can accommodate nearly 9,000 gamblers, a 5,000-person increase.
Style and design
The classic style and glamour of 1930s art deco Hollywood exists alongside modern technology, including a 60-foot serpentine video wall, nine large billboards and more than 300 flat screen displays featuring first-run movie trailers, video shorts, entertainment programming and sporting events.
Among the highlights is Hollywood on the Roof, a performance area with a panoramic screen resembling the Hollywood Bowl where bands can entertain guests, alongside a circular bar that looks out onto the casino atrium and a giant chandelier.
The casino floor is marked by two back-lot Hollywood film sets: Central Park, complete with a classic wrought iron gate at the perimeter and trees and foliage sprinkled among slot machines; and Water Works, designed to create an atmosphere reminiscent of a Busby Berkeley movie.
“We really didn’t have an identity when we were Argosy, but the classic Hollywood theme is something that resonates with every guest,” said Tony Rodio, Hollywood Lawrenceburg general manager, in a press release. “Our goal is to create an energetic yet sophisticated ambiance that exudes Hollywood no matter where you play on the floor.”
Electronic machines
Players can choose from an array of almost 3,300 state-of-the-art electronic machines, up from 2,400 electronic games on the casino’s former boat. The games range from penny slots to high-limit machines, progressives, electronic table games and video poker.
There is an expanded high limit area near Hollywood on the Roof on the upper deck, and a non smoking area on the lower level with four hundred slot machines.
“We have 900 more electronic units than we had on the former boat,” said Rodio. “We’ve also doubled the number of video poker units we offer and now feature well over 30 limited progressive banks, including many that are multilevel,” Rodio said.
Table games and poker
The boat features 88 live table games and six electronic tables with 15 different table games.
“The goal was to add more variety among our most popular games,” said Rodio. “Our blackjack players will find that we’ve introduced several new side bet options that offer extra chances to win.”
With the new World Poker Tour poker, the casino hopes to become “the poker capital of the Midwest,” hosting four WPT tournaments in the coming year.
Hollywood Confidential: Casino Facts & Figures
Original Casino Opening: December 1996
New Casino Vessel Square Footage 150,000
Accommodates nearly 9,000 guests, approximately a 5,000 person increase over the former casino boat
More than twice the size of the property’s former casino vessel
Each deck is wider than an aircraft carrier and nearly as long as a football field 300 hotel rooms
Location: 777 Hollywood Blvd., City of Lawrenceburg, Ind. on the Ohio River, off I-275
Website: www.hollywoodindiana.com
Phone information and reservations: (888) 274-6797
Decor
1930s art deco Hollywood
60-foot serpentine video wall; 9 billboards; 300 flat screen TVs; 12 bio-climatic air handling units
Gaming
Total Gaming Positions: 4,400
Most gaming positions among U.S. riverboat casinos
3,232 electronic machines
88 live table games
41 World Poker Tour tables
Restaurants/lounges
Celebrity Grill, Hollywood-style canteen
Hollywood on the Roof, high-energy circular bar and live performance stage Bogart’s Grille, steakhouse
Passport Buffet
Jonathan’s, New York-style deli
Chartroom
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TweetMissoula Children’s Theatre leads ‘Pied Piper’ camp in Oxford
Staff writer Sarah Lintner reporting:
Summer might be coming to an end but that doesn’t mean your children have to start getting ready for school just yet.
Children interested in theater have one last chance to attend a week-long summer camp, Aug. 10-15, hosted by Miami University Performing Arts Series.
The camp will be led by Missoula Children’s Theatre, a year-round traveling company based out of Missoula, Montana, said David Sheldrick, spokesman for the Performing Arts Series.
Starting August 10 all campers will be divided into two age groups, 6-7 and 8-18, and will audition for different roles in the musical, “Pier Piper.”
Each camper will be given a part based on skill level and experience, and with the help of Missoula Theatre Camp Staff and Miami University Theatre Students, campers will practice through workshops and rehearsals.
Children interested in crew or directing are also encouraged to attend and will be given activities dealing with costumes, lighting, behind the scenes tasks, etc.
At the end of the week campers will perform for family and friends at Hall Auditorium on Miami University’s campus. Camp fees are $125 for the first child and $100 for each additional family member. Cost of the camp includes afternoon snacks and 2 tickets for the final performance on Aug. 15.
A portion of the profits from registration fees will support the Talawanda High School Drama program and the Performing Arts Series community outreach and education activities. Additional tickets for $5 and registration forms can be found online at www.muohio.edu/PerformingArtsSeries.
Spots for each age group are still available, Sheldrick said.
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TweetP&G Big Band to lead Dancing Under the Stars at Pyramid Hill, Aug. 1
Dancing Under the Stars with the P&G Big Band, 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1, Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park, 1763 Hamilton-Cleves Rd, Hamilton. $10 per person; $15 per couple. (513) 868-8336.
The P&G Big Band is a 20-member ensemble made up entirely of Procter & Gamble employees and retirees, playing company functions and community concerts in the greater Cincinnati area.
According to the group’s web site, the Procter & Gamble Big Band was formed in 1987 as Mr. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band in honor of then-President, John Pepper, to provide music for the Company’s Broadway-caliber show “From Sycamore to Broadway,” a one-time celebration of the Procter & Gamble Company’s 150th anniversary. The P&G Big Band stayed together after that event, and has performed every year since its inception. All members are volunteer P&G employees and retirees.
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TweetButter sculpture in the spotlight at Ohio State Fair
With more than a half-million visitors lining up to take a peek, the American Dairy Association’s annual butter display has long been one of the most popular and most celebrated exhibitions at the Ohio State Fair.
The theme this year, “The People Behind the Product,” salutes Ohio’s 3,300 dairy farm families who work around the clock to care for their cows. The figures inside the giant 45-degree glass cooler show a farmer and a veterinarian giving a routine check-up to one of the cows. Nearby, the farmer’s young daughter is bottle-feeding a baby calf with help from her grandfather.
Jenny Hubble, with the American Dairy Association, says the 2009 theme underscores today’s “farm to table” approach to food.
“People today want to know that the food they consume is produced in a safe, responsible way. This year’s display reminds Ohioans that diary farmers take excellent care of their cows, so they can produce milk and dairy foods for you to enjoy,” Hubble said in a press release.
Three butter sculptors worked 350 hours to design and carve the figures. They used 1,800 pounds of unsalted butter, donated in part by Dairy Farmers of America. After the fair, the butter will be recycled into biodiesel fuel.
In the early 1900s, The Ohio State University and the dairy processors of Ohio sponsored butter sculpting contests at the Ohio State Fair. The subjects of these contests were not restricted to specific themes.
Eventually, the butter cow, and later the calf, found a permanent “home” in the Dairy Products Building, which was constructed in the 1920s. New cow and calf sculptures are sculpted each year, thus becoming a fair tradition.
Additional butter figures were added to the cow and calf display in the 1960s, and the subject changes every year as the American Dairy Association Mideast selects an icon or theme to feature in butter that is non-political, non-controversial and reflects optimism and broad audience-appeal.
A group of three Cincinnati-based free-lance technical sculptors, engaged primarily in the toy industry, completed this year’s display in approximately 350 hours, including 200 hours of sculpting and 150 hours of designing and planning. This is their 10th year sculpting the display.
Many of the exhibits attract local, regional and national media coverage, including CNN Today, The Weather Channel, MSNBC, Sports Illustrated and Late Night with David Letterman.
The Ohio State Fair runs through August 9.
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TweetFootlighters announce cast for “Mid-Life: The Crisis Musical”
Fairfield Footlighters present “Mid-Life: The Crisis Musical,” 8 p.m. Oct. 2-3 and 9-10, 2 p.m. Oct. 3-4 and 10-11, Fairfield Community Arts Center, 411 Wessel Dr., Fairfield. $9-$12. (513) 867-5348.
Director Chris Beiser has cast Olivia Wallace, Kelley Flaugher, Lyndall Murray, Joe Schneider, Kevin Bell and John Belanger.
SYNOPSIS: Three men and three women make up the cast of this wacky musical that takes a comic look at the “age old” conditions and situations faced in MID-LIFE! From reading glasses and mammograms to weekend warriors and proctology exams - all are lampooned with a Saturday Night Live non-sensibility. Everyone will relate to this hilarious, and at times, touching musical about the curiosities and inevitabilities of middle-age. If you bought some Gingko-Biloba, but can’t remember where you put it - then you’re ready for MID-LIFE!
(provided by Fairfield Footlighters)
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TweetOpening night: Encore Youth Theatre presents ‘Once Upon a Mattress’
HOW TO GO ‘Once Upon A Mattress,’ 8 p.m. July 30-31 and 2 and 8 p.m. Aug. 1, Miami University Hamilton, Parrish Auditorium. $15 each; $12 for children 10 and younger and adults 60 and older. (513) 675-KIDS (5437) .
Staff writer Linda Ebbing reporting:
After hearing her lament that Hamilton had no program for budding young actors, Diane Noonan’s father handed her money to buy the rights for the first show and told her to “put my money where your mouth is.”
That was 15 years ago and the group of friends who founded the Encore Youth Theatre have watched it grow into a successful summer program, Noonan said.
This year, 65 theater enthusiasts in seventh through 12th grades are working on their presentation of “Once Upon a Mattress.”
Performers make a six-week commitment to prepare for the musical, Noonan said. It’s a commitment recent Badin High School graduate Jonathan Kuhl said he is happy to keep.
The feeling of being on stage is indescribable, said Kuhl, a six-year veteran.
“You enter another world,” he said. “And you learn something over the summer you can take back to high school.”
It’s fun to work with kids you meet from high schools all over the county, Kuhl said. “And you can’t wait to see them every summer.”
Alicia Gallina, who loves to sing, decided six years ago that she wanted to explore acting. And when she heard that Encore was putting on “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” she decided to try out.
The experience performing with the group has helped her choose her major in college — vocal performance, she said.
“After dedicating four nights a week over the summer for the past six years, I learned the importance of committing to something I really liked,” the 18-year-old said.
Future plans for the theater group include expanding to include a program for youths in second through sixth grades who enjoy acting, Noonan said.
“This keeps them off the street, and gives them a purpose,” she said. “And they are with other kids from Butler County who love what they love.”
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TweetMiami professor to discuss Pete Seeger, July 30
Local author Allan M. Winkler, distinguished professor of history at Miami University, will present music and discuss his recent book “To Everything There is a Season: Pete Seeger and the Power of Song,” 7 p.m. Thursday, July 30, at Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Rookwood Pavilion, Cincinnati.
Winkler chronicles folk singer Pete Seeger’s life and how he applied his world-renowned musical talents to improve conditions through his passionate commitment to Civil Rights, and the anti-Vietnam War and environmental movements.
Read an interview with Winkler here.
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TweetMason Players audition for ‘Copacabana,’ Aug. 3-4
Mason Community Players will hold auditions for its production of Barry Manilow’s “Copacabana,” 7 to 9:30 p.m. Aug. 3-4 at the Mason Grange Hall, 209 North Mason-Montgomery Rd.
The production includes a large ensemble cast, with many featured role of varying ages, showcasing dancers and a strong/large chorus. Auditioners should be high school age or older.
Those auditioning will be asked to have 16 measures of song prepared (representing voice and range), be prepared to learn a short dance combination, and expect readings from the script. Tap dancers are also needed; however no prepared routine is necessary.
A love letter to the Technicolor musicals of the 1940s, “Copacabana” tells the story of Lola as told through the eyes of Stephen, a present day aspiring songwriter whose imagination takes him back to a time when “music and passion were always in fashion.”
Show dates are November 19-22 at the Mason High School Theater. For further information call (513) 398-7804.
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TweetHilltop Artists to exhibit at Fairfield CAC, July 25-Sept. 5
how to go Hilltop Artists exhibition, opening reception 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, July 24; exhibition continues through Sept. 5, Fairfield Community Arts Center, 411 Wessel Dr., Fairfield. (513) 867-5348.
In 1956, a group of five women artists began meeting in the Cincinnati neighborhood of College Hill to paint together, lunch together and exhibit together.
Dubbing themselves “the Hilltop Artists,” the membership has changed through the years, and one of the original five, Jane Austing, is still a member, according to Shirley Salsinger, a Fairfield resident and Hilltop Artist who has organized an exhibition of the group’s work for the Fairfield Communty Arts Center.
“Jane has the distinction of having a registered signature for Rookwood Pottery,” Salsinger said. “And we were lucky enough to have had her daughter, Cathy Herring, join us while she was still in high school.”
Herring is a noted art educator and author, and was named Art Educator of the Year by the College of Mount St. Joseph in 2007, Salsinger said.
Other notable members include Rebecca Barker, an Oxford artist whose painted “quiltscapes” (above) are frequently exhibited at quilt shows and reprinted on popular greeting cards and posters; Elizabeth Dayton-Cautley, also an art educator who has presented workshops nationally; and award-winning print-maker Eugenie Goggin, who studied in Paris and maintains a studio at the Pendleton Arts Center in Cincinnati.
“We maintain a membership of 18-20 women because we often have workshops with limited space,” Salsinger said. “We keep an on-going list of prospective members who submit their portfolio to the group, and it must be approved by the total group to become a member.”
Salsinger said one of the good things about the group is that the work in all media and that they learn from each other.
“We could all work on the same subject but the work will look totally different because of the different media anddifferent methods,” she said.
Exhibited works will include watercolor, oil, pen & ink, color pencil, fabric collage, enamel, monotype and monoprint.
“We have such cameraderie among us, we love to go out during the day and paint, and then go to lunch,” she said. “Usually, we have a good time.”
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TweetExpatriate artist brings paintings to Art on Symmes, July 19
how to go… Open house with Angie Reed Garner 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, July 19 Art on Symmes, 1000 Symmes Rd., Fairfield (513) 844-2787.
Go to the jump for Angie Reed Garner’s letter talking about living overseas and how that inspires her work …
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On Sunday, July 19, Art on Symmes will hold an open house to feature new work by one of its artists, Angie Reed Garner.
The paintings will be from her “Thinking of Home” series, paintings that she has been working on for the past few years while living overseas, currently in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.
A native of Lexington, Ky., Garner has been living overseas since going to Berlin with her husband, an anthropologist, who was doing field work for his dissertation.
“It was tough, particularly the first year,” Garner said in an e-mail, “but I got hooked on the perspective on my own country and myself as well as the challenge of learning to live in a new country.”
The expatriate bug later took them to Pakistan for a year, until the war on terror and the economic conditions there led them to Abu Dhabi.
“Abu Dhabi is an ultramodern, wealthy, safe city that has generally been spared the worst impacts of the global recession,” she said. “Other than the summertime heat, which is ferocious, it is a very comfortable place to live and work.”
Garner said that being an outsider not only challenges her to look at her current environment in a fresh light, but it also makes her paint about home and what that means.
“When I think about ‘home,’ what comes to me are images of the Ohio River valley houses, farmland and woods,’ she said, so many of the paintings she is taking to Art on Symmes have river motifs. There will also be some cat paintings, inspired by her encounters with the feral cats of the Middle East.
“Feral cats are seasoned survivors,” she said. “I guess the theme of knowing how to survive in times of scarcity links the two different kinds of work, the river houses and the cats.”
Complete text of the e-mail from Angie Reed Garner:
AI lived overseas for the first time when my husband was doing the fieldwork for his dissertation— he’s an anthropologist— in Berlin. It was tough, particularly the first year, but I got hooked on the perspective on my own country and myself as well as the challenge of learning to live in a new country.
After two years we came back to the States for him to write up his research and get in a few years of teaching, but I started agitating to expatriate again right away. My work (painting) is portable, so he began to look for teaching positions in places that interested us.
We lived for a year in Lahore, Pakistan. We would have stayed on but things got so much harder there for everyone— not just the increasing violence from the War on Terror, but economic conditions. We didn’t want to leave but eventually it became obvious it was the responsible thing to do.
We both still miss it. He had wonderful students there, and I had more support for my painting than I knew what to do with. You can see the Pakistan work here, although right now it is hanging in J.E. Smith Gallery in Evansville IN.
Then we moved to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.
It was a soft landing. Abu Dhabi is an ultramodern, wealthy, safe city that has generally been spared the worst impacts of the global recession. Other than the summertime heat which is ferocious, it is a very comfortable place to live and work.
I love painting as an expat because being an outsider makes for a lot of creative freedom. It’s challenging to make sense of a different culture, but it gives me a fresh eye on myself and where I’m from and what I believe. I paint about all of that.
I also end up painting a lot about what home means to me, since I think about it so much when living on the other side of the world.
These paintings about home are at Art on Symmes Gallery.
When I think about “home,” what comes to me are images of the Ohio River valley houses, farmland and woods.
My grandparents lived in a white shotgun house in Covington, KY with a little bit of acreage, huge trees, a fruit orchard and garden. My family moved all over the US for my dad’s work, but I always visited my grandparents in that house every year.
This brought me a big sense of stability. As a little girl I remember hating it when my grandparents changed anything about the place, and I’m not normally like that.
The US changed since I was last home.
The recession bit deep and I’m seeing all the changes all at once since I wasn’t here for a year. My impressions of the US took the form of riverscapes, and those works are at Art on Symmes.
Living on the river, flooding is a fact of life— seems to me like a timely metaphor. When the water starts rising, we don’t know how high it will go. We have historical records of floodwater levels, but they don’t tell us what our future will be, next week or next year.
I’m painting houses on stilts that look delicate but can take the high water.
I’m also painting cats, lounging around or grooming themselves. I think they are funny, they are meant to be a little comic relief for me anyway!
I got started on painting cats, lots of cats, groups of cats, when I lived in Pakistan and then in the UAE. In both places feral cats are a part of daily life. They are a whole world unto themselves even as they live among humans.
In the UAE some of the ferals are pretty fierce, probably because they breed back to the native Arabian wildcats. They are also insanely brave; one skinny little fellow maybe three pounds attacked my husband and my German Shepherd, and no it didn’t have rabies. It was just having a bad day already and then they walked too close to the dumpster where it does most of its scrounging.
Feral cats are seasoned survivors. I guess the theme of knowing how to survive in times of scarcity links the two different kinds of work, the river houses and the cats.
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TweetOutdoor Sculpture Exhibition taking shape
Hot on the heels of the installation of “A Conversation in Six Parts” in Journal Square, sculpture is starting to pop up all over downtown Hamilton.
On Friday, July 10, sculptor Jonathan Hils of Norman, Okla., installed his piece titled “Resurgence” on the east bank of the Great Miami River as the first of 12 temporary sculptures that will be part of the Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition 2009.
Susan Ewing, distinguished professor of art at Miami University, served as the juror for this competition.
“Resurgence” is not only the first to arrive, but the most significant as it was awarded the $10,000 purchase prize, meaning that it will become a permanent part of the City of Sculpture collection, although it will be relocated to a permanent, yet-to-be-determined site after the close of the exhibition in 2010.
“The piece is thousands of pieces of steel welded together to create a sort of lattice,” Hils said. “The title refers to the manner in which the sculpture plays with space and light.”
The cost of the Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition and the purchase prize have been funded through private donations and the City of Sculpture organization’s fundraising activities.
The remaining sculptures will be placed in various locations along the river and High Street, according to the City of Sculpture, including a new green space at the corner of High and Second streets being developed by a group of young professionals in an organization dubbed Hamilton Urban Buzz, or HUB.
“HUB is sort of a subcommittee of Hamilton’s Vision Commission,” said member Jeff Boyle. “It was started because we wanted to get a group of younger people in Hamilton to get together and express their opinions on the direction of the city.”
HUB is headed up by Annie Miller, the director of civic engagement at the Miami University Hamilton Campus, and has 40 in its group with six regular active members, Boyle said.
The group chose the proposed park as its first project simply because it’s an eyesore in a high-profile spot, Boyle said.
Plans for the area include a small amphitheater with a pad that will allow musicians to perform there and a community garden area.
“Our goal is to get a nice green space downtown,” Boyle said. “The worst-case scenario is that we’ll have a corner of green grass and a sculpture sitting in the middle of it, so that’s not so bad.”
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TweetCivil War Encampment at Governor Bebb Park, July 18-19
There will be a Civil War Encampment in the Pioneer Village at Governor Bebb Preserve, noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, July 18-19.
The park includes six authentic log cabins including the birthplace cabin of Ohio’s 19th governor that replicate an early Midwestern settlement.
Activities planned include exhibits, demonstrations and battles.
Refreshments will also be available. For directions to the park, please visit www.metroparksofbutlercounty.org or call (513) 867-5835.
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TweetArt on Symmes hosts expatriate artist Angie Reed Garner, July 19
Art on Symmes will host a reception with Angie Reed Garner, who will be delivering new work to the gallery, 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, July 19.
Garner, of Lexington, Ky., is a second-generation narrative figurative painter. She has been exhibiting actively since 1996 with nine solo shows in the United States, Europe and the Middle East.
Garner’s favored theme is the fragility of identity and belonging, that which makes social life possible, according to information provided by Art on Symmes. Her work explores gender, place, continuity and discontinuity of self, marginality, the refusal of self- alienation on saturated, symbolic canvases.
From an intellectual and activist concern for social justice, Garner also creates installations using resonant materials such as currency, vintage Americana, and toys.
Garner currently resides in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
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TweetMason Community Players paints a colorful “Joseph,” July 16-19
Mason Community Players presents “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice; 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, July 16-19; Mason High School, 6100 Mason-Montgomery Rd., Mason. $15, $10 seniors and ages 11 and under. (513) 398-7804.
About 10 years ago, Susan Berger was in the audience when the Mason Community Players presented its first production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.”
“It was a small version, done in a park, and I fell in love with it,” she said.
Although she’d never directed a musical before, she thought that would be a good one to do, and she’s gotten her chance this summer with a fully-staged production at Mason High School, which hits the boards this weekend.
Early in the show, when Joseph is given his “dreamcoat,” he proclaims that he’s a “walking work of art,” and even though she’s not an artist, she knew a little about art because when she was young, her father owned the Gallery Orleans on Montgomery Road in Cincinnati.
“So I started thinking about trying to get different styles of art into it,” she said. “My narrators are dressed as artists in the beginning, so we have that running through it, and I worked with the set designer (Kelly Addis), who is an artist to have different styles of art into it.”
The musical is one of the earliest works of the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice team, who later collaborated on “Jesus Christ Superstar” and “Evita,” among others. “Joseph” started out as a church cantata, telling the story of “the coat of many colors” and the adventures of its owner, adapted from the book of Genesis.
The MCP production features a cast of 82 performers, featuring Jennifer Bisig and Kaleigh-Brooke Dillingham as the narrators, David Manegold as Joseph and Jay Fultz as Jacob.
Jacob’s wives are played by Christina Ballas, Terri Beerens, Mandy Caruso, Shere Contant, Whitney Dottery, Cathy Geering, Blair Godshall, Sharon Hill, Shannon Mahoney, Gaylene May and Christine Walsh.
Joseph’s brotehrs are played by Tim Geering (Reuben), Gary Brose (Simeon), Larry Fritz (Levi), Bryan Campbell (Naphtali), Brenden Fookes (Issachar), Eric Grimm (Asher), Erich Geoppinger (Dan), Ryan Drake (Zebulon), Brian Bisig (Gad), Tom Schickel (Benjamin) and Nick Washington (Judah).
The Dream Dancers are Kate Bohanan, Christina Ballas, Amy Rose Botos, Mandy Caruso, Kaity Conner, Shere Contant, Laura Davis, Whitney Dottery, Kristen Statt, Shannon Mahoney and Maria Wheeler.
The cast also includes Jake Allen and Jonathan Drake as the Ishmaelites; Rich Schmaltz as Potiphar; Ashley Keene as Mrs. Potiphar; Jake Allen, Jonathan Drake, Daniel Luther, John Masterson and J. C. Statt as Potiphar’s Retainers; Emily Geering, Karen Oehler, Katherine Updegrove and Debbie Wesolowski as Mrs. Potiphar’s Attendents; Joe Eichler as the Butler; Gary Hohnecker as the Baker; Larry Press as the Pharaoh and Maria Wheeler as the Apache Dancer.
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TweetCincy Shakes gets ‘Engaged!’ for its Summer Fling, July 17
how to go “Engaged!” by W. S. Gilbert, 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, July 17-Aug. 9; Cincinnati Shakespeare Company, 719 Race St., Cincinnati. $20-$26. (513) 381-2273.
It’s supposed to be a just Summer Fling, but this year, the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company gets “Engaged!”
This Victorian farce, penned by the W.S. Gilbert — most famous as the lyricist for the Gilbert & Sullivan team — was quite successful in its original 1877 run and is said to have inspired Oscar Wilde to write “The Importance of Being Earnest” with its intelligent word play and satirical jabs against the conventions of polite society.
“Wilde called Earnest ‘a trivial play for serious people’ which is extremely apt for ‘Engaged!’ as well,” said director Jeremy Dubin. “They both involve a bevy of wonderfully absurd, larger than life characters thrown together in ridiculous circumstances, although the love triangles of Earnest are more like love octagons in ‘Engaged!’”
“It’s very playful and delightful comedy,” said Rob Jansen, who plays the hero Cheviot Hill. “It’s very similar to the musical comedies Gilbert wrote.”
The wealthy young Cheviot has the unfortunate habit of falling madly in love with every woman he meets.
“He proposes to three women in the first act,” Jansen said, “and spends the rest of the play weaving in and out of that obstacle course.”
Unbeknownst to him, however, his best friend, Belvawney (Matt Johnson) has been paid an annuity by Cheviot’s father to keep Cheviot from marrying. But Cheviot’s uncle, Symperson (Andrew Gaukel), anxious to get the annuity for himself, schemes to marry Cheviot to his daughter Minnie (Kelly Mengelkoch).
“Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is proud to introduce this little-known comedic gem to Cincinnati,” said artistic director Brian Isaac Phillips in a press release. “Gilbert takes a simple situation — an engagement — and spins it into a frothy, absurd comedy that will have audiences in stitches.
“It’s as refreshing as lemonade and wedding cake — perfect for our summer fling series.”
Guest artists Keely Wolter and Julianna Bloodgood (rear) join Cincinnati Shakespeare Company members Rob Jansen and Kelly Mengelkoch in this year’s Summer Fling, “Engaged!” by W.S. Gilbert.
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TweetGreater Hamilton Civic Theatre auditions for ‘12 Angry Men,’ Aug. 17-18
Greater Hamilton Civic Theatre will hold auditions for “Twelve Angry Men” by Reginald Rose 7 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, Aug. 17-18, at The Creative Center at the Palace, Third Street, Hamilton.
Cast requirements include 12 men stage ages 20-80. Please be prepared to read from the script.
SYNOPSIS: About Twelve Angry Men: It’s an extremely hot, summer day in 1954 and twelve jurors have been given instructions to deliberate on the facts of a murder trial to determine one man’s fate. If found guilty by all twelve jurors, the defendant will receive the death penalty. Did the 18 year old defendant really murder his father? The twelve move to a jury room to begin deliberations. Here, they learn about one another’s personalities and prejudices and a little about themselves, as juror number 8 tries to reason through the facts of the case.
The play will be directed by Rhonda Lucas and produced by Jane Winkler and Barb Winkler Toth.
Production are Oct. 8-11 at Parrish Auditorium, Miami University Hamilton Campus, 1601 University Blvd., Hamilton.
For more information about auditions contact Jane Winkler at 513-856-9556 or JWink1127@aol.com or Rhonda Lucas at rlucas88@yahoo.com.
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TweetBass Blast blasts off July 15 at the Edge Teen Center
how to go The Cincinnati Bass Blast, 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 15, The Edge Teen Center, 7568 Wyandot Lane, Liberty Township. $7 adults; $5 students with valid photo ID
A pair of Butler County bass guitarists have joined forces to start what they hope will be a new concert series to highlight the power of the bass as a solo instrument.
Helena Bouchez and David Yates met a few years ago at Victor Wooten’s Bass/Nature Camp near Nashville. Wooten, best known as the bassist for Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, has been running the experimental camp for 10 years that reflects his flamboyant style.
“People can come and learn about making a shelter, building a fire and using the double-thumb technique,” Yates said.
Bouchez lived in the Chicago area at the time, but the two continued to correspond, tossing around the idea of a bass-centered concert series until she moved to Middletown this year and decided to make their dream a reality.
In the meantime, Yates started volunteering at the Edge Teen Center, finding that facility a good place to hold their first show, and so booked three of the region’s top solo bassists.
“The Bass Blast is designed to draw together the Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky bass guitar community as well as to help raise the profile of the Edge Teen Center, which provides area teens with community service opportunities, social activities, tutoring, counseling and life skills courses along with a fun and safe place to hang out,” Yates said.
Confirmed acts include:
> Steven Guerrero (above) of Toledo, Ohio, who performs with the use of loop devices to help create a richer, deeper sound;
> Doug Johns (below) of Cleveland, who has worked with Wooten, Buddy Miles, Dweezil Zappa, Dana Rasch, The LA Mass Choir, Grammy-winning producer Aaron Lindsey and others;
> Jauqo III-X Reality of Chicago, a new band under the leadership of Jauqo III-X, a protege of the great jazz player Ornette Coleman.
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TweetLisa Biales at Monument Park, July 14
how to go WHAT: Lisa Biales with Doug Hamilton WHEN: 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 14 WHERE: Monument Park, between the Fitton Center for Creative Arts and the Soldiers, Sailors & Pioneers Monument ADMISSION: Free INFO: www.lisabiales.com
A change of venue for the Hamilton Parks Department’s summer concert series will have Oxford singer/songwriter Lisa Biales performing in Monument Park instead of the Riverfront Plaza on Dayton Street, Tuesday, July 14.
Biales, who will perform with frequent collaborator Doug Hamilton on violin, said that she’ll be playing new tunes that she’s been working on for her next album along with favorites from her first five CDs, including her most recent, “Hey, There.”
“Hey There,” she said, “is a kind of a mixture of folk, jazzy blues and a couple of a capella songs thrown in for flavor.
“It’s all-acoustic, recorded at home. I wanted to have that intimate feeling as if I were sitting in your living room playing, no whistles or bells.”
And because this is a family-friendly concert, Biales said that she’ll play some tunes for her younger fans off of her children’s record, “Yellow Shoes.”
“The last time I played I got three requests from the kids at the Oxford Wine and Art Affair,” she said. “They were sitting right in the front row with their arms in the air. I almost ignored them, because it’s usually something like, ‘My dad has a guitar,’ but they wanted to hear ‘The Beautiful Butterfly.’”
“Yellow Shoes” was also the basis of a one-woman show that Biales performed last year in New York during the Fortnight Festival at Barrow Street Theatre in Greenwich Village.
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TweetAll systems go for Systems Go, July 11 at Pyramid Hill
how to go WHAT: Systems Go WHEN: 7 p.m. Sunday, July 12 WHERE: Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park, 1763 Hamilton-Cleves Rd., Hamilton ADMISSION: Free after 6 p.m. INFO: (513) 868-8336; www.pyramidhill.org
Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park & Museum will present Systems Go, a combo from the United States Air Force Band of Flight, stationed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton.
According the the Band of Flight website (www.bandofflight.af.mil), the band’s purpose is “to support the global Air Force Mission in war and peace by fostering our national heritage and by providing professional musical events.”
A multi-task group, Systems Go is the Band of Flight’s main recruiting element for the Air Force.
The group tours extensively throughout the school-year to high schools across the Midwest promoting the Air Force and the many opportunities it provides.
As part of the Band of Flight’s commitment to community relations and event support, Systems Go also performs at fairs, festivals, amusement parks, and a host of community sponsored events during the summer months.
The United States Air Force Band of Flight is one of 12 bands in the Air Force. Led by MSgt. Shawn Stanley, the members of Systems Go have performed with Bob Hope, Earl Thomas Connally, Stevie Wonder, Ricky Skaggs, Ben E. King, Bobby McFerrin and Lee Greenwood.
Systems Go has also performed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Dollywood, on the Nashville Network, and at major air shows throughout the Midwest United States.
The concert will take place rain or shine in the park’s new Festival Pavilion.
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Tweet‘A Conversation in Six Parts’ comes together on Journal Square
Journal Square was a bee-hive of activity today as artists and landscapers installed the latest addition to the City of Sculpture, “A Conversation in Six Parts” by Eric David Laxman, a sculptor from Valley Cottage, N.Y.
“It’s a little bit like a dream,” Laxman said as he watched the final work take shape after nearly a year in progress. “After looking at the models, like playing with toys, it’s surreal to finally have it here, that it’s no longer just an idea.”
The process started last summer when the City of Sculpture put out an international calls for entry to create a piece of work specifically for the planter in Journal Square.
More than 40 artists from around the world applied for the $50,000 commission. The selection committee, which includes local artists and business people, narrowed the field down to four and invited them to Hamilton to make a final presentation of their concepts in December, and Laxman’s proposal was given the green light.
“A Conversation in Six Parts” is composed of six circular figures, three in brushed stainless steel and three in bronze, that overlap and interact with each other, surrounded by landscaping designed by Jon Doepker of Lakeview Nursery in Fairfield.
The concrete support system was supervised by Robert A. Saurber General Contractors.
“The whole thing has been a community effort in many ways,” Laxman said. “It was funded by people in the community and made a contribution to the local economy with the landscaping and installation. I’m an outsider, but I feel like I’m a part of the community now, too.”
Tim Naab, City of Sculpture president, said that there’s already a positive response to the work.
“I went home for an hour this afternoon and got four phone calls people telling me I need to go check it out,” Naab said, even though he’d been on the site for much of the morning. “We knew this would be something unique for the community, different from the other pieces we’ve been blessed with and a nice addition to the collection.”
A formal dedication will take place sometime in the fall, Naab said, to give the landscaping time to mature a little. Laxman said that he has documented the entire process with video and photographs and hopes that he’ll have an opportunity to speak to the community and give a presentation at that time.
“One thing I’m really proud of is the process was slow and steady, no panic and no rush,” Laxman said. “It was hard work, but there weren’t any glitches and we wound up pretty much right on time.”
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Tweet“Belonging” in the age of information: Fitton Center exhibition opens July 10
“Belonging: Art by Hans Gindleberger and Paul Loehle,” opening reception 5:30 to 8 p.m., July 10; exhibition continues through Aug. 21; Fitton Center for Creative Arts, 101 S. Monument Ave., Hamilton. Free. (513) 863-8873. Also on view: Fitton Center Faculty exhibition.
In this age of information, the Internet has connected the people of the world in ways unimaginable even a decade ago. With social networking sites such as MySpace and FaceBook, one can be in touch with hundreds of friends and relatives simultaneously and instantaneously.
There’s a famous New Yorker cartoon that sums it up: A dog sitting at a computer terminal turns to another dog sitting on the floor and says, “On the Internet, no one knows you’re a dog.”
Indeed, on the Internet, you can be anyone you want to be.
At the very least, you can choose the face you wish to present to the world, and so it’s natural for an artist like Paul Loehle, a Hamilton native and drawing instructor at the Fitton Center for Creative Arts, to explore those faces and what they say about human interaction and social media.
Loehle said that he’s always been interested in drawing and especially in drawing people, receiving a BFA from Ohio Wesleyan University in 2005, and an MFA from the University of Cincinnati in 2009 with a concentration in drawing and painting.
For the past few years, Loehle has been using pastel drawings to re-create portraits of people that he takes from MySpace and FaceBook profiles.
“I came across the idea just by looking at all the profiles on MySpace,” he said. “They show who people are and who they aren’t. It was unexplored territory, a way to create an identity that doesn’t necessarily reflect who you really are.”
“This is the way we want to seem to be,” said Cathy Mayhugh, the Fitton Center’s director of exhibitions. “When people put their photos on these sites, it’s almost an act or a mask.”
When he uses a profile photo for a portrait, Loehle said he posts it on his own MySpace page and then contacts the subject to show them what he’s done.
“Most people are flattered and not easily offended,” he said. “A certain amount of narcissism is part of it all anyway. Most of them are pictures people have taken of themselves.”
He has had offers from people to buy their portraits, and one guy even offered to barter a tattoo. But all that is beside the point.
“I’m not trying to elicit a hostile or a favorable response from anyone,” Loehle said. “It’s really just kind of a social mirror. It’s so new that we don’t know what MySpace and FaceBook is going to mean in five years, so it’s important that we sit back and take a look at it.”
For this exhibition, which she titled “Belonging,” Mayhugh paired Loehle’s portraits, one of which won the Best Two-Dimensional Art prize in the recent Greater Hamilton Art Exhibition (an unrelated Loehle portrait won Best of Show in 2006), with photographs from northwest Ohio native Hans Gindlesberger from his series “I’m in the Wrong Film.”
“Hans uses portraits of himself, but their not really self-portraits,” Mayhugh said. “In his photos, he’s a character in these surreal scenes that explore small-town sensibilities and how that kind of lifestyle has disappeared.”
In his gallery statement, Gindlesberger writes : “These places are now forced to consider their relevance in contemporary society as … (m)any places rush to embrace a nostalgic image of an idealized past aimed at commodifying their histories and assuaging the collective anxiety.”
Many of the photographs take on an absurdist or surreal tone tinged with melancholy as the character seems to seek out a lifestyle not available to him.
“Paul and Hans are both focusing on personality in a way, using figurative portraits to talk about where we are in the world right now — or at least in America in the 21st century ,” Mayhugh said.
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Tweet‘Mamma Mia’ national tour comes to Cincinnati.
“Mamma Mia,” a musical based on the songs of ABBA, 8 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday; 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday, July 14-19; Aronoff Center for the Arts, 650 Walnut, Cincinnati. $27-75. 1-800-982-2787; www.BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com/Cincinnati
“Mamma Mia!,” the hit musical based on the songs of ABBA, was one of the first “jukebox musicals,” and remains one of the most popular, having been seen by over 40 million people around the world.
“I’ve been a fan for a very long time,” said Liverpool-born Rachel Tyler, who plays Tanya in the current national tour. “I had a lot of friends in the original cast in 1999. I even auditioned for it.”
The original West End production has played more than 4,000 performances, an international tour has played in more than 40 foreign cities. The Broadway version has been playing for seven years. And the blockbuster feature film adaptation, produced by Judy Craymer and Gary Goetzman, is the most successful movie musical of all time grossing $600 million worldwide.
An independent, single mother who owns a small hotel on an idyllic Greek island, Donna is about to let go of Sophie, the spirited daughter she’s raised alone. For Sophie’s wedding, Donna has invited her two lifelong best girlfriends — practical and no-nonsense Rosie and wealthy, multi-divorcee Tanya — from her one-time backing band, Donna and the Dynamos. But Sophie has secretly invited three guests of her own.
On a quest to find the identity of her father to walk her down the aisle, she brings back three men from Donna’s past to the Mediterranean paradise they visited 20 years earlier. Over 24 chaotic, magical hours, new love will bloom and old romances will be rekindled on this lush island full of possibilities.
“It’s a very tongue-in-cheek piece that doesn’t take itself too seriously,” Tyler said. “There are a lot of ‘out of left field’ moments, but there are also characters that everyone can relate to across the board.”
But the real reason for the show’s popularity, she said, is the rich harmonies of ABBA’s songs, made even more powerful by a production technique that the audience never sees: There are vocal booths backstage so that everyone in the cast, even when they are off-stage, can contribute as a large choir.
“It’s very intense and very daunting,” Tyler said. “The integrity of the show is very important and there’s no slacking.”
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TweetTanze dancers move to the beat of no drummer, July 10-11
MamLuft&Co. Dance presents “dance (AVANT) GARDEn,” 8:30 p.m. July 10 and 11, Tanze Performing Arts Studio, 1044 Symmes Rd., Fairfield. $10 general; $5 seniors; $8 students. (513) 844-1900.
While music might seem to be essential to dance, for Susan Moser, Fairfield choreographer and director of the Tanze Performing Arts Studio, it’s entirely optional.
This weekend, Moser and Tanze are hosting “dance (AVANT) GARDEn,” a production by Cincinnati-based MamLuft&Co. Dance, an arts event “designed to avoid over-production and to focus on the sharing of ideas in an intimate studio setting,” according to the group’s press release.
Moser and some of her dancers will be participating in the anthology-style program, on the same bill as poets, filmmakers, musicians and other dancers.
The Tanze portion of the program will be “Free Fall,” in which Moser and two of her dancers, Sarah Chrupka and James Turvey, will move not to music, but to an essay written by New York writer Melissa Hoffman.
“Early on, we had chosen music to go along with the words, but I wanted to hear the story, so we broke free from any kind of structure,” she said.
Hoffman’s work was recommended to Moser by Marc Hoffman, a local musician and a partner with Sonny Moorman in Fairfield’s Rock School, who will provide the voice for his sister’s essay.
“Some time back, Marc introduced me to his sister’s work in an on-line magazine,” Moser said. “I was moved by a lot of her writing, but it was ‘Free Fall’ that really got me. It’s about her coming out as a lesbian, but it’s also about much more than that, about family and Midwest attitudes and ideals.”
Marc Hoffman said that his sister would probably never have thought about having dancers move to her words, but has given the project her blessing even though she won’t be in attendance.
“She’s interested in exploring different environments for her work and the possibility of where it can go,” he said.
In keeping with the avant garde theme of the evening, Moser and her crew will be performing without set choreography in what she calls “chance dancing.”
“Our rehearsals have been more about familiarizing ourselves with the text rather than practicing specific moves,” Moser said. “I want to see art in the moment. I want to see surprises.”
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Tweet‘Conversation in Six Parts’ going up today
New York artist Eric David Laxman pulled a big yellow truck into Journal Square this morning and started unloading “A Conversation in Six Parts.” They’re out there now drilling holes in concrete to anchor it to the ground — not that it’d be going anywhere.
Landscapers will be coming in soon with boulders, plants and trees to get as much of the landscaping done as possible while Laxman is in town.
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TweetBlessid Thunder kicks off Bridgewater Falls’ Summer Concert Series, July 8
Jeff Pence and Blessid Thunder, 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, July 8, Bridgewater Falls Lifestyle Center, Princeton Road and Ohio 4 By-Pass. Free.
From the official Blessid Thunder bio: Jeff Pence, the founder of the rock pop international recording group “Blessid Union Of Souls” hooked up with Curt Benton and Roger Julien, the co-founders of the Ohio recording group “Thunder Head”, to form the core of this edgy and bluesy guitar driven experience.
When Pence wasn’t even old enough to get into the bars and brew houses that Thunder Head was playing in, his friend Jeff Higgins approached the group and told them he knew a guy that might work out in their band. Even though Pence only knew the entire second record by Molly Hatchet, they liked his playing and attitude took him in under their wing.
Higgins did the lights, and Pence played rhythm guitar. Curt taught Jeff the guitar parts to about every southern rock song ever written and guitar chords he had never heard of before. Pence said later, “I was not good enough to play in that band when they hired me!”. After about five years of playing with Thunder Head, Jeff went on his own to travel up and down the east coast playing nightclubs and resorts till finally forming the group Blessid Union Of Souls.
After Blessid Union was signed to EMI Records, Pence never forgot how much Curt Benton did for him, and he invited him to play harmonica and guitar on one of their singles “Oh Virginia.”
Not only does the group play most of the Blessid Union radio hits, they pay tribute to the bands and sounds they and you grew up on.
The rest of the series includes:
>> Randomonium, July 15, classic rock and pop from the 70s and 80s
>> The Rick House Band, July 22, a variety of music you can dance to from the 60s to today
>> George Madison Group, July 29, rock and soul
>> After Midnight, Aug. 5, classic rock
>> The Menus, Aug. 12, regional favorites.
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Tweet‘An Evening of Guitars’ at VOA Park, July 10
“An Evening of Guitars,” featuring Tom Kaper and Sonny Moorman, 6 p.m. Friday, July 10, Miami University Voice of America Learning Center, 7847 VOA Park Drive, West Chester, Free, auto permit required. (513) 867-5835; www.butlercountymetroparks.org.
The Live At The Lodge And Learning Center music series presents “An Evening of Guitars,” 6 p.m. Friday, featuring local bluesman Sonny Moorman and guitarist Tom Kaper, above.
The concert which will be held on the east patio of the Learning Center, located at the corner of Cox Road and VOA Park Drive in West Chester.
Kaper is a well-known local guitarist, regularly appearing as a solo performer at Doc’s Place and The Golden Lamb in Lebanon, and with his band A.O.R. that specializes in 70’s music, according to concert organizer and Learning Center director Rod Nimtz.
Moorman, who hosts the weekly Acoustic Jam and Songwriter’s Night sessions at Burbank’s in Sharonville and appears regularly at Yardbird’s in Trenton, will open the evening.
For “An Evening of Guitars,” Charlie’s Grilling Service of Reilly Township will have hamburgers, barbecued pulled pork sandwiches, fries, and loaded baked potatoes for sale. MetroParks staff will also be on hand with soft drinks and snack items throughout the evening.
A limited number of chairs will be available so people are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, Nimtz said. In the event of inclement weather the event will move inside to the Learning Center’s auditorium.
Live at the Lodge and the Learning Center is a joint project of MetroParks and the Miami VOA Learning Center, presenting a number of family-friendly Friday night concerts throughout the summer.
The next concert in the series will be an evening of smooth jazz with Improv at the VOA Park Lodge on July 24, and the series will wrap up at the Learning Center with an evening of Celtic music on August 28.
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TweetWest Chester bike rodeo teaches safety, July 18
Target at the Voice of America Retail Centre will host a bike rodeo for children, 9 a.m. July 18, to educate children about bike safety while having fun.
Children should arrive at the designated area of the parking lot by 9 a.m. with their bike, helmet and an adult. There will be a bike safety talk and obstacle course for the children, as well as basic bike inspections performed courtesy of Trek.
West Chester Police officers will instruct children on the importance of wearing a helmet and following the rules of the road.
“Programs such as this, offered by Target, are so important in keeping our children safe,” said West Chester Police Chief Erik Niehaus in a press release. “The rodeo gives us an opportunity to meet with children on their level and provide important information, while making them more comfortable with seeing police officers in the community.”
Frisbees and other prizes will be given away as part of the event. Target will provide drinks for the participants. For more information about the event, call Sgt. Joe Gutman at (513) 759-7280.
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TweetSonny Moorman up for national award… You can vote!
The Sonny Moorman Group has garnered two nominations for the 2009 Just Plain Folks Music Awards for both album and song of the year with their Atlas Records release “Crossroads Motel.”
CLICK HERE FOR A COMPLETE LIST OF NOMINATED MATERIAL.
Nominations for the award were accepted worldwide, according to Brian Austin Whitney, founder of Just Plain Folks.
“Over 42,000 albums were sent in containing 560,000 songs,” Whitney said in a press release. “We received entries from over 160 countries and nominations came from over 80 different countries around the world.”
The nominated songs were turned over to three different panels — one of music industry officials, one peer group of musicians and one comprised of music fans — to whittle that number down in five rounds of screenings.
Final round judging will be based on the votes of registered users of the Just Plain Folks website. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.
An awards ceremony will be held Saturday, Aug. 29, at the Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville, Tenn.
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Tweet‘Conversation’ on the road, to be installed Wednesday
Sculptor Eric David Laxman has loaded his “A Conversation in Six Parts” in a truck outside his New York studio and will begin the haul to Hamilton tomorrow to install the piece in the planter in Journal Square.
Click here for a previous post about the installation.
Stay tuned for photos of the installation and an announcement about an official dedication.
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TweetIceFest 2010 cancelled
The nation’s dire economic outlook has claimed another victim as the City of Sculpture committee has decided to cancel IceFest, the group’s major fund-raiser, originally planned for January 2010.
Icefest, first presented in 2002, is the primary fund-raiser for City of Sculpture. Proceeds have funded many new sculptures in the public areas of Hamilton, including the soon to be installed “Conversations in Six Parts” in Journal Square.
“The IceFest committee… has been working hard since January of this year to monitor issues and poll donors and suppliers for our event,” said City of Sculpture president Tim Naab. “The enthusiasm is there but the economy is difficult and we just didn’t think we could go to our generous patrons to ask for that much money at this time.”
There was some discussion of putting together a scaled-down version of IceFest, but the committee didn’t want to simply go half-way.
“When you look at the cost, we don’t have that much in the way of controllable expenses,” said committee chair Judy Baker. “We’ve had such great events in the past, it seemed to be a worse thing to strip it bare than to not have it at all.”
“It was probably the most difficult decision our board has ever made, but it was unanimous,” Naab said.
But the decision to cancel the 2010 version doesn’t mean a permanent death of IceFest. “We haven’t shelved the idea,” Baker said. “If things look better this time next year, we’ll be able to push ahead and do it in 2011.’
Icefest is chiefly funded by donations from businesses and individuals. The City of Hamilton has fully cooperated with City of Sculpture for the event and civic leaders have always been supportive of the mid-winter festival, Naab said.
City of Sculpture is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote the recognition of Hamilton as a cultural community by obtaining sculptures to be placed in public spaces for the enrichment and enjoyment of citizens and visitors.
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TweetFishing Camp at VOA park, Saturdays in August
Children ages 7-15 are invited to have fun catching big fish and learning from one of MetroParks fishing experts at the “Hook, Line and Sinker Camp, 8 to 11 a.m. Saturdays Aug. 8-29 at the Voice of America Park.
Children will fish from the shore, dock, and pontoon boat. They will learn the different techniques and types of tackle needed for catching various types of fish. They will master basic skills from baiting a hook and knot tying to proper casting and landing. Those that are ready will also take on some more advanced fishing techniques.
Program fee of $75 per child includes:
> A fishing pole to keep
> All the bait they need during the camp
> An all day fishing permit on each of the Saturdays
> Instructor to camper ratio of no more than 1 to 6
Registration deadline is July 31. Call (513) 867-5835.
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TweetGov. Bebb’s Pioneer Village begins monthly program, July 5
Thanks to a group of dedicated volunteers, the Pioneer Village will be open for visitors from 1 to 4:30 p.m. the first Sunday each month through December, beginning July 5.
“Because of our budget cut-backs, we’ve had to eliminate a lot of our programming,” said MetroParks spokesperson Susan Stretch. “But Governor Bebb Preserve Pioneer Group stepped forward and said that they would continue the program themselves on a volunteer basis.”
The Pioneer Village will offer re-enactments taking visitors back to the 19th century with re-enactors and demonstrations.
The park is named for William Bebb, 19th Governor of Ohio, whose 1799 birthplace cabin and boyhood home is the centerpiece of the Pioneer Village.
Joining the Bebb cabin are six other authentic log cabins moved to the park and reconstructed to form a representative early Midwestern settlement. A covered bridge from 1850, one of only two remaining in the county, was moved from the Oxford area and rebuilt at the park entrance in 1970.
The Governor Bebb Preserve also features 264 acres of outdoor spaces for nature lovers, including trails picnic areas, playgrounds and camp sites.
The Pioneer Village is free of charge, but motor vehicle permits are required in all MetroParks park areas and can be purchased at the program for $5 daily, $7 for an annual sticker, or $10 for an annual hangtag.
Call the MetroParks Administrative Headquarters at (513) 867-5835 or visit www.metroparksofbutlercountyohio.org for more information.
FILE PHOTO
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TweetMetroParks July programs
Lollipop Programs
The theme for July programs is “Scaly Creatures”.
Explore the wonders of the natural world through stories, crafts and activities. Lollipop programs are for children ages 3 to 5 and their adult companions. Pre-registration is required. $1.50 craft fee is payable at the program.
> Tuesday, July 7, at Governor Bebb Preserve, 1979 Bebb Park Lane in Morgan Township, in the Howe Shelter at 10:30 a.m.
> Thursday, July 9, at Rentschler Forest Preserve, 5701 Reigart Road in Fairfield Township) in the Cummins Shelter at 10:30 a.m.
> Tuesday, July 21, at Voice of America Park Lodge (7850 VOA Park Drive in West Chester Township) at 10:30 a.m.
Walks on the Wildside
> Wednesday, July 8, 2:00 p.m. at Voice of America Park, 7850 VOA Park Drive in West Chester Township. Join naturalist Ron Reddix for a close up and detailed look at this unique area. Walks will take an in-depth look at plants with historical and current uses. Walks will also cover insects and birds that use this site for homes and nests. Meet in the lodge parking area.
Christmas in July
> Thursday, July 9, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at Chrisholm Historic Farmstead, 2070 Woodsdale Rd., Madison Township. Craft beautiful Christmas ornaments to put on your tree: a small hanging lantern, red felt bird and angel all made from natural materials. Refreshments will be provided. Reservations required. $10 registration fee.
HealthNuts - Healthy Families; Healthy Living
MetroParks of Butler County is teaming up with the Butler County Healthy Living Coalition to provide and encourage healthier lifestyles. Friday sessions will be dedicated to the healthy family resources, 10 a.m. in the Cummins Shelter at Rentschler Forest Preserve, 5701 Reigart Rd., Fairfield Township.
> Friday, July 10 - “Birds of Prey”
> Friday, July 17 - Sherri Nuttall and her reptiles are back!
> Friday, July 24 - “History on the Rocks and Eat a Glacier” (compare fossils and bones)
Live at the Lodge and Learning Center
> July 10 (Miami University VOA Learning Center) - a night of live guitar playing on the patio at the new VOA Learning Center for your enjoyment.
> July 24 (Voice of America Park Lodge) - “Improv”- also back by popular demand. Enjoy an evening of light jazz while enjoying the great outdoors at the Voice of America Park Lake.
Follow the Creek
Join park naturalist for monthly WIN—Walking In the Natural World hikes. Stroll along Gregory Creek in the coolness of the deep forest, 10 a.m. Saturday, July 11, at Dudley Woods, 5591 Hankins Rd., Liberty Township. Meet in the parking area.
Art in the Park
Imitating NASA, Sun Dials, Comets and Ice Pops - Immerse yourself in the world of art and nature. Artist and educator Jalah Harris will lead artists ages 6-12 and their families on an art adventure exploring the sky above us. A great learning experience for the entire family. Enrollment is limited; pre-registration required.
> Thursday, July 23 at 10 a.m. in the Cummins at Rentschler Forest Preserve, 5701 Reigart Rd., Fairfield Township.
> Tuesday, July 28 at 10:00 AM in the Deer Shelter at Keehner Park located at 7211 & 7411 Barrett Rd., West Chester.
Night Fishing at Voice of America Park
> Friday, July 31, 7850 VOA Park Drive in West Chester Township. Come early or come late… either way the fishing is great on these special evenings when the park stays open late for your fishing enjoyment. Fish until 1 a.m. Contact the Baitshop at 513-755-4402 for more information.
Motor Vehicle Permits are required in all MetroParks park areas and can be purchased at the program for $5/daily, $7/annual sticker, or $10/annual hangtag.
Call the MetroParks Administrative Headquarters at (513) 867-5835 or toll free 1-877-PARKFUN for more information or to register. On-line registration is also available.
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TweetAnother July 4 option: Cincinnati Pops
Cincinnati Pops July Fourth Celebration featuring Vince Lee, conductor; Pamela Myers and Lee Roy Reams, vocalists; Clyde Gray, narrator; May Festival Summer Chorus, directed by Heather MacPhail; and Rozzi’s Famous Fireworks, 8 p.m. Friday, July 4, Riverbend Music Center, 6295 Kellogg Ave., Cincinnati. $20-$25; children under 12 admitted free to the lawn. (513) 381-3300.
The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra presents a fantastic, family-friendly Fourth of July concert celebration dubbed “Red, White & Boom” at Riverbend Music Center featuring patriotic music performed with all the glory of full orchestra.
Joining Vince Lee and the Pops are Tony-nominated performers and Cincinnati favorites Pamela Myers and Lee Roy Reams, as well as the May Festival Summer Chorus.
Also joining the Pops is Channel 9 News Anchor Clyde Gray, who will narrate Copland’s “A Lincoln Portrait,” a work commissioned by the Orchestra in 1942.
The concert starts at 8 p.m. with “Family Fun Zone” starting at 6:30 p.m., complete with face painting, corn hole, instrument making and more.
The concert closes with a fireworks display by Rozzi’s.
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TweetVenue change for Franz Klaber Band concert, July 7
The site of the Hamilton Parks and Recreation Division’s Concert in the Park Series “Where There’s Music in the Air” concert scheduled for Tuesday, July 7, 2009 has been changed.
The concert originally scheduled for the former Mercy Site, across the street from the Courtyard by Marriott, will be changed to Wilks Green which is located on Riverfront and Village Street.
The Franz Klaber Band will be performing at 7 p.m. Please bring a lawn chair or blanket and enjoy a concert under the stars.
For more information on this event or for a complete list of all the summer concerts, contact the Hamilton Parks and Recreation Division at (513) 785 -7060.
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