| VOLUME 4 | * * All Arts News On the Web * * | June 8, 2000 |
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. STUFF YOU SHOULDN'T MISS
There is a free AAC Networking Meeting/Coffee House at 7 p.m. on the first Thursday of every month. These gatherings bring new opportunities, gossip, and workshops every month at Simple Pleasures in St Albans.
Backstage, Candace Myers was all a-jitter. ROUNDED UP AND HEADED FOR MANCHESTER
"I'm in the roundup position," she shyly told the cheering crowd at the True Value Country Showdown at the Vermont Dairy Festival. "I hope you like my music."
The Dairy Festival audience and the judges did; Candace Myers of St Albans Bay is the year 2000 contest winner. She will move on to the Tri-State finals for Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont at Riverfest, September 10, in Manchester, NH. The prize there is $1,000 and a ticket to the regional competition.
The sophomore at BFA-St Albans loves to sing. "Singing has been one of my passions since I could make noise. I used to make up songs out of mysterious unknown words." Now she wins competitions with XXX's and OOO's by Trisha Yearwood and knows to put down her cowboy hat when she sings Blue, the Patsy Cline song now recorded by LeAnn Rimes.
"I thoroughly enjoyed it," said True Value judge Cora Baker. "Candace was a crowd pleaser." Cora who is Highgate Town Clerk in real life, judged the entries for listenability on the radio and for whether she would dance to it.
Although Candace loves country music, her father raised her on the rock of Lynyrd Skynyrd and Pink Floyd. Her cousins are into R&B, hip hop, and rap. She sings gospel music, the National Anthem at school games, and made the All Region, the All New England Choir, and an All District Choir in Arkansas. She says she "listens to everything, but country's a lot more fun to sing."
Candace has a dog named Missy. "She's a great dog. I love my dog. She jumps on my bed and wakes me up in the morning. She chases metal bowls and we like to watch her eat bugs. She's a dog."
She also rides motorcycles with her stepfather, Joseph Doucette. "I like the vibration and the loud noise. There is nothing," she says, "that sounds like a Harley."
"I didn't get to thank everyone Saturday. The judges and WLFE and True Value did such a great job with me."
Candace had to fight down the butterflies, but she had great stage presence and she remembered to pick up her hat.
Sponsored by WLFE radio, the Showdown also featured the groups Blue Sky, Crystal Clear, the Rabideau Brothers, and South Junction, plus solo performers Amy Barbour, Bonnie Drake, Lindsey Larivee, Sharyl Lariviere, and David White. Host band Dark Horse supplied exceptional backup and technical support.
HIGHGATE SPRINGS--Thousands of visitors pour through the Welcome Center at the Highgate Springs Border station where we have a rotating art shows and access to a display case for sculpture. The display case can hold the three dimensional work of up to four artists. CALL FOR ARTISTS
We need smaller works for the Labor Day display case exhibit. That exhibit will begin August 30 and continue through September 13.
SHELDON--"If local artists are interested in performing at Grace Church, I'd be happy to arrange dates," writes Beth Crane. "We generally allow artists to set their own price of admission (or suggested donation) and give them the gate, from which they may or may not choose to give us a donation in return."
Grace Church is a great performing space in its third year of concerts. They have offered a varied repertoire including Village Harmony and classical guitarist Peter Matthews. They even have local hosts to lodge out-of-town performers for a night. e-mail Beth Crane for info.
FAIRFIELD--The Fairfield Variety Show offers singing, dancing, juggling, and comedy for all ages. The producers want an audience of all ages, from 1 to 100, although they will probably let in anyone over 100, too. Fairfield School Gym, Friday at 7 p.m. STUFF YOU SHOULDN'T MISS
FRANKLIN--The Brodies play The Boonys on Saturday night.
ST ALBANS--Vermont author and all around scary fellow Joe Citro will relate some ghostly mysteries in St Luke's Parish Hall, Monday, June 12, at 7 p.m.
AAC and NVAA artist Valerie Ugro was accepted into the Artist in Residence program at the Basin Harbor Club for a stay through the month of June. Her Basin Harbor work will be exhibited at a show in August. ARTSY NEWS
The summer Elder Art program has been cancelled. "Our summer priority is fund raising, expanding our board, and getting new volunteers," said director Mark Montalban. Classes for beginning and intermediate artists will resume in the fall.
Moose are on the loose in Toronto CLICK HERE: ART SITE OF THE WEEK
Toronto invited local artists to design hundreds of life-sized fiberglass moose for display in an outdoor summer "moose-eum" throughout the city. The herd will graze on the city's squares and boulevards until Thanksgiving; an engraved plaque on each sculpture showcases the names of the piece, the artist and the patron. Theme meese have been sponsored by Toronto companies. A life sized Bay Street (financial district) moose wears a suit. toronto.com has a Moose-aic in the City.
An auction of all the sculptures at the end of "moose season" will benefit the Olympic Team and local Toronto charities.
ArtBits features a quick weekly peek at the bookshelf or night stand of the folks you know in and around Franklin County. That popular feature has a page of its own at the Franklin County Bookshelf here on the AAC site. FRANKLIN COUNTY BOOKSHELF
All Arts Council of Franklin County
P.O. Box 1
Highgate Springs, VT 05460
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