Monday, December 31, 2012

Call for artists

Calling Ohio artists to participate in SWAN Day Dayton

Wanted: Writers, poets, playwrights, filmmakers, musicians, dancers, actors, visual artists and more!


Last year’s inaugural event was such a success that we are doing it again and we need performers and artists! On March 30th 2013, artists and community members will gather together at the Auditorium in the Dayton Metro Library Main Branch to celebrate female artists for SWAN (Support Women Artists Now) Day.

PROPOSAL DEADLINE: February 15th

EVENT DATE: March 30th 2:00pm

PERFORMING ARTISTS, WRITERS, AND FILMMAKERS:

TO SUBMIT A PROPOSAL:

E-mail SwanDayDayton@yahoo.com by February 15th, 2013

Subject line of e-mail should read: SUBMISSION: “Artist’s Name”: “Title of Work”: “Genre” Example: SUBMISSION: Emily Dickinson: Because I could not stop for Death: Poetry

Submissions must include:

1) Your Art: 10 minute maximum. Preference will be given to pieces under 5 minutes. Please provide us with the actual material you plan to present on March 30th, not just a sample of your work.

2) Bio: 75 words or less. (This bio will be used in the program if you work is selected for SWAN Day Dayton.)

3) Contact information.

If your submission cannot be e-mailed, please contact SwanDayDayton@yahoo.com to make other arrangements.

VISUAL ARTISTS: Contact SwanDayDayton@yahoo.com for submission information.

TIME LINE:
Deadline for Proposals - Feb. 15, 2013
Selected Artists Announced - March 1, 2013
Mandatory Rehearsal - March 30, 2013 11:00 am
Public Showcase - March 30, 2013 2:00 pm

VENUE INFORMATION:
Swan Day Dayton Saturday March 30, 2013 2:00 pm
Dayton Metro Library Main Branch
Auditorium on Second Floor
215 E. Third St.
Dayton Ohio, 45402

For complete submission guidelines or to learn more about SWAN Day, visit http://swandaydayton.blogspot.com or contact SwanDayDayton@yahoo.com.

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Our do-nothing Congress

The list of jobs that require employees to work on holidays is almost endless. Police, firefighters, medical personnel, utility workers, restaurant workers are just a few from the vast array. Add to that the folks who work during emergencies, no matter what the day, no matter what the conditions. They work to preserve our infrastructure; they work to keep us safe.

Disasters come in all descriptions. Going over the fiscal cliff would be a disaster that would affect both infrastructure and human health and safety. Given that, is it too much to ask of our elected representatives to work through a holiday to avert such a disaster? We have tens of thousands of troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. Many of them were on patrol on Christmas day, while their families were thousands of miles away. The draconian measures that will be imposed on our citizenry if Congress does not reach an agreement on legislation will affect them as much as, if not more than, the rest of us. But Congress went home for the holidays.

If these politicians do not respond to the will of the people, there is only one thing left to do come the next election and that is to clean house in Congress - throw the bums out!

Tomorrow is the last day of the year. Tick, tick, tick...

-vh

Friday, December 28, 2012

Playwrights, get to work!

The Third Annual Yellow Springs 10-Minute Play Festival will be held on Friday and Saturday, October 25 and 26, 2013 at the First Presbyterian Church of Yellow Springs. Performances will start at 8 p.m. The festival features plays by local playwrights with local actors and directors. All plays will be performed on both nights. For information about script submissions and auditions email GunchPress@yahoo.com.

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Roads need more salt

In the aftermath of this winter's first significant snowfall, many streets in our village have effectively become ice skating rinks.

Much of North High Street is covered by roughly a fourth of an inch of ice.  The National Weather Service predicts that the maximum temperature will not go above the freezing point during the 48 hour period starting at 10 am today.  Yet North High Street does not appear to have been salted.  If it has been salted, it is plain that the quantity utilized was insufficient given the circumstances.  After driving around the village this morning in order to run some errands, it became clear that North High Street is not an exception.

I hope that the village manager takes prompt corrective action.

Taki Manolakos

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Devil’s Backbone at Peach’s, Friday night

So, the holiday excitement is over and you have nothing to do til New Year’s…

Time to sit on the couch and watch TV?  Time to lay around and read?  NO! 

It’s time to get up and dance off all those cookies you’ve been eating! 

Come on down to Peach’s on Friday night starting at 10:00 pm and dance to the tunes of Devil’s Backbone-
Jeanne Ulrich, Duke Dewey, Carl Schumacher, and Tim Beach.

We hope to see you there!

Really big band concert, 2/27

The annual joint Community Band/YSHS-McKinney/Alumni Band Concert will be presented on Wednesday, Feb. 27 at 7:00 p.m. in the high school gym. We usually have a total of about 100 participants every year.

Come see your kids and neighbors make music together.

Monday, December 24, 2012

Rocky & Pee Wee: Happy Holidays

Thanks for your support! Have a wonderful holiday season and best wishes for the New Year from
the Blog.

Friday, December 21, 2012

Back Story: The LIRR Shooter

On the evening of December 7, 1993, a maniac named Colin Ferguson, opened fire with a handgun in a crowded Long Island Rail Road commuter train car, killing six passengers on their way home from work and wounding 19 others. This happened as the train was pulling into the Merillon Ave. station  in Garden City, NY, the town where I lived through my high school years and where my youngest sister lived at that time and still lives. On the night of the shooting, I was living in Stewart Manor, a tiny community on the western border of Garden City. My home was about a mile-and-a-half from the shooting; my sister’s house was probably about the same distance. She commuted on that line; I commuted on one that ran parallel to it, about a half-mile to the south. Garden City is also home to Adelphi University, from which Ferguson had been suspended in 1991.

On that night, I boarded a train that left from Penn Station in Manhattan, just a few minutes before the fatal train pulled out. Ferguson departed from the Atlantic Avenue Station in Brooklyn around the same time. He would change trains at the Jamaica Station, where all three trains were scheduled to converge. It is my theory that he was headed for Adelphi University where he’d had a number of incidents, perceived by him to have been racially motivated. He was an immigrant from the country of Jamaica, who, it was reported, had often ranted about racism, and made racially motivated threats. His increasingly erratic behavior was the reason why he had been kicked out of the school, two years before.

Drawing is not to scale.

In order to get to Adelphi, Ferguson should have been on my train. I believe that he either boarded the wrong train at Jamaica by mistake, something that was easy to do, or he missed my train and got on the other one as an alternative. He would have been going to the Nassau Blvd. Station on my line in order to get to Adelphi. The Merillon Ave. Station is also at Nassau Blvd. a half-mile north. Both stops are in Garden City.

The shooting started just about the time I arrived home and soon the evening news, much as with the recent Newtown shootings, was full of nothing else. Friends from all over the country were emailing and calling me to be sure I was okay. I was concerned about my sister. Fortunately, she had taken a different train.

Killed on that night was a man named Dennis McCarthy. His son, who had been travelling with him, was seriously wounded. McCarthy’s wife, Carolyn, went on to become a noted gun control activist. She became my Congresswoman, when she switched parties and ran against a Republican who received campaign funding from the NRA. All this happened almost 20 years ago. Carolyn McCarthy is still in Congress, fighting the good fight. She and the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence are our best hope to reinstate the assault weapons ban and pass other measures to lessen the chances that events like the Long Island Rail Road shooting and Newtown ever happen again.

After a bizarre trial, where he represented himself, Ferguson was convicted of multiple counts of murder and attempted murder and will never again see the light of day  as a free man.

As for me, when I look back, I think how lucky I was. The way things played out at Merillon Avenue, I believe that Ferguson started shooting when he realized he was on the wrong train. If he had been on his intended train, my train, I might even have sat next to him. However, I would have gotten off at Stewart Manor, and he probably would have continued on to the next stop, Nassau Blvd, gotten off, and walked the few blocks to the Adelphi campus where he would have taken his revenge. But, who knows what might have set him off before he got there.


-vh

Destination YS

Arts & Culture    
Meme: Culture in Transmission; 11/30-2/13/2013
The work of 12 regional artists

Eddie Eckenrode Gallery Sam & Eddies Open Books, Kings Yard
937.767.1966; The Work of Eddie Eckenrode

Emporium Wines 233 Xenia Ave., 937.767.7077
The Work of Kelly Lecko
  
Glen Helen Atrium Gallery 405 Corry St., 937.769.1902
Dance of the Happy Shades: Photographs by Dennie Eagleson; 11/4-1/9
  
John Bryan Community Pottery 100 Dayton St. rear, 937.767.9022
Artist's Exchange Show with Clayspace in Columbus  

Village Artisans 100 Corry St., 937.767.1209
Winter Wonderland:  A Holiday Gift Gallery
  
The Winds Cafe 215 Xenia Ave. 937.767.1144
The Storyteller's Landscape: Paula Womacks; through 12/31

"would you, could you" In A Frame 113 Corry St. 937.767.2962
The Work of Lee Funderburg featuring flora & fauna.  

Yellow Springs Arts Council Gallery 111 Corry St., 679.9722
Holiday Jumble Art Sale thru 1/20; We-Su 1-4p, Friday Fling 6-9p.
  
Nature & Recreation
Glen Helen Nature Preserve 405 Corry St.; 937.769.1902
A Scientific Perspective on the End of the World- a lecture on end of the world theories with reception; Vernet Ecological Center; 12/21, 7-9p
Be a Glen Helen Volunteer!  769.1902 x 103
Christmas Bird Count - 12/29, 8a-5p; Trailside Museum

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Rocky & Pee Wee: Ready for anything


Santa’s Sack & Sleigh



EXPERIENCE HOLIDAYS
 Santa’s Sack & Sleigh@ YSAC
(presented by the Yellow Springs Arts Council)

December 21, 2012, 1-4pm & 6-9pm
YS Arts Council Gallery, 111 Corry Street

Santa's busy with his reindeer, but the Yellow Springs Arts Council has his Sack and Sleigh!

Experience Holidays with the YSAC during December's 3rd Friday Fling in the Springs.  Shop for last-minute holiday gifts without the retail hassle at the Holiday Art Jumble Exhibit & Sale!  For one day only, dig deep into Santa's Sack for big discounts on unique, antique and gently-used arts treasures.  Each pull from the Sack gets you a discount on any $10+ Art Jumble item.  Discounts range from $1-off lumps of coal to $10-off gems. 

Enjoy mulled wine, holiday treats and seasonal music while browsing through the Holiday Art Jumble.  And, don't leave without taking a holiday picture in Santa's Sleigh with Suzy the Snake!  It's parked right in front of the YSAC Community Gallery for the holidays.  This festively adorned sleigh is perfect for that special family or sweetheart photograph!

The Holiday Art Jumble Sale & Exhibit is open Wednesdays through Sundays (1-4pm) from December 15 to January 20.  You will find unique gifts at “can’t-resist” prices and you will be supporting the arts in Yellow Springs.  YS is home to many collectors of art, and they have been generously donating their paintings, arty bits & bobs, handmade jewelry and fine crafts.  We have received art from all over the world!  Several really fabulous items will be silent auctioned each week and we will be regularly refreshing the exhibit, so check in often to see what is new.

“‘Tis the season of giving” or “‘Tis the season of shopping”? – the modern-day holiday conundrum.  This season you can do both!  Fill your heart with cheer as you shop for one-of-a-kind gifts at the YSAC Holiday Art Jumble.  Scores of arts supporters have donated gently-used artsy items and antique collectibles.  The walls and pedestals of the YSAC Gallery are filled with out-of-the-closet art, hand-crafted whimsy, tiny collectibles and fabulous chotchkies!

All proceeds from the Holiday Art Jumble benefit the YS Arts Council in support of local artists and the YSAC Community Gallery.  Leave it to the Yellow Springs Arts Council to launch this season’s most creative fundraiser to continue its mission during difficult financial times.  Join us in supporting arts and education efforts.  Make this season’s holiday shopping a distinctive and heartfelt experience by giving back when you buy your gifts at the YSAC’s Jumble Sale!

Experience Holidays with the YSAC!  YS Experience events are made possible with the generous support of our many community partners, including the YS Chamber of Commerce, the YS Community Foundation and Emporium Wines & Underdog CafĂ©.

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Jailhouse Suites going solar, today



Call for artists

“Art for Change” 2013 Yellow Springs Arts Council Member Show

Throughout history, art has been created to foster dialogue, raise consciousness and empower individuals & groups.

Why do you make art? What’s your passion? How do you envision change for yourself, your community or your world?
Join with other local artists to make your voice heard. Be the difference — make art!
The first artwork submission is free to members! There is a $10 entry fee for a second piece.
Work may be NFS or priced for sale (with no commission). This show has a 2-foot horizontal dimension limit. Drop off dates are February 2 & 3 (1-4pm) at the YSAC Community Gallery (111 Corry Street). We will have you fill out a form (and pay if you have a second piece) when you bring your artwork to the Gallery.
Not a member of the YSAC? Join at the “support” or “advantage” level and receive free member show submission among other benefits.
Go to www.ysartscouncil.org/join-us or pick up a form at the YSAC Gallery to become a member.
"Art for Change" Opening Reception: February 15, 2013, 6-9pm
Experience Saturday Closing Event: March 9, 2013
"Art for Change" is part of the YSAC Experience Peace weekend.
For additional information, contact Nancy Mellon, YSAC Gallery Coordinator, at nancymellon.jafa@gmail.com or 937-767-1366.

Urbana Exhibit

"In company With Angels: Seven Rediscovered Tiffany Windows" is on exhibit at the Swedenborg Memorial Library at Urbana University until December 30th.  Adm. $5, hours Tuesday thru Saturday 10 a.m to 4p.m. Thursday until 8 p.m., Sundays 1p.m to 4p.m. 937-484-1354
 
Submitted by Mary M. Morgan

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

3rd Weekend Fling in the Springs

December 21-23, 2012

December 21 to 23 is the last 3rd Weekend Fling of the year, featuring shopping, music, theatre and delicious food and drink.  Yellow Springs is the place for your last minute holiday shopping with 65 shops and galleries and fifteen eateries to enjoy with family and friends.  
 
Shops and galleries will be open late Friday night, most until 8 or 9 pm.  They will also have expanded hours during the final week of holiday shopping.  You won’t find a better place for truly special, one-of-a-kind gifts than the eclectic, walk-able downtown Yellow Springs shopping district.  Artisan crafts, fine arts, toys for kids of all ages, jewelry, clothing, wine, gourmet food and much more, you can find something special for everyone on your gift list and to fit every budget.  

Visit the Yellow Springs Arts Council Gallery at 111 Corry St. for the Holiday Art Jumble Exhibit and Sale .  You will find unique gifts at “can’t-resist” prices with special discounts from Santa’s Sack being offered Friday from 1-4 pm and again from 6-9 pm.  And, don’t leave without taking a holiday picture in Santa’s Sleigh, festively adorned and parked right in front of the Gallery for the Holidays. 

Emporium Wines hosts their regular Friday night wine tasting from 6:30 to 10, featuring the music of Mack and the Rockets.   At Peachs Grill, the weekend starts with an “End of the World Party” on Friday with DJ Creepingbear and the Holiday Variety Show on Saturday.  Both free events start at 10.
 
No visit to Yellow Springs is complete during the holidays without experiencing The Legendary Lights of Clifton Mill, 3.5 million lights adorning the mill, grounds and gorge along with a Miniature Village and Santa Museum.  Open every evening except Christmas, Clifton Mill is located at 75 Water St. in Clifton just three miles east of Yellow Springs.  Children 6 & under are free and others are $10.
 
Remember to Shop Small, Buy Big, Give Unique when you do your holiday shopping in Yellow Springs.   For more information, please contact the Yellow Springs Chamber of Commerce at 937-767-2686 or visit www.yellowspringsohio.org.

Fight the power - Stop the NRA

Money talks; bullshit walks. If you really want to do something about gun control, you have to go head-to-head with the NRA. The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence is being outspent by $4.4 million to $60,000 for lobbying. Petitions to the President are just preaching to the choir. Go to the Brady website and make a donation now! Millions of small donations enabled Obama to beat big money for reelection. The same thing can be done here: http://www.bradycampaign.org/
 -vh
 Interesting AP article here. Photo is from article.

Monday, December 17, 2012

Food Pantry News - Updated

Last week Miles Lawn Elementary School students delivered a truckload of food supplies to the Yellow Springs Community Food Pantry.  Over a 1000 items were sorted and shelved by Food Pantry volunteers.  The McKinney School students are ready to deliver more food this week.  The Methodist Church sends a big "THANKS" to the entire Yellow Springs school system for their continuing support of the Food Pantry - a very special community project.

This from the Presbyterian Church:  The Food Pantry at the Methodist church is going to receive very large shipment at 2 pm tomorrow, Tuesday, December 18th.  They are in need of some extra hands to help unload it. If you have some muscle to spare this afternoon, head on over and lend a hand!

Saturday, December 15, 2012

A heads-up about Mills Lawn this afternoon.

The Center Stage production of Arthur Miller's "The Crucible" will be auditioning at the Mills Lawn School this afternoon from 2 - 4:30 p.m. There is also Community Band Concert at MLS from 3:45 - 5 p.m.  - originally for 3:30, but moved back, however not enough, to accommodate the auditions. Somebody made a boo boo. This conflict will most likely be resolved by holding the auditions in the music room. So, for whichever event you are attending, please remain flexible and look to your left and/or your right. You'll figure it out...

There's an upside to this. Once you have finished your audition, you can hang around and catch the band. There will be plenty of holiday music to go around.

Friday, December 14, 2012

Destination YS

Arts & Culture    
Meme: Culture in Transmission; 11/30-2/13/2013
The work of 12 regional artists

Eddie Eckenrode Gallery Sam & Eddies Open Books, Kings Yard
937.767.1966; The Work of Eddie Eckenrode

Emporium Wines 233 Xenia Ave., 937.767.7077
The Work of Kelly Lecko
  
Glen Helen Atrium Gallery 405 Corry St., 937.769.1902
Dance of the Happy Shades: Photographs by Dennie Eagleson; 11/4-1/9
  
John Bryan Community Pottery 100 Dayton St. rear, 937.767.9022  

Village Artisans 100 Corry St., 937.767.1209
Winter Wonderland:  A Holiday Gift Gallery
  
The Winds Cafe 215 Xenia Ave. 937.767.1144
The Storyteller's Landscape: Paula Womacks; through 12/31

"would you, could you" In A Frame 113 Corry St. 937.767.2962
The Work of Lee Funderburg featuring flora & fauna.  

Yellow Springs Arts Council Gallery 111 Corry St., 679.9722
Reincarnated: The New Forever Life of Plastic Trash, Sondy Kai
Jumble Art Sale
  
Nature & Recreation
Glen Helen Nature Preserve 405 Corry St.; 937.769.1902
In the Spirit of the Glen - 20 area poets read work inspired by Glen Helen
Reception & book signing after; Vernet Ecological Center; 12/14, 7-9p
Be a Glen Helen Volunteer!  769.1902 x 103
Antioch Farm Work Project - 12/15, 3-5p; Antioch College Farm

Holiday Art Jumble, 12/15 - 1/20

The Yellow Springs Arts Council is hosting its first Holiday Art Jumble FUNdraiser to support local artists and the YSAC Community Gallery.

The Holiday Art Jumble Sale & Exhibit opens on December 15 (1-4pm) and continues through January 20 (Wednesday to Sunday, 1-4pm).  You will find unique gifts at “can’t-resist” prices and you will be supporting the arts in Yellow Springs.  YS is home to many collectors of art, and they have been generously donating their paintings, arty bits & bobs, handmade jewelry and fine crafts.  We have received art from all over the world!  Several really fabulous items will be silent auctioned each week and we will be regularly refreshing the exhibit, so check in often to see what is new.

“‘Tis the season of giving” or “‘Tis the season of shopping”? – the modern-day holiday conundrum.  This season you can do both!  Fill your heart with cheer as you shop for one-of-a-kind gifts at the YSAC Holiday Art Jumble.  Scores of arts supporters have donated gently-used artsy items and antique collectibles.  The walls and pedestals of the YSAC Gallery are filled with out-of-the-closet art, hand-crafted whimsy, tiny collectibles and fabulous chotchkies!  And, don't forget to take a holiday picture in Santa's Sleigh with Suzy the Snake!

The festivities begin on Saturday, December 15 with First Dibs Jumble shopping from 1-4pm.  And, from 6-10pm, combine your holiday shopping with jubilant entertainment at YSAC’s Jumble Sale and Heartstrings Concert -- festive music, fundraising sale vouchers, silent auction, cash wine bar and seasonal treats!  Local favorites, Heartstrings, will perform from 7-8:30pm.  This five-woman group (Mary Beth Burkholder, Sarah Goldstein, Dottie Palsgrove, Linda Scutt & Carol Van Ausdal) plays traditional music with a signature blend of acoustic instruments including fiddle, mandolin, banjo, concertina and hammered dulcimer; their repertoire draws predominantly from Celtic and Appalachian traditions, with tastes of Scandinavian, Italian and Klezmer music.  A $5 performance donation is suggested in memory of past quintet member, Chris Hess.

All proceeds from the Jumble Sale and Heartstrings Concert will benefit the YS Arts Council in support of local artists and the YSAC Community Gallery.  Like many arts organizations, the Yellow Springs Arts Council has been stretched thin through this difficult economic climate.  While a contingency of members continue to support the organization, some patrons have had to tighten their belts.  Worse yet, grant opportunities have diminished for arts and other non-profit organizations.  Ohio Governor John Kasich’s current budget proposal includes a 19.5 percent reduction to the Ohio Arts Council general fund appropriation.  After sustaining a 47 percent decrease in fiscal years 2010 and 2011, this additional reduction will further limit support to artists, arts organizations, schools and other entities engaged in cultural programming throughout the state.

This winter, the YS Arts Council is not only working to sustain arts programs that provide opportunities for local artists, such as the YSAC Gallery Program and Experience Saturday performance series, but it is also working to expand its arts education offerings.  In February, YSAC is collaborating with Mills Lawn Elementary School to provide an artist-in-residency program around topics on bullying and social justice, culminating in a large-scale work of art to be displayed at Antioch University Midwest in March, 2013.  And earlier this winter, the YS Arts Council kicked off a program to bring local school children into the Arts Center for project-based learning though gallery exhibits and hands-on art making.

Leave it to the Yellow Springs Arts Council to launch this season’s most creative fundraiser to continue its mission during hard financial times.  Join us in supporting arts and educational efforts.  Make this season’s holiday shopping a unique and heartfelt experience by giving back through buying your gifts at the YSAC’s Holiday Art Jumble Sale!

Experience Holidays with the Yellow Springs Arts Council!  YS Experience events are made possible with the generous support of our many community partners including the YS Chamber of Commerce, the YS Community Foundation, Emporium Wines & Underdog CafĂ© and Village BP.  

You can find program details, become a member or make a donation at www.ysartscouncil.org, and join us on Facebook to stay in touch with the local arts scene.  We will continue to accept donations for the Holiday Art Jumble fundraiser through January 18 during open gallery hours (Wednesday to Sunday, 1-4pm).