Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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Celebrate Mardi Gras at 4th Friday by STEPHANIE CRIDER 4th Friday is right around the corner, and as usual the Arts Council Fayetteville/Cumberland County and the local downtown merchants have an evening of food, fun and entertainment planned. Starting this month, 4th Friday will be a themed event. The new format kicks off with a Mardi Gras theme, as the Downtown Alliance joins in sponsoring the art and entertainment that the community anticipates the 4th Friday of each month. “For 2011 we’ve decided to do different themes or activities for 4th Friday,” said Sherry Collins, 4th Friday coordinator for the Downtown Alliance. “One month is a street dance, other months will have a theme. We have a variety of fun and exciting things planned.” With kids in mind, and keeping things family friendly, there will be a children’s wagon and stroller parade. “We are inviting people to decorate a wagon or stroller and dress up their children and come out to be part of a parade that will start at Person and Green Streets right near Fascinate-U and travel through the Bow Street commons and back to the corner,” said Collins. “We are trying to enlist a couple of musicians to lead the parade with jazz, too.” This 4th Friday enjoy the Mardi Gras themed events that will be going on downtown. All of the children will get a prize and there will also be special prizes for different categories, like the best stroller or wagon and best costume. No need to pre-register, just show up that day and sign up. Registration is at 6:30 p.m., and the parade will start around 7-7:15 p.m. After the parade, parents can take their little ones to So Chic Bebe where they can make their own Mardi Gras masks. Horne’s Deli is carrying on a favorite Mardi Gras tradition, the sharing of a King Cake with 4th Friday attendees. “That is something that is a big part of any Mardi Gras celebration,” said Collins. “They bake a cake and put a plastic baby trinket in the cake and whoever gets the slice with the baby in it wins a prize. This is a must if you are having a Mardi Gras celebration.” Grown ups won’t be left in the cold, as there will be a Spirit of Mardi Gras adult costume contest sponsored by Miller Mott College. Just stop by their tent on Hay Street and register for the contest. “We are trying to keep it to Mardi Gras costumes more than Halloween-type things,” said Collins. “Jesters and jokers and beads and boas would be appropriate.” Winners will be announced at 9 p.m. and the Mardi Gras king and queen will each receive a Visa gift card. Hay Street United Methodist Church is hosting the 4th Annual Bread and Bowls fundraiser. Stop by and have a steaming hot bowl of Brunswick Stew served in a handmade pottery bowl (that you get to keep) for $15 or enjoy your stew in a bread bowl for just $7. There will also be a silent auction along with entertainment by local musicians. After a bite to eat, stop by the All American Fencing Academy at 207 B Donaldson St. Watch a few demonstrations by the fencing team, perhaps have a chat with the team members, handle some of the equipment, fi nd out more about the sport and check out their collection of fencing-related art. Headquarters Library is hosting author Kimberly Johnson — Destination Imagination for an interactive storytelling session. She will share stories from her books as well as pieces from other authors. Johnson received the 2005 Paul Harris Fellow Award presented by Rotary International for her work in literacy and has published 11 children’s books. After Destination Imagination, there will be a question and answer session for audience members who have thought about writing a book of their own. Topics will include, but are not limited to, the pros and cons of self publisher versus using traditional publishers. Arts Alive! on Maxwell Street kicks off at 6 p.m. and runs through 10 p.m. Stop by and see artists educating, creating and performing. At 7 p.m. 4th Friday comes alive as Hay Street and the rest of downtown fi lls up with exhibits, artists and folks who have come to have a good time. STEPHANIE CRIDER, Staff Writer. COMMENTS? stephanie@ upandcomingweekly.com Warm Up With Bayscapes at Gallery 208 by STEPHANIE CRIDER Up & Coming Weekly readers know that this paper supports art and artists in the community. We cover the events, do profi les as space permits and try to keep our readers informed about the goings on in the art community. We cover everything from concerts to plays and exhibits throughout the area and even have our own Gallery 208 and Leonard G. McLeod Gallery in our corporate offi ces. In fact, if you’ve never been, we have a new exhibit coming up that you won’t want to miss. On Feb. 24 from 5:30 - 7 p.m. Up & Coming Weekly invites you to join us for the opening reception of Bayscapes and Other Refl ections: The Works of Clarence Schumaker in Gallery 208. Shumaker’s works in this exhibition Twilight Refl ections by Clarence Schumaker are primarily, as the name suggests, water scenes. The oil paintings capture the magic of the bay at different times of day and in different seasons, evoking both the calming effect of a still, quiet day on the water and the harshness that ice and winter can bring to the coast. This collection is a body of work that Schumaker has assembled over time. Living on the Chesapeake Bay and having nonstop access to the water has proven to be a source of inspiration for him. “I live in a little fi shing village and there is a beach that is just a short walk from my house — I’m just enamored with the water and the qualities of it that are always changing,” said Schumaker. “I’ve got this view that I don’t care what WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM day, what time of day it is, it is always different and there is a certain timeless quality to that.” His love of the water has inspired Schumaker to investigate the bay from every angle he can, from the shore out and from the water in, there is always something new to paint. “A lot of my pieces are from the water — views that you wouldn’t normally get if you are a land lover. It gives a whole different perspective of living on the land when you get to see it from the water and see how small everything really is,” said Schumaker. “I am just trying to make pieces that will make someone pause and take their time and soak it in just like you would in nature. I think everybody is on a 24/7 news cycle and there is nonstop chatter going on and that is why people do like to get away. I am just trying to capture the feelings people have when they go to the beach — they kind of take their time and gotta stare at the water a little while.” While this particular exhibit is about the water, Schumaker is also a sculptor, muralist and graphic artist. Check out more of his work at www.daybreakstudios. com or come to the art opening and hear what he has to say about his work. “We are always excited to feature talented local artists in our galleries,” said Up & Coming Weekly Publisher Bill Bowman. “We look forward to these openings as a time to interact with the arts community and with our readers. There’s always great food and a good time is usually had by all.” Also featured at this event will be the works of Chris Pruitt in the Leonard G. McLeod Gallery. Up & Coming Weekly’s corporate offi ce is located at 208 Rowan St. Join us for refreshments and networking. For more information, call the Up & Coming Weekly offi ce at 484-6200. STEPHANIE CRIDER, Staff Writer. COMMENTS? stephanie@ upandcomingweekly.com FEBRUARY 16-22, 2011 UCW 7