Kevin Bradley Juggling for Joy

There’s something about the art of juggling that inherently brings a feeling of festivity to any event. Especially when the juggler performing is adept at a variety of tricks to keep your interest and make you smile. You may have noticed such a juggler gracing some of the local events like the April Fool’s Parade or the Summer Tracks Music Series. Or, perhaps you just happened to catch him outside the Gallery Coffeehouse on a weekend evening entertaining whoever happens by on the sidewalk. Chances are you didn’t hear him say much except “thank you” or maybe he just smiled back at you as you went on your way. Unlike the street performers in bigger cities who call attention to themselves and then pass the hat before they’ll show you their “best trick,” Kevin Bradley is often just sharing his love of juggling for a smattering of applause and the smiles of passing strangers. Curious about this fellow who seemed to be so generous with his talent, I took a little time this weekend to ask him some questions and follow him with a camera to both Rogers Park and his weekly juggling club.

When did you start juggling?
I learned to ride a unicycle before I learned to juggle. When I was six, my parents bought me a unicycle and I learned to ride it. I used to go to a unicycle club when I was a kid that we found out about on television. I wanted to learn to juggle while riding a unicycle.

How long after you started riding the unicycle that you were able to juggle with it?
Probably about three years. I learned to juggle when I was nine. As soon as I could juggle I was riding it and doing them together. I made some bean bags out of an old pair of socks and learned to juggle.

Did you see juggling as a career or something fun?
Mostly it’s something fun to do. I just liked it, it’s mostly a hobby.

So how did you go about developing this hobby?
Some jugglers came to our unicycle club from a juggling club in Miami. They’re called the Coconut Grove Juggling Exchange.

What did they bring to the club?
They taught us how you learn tricks and how to pass. You get more ideas from other jugglers like passing with four or five people you can do all kinds of patterns.

What juggling club are you working with now?
Asheville Juggling Club. When we perform we go by “SunUp Giddy Up Circus.” Ingrid started the club and we’re a more performance oriented club.

What kind of performances do you do?
I do contact juggling, ball juggling, bounce off the floor, clubs, rings, and then I do unicycle juggling and fire. A lot of the performances are just walk around jobs where we entertain. The Biltmore performance is like that. [Editors note: SunUp Giddy Up performed for a private gala event and silent auction at the Biltmore Estate this past weekend.] I do kids parties and festivals. Anything. We have a few special events coming up. There’s the Apple Country Guided Nature Bicycle Tour and Water Quality Volunteer Appreciation Picnic for the Environmental and Conservation Organization on Monday September 3rd (www.eco-wnc.org), and the Fall Member Appreciation Event at the Arboretum in Asheville at the end of September. [Editor’s Note: After meeting with the club Sunday Kevin added that there are also plans for performing at the Lexington Arts Festival on September 9th in Asheville.]We’re also planning and working on a winter show at Future of Traditions gallery in Asheville. Last year for our show there we had a trapeze artist and two acrobatics. Three of our jugglers and the acrobats balance on each other and juggle. It’s pretty cool. It was so packed that not everybody could fit in the building.

Like a mini Cirque de Soleil?
Yeah!

What do you when you’re not juggling?
I work landscaping, climb trees, hike, and grow carnivorous plants.

I heard somewhere you did wood turning as well.
Yeah, I do wood turning. I make wooden bowls and hollow turnings like vases.

Do you market those or is it a hobby?
Mostly it’s a hobby. I have a few of them up at Simply Irresistible Gallery, but they’re almost out of them. It’s really hard to do everything.

What do you spend the most time working on?
Working as a landscaper mostly. Lately I’ve been juggling about an hour a day since the convention that I went to in Winston-Salem. That was the International Jugglers Association. I also went to the Groundhog Juggling festival in Atlanta, and there’s one in Charlotte that I hope to go to. It’s called the Hurricane Hugo Juggling Festival.

What are the festivals like?
They’re a lot of fun. Everybody is trying to outdo everybody. They have shows and competition. You can just walk around the gym and pass with people and learn amazing stuff. The one at Winston-Salem had some of the best jugglers in the world there. Cirque de Soleil donated one of their acts for the first time.

What do you mean by “donated an act?”
They performed one of their shows for free for us. Victor Keeg who previously performed for Cirque was there. A Ukrainian contortionist juggler performer performed and she was my favorite, she was great.

Do you need some special talent or can anybody do it?
I think anybody can learn, but some people have more of a knack for it. I think I have a knack, but everybody learns at their own speed.

What has motivated you to keep up with it since you were a kid?
I really enjoy juggling for people, watching their faces, drawing a big crowd and see how they react. It’s something that not most people do and it’s a lot of fun.

Did you ever dream of running away and joining the circus?
No, not really. I just always wanted to do my own thing.

What kind of performances have you done here locally?
I’ve performed at lots of kids’ parties, Super Saturday, and some different festivals. I juggled at a school for Earth Day. I performed with Cirque Mural at the Orange Peel in Asheville and I got to meet one of the guys from The Flying Karamozoff brothers and pass with him for that. Yo Mamma’s Big Fat Booty band hired SunUp Giddy Up Circus to perform with them at the Orange Peel on St. Patrick’s Day. Cliffs of Glassy hired us for 4th of July for a big party. Asheville Dance Theatre hired us for the International Dance Festival. I think the biggest show I ever did was performing an opening act for a Miami Heat game. Six of us were juggling fire. One of the jugglers flew in from Hawaii and another from Boston to be in the show, and the Bambino Brothers. I’ve done a lot of things, it’s hard to remember them all.


But you live here in Tryon?
Yeah, but I’m from Miami originally. I used to do a lot of work down there.

What made you move up here?
Family. My grandfather lives up here and my parents moved up here so I moved here too.

What are your current goals for juggling?
Since the convention I’m really inspired to learn new tricks and choreograph a show to music. I want to work with the juggling club and do more shows.

On the way to watch the club gathering in Asheville, Kevin informed me that one of the reasons he likes their newest rehearsal space is it offers a bit of audience too. Long after the official practice had finished, Kevin pulled out his LED clubs for one last go in the dark. Passers by stopped and the patrons inside stepped out for a closer look. His face lit up as he finished and the crowd caught him by surprise with a round of applause.

The Asheville Juggling Club meets every Sunday from 4-6pm at the Asheville Brewing Company on Coxe Avenue. In the winter they meet at the gym in Montford Park. For more information on catching Kevin and the SunUp Giddy Up performance at the Apple Country Guided Nature Bicycle Tour call 828-692-0385.

Here's the full slide show of my photos of Kevin Juggling.

Here's a YouTube video someone shot of Kevin juggling to the beat of Mike Gray at LAAFF in Asheville.

Farewell to the Front Porch and Saving Natural Resources

I write this week’s article after reading a distressing press release from Frank & Amy’s Front Porch. For the past four years, Frank & Amy have provided a quality line up of musicians for their lovely outdoor venue in Saluda. They have been on my “hot” list from the start as a place to hear excellent music each weekend. With no explanation, the press release simply confirms that their concert activities have been cancelled. They wish to thank loyal friends, family, and fans, while offering an apology to anyone they unintentionally offended. Over the years they set a standard for decency and integrity in entertainment for Saluda, and it saddens me to learn that they have reached a point where they are unable to continue bringing wonderful music to the community. I can’t help but hear the lines from Joni Mitchell’s song Big Yellow Taxi, “Don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.” There’s not even a farewell concert this weekend to say goodbye to this lovely venue.

So, if you haven’t already made plans this Labor Day weekend, let me encourage you to visit the venues still struggling to bring quality artists to local audiences. In Tryon tonight you have the bi-weekly Talent Night at The Melrose Inn with a smorgasbord of music, poetry, juggling, and whatever talents folks bring to the porch with their lovely $5 buffet dinner.
In Saluda you can enjoy more formal dining with the wry humor of original folk ballad master Jonathan Byrd at the Purple Onion. This Chapel Hill native residing in Carrboro has a wonderfully clever poetic storytelling style that blends beautifully with his roots based flat picking guitar. Don’t miss the chance to catch him locally before he heads out to the West Coast and then Switzerland to perform this fall.

Friday in Saluda brings Brandon Turner to Tosh’s Whistlestop Café. You might also find music at Mark’s in Columbus or The Silver’s Edge in Tryon. I’ve heard rumors of good music from both of these places even though my schedule hasn’t allowed me to poke my head in the door early enough to catch them. These local musicians trust word of mouth, rather than the internet, to market their music. I know one particularly picky listener who has become a regular fan Silver’s Edge on Fridays and highly recommends giving it a listen.

Saturday in Saluda you have a choice between either dining to the lovely 30s-70s standards of the Uptown Jazz Quartet at Purple Onion, or “Dancing to the Beat” with FreeWay South at the Saluda Mountain Jamboree.

Monday’s holiday allows for a couple of special entertainment events. At 6:30pm, Buon Giorno will be showing Michaelangelo Antonioni's great 1960 Italian-language masterpiece L’avventura as part of their foreign film festival. It is a mostly visual story of a young woman’s travels that lead her to greater self-knowledge. For additional information call 894-2934 or 859-6602.

Finally, there are limited tickets available for the Pacolet Area Conservancy’s inaugural “Buffalo Dance” and social at The Cedars in Landrum. This is a fine evening of entertainment dedicated to raising funds for our vanishing natural resources. As a special feature of the evening they will be auctioning off a beautiful signed print of
“The Last Dance” created by internationally-acclaimed Tryon artist Joan E. MacIntyre for the conservancy. For more information or tickets, contact PAC’s office in Lynn at 828-859-5060.

Enjoy the weekend and whatever you do, be sure to take a little time to celebrate the artistic and natural resources of this area before they’re gone.

Upstairs Art & Downtown Music Make a Romantic Evening

This weekend offers a lovely chance to ask out that special someone and take a local adventure. Whether you’re dating or happily married, there is plenty of variety to allow some choices along the way. After all, it’s always easier to discuss a few options rather than get stuck in that awful loop of “What do you want to do?” and “I don’t know” or “I’ll do whatever you want to do.”


So, here’s a suggested starting point. Meet at the Upstairs Artspace in Tryon sometime after 5pm for the public reception of their new shows “Where in the World: Looking for Cultural References,” “A Gathering of Form,” and “A Landscape for All Seasons.” Whoever arrives first can begin exploring the variety of works noting what catches their interest and what they think their date would enjoy. It’s a small enough gallery that you will eventually run into your date, and then you can begin discussing what you’ve seen. Share your favorites and try to explain what you like about them. Maybe it’s one of Len Fury’s exquisite wood and metal sculptures, something from the colorful and diverse media of the “World” collection, or an amazing landscape painting by a regional or NYC artist. Now that you’re discussing your interests, try offering a couple choices for dinner and music.

One option is to take a scenic drive up US-176 toward Saluda. Turn right on Ozone and you’ll find that the City Grill has become Shaffer’s Roadside Grill. Try out what the new owners have to offer on the menu while enjoying the beautiful gospel bluegrass of the Green River Boys.


Or, if you both prefer, as you leave the gallery walk down Trade Street and pick up dinner from Buck’s, Elmo’s, or Kyoto’s. Then settle down for a picnic over at Rogers Park. Dine “al fresco” while listening to wonderful music brought to you by the Summer Tracks series. Fans of the DesChamps Band will be especially thrilled to hear the new offerings from the Fayssoux McLean Quartet and the lively gypsy swing of The Belleville Outfit. The brave might even try a little dancing after dinner.

When dinner is finished, keep up the evening rolling by offering one of the following options. Up in Saluda you might head outdoors for the electric blues of Geoff Achison at Frank & Amy’s Front Porch. Or, down in Tryon, take a walk over to the Melrose Inn and step inside for cocktails while enjoying the free 9pm screening of the 48Hour Short Films. Chris Riddle and the MircleMax production team are thanking the community for supporting the project by sharing their film “A Romantic Yarn” created for this year’s competition in addition to their past entries in the festival.

Before saying goodnight to your date, don’t forget to offer some options for another night out. Saturday night the town of Columbus offers the Lonesome Road Band for their Saturday Night in the Park concert series at Veteran’s Park. Or, you could break out the dancing shoes and go shagging to Southern Pointeat the Saluda Mountain Jamboree. What more time to talk? How about coffee and the sweet folk music of Jan & Barney at the Gallery Coffeehouse? Need a date a different weekend? How about making a plan to revisit the show at the Upstairs Artspace and find out more about your favorite pieces from the artists themselves at the Walk & Talk on September 9th?

Whatever you and your date choose to do, there’s nothing like a little bit of adventure to spice up a romantic evening. Enjoy the journey.

Sam Lovelace Discovering Your Arts Desire

Sometimes the best things come in small packages. One of my personal favorites is a small gallery tucked away off the “beaten path” in Saluda called Your Arts Desire. I recently had a moment to sit down with Sam Lovelace, co-op member of the gallery, and learn a bit more about this sparkling little gem of a shop.

How did you get involved with Your Arts Desire Gallery?
Local sculptor Linda Seagrove founded it and invited me to help her set it up.

How is the shop set up?
It’s an artists’ co-op and gallery. What that means is that local artists contribute art work, sitting time, a monthly fee to pay the over head. We have about twelve artists at this point. We would love to have more artists, because the more we have the less each has to contribute.

What do you mean by sitting time?
Each artist sits at the shop a certain number of days a month. We have a schedule and take turns. Some of us have regular shifts and some people just float and fill in and we even have “guest sitters” on occasion. It’s good because it allows each artist to meet the patrons and talk about their work. This also allows the opportunity to talk with an artist about another artists’ work. It’s almost like having a curator to help give you their perspective on the artwork. The gallery part of the shop gets missed sometimes.

So what kind of art is there right now?
Pottery, sculpture, painting, jewelry, fabric art, wood turnings, and stained glass. As we say, “Everything from Folk Art to Fine Art”. Because we have such a variety of contributing onsite artists we’re also able to offer a wide range of classes and accessibility to custom work. We’ve actually had people come in and ask for specific types of artwork and been able to introduce them to an artist that works in that medium with that flavor.

Who are the artists?
Linda Seagrove, Bonnie Bardos, Karen Dixon, Ellen Miles, Merci Weitzen, Dave Prudhomme, Ruth Nentwig, Sam Lovelace, Sherry Dinkins, and some who are less frequently showing their work. We like to keep at least twelve artists, but the more artists we have the better because it is a co-op.

What do you focus on?
We focus on local, whimsical, recycled, unique, found objects, etc. I call it art redemption more than recycled, things like old barn tin or vintage pearls for jewelry rather than new beads. We even have a guy who does Kudzu jewelry. But we also have fresh new fine art paintings. It’s a lovely blend looking at say Sherry Dinkins’ birdhouses with recycled tin in front of Karen Dixon’s landscape paintings.

What work do you have in there?
My main thing is my jewelry “Southern Charms.” My designs are based on my grandmother’s antique Mardi Gras beads. I also sell postcard, greeting cards, drawings, paintings, and my robot girl lives there.

When you say Mardi Gras, was you family from Louisiana?
Mississippi gulf coast, actually, “Bayou Straddlers.” I have a Mississippi Mother and my father was from Louisiana.

How did you end up in Saluda with a gallery?
I followed my arts desire (laughing) literally. I’m attracted to good people, good food and good art and this county has it in abundance.

Where else have you been?
Except for the comic book stuff and some art teaching and student film in college, I had never fully devoted my time to the arts until I worked here. I worked in the comic book industry for ten years and film about as long.

Where did you do that work?
Hattisburg, Mississippi. We filmed in New Orleans and toured the country with the comics, but all the work was based there.

What did you do for the for the comic book industry?
I specialized in pin-up girls. I did a little of everything, I inked, colored, penciled, but I specialized in pin-up art, I did some boy pin-ups too. I still have a comic diary because I can’t give that up entirely. (www.samsdayoff.com)

How is the comic book industry different from the art you’re doing now?
Comics are on demand. There’s an extreme deadline and very little room for creativity. It’s a commercial industry. Independent comics have a little more room for being creative, but there’s no money in that. I couldn’t stand to not love it any more, I couldn’t bear that.

Describe some of the pieces you have in the shop right now.
Some of my favorites are…Bonnie Bardos’ goddess painting which is part of a series. It’s just golden and the picture of intense concern for the whole world. Karen Dixon has several realistic local mountain landscapes that also have an emotional quality to them. Merci Weitzen’s new works are light painted Asian pottery pieces which are a totally new direction for her. I’ve watched her work over the past two years and it’s been interesting to see what she comes up with. Ellen Miles’ hand sculpted silver Earth Angel charms are really amazing.

What are your newest additions?
I got a bunch of 1940s theatrical sequins, odd colors, and I’m making very exciting earrings out of them. Like bluebirds out of sequins, and fall leaves. And of course, pearls and crystals on bracelets, necklaces, earrings, etc. I don’t like for anything to match, so it’s all mismatched and asymmetrical, but drippy and sparkling is what I like.

What is group like to work with?
It’s like a family. It’s a co-op – cooperation. October marks the end of our second year, and what I’d really like to see in our third year are MORE NEW ARTISTS. New artists challenge us and bring new energy to help our family grow.

Your Arts Desire is located in Saluda’s Nostalgic Courtyard with the Wildflower Bakery, beneath the Brass Latch. Often you can find Sam’s sidewalk chalk art and poetry to lead you down the steps. Call the gallery 828-749-3154 or come by the shop if you are interested in becoming a contributing artist.

What’s a Teen to do on a weekend in Tryon, NC?

I was thrilled last weekend that Beauty & the Beast got a wonderful response from the community. I was just as pleased to go down to the Gallery Coffeehouse on Saturday night afterwards and see it full of teenagers from Chesnee, Landrum, and Polk County who were in the show enjoying themselves by visiting over Italian sodas and coffee drinks. I also noticed a few graduates there who were in town for the weekend catching up on socializing too.

I had a flash back to my youth and the teenagers hanging out at the gas station trying to decide where to go. Most often that involved jumping into as few cars as possible and driving to another town that had something open. It’s wonderful that Tryon has a comfortable space like the Coffeehouse right in the middle of downtown where teens can meet and socialize in public (rather than through their cell phones and computers). So, as we head into the beginning of the school year I thought I’d give a moment to name some of the places favored in town by the teen cast before and after the shows plus some places they missed.

Many cast members arrived in town to meet and socialize over dinner before the show. Sidestreet Pizza was an obvious choice with its large group seating capabilities and its reputation for excellent pizza. However, being an adventurous crowd their next stop was Kyoto’s which they also discovered had large seating capabilities and a variety of Japanese and Thai food that satisfied every picky palate in the bunch. They liked it so much they went back a second night! I’m not sure if they managed to visit China Dynasty or El Chili Rojo, but those are also great festive spots for large groups to eat tasty food together. Tryon closes up early during the week so the cast, hungry again after performing, headed out to the Waffle House in Columbus. They discovered Friday and Saturday they could save some driving and sit and order drinks and desserts at the Gallery Coffeehouse plus bring in more food from either Elmo’s or Buck’s Pizza. There was even a brief performance by a local pianist that had them dancing.

Some of the adults from the crew and audience needed a quiet reprieve after the show to be adults and socialize. The Melrose Inn was gracious enough to take a reservation and open up the bar area for those in the group that needed a break from teen energy.

Tonight the Melrose Inn is open to all for Talent Night on the Porch. Here you’ll find cheap food and drink and the chance to share talents among various artists. This is a casual atmosphere to try out new poems, songs and even juggling techniques. I know there are some teen poets, singers, and guitar players out there that have been hiding their talents. Come on out and show us what you’re working on now. If you need to “plug in,” the Gallery Coffeehouse offers the Listening to Coffee open mic on Friday night. In this atmosphere you actually get a chance to “take the stage” for a shining moment. Start practicing in front of a crowd now. Then watch for the new “Tryon Idol” competition coming soon.

Saturday night teens looking to get out might also venture up to Saluda and take a date to the Purple Onion Café to hear the beautiful roots country music of Volatile Baby. Woo your sweetheart to the sweet sounds of these ladies’ harmonies as they sing a variety of songs ranging from “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” to Lennon’s “Imagine.” Or, if you feel like dancing, bring a group of friends over to the Saluda Mountain Jamboree for the live blues, country, and rock of Southern Pointe. In fact, dancers of all ages will enjoy their repertoire of music from the 50’s to current hits.

As a final note, I want to remind our young drivers to be safe. Traffic tickets are expensive, but a life can’t be replaced. Take care of each other and have fun while you’re out and about.

Chris Tinkler Sculpting a Beautiful Beast

One of the tricky things about interviewing a productive artist of any type is finding the time to have a conversation, since they seem to spend every waking hour working on their current endeavor. Weeks ago I heard that “Chris Tinkler is sculpting the Beauty and the Beast set out of foam, you should go see what he’s doing.” But Chris isn’t just sculpting the set, he’s also directing the show. The first few times I was able to find Chris he was already answering so many questions from costume designers, parents, the producer, the music director, and young actors that all I could do was sit back and watch the rehearsal process unfold.

He has assembled a group of highly talented kids from not only Polk County, but also Landrum and Chesnee who have worked hard to learn the music and their lines. Now as the opening on Thursday approaches, the technical details of set, costumes, light, props, and make-up are beginning to fall into place to create the magically look that will be the final polish for the hard work the kids have already done. I finally caught up with Chris on Saturday night at the Tryon Little Theatre workshop where he and his six year old son Jack were spending the evening carving more Styrofoam for the set so that it would be ready to paint on Sunday.

How did you get involved directing this summer’s teen musical?
I volunteered since Donna Everett was going to London this summer and would not be able to direct.

Why did you choose Disney’s Beauty & the Beast?
Originally we were talking about High School Musical. I was looking for a show that was challenging but interesting. Not something older like Rogers & Hammerstein but something newer that would appeal to the kids and an audience.

What about Beauty & the Beast was most appealing to you as a director?
The show has to move, it can’t be stagnant. They talked about just renting drops, but I thought we could create an interesting set and props. It would also provide a challenge to me as director. I thought it would also attract people because it’s not just a kid’s show, but the story of Beauty and the Beast.

Were you daunted by the technical difficulties of putting an animated film on stage?
I was in Beauty and the Beast at Flat Rock and knew what was going to be involved technically with the production.

What has been most challenging for you?
Directing 35 teenagers and all that entails. I do like how with them you can treat them like young adults and let them know directly when something isn’t working. There’s more to it than just being in a show. They learn responsibility and commitment to the process and seven weeks of work.

What has been the biggest challenge working with the kids?
There are so many different levels of experience. Madison Walter has already done about 20 shows, and I also have kids with lead roles who are in their first show. It’s been hard adapting my direction and knowing what to say to each individual to get what I need from them on stage.

Did you design the entire set yourself?
I did. I’m making it out of Styrofoam. It’s a way to achieve a 3D cartoon look that would be hard to do with just plywood.

Why are you so involved with building the set, when other directors leave that to TLT set building volunteers?
I tend to have a vision and a visual look I want for the show. I knew I would be carving foam and that was something I had done but was not familiar to the TLT crew.
Anything Goes was the best I’ve ever been of letting someone else take the reigns with the set and go with it. But I knew from the start of this show it would take more of my time.

How did you come up with carving Styrofoam?
We did Amal & the Night Visitors in college at East Carolina and I worked on set crew for that. They delivered a tractor trailer full of Styrofoam and we created an entire set of sand dunes out of it and it looked beautiful.

What has been the process?
I started off with sketches. It’s taken longer than I thought it would take. I forgot that we stayed up all night working on it in college. And it was different having a whole crew working together on it. I’ve thought that after this I should teach a “Foam Carving 101” class because it’s cheap and it looks good.

Chris while we’re talking is carving roof pieces for the town that look like thatch and shingles. What are you using to sculpt the Styrofoam?
Hot wires. Then we paint the foam to look like stone or wood or whatever it needs to be. Keller Yates was doing very fine detail work on some of the stone, and I had to remind him that the audience wouldn’t get a close up view. You have to paint with the idea that people will be looking at it from far away.

Where did you get all the hot wires?
After I found the Styrofoam company online that is in Anderson, SC (so it would be cheaper for delivery), they told me the name of the company I could order the hot wire set from online. I think they’re in Georgia.

I imagine that with the rehearsal schedule it’s hard to get teenagers to give up more of their social summer time to volunteer for set work.
It has been. I’ve had a few of the cast members help, the Yates family, Jack Carruth, Flynn Chaplin, and the Hughes family.

How have the kids responded to the set pieces?
They love them. We finally got the costumes in last night and they got to try them on and they all got excited about that too.

As Chris holds a flower that seems to drop and retrieve its petals…What is that?
Jack (Chris’ son): It’s the enchanted rose (the rest of the answer has been edited to keep the magic in the show). If you want to know how it works find the director after the show and ask to come backstage to see how it works. I’ll be working backstage so you may meet me backstage. Is that enough information?

What are you doing backstage?
Jack: I’ll be moving chairs, and I make sure everyone is quiet backstage. I shush everyone.

Chris: Tell what you did last weekend when you painted.
Jack: We splattered. I was white, Alexa was blue, and my dad was purple.
Chris: What did it do to the rocks?
Jack: It made the colors come off it and it made it look better.
Chris: What did it look like from the stage?
Jack: You can’t tell the splatters but it makes it more cool looking.

What do you think is the coolest thing about this show?
Jack: Probably the candle and the wardrobe and the teapot and Chip and the clock and salt and pepper, china plates, forks and knives and spoons.

So these are all people playing these parts?
Jack: Yes.

How do you make a person look like a candle stick?
Jack: Those things that go on lights that make colors are on his hands and he has cufflinks that come over it and he has one on his head. He has switch to turn them on and light shows through. Miss Teapot, Chip, and the Wardrobe have no hair, until they are human again.

Do the people shave their heads?
Jack: No their costume will be covering their hair.

What about the townspeople?
Jack: They have lanterns and sticks and swords. They can burn the objects and the candle can burn people’s butts.

Do they set people on fire onstage?
Jack: No, pretend fire. It has something to do with Velcro, but that’s all I’m going to say.

Anything else you would like people to know about this production?
Chris: These kids have really impressed me. I’m really pleased with the end result.

Catch the magic for yourself this weekend at the Tryon Fine Arts Center. The show runs Thursday through Saturday at 8pm with a matinee Sunday at 3pm.

See Beauty, Listen to Ring, and Reception with Cheek

Living the role of artist makes it hard to find time and money on weekend evenings to enjoy what other artists are doing. However, while I was living in Seattle in my early 20s I made it work by keeping a day job in a box office or other arts administration position which allowed me the special privilege of receiving tickets to plays and concerts or simply showing my pay stub at a club and being allowed in the door. The basic theory being if you’re “in the business” you’d still spend any money you had to spare on either the artist’s recordings or the bar. If you were a broke artist without a night gig, at least you weren’t watching TV but socializing and networking in an artistic environment.

Lately most of my weekends have been filled with work, so it was a rare treat last weekend to get out, even on a skimpy budget. With a little help from my friends I was able to see the fabulous Firecracker Jazz Band at Jack of the Wood in Asheville Friday. Saturday, I enjoyed a comfortable evening of conversation at the Gallery Coffeehouse and a few games of pool at Elmo’s in Tryon. Including the money spent on me by friends glad to see me out last weekend, the total cost was less than the price of taking a date to the movies in Spartanburg.

This weekend I’m paying my artistic dues by spending my weekend at Tryon Fine Arts Center making up the Beast for the Tryon Youth Center/Tryon Little Theatre production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. However, it won’t feel like work since the show is coming together beautifully and each night it will be exciting to hear how the audience responds to the wonderful spunky, silly, spooky, and even heart warming moments these teenagers are sharing with this show. The show opens tonight and only runs through Sunday, so be sure to call the box office for tickets. These teens deserve full houses for what they’ve learned socially and artistically this summer to present this lovely musical to the community.

If I wasn’t spending all my time at the theatre, I would catch a few more of the talented offerings in the area this weekend. Tonight Jason Ring brings his jazz guitar zest to the Purple Onion. You can choose your own budget for this event with their wide range of food offerings and donations at the door rather than a cover charge. Although, I’d say it wouldn’t hurt to bring at least enough cash for a CD to take home once this fellow wins your heart with his “flaming fingers.”
If you missed Aaron Burdett’s soulful mountain music last weekend you can catch him Friday night at Tosh’s Whistlestop Café. This is another “pay what you can” type of event that is well worth any hard earned dollars you can spare for the peaceful bliss of listening to beautiful music in the cool evening air.

Finally, even if I don’t make it to the artist reception Saturday night, I must find the time to make my way over to the Red Clover Gallery in Landrum to see the new exhibit INSIDE/OUT by plein air painter Linda Cheek. Her impressionistic style looks almost photographic to my eyes and each piece seems to invite me to step into that joyful moment as if the painting were merely a window to another place. I’m sure that walking through an entire exhibit of her work would help remind me that, as she says, “Everything under the sun is beautiful.”

Mattie Carruth’s Cultural Exchange with Heurtaux Family

Recently I had the chance to meet and visit with Polk County teen Mattie Carruth (daughter of Marianne and Mike Carruth) and her exchange family from France the Heurtaux’s. Mattie has recently returned from spending a year studying in Le Mans, France through the Youth for Understanding program. While waiting for the ladies to return from shopping, I had the chance to visit casually with Vincent and Maxim. I was comforted that even though my French skills are poor, Vincent spoke excellent English. He had just finished teaching me the game of Jungle Speed, a card game the Heurtauxs had brought from their Games/Toy Store to share with the Carruths, when the ladies returned. Marie Christina joined Mattie and Vincent late after stowing their supplies for this weekend’s camping trip to Cherokee.

How did you get involved with the exchange program?
Mattie: My mom and I were looking for a way for me to learn French without just sitting around and studying it. We were looking online for a program that was two weeks and found one that was actually a year with Youth for Understanding (YFU).

What drew you to the program?
Mattie: It was one of the cheaper ones and it seemed like a good organization. I also had a friend that had been through the program.

How did you go about applying?
Mattie: First they sent an information packet and then a stack of forms. Once you filled out the forms and sent them in they had you meet and interview with a representative to see if you would be a good representative of the US. For me it was hard because you were supposed to have a two year base of French and I only had a year and had not been in school (I was home-schooled). The French government was concerned about my ability to succeed in a French speaking school. My mom and I talked to our representative a lot and he conveyed my willingness to learn and how much I wanted to go and he was able to convince them. It was a big thing for me.

How did they pair you up with the Heurtaux Family?
Mattie: The family actually picked me.
Vincent: We also have forms to complete and then are sent stories from people like Mattie about why they want to come.

Why did you pick Mattie?
Vincent: We had two criteria, a girl and English speaking. We spoke English and thought it would be easier in the beginning. We liked her honesty about missing her family in her story and she seemed to be quite like us in habits. Simple habits and easy going.

What was your first impression?
Mattie: I was really scared because I didn’t speak French and I missed my home a lot. They were very welcoming though and happy to have me there and seemed very helpful to me. They helped me to learn and understand.

What were the first differences you noticed?
Mattie: I went from living here in the country to living in Le Mans, which is a city of 20,000, above the toy store the Heurtaux family owns. So the first thing I noticed was the noise of the city.
Vincent: It’s noisy here too, the river, the bugs, but it’s a different sort of noise.
Mattie: When France made it to the finals of the World Cup, every time they won a game everyone in the streets would honk their horns and yell.

What did you like about living in France?
Mattie: I liked the food. I liked going to school and how relaxed it was. If you didn’t have a class you could go home. I liked the food a lot. I like the language and the family. I enjoyed living in the city and being close to everything so I didn’t have to take a car everywhere. I could go shopping, the movie theatre, and the town hall to handle paperwork. We went to clubs to go tango dancing. Sometimes the whole family would go, but sometimes their kids stayed home because they didn’t enjoy it as much. It was neat. I definitely enjoyed the cheese and the bread.

What do feel were the most important things you learned in your year?
Mattie: Self confidence and maturity. Learning to speak up for myself and to be by myself. I learned how to not rely on people as much.

Do you feel like you would have learned the same in any country?
Mattie: I think it helped that French customs weren’t way different, but just different enough. That made it easier, but I would have learned the same in any non-English speaking country.

What were the classes like for you?
Mattie: At first I didn’t understand anything so they were boring and tiring. The teachers really wanted me to learn though, and thought what they had to teach was important. They were hard classes. I think the level was a lot higher than here, but I did well because I wanted to. I was able to figure it out and do as well as other students. The French class was really hard because we were reading texts from the 15th and 16th Century.
Vincent: It was hard for us too. In the beginning we tried to help translate and analyze the text, and we had to translate it from old French for ourselves first.

What advice would you give to someone else looking at a program like this?
Mattie: It’s hard but it’s worth it. I wanted to come home the first month, but it was worth it to stick it and be open to learning new things.

Is it normal for the family to come to America to visit?
Mattie: It’s not normal, it depends on how well you get along with the family.
Vincent: Mattie was the first person to come to our home so we created strong links. Since we had never been here it was a good excuse to visit.

What is your impression of Mattie’s world?
Vincent: We are on holiday or vacation and well received. The landscape is wonderful. We can do walks or hikes. It’s a holiday because we like them (the Carruth Family). It’s a different area. I live in a town, but my parents were farmers so I understand the country, but there are more woods here, and different species of plants and animals. But nice, it’s really good we’re having a good time here. I have to quit in three days and it seems to be very short. We arrived July 21st, but the shop is closed, so I have to go back and open it. What I like in this family we are not considered strangers. We help and even got involved helping with the set for The Little Prince (which Mattie’s mother Marianne directed). We did the same with Mattie, she wasn’t a stranger but part of my family.

What else has your family learned here?
Vincent: It’s for us a good practice for English. I hope that it might open the mind of our children for foreign language. My daughter and especially my son is very close to what is different here from his country. I hope that to come here will open his mind. I already am happy for simple sentences that he can speak of English.
Marie Christina: The life is different. Living here you need a car because everything is so spread out.
Vincent: We can see some American specific pictures in the cars. The cars are bigger with 4WD. In France they are smaller. Tattoos on the arm are bigger too, with flags. In American there are flags in front of houses, which is unusual in France. One thing that surprised us was the easiness to speak with someone you have not met.
Marie Christina: Like getting gas, you speak with the people, but in France you would not speak to anyone. People are more sociable. I enjoy that really, even if people are talking to us quickly and we don’t understand them.

I see from the pictures you went rafting, what all have you done here?
Mattie: It was everyone’s first time river rafting. My brother Casey was the river guide and he helped because he was very understanding. Nobody fell or got hurt. Well, people fell in, but no one was hurt. It was fun. We also went camping and square dancing.
Vincent: It was very different than tango, but similar to folk dance from Brittany. We had to try really hard to understand what the callers say to follow.
Marie Christina: That was on Wednesday when we had just arrived after a long journey.

Anything else you’d like to add?
Vincent: It was a great experience for us to receive a foreigner with knowing nothing but her little bit of text. It was a hard duty to receive her well and give her chances to pass with success in France.
Mattie: They did a good job.
Vincent: The fact that we are here today is because everything worked well.

The mission statement of YFU is “preparing young people for their responsibilities and opportunities in a changing, interdependent world.” The program offers educational exchange opportunities for youth ages 15-22 in about 38 different countries. If you or someone you know is interested in studying abroad, or if you are a family interested in hosting an exchange student, more information can be found out about the program at www.yfu.org or by calling their office toll free at 800-TEENAGE or 866-4 YFU USA.

Pickin’, Jammin’, and Rockin’ on the Porch

For as long as there have been porches on houses in the Carolina foothills, there have been musicians gathering on them to pick out some tunes while enjoying the cooling breeze of a summer evening. Perhaps it’s how the wood picks up the hum of the music, or maybe it just looks like a stage set up above the yard inviting listeners. I wonder how many porches are filled with music as part of a family or community gathering anymore. In this age of cell phones, games systems, television, and air conditioning it’s easy to stay inside and hide from the heat. But, if you step outside this weekend you just might find that the evening breeze is refreshing and there is music playing on a porch nearby.

Tonight you can take a stroll down Melrose Avenue at dinner time and find friendly faces welcoming you to join the fun on the front porch of the Historic Melrose Inn. There you will discover for just a few dollars you can help yourself to the buffet and plop yourself down on the porch to enjoy a variety of music, stories, and conversation. It’s Talent Night so feel free to dust off that instrument or other talent you’ve been hiding in the closet and bring it to join in the fun.

Up the hill in Saluda, a walk in the evening breeze will tantalize your senses with the savory smells from the Purple Onion and the beautiful sounds of acoustic Appalachian music drifting out the door to the patio. Aaron Burdett will be sharing his love of the traditional sounds of the region with his own unique fresh twist. Nurtured by pickin’ with some of Carolina’s finest old time and traditional musicians, his songs contain a strong roots based sound mixed with modern zest.

Friday night you’ll find even more porch music drifting down the streets of Saluda. Tosh’s Whistlestop is hosting John Frye on their porch, while at the other end of town you’ll hear the acoustic guitar sounds of George Simmons drifting from Frank & Amy’s Front Porch on the Caboose.

Back down in Tryon on Friday, the music will crank up in the outdoor amphitheatre at Rogers Park as the Summer Tracks series welcomes Jef Chandler Band and The Work. Pack yourself a picnic or bring a few dollars for hot dogs and ice cream as The Work gets your toes tapping with their “horn-driven funk.” Okay, so it’s a bit bigger than a porch, but you’ll need the room for dancing as their eclectic blend of bluegrass, jazz, blues, and funk lifts your spirits and gets you moving. Afterwards, slip on down to the Gallery Coffeehouse to grab a coffee and lend a voice, instrument, or ear to the Pickin’ Parlor. Often you’ll find the music and fun spilling out onto the sidewalk as the evening cools and folks gather there in the spirit of community.

Saturday night Saluda turns up the volume and offers everything from porch music to what might look like a modern day barn dance as folks “Dance to the Beat” with Legacy at the Saluda Mountain Jamboree. Shane Pruitt Band will be pouring out electrified blues from Frank & Amy’s Front Porch. Plus the patio at Purple Onion will be lively as Bob Sinclair brings back the sounds of old country, western swing, and jazz with his original take on traditional American song forms.

So turn off the electronics this weekend and find a porch that suits your style to sit back and enjoy a lovely summer evening with music, family and friends.