THRILLER

For those of you who missed the performance of "THRILLER" by the Studio G dancers at the first annual Arts Festival or on Halloween night, this is your chance to catch an Encore presentation:

November 13th at 6:00pm

Friday the 13th!!

Fountain Park

Main Street in Harrodsburg, KY

They promise a "howling good time"!!

Arts Festival Poetry Contest

The Arts Council of Mercer County
Presents
Arts Festival Poetry Contest


Three Categories
1. Adult
2. High School Students
3. Middle School Students
(This includes ALL Home School Students)

Entrants may submit up to 4 poems

Any length is ok but the subject must be “Art”
Entry fees are:
$1.00 for one poem
$3.00 for four poems

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS
October 12th, 2009

Winner will receive 5 copies of a chapbook of their poetry up to 20 pages. Entrants will be able to read some of their work at The Writer’s Café booth at the festival.


Entries and fees should be sent to The Arts Council of Mercer County, 235 Ashley Camp Rd. Harrodsburg, KY. 40330. Any questions should be sent to Tony Sexton at contentedme@hotmail.com

ArtVenture

Come join us for our 2nd ArtVenture at Eagles Nest Nature Preserve in Mercer County. Saturday, October 10th from 9 - 12 noon members of The Arts Council of Mercer County will meet at Eagles Nest on 700 Calvary Lane to enjoy a morning full of art inspiration. Eagles Nest is a 1,000 acre nature preserve in Mercer County with lakes, trails, wildlife and lots of other natural offerings. Bring your easels, paint brushes, sketch pads, notebooks, yarn, clay, musical instrument - whatever it takes to produce your art - and join us for a full-filled morning. Also, bring a dish for a potluck meal.

Pieceful Hands Studio

Check out the wonderful fiber artwork of local artist, Mary Alexander.

Mary is a member of The Gathering Artists, the Wilderness Trace Art League, the Studio Art Quilters Association, and the Kentucky Craft Marketing Program. She is also a charter member of KaBoom, a women writers’ group. The studio is located in her home onBeaumont Avenue in Harrodsburg, Kentucky.

A Kentucky Morning on Terrapin Hill

A Kentucky Morning on Terrapin Hill
By Bobbi Rightmyer

Awakened before dawn to the gentle tap of rainfall on the window panes,
the morning is cool with a hint of humidity touching the air.
As the day kisses the horizon and the dark clouds prevail,
my muse begins whispering sweet nothings in my ear.
Inspiration comes easy on these overcast days,
tho’ many will complain at the lack of sunbeams.
Fingers of thought gently caress my brain –
emotions are awaking from their sharp repose.
To Terrapin Hill I’ll make my escape,
the green rolling hills and the call of the calm.
Woodland groves with hardy young saplings grow in harmony with ancient woods –
Oaks, Walnuts, Cedars and Ash,
Hickory nut, Sycamore, Sweet Gum and Pine –
symbols of the frontier life, now gracing a modern time.
Native wildflowers still offer display,
surviving the dog days, tired from their summer work,
now preparing the offspring for next season’s life.
Goldenrod nods its head with the breeze and Joe-Pye weed follows suit;
Ironweed maintains its purple appeal, as asters wait to burst forth.
Cicadas are singing their sweet, blistering song,
as the cadence rises and falls like the crashing of waves.
Birds are trilling an opera as the morning marches on,
a call to a mate or the sharp chirp of warning.
More insects join the cicada chorus
and the occasional toad can be heard with his deep, throaty croak.
Muddy paths with slippery rocks, lead to moss lined trails at the wooded edge,
beckoning an entrance for all the wonders that wait –
peaceful solitude envelopes the soul.
Gentle breezes swaying the trees,
inviting fat droplets of rain to pepper down in tiny bursts.
Acorns are dropping and littering the ground,
along with walnuts and hickories, nature’s feast abounds.
Spiders are scurrying to build their webs, as squirrels begin to gather the nuts.
A rabbit is munching the remains of crown vetch,

his nose twitching, his ears alert.
My body is relaxed in this calming place,
just a brief moment away from the worries of life.
If ever you need a break from your stressful day, or a moment of peaceful solitude,
Terrapin Hill awaits with a soothing embrace
to help you wash the troubles away.

ArtVenture

The newly formed Arts Council of Mercer County held its first ever ArtVenture for all artists in our community - painters, sketch artists, writers, photographers, musicians, dancers, etc. The goal of an ArtVenture is to expose all artists to the same environment or inspiration and see what type of art is created.

We meet at Terrapin Hill Farm - a 375-acre organic working, sustainable farm in Mercer County - for a morning trip to inspire our creativity. We had people writing poems and short stories about the farm, doing sketching of local fauna, taking numerous photos and painting wonderful landscapes. At our next meeting, we will bring in our finished products to share with everyone.

Even though the morning started out as gray, overcast and rainy, the sun eventually came out and it was a beautiful morning. At the end of the morning, we were treated to a wonderful organic lunch, prepared by Terrapin Hill - most of the food was grown or raised on the farm. We ate several different varieties of tomatoes, dill pickles, bread 'n butter pickles, pasta salad, potato salad, and chicken salad (yes, from organic, free-range chickens). For dessert we were treated to cantalope, peaches, red and yellow watermelon and ice cream.

If you have never visited Terrapin Hill Farm, I encourage you to do so. There annual Harvest Festival is coming up September 24 - 27th.

The Ivory Gate

(Painting copyright of The Ivory Gate)

Here are some "artistic" opportunities available at The Ivory Gate located at 110 W. Poplar Street in Harrodsburg. The Ivory Gate is operated by Connie Goetsh and Sue Sutton.

LANDSCAPE AND STILL LIFE PAINTING CLASSES
*Cost for each 4-week session is $48, which includes all materials.*

FOR ELEMENTARY KIDS: Mondays 4 to 5:30pm
FOR PARENTS OR GRANDPARENTS AND KIDS: Mondays 6:30 to 8pm
SESSION I: September 14, 21, 28 and October 5
SESSION II: October 19, 26 and November 2, 9

FOR KIDS WHO HAVE ALREADY TAKEN AT LEAST 3 CLASSES: Wednesdays 3 to 4:30pm
SESSION I: September 9, 16, 23, 30
SESSION II: October 21, 28 and November 4, 11

FOR MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL KIDS: Thursdays 6:30 to 8pm
SESSION I: September 10, 17, 24 and October 1
SESSION II: October 22, 29 and November 5, 12

FOR ADULTS - OPEN STUDIO: Tuesdays 6 to 9pm and Thursdays 2 to 5pm
*Each 3 hour class is $25 if we provide supplies, or $20 if you bring your own supplies*
Adults work independently on paintings of their choosing, with as much or as little instruction and help as desired. Just call on the day you are coming ... no advance registration required.


FALL BREAK FUN
*Cost for each 3 day session is $36, which includes all materials.*

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, October 13, 14 and 15
SESSION I: Collage with Paper and Paint, 10:30 to noon
SESSION II: Mixed Media with Paint and Found Objects 2 to 3:30pm


FRIDAY NIGHT CRAFT CLASS
Traditional Hand Hooked Rugs
*Cost is $5 per class, plus materials.*
Every Friday night at 7pm, beginning September 18th. Call early to confirm your place and allow us time to assemble materials.


SATURDAY CLASSES
$12 per class

10:30 to noon November 14th - Paint a Harvest Door Hanging
10:30 to noon December 5th - Paint a Christmas Door Hanging


To register, or for more information, call 734-2266 or e-mail: theivorygate@bellsouth.net

Book Launch

Congratulations to Tony Sexton and Earl P. Dean on your successful book launch/mixer yesterday at the Kentucky Fudge Company. Tony has just released his first book of poetry, "Scraps," and Earl has release a science fiction novella, "A Tailor Maiden's Secret."

Both of these books are available at Wasteland Press and Amazon.

Herschel McKinley - the MC (Photo by Bobbi Rightmyer)

Tony Sexton (Photo by Bobbi Rightmyer)

Earl P. Dean (Photo by Cheryl Sexton)

Earl P. Dean and Tony Sexton (Photo by Cheryl Sexton)

Arts Council Meeting - August 13, 2009

The Arts Council of Mercer County held its 2nd meeting on Thursday night, August 13, 2009 at the Mercer County Cooperative Extension office. The agenda consisted of:

• The first ArtVenture will be Saturday, August 29, 2009 from 9am until 12 noon at Terrapin Hill Farm. An organic lunch will be offered for only $10, or you can bring your own sack lunch. The morning of nature is an attempt to speak the creative muse of all types of artists, including, but not limited to: writers, photographers, painters, sculptures, potters, fiber arts, metal workers and wood workers.

• The first Fall Arts Fair will be Saturday, September 12, 2009 from 1oam until 6pm. Any artist willing to demonstrate and/or sell their work is encouraged to set up a booth. There will be music and food vendors, as well as a children's area to create and display art.

In immediate business, discussion was giving to the formation of the following committees:

• Fall Arts Festival Committee
• Downtown Art Project Committee
• Fundraising Committee
• Events and Ideas Commitee

We also discussed the potential of an Arts Council building and art gallery space.



Our fearless leader, Joy Mosko (photo by Tony Sexton)

These are crowd photos from the meeting (photos by Tony Sexton)