Deadline Sept 10: 2010 Taste of the Blue Ridge seeks artists. Event is a fundraiser for the United Way and has seen rapid growth in attendance over the past two years. Projected attendance is 300+ who will have the opportunity to sample food and beverages from area restaurants and farmers.  Additional activities include cooking demonstrations, local music and tablescapes. 2010 event will be held on Mon, Sept 13, 5:30-8:30pm at the Cross Street Building in Spruce Pine. For more info, contact Jerry Jackson at jerryjackson@penland.org or phone 252-813-3489

The Parkway Playhouse has announced that it will hold open auditions for its 2010 Holiday production of A Christmas Carol.  The auditions will be held at the Parkway Playhouse/Mountain Heritage Center campus located at 113 Green Mountain Dr on Sept 25 at 10-3pm and on Sept 26 from 2-5pm.    Performances of the production will be Dec 17-19 at Mountain Heritage High School’s Tomberlin Auditorium.
The cast for the production calls for a cast of 20-30 performers aged 6 and up.  There are numerous speaking roles and singing roles for adults and children. Children 6-15 audition on Sat, Sept 25, 10am and should be prepared to sing a few lines of a well-known Christmas song, read scenes , and potentially learn a short dance.  Adults 16+ (speaking role) audition Sat, Sept 25, 1pm.  Adults should be prepared to read, sing, and move as well.  Children and adults for ensemble/chorus roles come on Sun, Sept 26, 2 pm. No advance preparation or experience is required or necessary. Being familiar with the original story and its colorful characters  is beneficial. For more info, call 828-682-4285 or go to www.parkwayplayhouse.com.

Sept 10-11: Calling all 2010 Carolina Mountains Literary Festival Volunteers. It is almost that time again and this will be our 5th year, and we are interested in knowing who might be able to help this year. Volunteers are what help us keep going, in money, or in time, and we appreciate both-session coordinators, people to help at the Welcome Desks, for runners, for help in setting up some tents for Sat storytelling, for help with food for the presenters, audio visual equipment help, selling food with the Rotary club and  generally just help. The title this year is Coming Home. If you can help, call Mike Hoskins, Volunteer coordinator, 828-682-4505

Deadline Aug 30: Carolina’s Got Art!, kicks off a touring exhibition across the Carolinas in Oct.  It’s a great chance for Carolinas artists to take part, get their name out, sell work and win up to $10,000 in cash and prizes. Traveling Show: Up to 50 pieces from the show will travel across NC/SC. Chosen from the entries not chosen for the main event, the Salon des Refusés will open at Elder Gallery in Charlotte on Oct 7-Nov 30. www.carolinasgotart.com

Deadline July 30-31: In August, VAE will celebrate photographers and the work they produce with unframed photographs in an exhibition Aug 6-26. Photographs on canvas & photographs with mats will NOT be accepted. Non-juried. To enter, deliver actual work to VAE from 11-4pm. One entry per artist. All works must be unframed. Works cannot exceed 36″ in any direction. Entry fee $5-VAE members/$10-non-members. For more info email meredith@visualartexchange.org

No Deadline: We would like to invite Artists, Musicians and Food Vendors to apply for the Bakersville Creekwalk Arts Festival to be held on Sept 25 (10am-5pm). Proceeds from past festivals have addressed local needs such as stocking food banks, providing heating subsidies for the elderly and town beautification projects.
App/$10; Booth/$75. Fo more info, contact Dawn Dalto at 828.216.9929 or bakersvillefestival@gmail.com

A new business in town…Couture Boatworks will be hand-building woodstrip conoes and flat-bottom river boats, also kid’s-scale boats and model ship (kits & completed).  All this will be happening at the Little Switzerland Bookstore (back room). As part of our plans, we are encouraging local artist/craftspeople to consider consignments to our gallery space on the upper level. For more info, contact Rick Gougeon at rick@craftsmanhr.com or call 828-765-9070.

The Parkway Playhouse is gearing up for its 64th season, which starts on June 4 and runs through Sept 4. Included in the season are two major musicals; Annie, based on the popular comic strip from the 30’s/40’sand Guys and Dolls, the classic Broadway Fable. Both productions will feature a small ensemble of musicians to play the score and the Parkway Playhouse is seeking musicians who are interested in being a part of these productions.  Musicians needed are bass, keyboards, strings, woodwinds, and brass. Each production will have approximately 9 performances over 3 weekends during the summer and musicians will be expected to be available for all performances as well as some rehearsals with the shows music director and cast prior to the production’s opening. In addition to being able to make rehearsals and performances musicians must have their own instrument and be over the age of 16. All musicians should be prepared to play an audition piece if asked. The window of dates for participating in Annie are June 1-July 10; Guys and Dolls’ dates are June 23-Aug 7. Musicians selected will receive a modest stipend for participating. Interested musicians should call the Parkway Playhouse at 828-682-4285 or email the theatre, info@parkwayplayhouse.com.

Toe River Crafts in Celo will be holding their spring jurying on April 10. Please bring 5 items representative of your work marked with retail prices along with contact and bio information. A description of your work and process is also helpful in our decisions. Indicate your working status. Working members receive 75% and are responsible for tending the shop approx. 7 times/season and attending 3 meetings/workdays. Consignment members receive 60%. For more info or to drop off work, contact Becky Gray 675-4998

We are pleased to invite you to be a part of an exciting annual event at the Mtn Heritage HS College and Career Fair 2010, held Fri, Mar 5, 8:25-noon.
All students in grades 9-12, as well as Cane River Middle School 8th graders, will have the opportunity to visit the educational, vocational and business sector booths that participate.  Students will come prepared with questions relating to career and educational requirements as well as opportunities for growth and advancement for your particular field. We will have random drawings for prizes that will keep student motivation high, and we encourage you to bring “goodies” for them in an effort to engage them while they are exploring careers and higher educational opportunities that are available in our area.
Your participation in this event will bring to our students many exciting ideas about careers, and an inside look about training and education needed after high school. Most importantly, this is a unique opportunity to show Yancey Cty students that we, as a united community, care about them and their futures, and that we are committed to helping them create a vision for their future that includes staying in school…through high school and beyond. Space limited on a first come first served basis. Mail your app and any special requests, or additional ideas, by Feb 19 to: Mountain Heritage High School, Attn:  Ben Varney, PO Drawer 70, Burnsville, NC  28714. For more info, e-mail bcvarney@yanceync.net.