Volume I No.13 | March 26, 2019
ARTS NEWS
& PROFILES
FROM
FLORIDA'S
TREASURE COAST & BEYOND
In This Issue
Gospel Festival at First Pres - Linda Fairstein at Vero Beach Book Center - New Dimensions for Vero Beach Art Club - Jazz Week Update - JoAnn Falletta with Indian River Symphonic Association - Indialantic Chamber Singers - Road Trip to Apalachicola

Calendar Listings
EASY LINKS - Scroll down for easy clicking to your favorite place's website
Guidelines for submitting to ARTS BLAST and
the Cultural Council of Indian River County's CulturalCalendar.org.

Because I do tend to go on, Arts Blast could be clipped toward the end. If you run into "see entire message", click on it to see it all. Thanks for the tip, Robin.
The End is Near - of Season, That is
It’s coming to that time of year when the words "final performance” pop up quite often. You'll find those words in this issue of Arts Blast and what a season this has been! I recently heard a term that probably fits right about now: Event Fatigue. Have you been feeling it? Hang on and keep supporting our local arts community. The finish line is in view.

One of my favorite road trips of all-time was just a few years ago, when Louise, my best friend from high school, flew in, rented a convertible, and picked me up to take off on a road trip, sort of like Thelma and Louise, but without the driving off a cliff part. Using basic arithmetic we figured out how we could get to the Panhandle and back in time to have Thanksgiving dinner on a beach in Vero and get her to the airport for her flight home. A mini goal was to spend a morning in a silk-painting workshop with Joyce Estes on St. George Island. So, off we went, top down, shades on, and scarves billowing in the breeze. 

Since that trip, Hurricane Michael happened to the Panhandle. Before deciding to make Apalachicola the Road Trip this week, I looked at a map and was reminded of just how close Apalachicola is to Mexico Beach, the scene of so much devastation. A bunch of emails and some internet research later I decided to go ahead with a Road Trip segment on Apalachicola. Please report in if you've been to the Panhandle since Michael.

A reader emailed with a suggestion for those taking the Morse Museum Road Trip in Arts Blast a couple of weeks ago:
A suggestion if someone goes to Morse Museum (which the reader did recently) is to lunch at the Alfond Inn in Winter Park. It's an easy few blocks walk, about a ½ mi from the Morse. They have a wonderful contemporary art collection which is a big part of their attraction and great to view while there. Wonderful food and lovely patio for eating if weather is inviting.  https://thealfondinn.com  The hotel is connected to Rollins College and the art collection is part of Rollins' Cornell Art Museum collection. 
Thanks, Lee.
Send in your comments and recommendations for Road Trips as well as information for Arts Blast. Guidelines are at the end of each issue.
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Do you know someone who should win a Cultural Council of Indian River County Laurel Award?
Nominations are now open for the 2019 Laurel Awards. All members of the Cultural Council are encouraged to nominate a person or business you feel is deserving of a Laurel Award. Deadline for submitting nominations to the Cultural Council is March 29, 2019 . Your nominee must be in agreement of the nomination, available for the publicity photo prior to the event, and be in attendance at the Annual Laurel Award Presentation, May 8, 2019 at Riverside Theatre. See the nomination forms and instructions online at cultural-council.com. For more information contact the Cultural Council, 772-770-4857
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Note from Space Coast Symphony Orchestra:
We have made  Symphony for Everyone  available for the Yale Whiffenpoofs, March 26 (Vero Beach) and March 30 (Cocoa Beach).  
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Ballet Vero Beach returns to its roots in the April 5 and 6 season-ending, comedic closer. Adam Schnell and company are taking direct aim at your funny bone with Comedy Tonight. In the first season, Schnell said, “We had a comedic work on every program. We have not done that recently, so a whole program of comedic work, for me, is a return to our roots.”

The program includes Peter Anastos’s razor-sharp parody of Neo-Classical dance,  Go for Barocco , as well as Camilo A. Rodriguez’s touching and hilarious  Hang On, No Need To Be Lonely. A nother Anastos work,  La Trovatiara Pas de Cinq , will be performed in this program and then added to Ballet Vero Beach’s permanent repertoire. Meant to mimic the ballets that exist within the great Verdi operas, this swashbuckling work, with its band of female pirates, will have audiences roaring.

Performances are at Vero Beach High School’s Performing Arts Center April 5 at 8 p.m. and April 6 at 2 and 8 p.m. Buy tickets at balletverobeach.org or call the VBHS PAC box office at 772-564-5537. Find and like Ballet Vero Beach on Facebook for fun and insightful postings.

Watch a video on YouTube for an in-depth conversation about comedy in ballet, and go inside the studio ahead of Program 3: Comedy Tonight! Adv.
Gospel Festival at First Presbyterian Church - Vero Beach
The concert series at First Presbyterian Church of Vero Beach will have a jubilant end this weekend, when the Troy University Gospel Singers (TUGS) come to town for a community-wide Gospel Festival. TUGS will be in concert in the sanctuary alone Friday night, March 29, at 7 p.m., directed by James Brown, assistant professor of choral music at Troy University’s John M. Long School of Music. 

Saturday night is the concert that connects First Presbyterian with community choirs and churches and the Troy University Gospel Singers. Everyone will gather at the church March 30 for two rehearsal sessions, 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., with a lunch break in the middle, getting ready for the big concert at 4 p.m. in the First Pres sanctuary. 
Jacob Craig, director of music and arts at First Pres said, “We are honored to host such fine musicians, and deeply appreciate their willingness to travel here and share themselves with our community. Dr. James Brown has a special relationship with this style of music, and a truly impactful interpretation of the genre.”

Brown had his first experience with gospel music during his doctoral studies. He said, “I had the opportunity to attend a concert by the Gospel Choir, and I ended up feeling so moved spiritually and musically, that my family and I attended all of the Gospel Choir concerts until the completion of my studies.”

The theme for the TUGS concert is “With My Whole Heart,” Brown said. “This program includes some ‘old school’ gospel tunes as well as some of the most recent literature Gospel artists have recorded.” He explained that African American Gospel music coincided with “and is germane to” the development of rhythm and blues. “The precursor to black Gospel music is the African American spiritual, which had already been around for well over a century before Gospel music began its rise to popularity starting in the 1930s.”
Explaining the difference between gospel music and spirituals, Brown said, “Gospel means good news. … According to slave narratives by Fredrick Douglass and Sojourner Truth, the Africans were forced to sing both on ship and on land. But out of these painful experiences would grow forth one of America's greatest art forms – the Negro spiritual.” He added that gospel music adds instrumentation and the concert spiritual is a cappella .

Aretha Franklin put “Think” on the pop charts in 1968, Brown said, and with “O Happy Day” by the Edwin Hawkins Singers in 1969, “church-centric Gospel music began to cross over into the mainstream.”

Craig said, “The Troy University Gospel Singers have a long-standing history of truly excellent performance in upholding a historical tradition.” Both concerts are free to the community; a $10 donation is suggested, he added.
News from First Presbyterian Church:
Director of Music and Arts Jacob Craig will present a Doctoral Lecture on Messe solennelle en l’jonneur de Sainte Cecile Sunday, March 31, at 5 p.m. in the church sanctuary. All are welcome to attend.
On Sunday, April 14 ,the First Presbyterian Church of Vero Beach will present  Messe solennelle en l’jonneur de Sainte Cecile  (Solemn Mass in honor of St. Cecilia) by Charles Gounod.Two free performances will take place during the 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. services in the church sanctuary at 520 Royal Palm Boulevard, Vero Beach. There is no ticket needed.
Photos -TUGS Director James Brown; The Troy University Gospel Singers, directed by Dr. James Brown; Troy University Gospel Singers (TUGS) performing for Rosa Parks’s funeral in Montgomery,AL; TUGS performs at the William Dawson Festival at Tuskegee University-
Photo credit all: Troy University
On the Calendar - St. Lucie County
March 26, 8:30 p.m. -Jazz Week Steve Ahern show at Sunrise Black Box Theatre.

March 27, 11 a.m.- 2 p.m. - Jazz Week-Latin Swing on the Fort Pierce waterfront, Melody Lane.

March 27, 6:30-9 p.m. -Jazz Week - FDO-Dancin’ in the Street at 2nd Street Bistro, 122 N. 2nd St., Fort Pierce.

March 27, 7 p.m. - An Evening with Tony Bennett at Sunrise Theatre, Fort Pierce.

March 28, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. - Jazz Week-Jazz Ensemble, Melody Lane, Fort Pierce.

March 28-20 7 p.m., March 30, 2 p.m. - The Odd Couple at McAlpin Fine Arts Theatre on Fort Pierce campus of Indian River State College.

March 29-31, times vary - Treasure Coast Carnival & Music Festival at Causeway Cove Marina. ( tcmusicfestival.com)

March 29, 5-7 p.m. - Anita Prentice Art show and sale at Heathcote Botanical Gardens, Fort Pierce.

March 30, 9 a.m. & March 31, 10 a.m. - Spring plant sale at Heathcote Botanical Gardens, Fort Pierce.

March 30, 7 p.m. - Docs Rock concert to benefit HANDS of St. Lucie County at Sunrise Theatre.

March 14-31  - The Lady Swims Today plays at Pineapple Playhouse, Fort Pierce.

March 31 , 10 a.m.-2 p.m. - Port St. Lucie Arts League Art Show, 1855 SW Fountainview Blvd Port St Lucie.

March 9 - 4/28  - Backus & Butcher and the Florida Landscape is the exhibit at the Backus Museum & Gallery, Fort Pierce.

April 2, 2 p.m. - Alligators in Florida Culture at Backus Museum & Gallery Fort Pierce. Florida Humanities Council, free. Advance registration required.

April 3, 7 p.m. - Murphy’s Celtic Legacy Irish Dance Reborn at the Sunrise Theatre, Fort Pierce.

April 7, 2-4 p.m. - Tea in the Gardens fundraiser at Heathcote Botanical Gardens, Fort Pierce

The  St. Lucie Cultural Alliance  has several calls for artists listed.

Pineapple Playhouse community theatre, 700 W Weatherbee Rd, Fort Pierce is looking for directors. 

Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens is host to  T he Fort Pierce Jazz & Blues Society for Wednesday Jazz Jams on alternate Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. There is a cover charge.

 The Fort Pierce Jazz & Blues Society's Jazz Market is  every Saturday , rain or shine, along the waterfront in downtown Fort Pierce. 
Romance and Passion with Marcos Flores
at Christ by the Sea
The final concert before the Easter Cantata at Christ by the Sea United Methodist Church in Vero Beach features the dazzling finger work of Dr. Marcos Flores, director of worship arts at Christ by the Sea.

In Marcos Flores, Romantic Piano Concert , Marcos will mesmerize the audience with the romantic mood of Brahms' Rhapsodies Op. 79 and Chopin's 4th Ballade. After an intermission, he will launch into the dynamic Sonata in B Minor by Franz Liszt, 30 solid minutes of music known for its technical difficulty.

Marcos Flores, Romantic Piano Concert
March 31, 3 p.m.

Christ by the Sea United Methodist Church is at 3755 Hwy. A1A, Vero Beach. Tickets are available in advance at http://www.cbtsumc.org/concert-series/ and at the door.
On the Calendar - Indian River County
March 12-31  - A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum plays at Vero Beach Theatre Guild.

March 12-31  - My Fair Lady continures at Riverside Theatre.

March 26-April 14 - Ghostwriter is on the Waxlax stage at Riverside Theatre.  

March 26, 7 p.m. - The Yale Whiffenpoofs are at Emerson Center, Vero Beach.

March 27, 2 p.m. - Karen Tripson talks about, signs and offers tastings from her book at McKee Botanical Garden.

March 28, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. - A Quick Write and a Bite at Laura (Riding) Jackson Foundation, 1914 14th Ave., Vero Beach. www.lauraridingjackson.com 

March 28 , 2 p.m. - Travel film: “Nova Scotia & Newfoundland” and “Tahiti & Bora Bora” at North IRC Library, 1001 Sebastian Blvd., Sebastian. Free. www.friendsncl.org 

March 28,  11 a.m. - The Lenten Poetry and Organ series continues at Community Church of Vero Beach.

March 29 6-8 p.m. - Opening reception for Vero Beach Art Club’s New Dimensions 3-D show at Marsh Island Clubhouse.

March 29, 6-9 p.m. - It's Downtown Friday Vero Beach on 14th Avenue.

March 29-30 - Troy University Gospel Singers are at First Presbyterian Church, Vero Beach. 7 p.m Friday, 4 p.m. Saturday. $10 donation suggested.

March  Through 29 - William McCarthy oils at Gallery 14, Vero Beach.

March 29, 7 p.m. - 11 musicians of the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra will play a free chamber concert of Baroque era classics at Christ Church, Vero Beach. Free, with a suggested $10 donation. www.SpaceCoastSymphony.org

March 29-31  -Vero Beach Art Club's New Dimensions Fine Art Show is at Marsh Island Clubhouse. Opening reception 3/29 6-8 p.m. Show hours 10-4 Sat., Sun.

March 30, 5-8 p.m. - Martini Madness at Stouthouse www.stouthousewhereartistscreate.com 
March 31, 3 p.m. -Marcos Flores in Romantic Piano Concert at Christ by the Sea United Methodist Church, A1A, Vero Beach. cbtsumc.org

March 31, 1 p.m. - Linda Fairstein signs Blood Oath at Vero Beach Book Center.

March -  McKee Botanical Garden  has the Seward Johnson sculpture exhibit through 4/28

March  - Various Lagoon activities at  Environmental Learning Center , Wabasso

March  -  Center for Spiritual Care  in Vero Beach has the art of Susan Bouma on exhibit through March 30.

March  -  AAUW Vero Beach  collects books K-5th for the Little Free Library.

March-May - Rita Blanco Sprague art is at the Indian River County Courthouse.

April 2, 7:30 p.m. - Atlantic Classical Orchestra’s Masterworks IV
Strength & Providence is at Community Church of Vero Beach.

April 7, 3 p.m. - Atlantic Classical Orchestra’s Chamber Series III  Two Dramatic Piano Trios is at Vero Beach Museum of Art. Ticketed, reservations required.

April - May 6 - Victorian Radicals: From the Pre-Raphaelites to the Arts and Crafts Movement continues at Vero Beach Museum of Art.
Linda Fairstein at VBBC
The Vero Beach Book Center will have author Linda Fairstein in the house at 1 p.m. March 31. Fairstein is a big fan of Vero Beach and the Book Center. She said, “It’s a joy for writers to come to Vero because your Book Center is an extraordinary venue, and there aren’t many comparable booksellers throughout most of the country.”

Although Fairstein’s novels deal with a sensitive subject, the violence of sexual and domestic abuse, she finds that her audience doesn’t change from small town to large city. “The common denominator is intelligent readers and the Vero fans who follow me seem to have embraced my characters and issues.”

The author spent decades in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. She joined those ranks in 1972, before there was a Special Victims Unit in any police department or prosecutor’s office in the country, she said. “Attitudes have changed greatly, for the better, and television shows as well as books have helped expand awareness of these subjects.”

Fairstein said writing novels about her work with victims of violence is “fabulous, in that it allows me to express my passion for the job that I had for so many years.” She misses the courtroom and her colleagues, she said, but gets to relive that part of her life through her characters.

Writing was Fairstein’s dream through high school and college but when graduation time rolled around, she realized she’d need a career, a day job. An interest in public service nudged her toward law school and a career in law that she loved and that became the basis of her crime novels, she said.

After law school, a position opened up that she couldn’t refuse. “I was one of very few women given the opportunity to join the staff of the great Manhattan DA, Frank Hogan - the 7th woman on his staff of 200 lawyers.”

Fairstein’s latest Alexandra Cooper novel is Blood Oath, published by Penguin Random House.
On the Calendar - Palm Beach County
March 31, 3 p.m. - Pianist Leon Fleisher in rare solo recital at Society of the 4 Arts. Post- recital Q&A

April 3, 7:30 p.m. - Atlantic Classical Orchestra’s Masterworks IV: Strength & Providence at Eissey Campus Theatre, Palm Beach State College, Palm Beach Gardens

April 8-25, times vary - 41st annual Members Show & Sale at Lighthouse ArtCenter, Tequesta
Jazz Week in Fort Pierce
  The music continues in Fort Pierce on Melody Lane and Second Street as Jazz Week heads into its second half with a batch of free concerts. It’s Latin swing for your Wednesday lunchtime pleasure from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., followed by FDO’s Dancin’ in the Street. That one will close down Second Street, so plan your driving and parking accordingly. 

Thursday is Fort Pierce Jazz and Blues Society’s Performance Ensemble’s turn to accompany your long lunch. It will be a blues lunch Friday with the artist to be announced. Get the up-to-date schedule online at www.jazzsociety.org.

A reminder: The free concerts are really free, but donations for the music scholarship program will be gratefully received.
INDIALANTIC CHAMBER SINGERS
For the Indialantic Chamber Singers, the next concert is all about setting well-known poetry to music. Among the poems inspiring the Poetry in Song performance are those by Shakespeare, Poe, Dickinson, Tennyson, Frost, and Emma Lazarus’ words on the Statue of Liberty set to the melody of “America the Beautiful.” In case you’ve forgotten how that poem, The New Colossus ends:
"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

The chorale will be staying north of the southern county line for Poetry in Song. They’ll be at Advent Lutheran Church, 7550 N. Wickham Rd. in Suntree March 29 at 7:30 p.m., and at Eastminster Presbyterian Church, 106 North Riverside Dr., Indialantic, March 31 at 3:30 p.m. 
Above right: Beth Green, interim artistic director.
On the Calendar - Martin County
March 25 - Registration for summer camps at Lyric Theatre begins.

March 26, 7 p.m. - The Sicilian Tenors are in concert at The Lyric Theatre, Stuart.

March 28, 7 p.m. - Tribute to Doc Grober with the Mudcats at Lyric Theatre, Stuart.

March 31, 7 p.m. - Rita Rudner at Lyric Theatre, Stuart.

April 4-7, times vary - StarStruck Academy & Theatre, 2101 S. Kanner Hwy., Stuart, presents Guys & Dolls

April 5, 4 & 8 p.m. - Atlantic Classical Orchestra’s Masterworks IV - Strength & Providence at Lyric Theatre, Stuart.

April 5-6, 3 p.m. - Treasure Coast Community Singers’ Chamber Singers presents the work of Vaughan Williams, Mass in G minor, at North Stuart Baptist Church

April 6, 11 a.m. - Atlantic Classical Orchestra’s Chamber Series III  Two Dramatic Piano Trios at the Blake Library, Stuart.

April 9, 5:30-7:30 p.m. - Sunset Concerts at the Gallery: SuzukiLighthouse Strings at Courthouse Cultural Center, Stuart. Free, open to the public, space limited.

Brandon Glick presents a concert series at St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Stuart .

March - The Mansion at Tuckahoe offers tours in Indian Riverside Park, 1707 NE Indian River Dr., Jensen Beach, the first and third Wednesdays through April, 10 and 11 a.m., then every Wednesday in May.
New Dimensions for Vero Beach Art Club
The Vero Beach Art Club just keeps pushing its boundaries, expanding its dimensions. Four years ago Art on the Island was added to the list of successful ventures that includes mega show Under the Oaks, Art in the Park, and Art by the Sea. Art on the Island was a members-only, 3-dimensional show and sale held at the Marsh Island clubhouse and it became a hit immediately.

At the end of last season, it was decided to take it up a notch, and New Dimensions, a juried 3-dimensional show with artists from around the country, was created. Seventy pieces were selected from the work of 180 applicants, including Robert Cantor, Beverly Davis, David Zahn and Heiko Weiner. About one third of the artists accepted are from this area.

Tim Sanchez, a Vero Beach artist, has been juried into New Dimensions with a 3-dimensional relief sculpture “utilizing found materials that have been assembled in an asymmetrical format, mounted on canvas and sealed in a Plexi acrylic box.” Sanchez appreciates this opportunity for the community to see a cross section of the national art scene. “Having a national juried show sponsored by the Art Club has extended the club's parameters to provide to the community works that are representative from different parts of the country. … The Treasure Coast has always been supportive of the arts. By providing this kind of show for the community, the Vero Beach Art Club has raised the bar with such a visual and satisfying event.” 

The opening reception for the first New Dimensions exhibit is March 29 at 6 p.m., with the show open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 30-31. The Marsh Island clubhouse is off CR510, with its driveway entrance almost directly across from the entrance to the Environmental Learning Center. 
Relief Assemblage mounted in Plexi box 34"h x 48"w x 4"d by Tim Sanchez
JoAnn Falletta & the Buffalo Phil Return to Vero 
Officially, Maestra JoAnn Falletta has been in Vero Beach four times, all of them with the Buffalo Philharmonic and all for the Indian River Symphonic Association. Unofficially, that wasn’t enough. Falletta said, “I have been here a few other times, just visiting, and loving it!” 

She calls the Indian River Symphonic Association (IRSA) great friends and wants to spend even more time here developing other friendships. “We always connect with our Buffalo family (in Vero Beach) and through them I have met many wonderful people.”

IRSA concerts are always held at Community Church of Vero Beach, where, Falletta said, “the acoustics are warm and resonant, and we feel very close to the audience.” On the program for the April 4 concert: Borodin’s Overture to Prince Igor; Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major; and Prokofiev  Selections from Romeo and Juliet.
Italian pianist Fabio Bidini, a finalist at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth in 1993, is featured in the Brahms. A reviewer of this same program in the Buffalo News last weekend wrote, “Bidini’s past appearances with the BPO included Romantic showpieces in Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov, and here his deeply resonant tone and rock-solid technique was again an ideal fit for Brahms. In addition to the requisite big sound, Bidini’s ability to bring out melodic lines amidst the thickly woven textures was a masterclass for any aspiring pianist.” Possibly a spoiler for Vero Beach Audiences: There was an encore, Khachaturian’s "Masquerade Suite" waltz.

There’s another side to Falletta’s career and it has strings attached. “The classical guitar was the vessel that transported me to a magical world of music! I received a little guitar on my seventh birthday and my first lesson the next day! I have always kept the guitar close to me — it is a perfect foil to the extroverted world of the orchestra conductor.” The JoAnn Falletta International Guitar Concerto Competition is held in Buffalo in alternating years and the 2018 event set a milestone. A South Korea woman, Bokyun Byun, was awarded first prize, the first woman in Falletta Competition history to receive it. She also was given the Musician’s Choice Award. 
Traveling so much for work takes careful planning, but “music brings me so much joy and fulfillment that the traveling is a small price to pay,” Falletta said. And it helps a little that her husband, Robert, is playing in the clarinet section as an extra in Vero Beach. “This will be the last stop on our tour this year, and the musicians and I are looking forward to celebrating with our beloved Vero Beach audience…. And I want to express our heartfelt gratitude to the IRSA for their invitation and welcome.”
Left-With Leonard Bernstein
Photo Credit from top: Mark Dellas, Cheryl Gorsky, Eliese Theuer; Louis Brunelli
From the Cultural Council of Indian River County
VERO BEACH – The Cultural Council of Indian River County’s popular Arts in Public Places program has been expanded to include art in the passenger waiting room at the Vero Beach Regional Airport. More than 20 works of art by local artists were installed at the Airport in time for the last Saturday’s Airport Heritage Day, celebrating the airport’s 90th Anniversary & Vero Beach Centennial.

Airport Director Eric Menger, who joined Cultural Council Executive Director Barbara Hoffman for the installation, said he was pleased with the excellent quality of the art selected. He added there would be plenty of passengers to view the art work with the growing airport now facilitating nearly 20,000 passengers flying in and out of the airport each year.

Through the Arts in Public Places program, the Cultural Council arranges exhibitions of local art in public buildings and serves in an advisory capacity in the selection and installation of art pieces. Calls for art are frequently sent out to artists to provide art pieces for the Art in Public Places Exhibitions. Art chosen to be exhibited is for sale to the public. A selection committee is created for each location where the Cultural Council member artists' work is reviewed and selected for the 3 month rotating exhibitions in Indian River County and Vero Beach public buildings. The Cultural Council coordinates and encourages Public Art projects and serves as an advocate for public art in Indian River County. Exhibits already exist at the Indian River County Courthouse and the Indian River County Administration Complex. Another new installation of art is scheduled soon for the County’s Intergenerational Recreation Center.
Photo credit: CCIRC - Barbara Hoffman and Eric Menger
On the Calendar - Brevard County
March 28, 7 p.m. - 11 musicians of the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra will play a free chamber concert of Baroque era classics at Eastminster Presbyterian Church, 106 N. Riverside Dr., Indialantic. Free, with a suggested $10 donation. www.SpaceCoastSymphony.org
ROAD TRIP! Apalachicola & the Forgotten Coast
This is tops on my re-do list of Road Trips. Heading for St. George Island with an old friend several years ago was one of those decisions I'll always be glad I made. It was my first trip to Florida's Panhandle and my first exposure to the Gulf Coast north of Sarasota.

There are a couple of ways to get there. As you might know, there aren't a lot of roads that cross the state. We decided to head west, then north, getting as far as Chiefland the first day. If your Florida experience is limited to the growing cities and busy roads of the southeast coast, you're in for a treat as you find small town after small town along the way.

If you have leisure time and are intrigued by lighthouses, go north along the east coast and combine your Apalachicola road trip with a lighthouse road trip . Check out a website that has very cool stuff, www.onlyinyourstate.com, where I found the lighthouse trip.
I'm from Pennsylvania, and Apalachicola is a name I never spelled right until I decided to find it. Think Appalachian Trail, with two Ps. There's a lot of history to be learned about this town that's right up there with St. Augustine in Florida's colorful past. Before doing some research, Apalachicola to me was a menu item, Apalachicola oysters. Archeologists have found large middens composed of oyster and clam shells, some used as burial sites. The City of Apalachicola website says oysters were sold as early as 1836, harvested with the same kind of tongs that are used today. The city was also part of Florida's sponge industry. The Apalachicola Area Historical Society website is another great source for your Road Trip planning.
Photo: Cape St. George Light on St. George Island
In another life, I had a fondness for wooden boats and was delighted to discover the Apalachicola Maritime Museum , and beyond sad to read this on the website after Hurricane Michael: " Our hearts our broken: The entire museum was underwater and took on heavy wind damage." A spokesman for the Apalachicola Bay Chamber of Commerce emailed this a few days ago: "The Maritime Museum is close to being open. Pretty much everything else is back up and running; we rebounded quite well. Matter of fact our campaign right now is 'We are Open for Business!!' trying to let anyone know that we are at 95% and ready to see our visitors come enjoy all there is to offer." 
Photo: Pre-Hurricane Michael - Apalachicola Maritime Museum
The Carrabelle community will celebrate the 29th Annual Carrabelle Riverfront Festival on Friday, April 26 from 4 - 8 p.m. and Saturday, April 27 from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m along the beautiful Carrabelle Harbor and Downtown Carrabelle. Admission is FREE and open to the public.
Photo: Oyster shells, Apalachicola
From an artist friend on St. George Island: "All is well. The art world is different." There are plein air painters and the Art Walk in Apalachicola April 6 is happening. A St. George Inn spokesman said, "In our area, St George Island and Apalachicola have recovered well. We do have a few places not open in Apalachicola, but here on the island just Harry A's has yet to open. Our roads are a little rough but being worked on to make better for travelers."
Photo: Beach Scene, St. George Island
If you go:

From the Chamber of Commerce website:
Apalachicola Art & Wine Walk
April 6 @ 11:00 am - 6:00 pm
Art in all forms will be woven in and around picturesque downtown Apalachicola where artists and musicians will be showing, selling, and demonstrating their talents from 11 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. The festivities continue into the evening with a wine tasting 1 - 4:00 p.m. .Afterwards area chefs will prepare dishes at their restaurants pared with special wines (850) 653-9419 or email execdirector@apalachicolabay.org . 

St. George Island Paint Out
April 7 - April 13
This event features over 15 plein air artists from Florida, Maine, Maryland, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Alabama as well as an international artist from Russia. The artists can be seen painting on locations throughout the island during the week. Painting workshops are offered daily as well as 4 Meet & Greet the Artists, 2 gallery shows, Lunch with the artists and new this year a special “ Starry Night Out Paint Out “ featuring the artists painting at night . There will be restaurant and bar specials for the evening . Also new this year is the specialty drink, “Paradise Paint Out Punch” available on the island at participating restaurants and bars. For a complete list and schedule of activities visit the website, or check us out on Facebook.

Bay Area Choral Society
April 12 @ 4 - 5 p.m.
Give a warm welcome to our very own area musicians in one of their first performances after the devastation of Hurricane Michael.
As always, this local choral group entertains and delights with concerts that feature the best vocal soloists from the Forgotten Coast area. Performers in the BACS represent all communities from Mexico Beach to Carrabelle. This is sure to be a very special, heartwarming performance.


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In the body of the listing, sometimes called Description , make sure to include all dates in each upload. For example: Performances are on March 12-31; or the exhibit is open March 12, 14, 15, and 17. That information should be in all dates you post individually.

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The deadline is MONDAY - 10 days prior to the Wednesday publication.
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