Annual Meeting

Hello everyone,

Just wanted to announce that ARTS annual meeting to elect officers is scheduled for Monday Nov. 9th at 6pm at Calvary Church in Ripley (beside of the Courthouse). Starting at 6pm we will have refreshments and doing a meet and greet. At 6:30pm we will look at the programs we have done in 2009, programs for 2010 and then elect officers.

This is always a great time for everyone to come together and I encourage everyone to attend and if you know someone else that is interested in the arts please invite them to come. Be sure to meantion there is FREE FOOD!!!

Hope to see you on Monday.

Jeremiah Gregorich
ARTS President

Colleen Anderson

Last night Colleen Anderson returned to the Alpine with George Castelle. This event was made possible with a partnership with Jackson County Schools and a grant from the West Virginia Commission on the Arts. Everyone that attended the event had a fantastic time and a number of people picked up Colleen's cds. Jackson County Schools has Colleen as there Artist in Residence this year, spending a total of 19 days with students all over Jackson County. We were delighted to have Colleen back in Jackson County and hope to see her again soon.

You can learn more about Colleen at her website

http://www.motherwitdesign.com/

Murder Mystery Dinner Theater

Wanted to announce that Arts and Jackson County Players have partnered for an upcoming event.

"Gambling on Murder", a murder mystery dinner theater, will be Oct. 3 at 6 p.m. at Cedar Lakes Dining Hall.

Please buy tickets in advance...available at both the Ripley and Ravenswood libraries. They are $25 each. That may sound a little high, but we are getting assistance from a professional actress, Karen Varunch, for this event and it includes you dinner. You can hardly go to a restaurant and movie for that much!

The cast:
As Herself: Mayor Carolyn Rader
Dee Dee: DeDe Cook
Tito Carlucci: Dave Pauley
Myra Evanowski Reed: Christina Bright
Right Reverend Reginald Evans: Will Minns
Anita Mann: Rebecca Lavigne
Pat Jackson: Myssi Gable

Additional, (as yet) unscripted players:
Neil LoPrinzi, Seth Miller, Suzette Lowe, Wendy Phillips and Suzy McGinley

Dinner will include: Baked seasoned chicken, green beans, salad bar, broccoli cheddar soup, mashed potatoes, hot rolls. Along with an assorted deserts to include: pudding, cake, pie, and more. Cider, coffee, water, and juice as drinks.

Please buy your tickets and encourage your friends and family to as well. This will be a GREAT event that we're all very excited about. Please feel free to pass the word on to everyone you know abuot this event.

Be sure to keep updated with all our events at our website http://www.artsatthealpine.blogspot.com/ and look for us on Facebook, just search for Arts at the Alpine.

If you have any questions just drop us a line at artsatthealpine@yahoo.com

Small update

Hello everyone,

I know it seems like it has been awhile since our last update. Not to worry we have plenty of events coming up. As soon as dates and times are finalized the blogspot will be updated. Besides a vocal concert by Annie Hancock coming up, here is a sneak peak at a few things that will finish off 2009!!!


October 3rd- Mystery Dinner Theatre with Karen Vuranch. For this event Arts will be teaming up with the Jackson County Players

November 3rd- Collen Anderson will perform at the Alpine Theatre. Some of you may remember Collen performing as member of Pot Luck just a few years back with Karen Vuranch. This event is made possible by the Jackson County Schools.

The latest newsletter will be mailed in the coming weeks to our sponsors.

Welcome!

Welcome to the new home for online arts information from Jackson County, West Virginia. On this site you will find information about upcoming events, performers' bios, links to other arts websites and more.

Email us to about what you would like to see on this site or if you would like to become a member of Arts at the Alpine.

Get to Know Arts at the Alpine

Want to know more about Arts at the Alpine?

Over the past 4 years A@A has presented a wide variety of high-quality programming throughout Jackson County, showcasing local, regional and national artists. Our events range from educational to inspiring and are always entertaining.

Here is a sampling of the programs offered recently:

• Children's book illustrators and authors Christopher and Jeanette Canyon



• Art Walk in downtown Ripley
  

• Storytelling with local storyteller Granny Sue

Potluck! a show featuring WV artists Karen Vuranch, Colleen Anderson and Julie Adams.

• Art auction fundraisers with artist and gallery owner Philip Arabia

• West Virginia's Biggest Liar, Bil Lepp

• Performances by members of the West Virginia Storytelling Guild, including a Halloween Ghost Stories and Ballads Concert



• Literary events and workshops by the Appalachian Wordsmiths creative writing group and the Lee Mays Poetry Society



• WV Dance Company with Jackson County Schools
  



• Plays and musicals with the Jackson County Players and Theatre WV
  
  

• Vocal and instrumental music performances that have included jazz, rock, Latin and folk music, like the Valentine concert featuring music by Duo Divertido.

• Classic Movies

• and much more
  

These events have been made possible through grants, partnerships and sponsorships. Sponsors are always welcome and encouraged to be part of our efforts to bring arts to our county.

Join us for our next event!

Spring Newsletter

The Arts at the Alpine Board of Directors for the 2009 season:
Jeremiah Gregorich- President
Suzette Lowe- Vice President
Linda Dickirson- Secretary
Faye Milhoan- Treasurer
Board Members: Christina Bright, Paul Freshwater, Susanna Holstein, Suzy McGinley, Twilia Miller, Andrea Parkins, Odie Parkins, and Sally Rowe.

New President
By: Jeremiah Gregorich

At our annual meeting in November I was elected President. Having first joined Arts at the Alpine in early 2006 and serving as Vice President for two years, I am delighted to have a chance to take the reigns. In early January my new role finally began to permeate through my brain. There is much work to be done, and I intend to meet the coming year’s challenges head on.

Our former President, Christina Bright, left big shoes for me to fill. Over the last three months I have leaned on her for support and will continue to seek her advice. I would like to personally thank her for all the work she has done. It has always been my belief that every good President should have a list of goals, and I would like to share some of mine. Growing up I have always immersed myself in the arts; studying, creating, and enjoying. As President I want to give members of this community, no matter what their age, the same opportunity to observe, partake, and appreciate the arts. The arts, in all mediums, are so very important especially in times like we face today. The foundation of art is the ability to express emotion and can be thought provoking, educational, and entertaining. We will be balancing a wide variety of events this coming year with local artists and some from abroad.

I want to build on events and partnerships Arts at the Alpine has had since its conception, while at the same time showcasing new artists for the public and developing more partnerships. I see those as key elements for our continued success. For example our next event, aimed at children and their families, would not be possible without help from ADK and a generous monetary contribution from Read Aloud. Not only are we having an evening performance for the public, but we were able to get the Canyons into three schools in Jackson County just for the students.

Another goal is to get more people involved with Arts at the Alpine. Even if you are not an artist there are many roles you can take part in. We welcome any help with everything we do from the early stages of discussions, to coordinating the preparation, and then executing an event. With input and support from all board members and sponsors, organizations like ours will carry on for years to come.

In closing I would like to sincerely thank all those currently and previously involved with Arts at the Alpine.

~~
Former President’s Thoughts
By: Christina Bright

Serving as president of Arts at the Alpine last year was a great experience. I learned so much about this organization and just how much hard work is required to make it operate. Believe me, it was quite a bit more difficult than I had anticipated. But it was worth it.

To discuss an event, plan it through, and then see it brought to life on the stage (or on the sidewalks of downtown) is truly fulfilling.

I urge each of you to consider ways you can contribute to Arts at the Alpine. Even if you are only able to show up to help sell tickets, or make some contacts to radio stations to get our announcement out to the public, there is no task too small. But the rewards you will receive for seeing a nice crowd gathered at an event are great. Jeremiah has some great ideas, but we need help to make them all come to fruition. We meet monthly on the second Monday. Please try to attend sometime and share your thoughts and ideas with us. We want to know what you’d like to see us bring to the community. And we’d like to have you be a part of it.

Please come to our first event this year – Christopher and Jeanette Canyon on April 6th. I think you will really enjoy it. Having such renowned artists here is quite an accomplishment, and Linda Dickirson has worked tirelessly to make it happen.

And don’t forget to place your bids on the original autographed print (pictured below) from “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” It is on display at the Library. This would be a wonderful addition to any home or business. It is truly a beautiful work of art!

Updates
Arts at the Alpine has created a new email address to help everyone stay in touch with upcoming events, fund raising, programming, and meetings. If you have any questions or would like to be included in our email mailing list please write to: artsatthealpine@yahoo.com

In addition to the new email address, Arts at the Alpine is now on Facebook. Our Facebook page includes the most current information on future events and pictures from previous ones. If you are a member of Facebook just do a search for Arts at the Alpine.

Upcoming Events
This September will we be hosting an Art Walk in Ripley. The Art Walk held in 2008 was such a success we have decided to make it an annual event. We hope to include more artisans and businesses this year.

On October 3rd we are pleased to welcome Karen Vuranch back to Jackson County through a partnership with Jackson County Players. This time around Karen will perform an interactive Mystery Dinner Theater tentatively set for Cedar Lakes.

This Fall Arts at the Alpine will present a night of music with WVU alumna Annie Hancock. Having grown up in Ravenswood and returned home in 2008 to teacher music in the Jackson County School system, Ms. Hancock will be showcasing her vocal talents in a special one night only event. Selections will include a wide range of songs from old standards, Broadway show tunes, comedic and dramatic pieces, along with a little bit of jazz.


2008 Recap
* Rebel Without a Cause movie night
*Latin Music Concert
*Writers Workshop
*Story Tellers at the Arts and Crafts Fair
*Art Walk in downtown Ripley
*West Virginia Dance Company
*Ghost Stories at the Alpine
*Art Auction