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The Good Life
Turning on the TV or just picking up a newspaper seems to be a painful exercise these days - so much bad news, so little good. Here is a change of pace for you: Life is good in McNairy County! The people are warm and welcoming. The country is beautiful. We have a fascinating history and an arts community that is growing by leaps and bounds. There are homegrown foods, year round festivals, wonderful artists, great music, quality theatre and activities to suit almost any taste.
We don't mean to downplay the devastating impact of job loss and other financial obstacles created by the recent economic downturn but someone desperately needs to put it all in perspective. The sun will rise again tomorrow and McNairy County will still be here with a rich heritage and culture to enjoy. Don't let anyone kid you, life is still good in McNairy County...and getting better every day! |
| Anne of Green Gables - March 13-15 |
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 Director Bryan Essary and a cast of more than 30 local young people will bring Anne of Green Gables to the stage for three public performances, March 13 through March 15 at McNairy Central High School's Little Theatre, 493 High School Rd, Selmer, TN. Friday and Saturday show times are scheduled for 7:30 PM and a Sunday matinee will be presented at 2:00 PM. All tickets's are available at the door for $5.00. Two morning shows are also being performed exclusively for McNairy County school children. Those interested in bringing groups to these performances should contact Joanna Pitts at 731-645-3850 for reservations and more details.
The show is a dramatic adaptation of the classic children's novel that is, coincidentally, being celebrated for it's 100th year of publication in 2009. It tells the story of the plucky, Anne Shirley who is mistakenly sent by an orphanage to live at Green Gables with the Cuthbert family to fill the role of farmhand. The family's initial shock gives way to the development of warm relationships with the irrepressible Anne but not without many adventure and misadventures along the way. The show is appropriate for all ages and is sure to be a hit with the whole family. Come out and enjoy the show! |
| Spring Artisan Trail - March 21 |
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 The AiM Artisan Trail spring tour of studios is scheduled for March 21, 2009. The event features some of the finest working artists and artisans in Southwest Tennessee. Visit with the artists, watch them working in their creative environment and purchase, high quality, one of a kind, handmade art objects and artisan grade gifts. Complete maps and more details will be available on the AiM Blog one week prior to the event or at any of the artist's studios on the tour. All studios will be open 10:00-5:00. To download updated maps online go to: www.artsinmcnairy.blogspot.com. Learn more about some of the participating artisans and link to their websites at: www.artsinmcnairy.com.
Some of the stops on the spring tour include:
- Eco-Art by Tim Pace - Finger
- 2-B Pottery - Lawton
- Appalachian Threads - Adamsville
- Hockaday Handmade Brooms - Selmer
- Firehouse Studio - Selmer
- ATMT Art Gallery - Adamsville
- Beulah Land Alpaca Farm - Ramer
- Wood Turning by Patricia Fischer - Bethel Springs
Several of the locations will offer refreshments and a few other surprises. Patricia Fischer will be giving away a beautiful woodturning to one lucky visitor at her studio. Appalachian Threads will have visiting artists Lee Gaugh and Laura Rushing in addition to Constance Beck weaving and spinning in the studio. Tim Pace will be demonstrating metal sculpture and hosting McNairy County pen turner Ken Ferrell who is new to the Artisan Trail. ATMT Gallery will have carver Michael Altom and several of the artists they represent on hand. The ladies of 2B Pottery will be in their Lawton studio hand throwing and selling pottery all day. Glass lampworking will be demonstrated at Firehouse Studio and the broomcorn will be flying at Hockaday Handmade Brooms. Several other stops will also be included on the trail. Don't miss this opportunity to experience the AiM Artisan Trails - hands on! |
| Lawton Spring Art Festival - April 16 |
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 The latest addition to the McNairy County cultural calendar is the Lawton Spring Art Festival. Artists from all over West Tennessee, including many McNairy County favorites, will converge on the Lawton Community Center to Welcome spring and share the creative process; both in full bloom! The event is scheduled from 10:00-3:00 on Saturday April 16, 2009.
High quality painting, pottery, glass, wood carving, metal sculpture and much more will be on display for everyone to purchase and enjoy. Many of the artisans will be on hand to discuss and demonstrate their unique techniques in a fun and friendly atmosphere. The festival will be an educational, fun filled, day for the whole family.
The Lawton community center is located just east of Selmer on Crabtree Road. Exit from Hwy 64 East or Lawton Road and follow the signs. The event is being sponsored by the Lawton Neighborhood club and Lunch will be available on the grounds. All proceeds support future festivals and the Neighborhood Club. This is a juried art show. Interested artists should be prepared to submit images for panel review. For more information, please contact: Sandee Barton at 731-632-4753 or sandeecb@hotmail.com |
| Best Selling Author, Edgerton, Joins Local Book Club Discussion - Four New Titles Announced |
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 Last month, Clyde Edgerton did a Google search for his most recent novel, The Bible Salesman. According to Dr. Edgerton, a best selling author and creative writing professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, he occasionally surfs the Internet "to see what's going on out there." He likes to know who's reading his books and what they are saying about them.
A February 18 Google search turned up the Arts in McNairy blog which provided information about an upcoming book club meeting. The club just happened to be discussing The Bible Salesman in February. Edgerton left a note on the blog inviting club members to submit questions about the book. Unsure whether, the post was a hoax or the real thing, Literary Arts Chair, Leanne Emmons emailed the professor who promptly responded, again offering to field any questions book club members might have about his latest novel. Several have taken him up on his offer and Emmons was able to share some of the authors personal insights on the Bible Salesman at the February meeting.
You never can tell what will happen at AiM Book Club! Don't miss the dates and discussions listed below. The club meets every third Thursday in the McNairy Regional Hospital conference room adjacent to the main lobby area. Everyone is welcome and there is no fee for participation.
Future Book Club Selections and Dates:
March 19 - Bel Canto (Ann Patchett)
April 16 - Confederates in the Attic (Tony Horwitz)
May 21- On Agate Hill (Lee Smith)
June 18 - To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee) |
| Young Americans Hold March Workshop at AHS |
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 Area students will soon have an unprecedented opportunity to learn more about the performing arts from some of the best instructors in the business. The Young Americans, an outreach organization dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of music and performing arts education, will be coming to Adamsville High School this month. The group of 44 performers and 6 staff members will be in McNairy County to conduct a two day workshop, March 23 & 24, focusing on vocal technique, music performance, audition strategies, choreography and acting skills among other things. The fun-filled workshops are offered to young people, 4th-12th grades and will culminate in a community performance March 24th at 7:30 PM. All area students are invited to register and the dates, conveniently fall during McNairy County's spring break. Tuition is $47.00 per student (Tee shirts are an additional $10.00) and registration forms are available through AHS choir director Pam Gladish. Registration and payment are due by March 19th. Please contact Pam for more details at: 731-610-6559. You can also learn more about the Young Americans at: www.youngamericans.org |
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Starmites Rounds Out 2008-09 Theatre Season Auditions Scheduled for April 27 & 28 |
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 Director Jared Walters has announced audition and production dates for the final show of the Arts in McNairy theatre season. It is an AiM tradition to conclude each season with a Musical and this year will be no exception. Three performances of Starmites are scheduled for June 19-21 at MCHS Little Theatre.
Starmites first debuted on Broadway in April 1989 earning six Tony Award nominations including the coveted nod for Best Musical. It is a musical comedy with a mostly youth and young adult cast that takes the audience on a campy romp across the universe and back incorporating a variety of musical styles along the way. It tells the story of the shy teenager Eleanor who withdraws into the fantasy world of her science fiction comic books only to be drawn into an epic battle with the fate of the earth hanging in the balance. Is it real or all in Eleanor's imagination? You will have to stay till the climactic, mind bending conclusion to discover the answer.
The production calls for a large group including cast members, backstage crew and musicians. Auditions are being held 6:00 PM, Monday April 27 & Tuesday April 28 at the Selmer Community Center. Those auditioning for roles in the cast should be prepared to read, sing and practice basic dance steps in a group setting. Call backs will be on May 1 or 2. Weekend auditions for college aged students may also be arranged on the call back dates if necessary. Contact director Jared Walters for more details.
The Starmite Orchestra consists of piano, keyboard, guitar, bass guitar and drums. Musical auditions will be held April 28 at 6:00 PM at the Selmer Middle School Band Hall. Musicians should bring their own instruments (except for piano and drums) and be prepared to review the musical score and informally play some of the charts with the music director.
Everyone is encouraged to attend auditions regardless of theatre experience. Come out and join the fun with Starmites! |
| Representative Vance Dennis Makes a Clean Sweep, Plans to Tour Artisan Trail |
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 State Representative Vance Dennis was, quite literally, sweeping through McNairy County last week. County officials and Arts in McNairy board members presented a handmade broom to the district 71 representative at a Thursday gathering in Selmer. The broom will be displayed at his Nashville office.
Why a broom? Mr. Dennis has expressed a desire to do something more than just decorate his new office in the usual fashion. "Lots of people from across the state and country come to my office at the Capitol throughout the year," he said, "and I intend to use this aspect of my position to promote the benefits of our community to the greatest extent possible."
In talking with county Mayor , Jai Templeton, the Representative mentioned that he was aware of McNairy County 's recent focus on our region's rich heritage and culture. The mayor in turn contacted Arts in McNairy members who are dedicated to the preservation and promotion of folk art and heritage craft traditions in Southwest Tennessee . Something from Hockaday Handmade Brooms seemed like the perfect fit since owner, Jack Martin, is a fourth generation McNairy County broom maker and local organizer of the annual Broomcorn Festival. He has been featured in national magazines, made numerous television appearances and even has a broom in the Smithsonian.
On receiving the broom the representative noted, "I am honored to have the opportunity to display part of the cultural heritage of our community in our State Capitol. I look forward to displaying many examples of the significant cultural, historical, commercial, and industrial aspects of our community that make this area a wonderful place to live, work, and visit." Mr. Dennis' wife Ashley noted the broom was a particularly appropriate choice since her great grandfather, like Mr. Martin's, was a broom maker by trade.
The Dennis' also said they plan to continue adding to the Representatives collection of handmade, McNairy County, items by attending the AiM Artisan Trail Spring Tour on March 21.
Photo: McNairy County Mayor, Jai Templeton; AiM Past President Peggy Daniel; State Representative Vance Dennis; AiM Board Member, Barbara Tennyson; Ashley Dennis |
| Rockabilly Mural Unfolds, Celebration Planned |
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 It all started to come together pretty quickly, as Brian Tull laid out the Rockabilly Highway Mural on a blustery weekend in late February. At first, it was just a squiggly line here; a letter or two there. But when he started to block in big sections of color the following week...well all you can say is WOW! Work continued on the mural through last Saturday and Brian intends to keep painting as time and weather permits. The project is slated for completion in May and an unveiling celebration is scheduled for mid June.
The Rockabilly Highway Mural was conceived as a way to draw attention to the much undervalued musical heritage of Southwest Tennessee and McNairy County's role in it. And draw attention it certainly has. The mural has made front page news in the Independent Appeal and the Sunday, March 8 edition of the Daily Corinthian.
That "wow factor" has also attracted the attention of many motorists and pedestrians as well as the projects cosponsors. Even in it's incomplete form the mural is creating quite a stir in downtown Selmer while representatives of AiM's Heritage and Culture Committee, the Selmer Business Alliance, Selmer Parks and Recreation and the Chamber Tourism Committee are busy planning the dedication ceremony. The project is also generously funded by a Tennessee Arts Commission, Arts Builds Communities Grant administered by the Jackson Arts Council.
Live music, food vendors, Rockabilly era car cruise-in, street dance and a surprise or two are being planned to coincide with the murals coming out party on Saturday June 13, 2009. Festivities will begin at Noon. More details will be available in upcoming newsletters as the plan takes shape. Mark your calendars now. You will not want to miss this event! |
| AiM Artist Spotlight - 2-B Pottery |
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Sisters Rebecca Berry and Sandee Barton had always talked about starting a family business with their mother Evelne Berry but they just couldn't seem to find their niche. Then one day they stumbled on a pottery shop and they knew they had found just the right thing. The only problem was none of them had any experience with pottery. Undeterred by this minor detail, they went out the very next weekend and bought a wheel and some clay. Their supplier thought they were nuts. Who buys pottery equipment before they know anything about throwing pottery?
Creativity, the sisters say, runs in their family so having no pottery experience didn't mean they didn't have an artistic vision. They knew, from the beginning that they wanted to produce pottery that had the look and feel of traditional earthenware but with the ability to hold up to the modern rigors of the dishwasher and microwave. For the next few months they were up to their elbows in clay and glazes experimenting with forms and technique while they learned to duplicate the vintage pieces. They picked up tips here and there and learned all they could from other potters along the way but they are basically self taught artists.
In 2005 their hard work paid off as they launched 2B Pottery in Lawton taking their name from the simple formula: Berry+Barton=2B. They started with a small space in the back of Simply Home Interiors but the pottery soon took over. All three women now share time at the wheel turning out milk jugs, oil lamps, pots, bowls and vessels of every description. They have also experimented with slab rolled pieces, etched decoration, nontraditional glazes and more recently some innovative new forms but all bear the distinctive 2B touch.
2B was recently honored with a commission for a limited edition set of signed and number platters bearing an etched sailboat motif. The platters are being used by a private fundraising organization in Pickwick and are available at shops in the area.
The shop is open Fridays and Saturdays 10:00-4:00 or otherwise by appointment (731-632-4753). They are located on Lawton Road just off Highway 64 between Adamsville and Selmer. 2B will be a featured stop on the AiM Artisan Trail Spring Tour March 21.
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