The Dare County Arts Council and Dare Home Health and Hospice,have been working together  to bring art therapy to hospice and respite clients while creating a legacy for their families to treasure in years to come.  Through grant funds from the North Carolina Arts Council and the Outer Banks Community Foundation, terminally or chronically ill patients have been paired with professional local artists as part of the Legacy Project.  Art works created by clients will be on display for community viewing before being returned to family members.  The final day of the Legacy Project art show will be combined with Continuing the Journey, an annual community memorial event hosted by Dare Home Health and Hospice.
 

Nancy: This painting is called Passage by Sankofa I found on a website about art therapy I found at redbubble.com

The Legacy Project art work will be on display at the Thomas A. Baum Center in Kill Devil Hills from June 14-19, 2010.  The public is also invited to participate in Continuing the Journey on Saturday, June 19, 2010 from 2:00-4:00p.m. at the Thomas A. Baum Center and Outer Banks Arboretum and Teaching Garden.  Continuing the Journey is an annual public memorial service hosted by Dare Home Health and Hospice that provides the opportunity to honor, remember, and celebrate the lives of special friends and family members who have passed away.  This year the event is being combined with the Legacy Project art show as a celebration of the varied and colorful journeys that are the legacies of those who have gone before us.  Participants will have the opportunity to meet the Legacy Project artists and create their own piece of art. This project is supported by the N.C. Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.  For more information, please contact Hayes Ferguson, Social Worker, Dare Home Health and Hospice at 252-475-5031.  

 Kelly's Outer Banks Restaurant & Tavern (upstairs) MP 10.5 on the US 158 Bypass,  Thursday, June 17.  7:00 mingle,  7:30-8:00 guest speaker
 
This month's topic is ENVIRONMENTALLY SAFE CLEANING PRODUCTS!  Come hear Vince of Innovative Green Solutions discuss cleaning products that are not only "green" but economical and space saving as well. Innovative Green Solutions products are used by the Proximity Hotel, the only LEEDs Platinum certified hotel in the U.S.

 Saturday, June 19 at 7 pm, featuring songwriter and guitarist, James Richards from Asheville, NC, at the Unitarian Universalist Meetinghouse on the corner of Herbert Perry & Kitty Hawk Roads in Kitty Hawk, NC.  $5 free will donation will be accepted at the door with proceeds being shared with the Beach Food Pantry in Kitty Hawk.

While Richards put musical roots in Asheville, NC in 2000 to live out his dream as a performing songwriter, he currently saves his voice and guitar mostly for campfire sing-a-longs, benefits, house parties, and places of worship.  A classically trained singer steeped in self-described acousticfunkgrass, Richards looks to Lightnin' Hopkins, Otis Redding, and Peter Gabriel among others for inspiration. He has shared stages with Peggy Seeger, Stacy Earle and Mark Stuart, Ellis Paul, and David Lamotte among many others.

 Friday, June 18 and Saturday, June 19 at The Promenade in Kitty Hawk (located at the foot of the Wright Memorial Bridge). Proceeds will benefit the Interfaith Community Outreach. 
The New Hermeneutics Band (circa '71 and '73) will return for performances both nights playing songs for children as well as folk music and contemporary Christian tunes. Click to download one of their songs.  Jessica McLean will open the show on Friday, June 18 followed by the New Hermeneutics. McLean, with her signature vocal delivery combined with an infusion of bluegrass and country instrumentation. Saturday evening the  Joyful Noise Band from Kitty Hawk United Methodist will take to the stage first followed by the New Hermeneutics.

Bring a chair and your family for an evening filled with folk music reviews and good old fashion fun. Admission is free and everyone is welcome.  The Gates open at 4 pm so come early and enjoy dinner on the lawn catered by High Cotton with Circus Tent era ice cream concoctions made by volunteers with ingredients supplied by Dairy Queen 

 The Outer Banks Chorus will perform the pre-show for the North Carolina Symphony Summer Pops Concert on Sunday, June 20, at 7 p.m. at the Pavilion at Roanoke Island Festival Park. Founded in the 1980s, the Outer Banks Chorus went from 10 to 12 singers to a current total of 45 singers. Originally formed to sing for fun, the chorus now accomplishes a variety of music. This includes Renaissance music, Folk music, and Broadway music. David Evans, Director of the Outer Banks Chorus, will lead the singers.

The Manteo Rotary Club will be collecting donations of non-perishable food items the night of the event for distribution to the local Mt. Olivet Food Bank, which operates under Albemarle Food Bank in conjunction with Dare County Social Service to provide people in need of emergency help while waiting for Food Assistance cards.

Ticks and Mosquitoes
 
Governor Bev Perdue has proclaimed June, Vector-borne Disease Awareness Month in North Carolina, to highlight the importance of taking preventative measures against ticks and mosquitoes and the diseases they carry. "Vector-borne disease" is the term commonly used to describe an illness caused by an infectious microbe that is transmitted to people by blood-sucking arthropods.  The arthropods (insects or arachnids) that most commonly serve as vectors include: 1.) blood sucking insects such as mosquitoes, fleas, lice, biting flies and bugs, and 2.) blood sucking arachnids such as mites and ticks.  The term "vector" refers to any arthropod that transmits a disease through feeding activity.

  "With the numerous opportunities we have in Dare County to engage in outdoor activities, we also have the increased potential for exposure to disease carrying vectors, such as ticks and mosquitoes," said Anne Thomas, Dare County Health Director. Thomas recommends that residents and visitors take preventative measures to protect themselves, their homes and gardens and stresses the importance of repellent use.
 
"Pests like ticks and mosquitoes are more than nuisances; they also carry diseases that can make people seriously ill. Check the Center for Disease control for recommended ingredients, and should read and follow all label instructions.  Mosquito-borne illnesses can be a concern in the North Carolina. Mosquitoes are capable of caring a number of arthropod-borne viruses. The two mosquito-borne viruses that are of concern in Dare County are Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) and West Nile Virus (WNV). For additional information on mosquitoes and ticks, visit NC Department of Health website.
[publishing this article makes me itchy all over.   A few weeks ago a tick spent the night on my back having an engorging meal.  A tick is so tiny they can be hard to find. I found this song funny, but true. RATED PG.]

East Carolina Behavioral Health (ECBH) contracted with the Behavioral Healthcare Resource Program of the Jordan Institute for Children in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social Work (UNCC-BHRP) to conduct a Gaps Analysis of the 10 county Albemarle Mental Health service area.  The Gaps Analysis identified many areas which need to improve in order to bein effectively serving the needs of adults and children with mental health, developmental disabilities and substance abuse issues. ECBH will be holding Town Hall Meetings in June to cover the Gaps and Needs analysis and upcoming development opportunities for stakeholders and providers in the former AMHC area.   The Analysis is online, beginning on page 32 for Currituck County and page 37 information on Dare County.
June 22 (6 -8)  Dare County Center located at 950 Marshall C. Collins Drive in Manteo.