by Anna Oakes
Staff Writer
Just an Evening for the Arts, a three-tiered benefit for the Watauga
County Arts Council, takes place Saturday from 6 p.m. to midnight.
“Just the Beginning,” the first tier of the event, will
feature hors d’oeuvres and an art auction at Coffey’s
Restaurant. The second tier, “Your Just Desserts,” offers
a selection of desserts at the Appalachian Cultural Museum. There
will be night of dancing and music at the Broyhill Inn & Conference
Center during the final tier of the evening, “Just Dancing.”
Each event will feature live music from local artists.
“We feel that the community [will] enjoy a nice event as a
way to bring in funds,” event organizer Rachel J. Brandon
said. “This is a high-quality event with wonderful local musicians,
as well as the guests that will be coming.
“We hope that lots of people will come and enjoy it,”
she said.
Tickets for the first tier of the event are $35. Tickets for the
following tiers are $25 each. Tickets for each portion may be purchased
separately or guests may pay $75 for the entire evening.
Group discounts are also available.
The doors of Coffey’s Restaurant open at 6 p.m. for “Just
the Beginning.” Hors d’oeuvres will be served at 6:30
p.m. and a cash bar will be available. Local musician Charlie Ellis
will provide live music, Brandon said.
Locally-donated sculptures, paintings, literary works and other
pieces will be auctioned off by Hank Foreman, Brandon said. All
proceeds will go toward the Arts Council’s budget, she said.
“Fundraising is always an issue for nonprofits,” Brandon
said. “In recent years, with … the economy, grants have
been cut.”
Musical guests Naren Schoenacher, The Mountainaires, Billy Ralph
Winkler and family and Witold Kosmala and family will provide music
in two venues during the second tier, Brandon said.
“There will be wonderful desserts,” Brandon said. Many
of the desserts will be prepared by members of the Arts Council
Board of Directors, she said.
Dr. Elizabeth “Bettie” Bond is the co-chair of “Your
Just Desserts.”
“It was only in the last decade that the Town of Boone recognized
how important [the arts] are,” Bond said. “One of the
reasons downtown has revived is because of the arts.”
The final tier begins at 9 p.m. at the Broyhill Inn & Conference
Center and will last until midnight. Music will be provided by the
Gary Weaver Quartet. Light refreshments will be served and a cash
bar will be available. Brown-bagging is also permitted, Brandon
said.
“[The arts] are a tremendous economic force,” Brandon
said. According to a survey carried out by the Boone Area Chamber
of Commerce, the arts bring at least $26 million to this county
annually, she said.
“We are an entity that has been largely unknown,” Brandon
said. “For the most part, the community still doesn’t
really know what the Watauga County Arts Council really does. So
when we are out there competing for dollars … the arts often
take a backseat [to other programs.]”
The Arts Council hosts a free gallery and reception each month and
provides free concerts on the lawn of the Jones House during the
summer. The Arts Council, together with Appalachian Cultural Affairs,
also puts on a children’s touring program in Farthing Auditorium
for Watauga County students in grades K-12, in addition to many
other events, Brandon said.
“We earn about 10 percent [of our overall income] through
our special fundraisers,” Arts Council Executive Director
Cherry Johnson said in the March issue of the Arts Council’s
newsletter. “About 18 percent comes from contributions and
sponsorships of our programming.”
The remainder comes from grants, partnership arrangements and local
government allocations, Johnson said.
“Those of us who feel the value of the arts in our lives,
continue to struggle and hang in there so that the art forms don’t
die out and there will always be an audience for the arts,”
Brandon said.
For a reservation form or more information about Just an Evening
for the Arts, contact the Arts Council office at 264-1789. |
