A couple of videos not to be missed

Check out YouTube for the infectious new music video, "Let's Have Some Fun (Hey!)" by our own Gull Lake Girls, featuring glimpses of many people and places you know. The CD single will be out in January, and we'll pass along info on where and how to acquire it. Until then, just keep that YouTube video on continuous loop. Congratulations, ladies!

And, as today's Gazette points out, you can spot DJ Autobot, our own Curt Cameruci, in the video for Kid Sister's song "Pro Nails," which also features Kanye West. See it on Kid Sister's MySpace page or at mtvU. Kid Sister actually is the sister of DJ Autobot's Flosstradamus partner, J2K. Look for Curt near the beginning and at his turntables later in the video.

Sports Boosters Sale

Hurry along on Saturday and get your shopping done! Gull Lake Sports Boosters will be selling lots of Gull Lake apparel and gear, Saturday, December 15, 2 - 6 p.m., at mid-Lakes Screen Printing, 121 E. Orchard in Delton.

Secret hint: Print out this page for $10 off on varsity jackets.

PAF meeting December 13

Just a reminder that the Performing Arts Foundation meeting on Thursday, December 13, will be at the usual time--6:30 p.m.--but at a different place. We're meeting chez Hanavan. Please e-mail if you need directions, and please don't drive your tiny sports car nor your rear-wheel-drive Caddy--the dirt road is rutted and icy and doesn't promise to get better by meeting time. If you don't have a suitable vehicle, arrange to carpool or ask for help via e-mail or phone!

Everyone is welcome.

Holiday season calendar update

Wow! You get behind for a week or so and suddenly the calendar fills up and overflows. There's no excuse for idleness these next few weeks. We have places to go, friends to see. Enjoy!

November 30 and December 1, 7, 8, 15, and 16, 8 p.m.: Batboy the Musical at the Epic Theatre Mainstage, 359 South Kalamazoo Mall. Don't miss our own Adam Carter in the title role; he also serves as choreographer. And Gull Lake alumna Lisa Watson is at the technical helm. Tickets $22 general admission, $18 seniors, and $14 students.

December 1, Saturday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.: Holiday and craft sale, Richland Area Community Center. Stop in for great gifts, Jacobson's clothes, and tasty food.

December 1, Saturday: Gull Lake bands holiday concerts at Gull Lake High School: 6th grade band plays at 1 p.m.; 7th and 8th grade band plays at 3 p.m.; Gull Lake High School Band plays at 5 p.m. Hint: Band shirts make great gifts . . . see the Spirit Shop order form.

December 1, Saturday, 8 p.m.: Whiskey Before Breakfast Christmas Cavalcade at The Box Factory, St. Joseph. Tickets $8, seniors and students $6. Traditional Irish music.

December 1, Saturday, 8 p.m.: Jordan Lunardini plays blues at Louie's in Kalamazoo.

December 1, Saturday, 10 p.m.: Combat Corduroy plays at Rugger’s Up & Under, 711 W. Michigan Avenue, Kalamazoo.

December 2 and 3, Sunday and Monday, 7 p.m.: Auditions for The Art of the One-Act for the Whole Art Late Night Series, playing in the Whole Art Studio January 11 - 19. Note, however, that the auditions will be held in the Epic Theatre, not the Studio. This set of four one-act plays includes The Nancy, written by Gull Lake's own Bethany Gibson Gauthier.

December 4, Tuesday, 2 p.m.: Dickens Tea at Kellogg Manor House, MSU Kellogg Biological Station. $22.00 for adults, $14.00 for children, including the tea, taxes and gratuity. Pre-paid reservations are requested. To reserve a table, please call (269) 671-2416 or e-mail manorhouse@kbs.msu.edu. Also check out the holiday walks, dinners, and brunches at the Manor House.

December 5, Wednesday, 2 p.m.: Nutcracker Tea at Kellogg Manor House, MSU Kellogg Biological Station. $22.00 for adults, $14.00 for children, including the tea, taxes and gratuity. Pre-paid reservations are requested. To reserve a table, please call (269) 671-2416 or e-mail manorhouse@kbs.msu.edu.

December 6, Thursday, 5:30 - 8 p.m.: Wassailing Night in Richland. Wander the village enjoying refreshments and entertainment.

December 7, Friday, 9:30 p.m.: Jordan Lunardini plays blues at Billy's in Grand Rapids.

December 8, Saturday, 5 - 11 p.m.: "I See Stars" Battle of the Bands, with Rising Vacancy and others, Richland Area Community Center, $8.

December 9 and 10, Sunday and Monday, 7 p.m.: Auditions for Shakespeare in Hollywood at the Civic Theatre, Kalamazoo, for performances February 8 – 23.

December 11, Tuesday, 2 p.m.: Poinsettia Tea at Kellogg Manor House, MSU Kellogg Biological Station. $22.00 for adults, $14.00 for children, including the tea, taxes and gratuity. Pre-paid reservations are requested. To reserve a table, please call (269) 671-2416 or e-mail manorhouse@kbs.msu.edu.

December 12, Wednesday, 2 p.m.: Gingerbread Tea at Kellogg Manor House, MSU Kellogg Biological Station. $22.00 for adults, $14.00 for children, including the tea, taxes and gratuity. Pre-paid reservations are requested. To reserve a table, please call (269) 671-2416 or e-mail manorhouse@kbs.msu.edu.

December 13, Thursday, 6:30 p.m.: GLCS Performing Arts Foundation meeting. Please note a change of venue: We're meeting this month only at the Hanavans' house. If you need directions, e-mail performingartsfoundation@gmail.com

December 14, Friday, 8 p.m.: Jordan Lunardini and the Bad Beat play blues at the State Theatre in Kalamazoo as part of a Wonderful’s Reunion Jam with Howard and the White Boys, Biscuit Miller, and all your favorite local blues players. $10; $8 with WRKR Club Card.

December 18, Tuesday, 2 p.m.: Holly and Ivy Tea at Kellogg Manor House, MSU Kellogg Biological Station. $22.00 for adults, $14.00 for children, including the tea, taxes and gratuity. Pre-paid reservations are requested. To reserve a table, please call (269) 671-2416 or e-mail manorhouse@kbs.msu.edu.

November so soon!

And once again we find ourselves launched into a month full of eventful happenings. No excuse for sitting at home for even one moment. By the way, we've all missed our fleeting chance to see Flosstradamus this month, unless we find ourselves in various east coast cities, Canada, or London or Paris. Congrats to the lads! We'll have to get over to Chicago to catch them when they return from this fantastic tour. But, meanwhile, we can recommend some fab events closer to home . . .

November 4, Sunday: All-Star Poetry & Fiction Reading, concert and party to benefit the NTAF Great Lakes Bone Marrow Transplant Fund in honor of Julie Moulds Rybicki. Featuring the poetry and fiction of some of our greatest local writers, including Conrad Hilberry, Bonnie Jo Campbell, Bill Olsen, Nancy Eimers, Jack Ridl, Jackie Bartley, Rodney Torreson, Diane Seuss, David Lee, Elizabeth Kerlikowske, Andy Mozina, Danna Ephland, Gail Martin, Greg Rappleye, Nina feirer, Dave Marlatt, Susan Ramsey, John Rybicki and Julie Moulds Rybicki--some of whom you'll recognize as not just local in a general way but actually from our Richland neighborhood. Music will be provided by Richlander Dave Marlatt and the Rambling Boys of Pleasure as well as American roots acoustic music by Solid Geometry. There will also be a silent auction of arts, crafts and signed books. Sunday at the Kraftbrau, 402 East Kalamazoo Avenue, 3 - 7:30 p.m., $5.

November 8, Thursday: Performing Arts Foundation meeting, 6:30 p.m. at the Richland Area Community Center. All are invited!

November 9 and 10, Friday and Saturday: Crawlspace Eviction celebrates the most glorious sketches from their archives in Crawlspace Eviction's Greatest Hits. Don't miss the fun as our pal Adam Carter and the rest of the improv comedy gang reprise all of your faves. 8 p.m. at the Whole Art Studio 246, 246 N. Kalamazoo Mall, admission $7 for students, $10 for adults.

And, coming up . . .

December 1, Saturday: Holiday arts, crafts, and gifts sale at the Richland Area Community Center, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.

December 1, Saturday: Whiskey Before Breakfast, traditional Irish band that includes fiddler/poet Dave Marlatt of Richland, plays a Christmas Cavalcade concert, 8 p.m. at the Box Factory for the Arts in St. Joseph, admission $8 for adults, $6 for students and seniors; children 12 and under free when accompanied by an adult.

December 7, Friday: Jordan Lunardini and the Bad Beat, great blues from Jordan, Matt, et al., at Billy's, 1437 Wealthy in Grand Rapids, 9:30 p.m. It's a bar, so this show is only for the age-appropriate.

Support the arts--no cost to you!

Alert! Alert! Alert! It has come to our shocked attention that not every PAF supporter, friend, and family member is funneling free money to the arts at every opportunity! Here are three great ways to support PAF without spending an extra cent yourself. Please take advantage!

Modernistic Carpet Cleaning has made a fabulous offer: When you place your residential or commercial cleaning or restoration order, just tell the scheduler that you'd like your order to benefit Gull Lake Schools. Modernistic will automatically donate 10 per cent of your order to the Performing Arts Foundation and the Gull Lake athletic boosters. Just call 629-4500 or 385-3377 to schedule your pre-holiday cleaning. Check their website here. Thanks to the Hitows for this wonderful gift!

Harding's Markets have a community donation program that couldn't be easier. Next time you're in Harding's, pick up one of their eScrip Community Cards at the checkout. Just phone the 800 number on the card to activate it, tell them what group you'd like your purchases to benefit (and that would be the GLCS Performing Arts Foundation!), and then show the card whenever you shop at Harding's. A percentage of your purchases go to PAF, no further effort required. More info at the eScrip website.

The Meijer Community Rewards program is slightly more complicated than it used to be, but if you use a Meijer credit card they will donate 1 per cent of your eligible purchases to your chosen organization(s); if you pay with cash, they'll donate 0.5 per cent. Check the details and sign up at their website. Again, no extra cost to you!

And just a mention of our pals at Katie & Christy's mid-Lakes Screen Printing, who created our great PAF-wear. In addition to printing, monogramming and personalization, they have a tanning salon and do lake rentals. They're at 121 E. Orchard in Delton, (269) 623-8340. E-mail midlakes@mei.net or check their website. Print this out as a $10 Reward Coupon to be used towards the purchase of a Gull Lake varsity jacket.

Happy Halloween to all, a great time of year for costumers, actors, and storytellers. Wednesday, October 31, events: The Scream Team, a squad of storytelling students from the high school, will be telling spooky stories to elementary school kids all day at the high school. And don't miss Halloween in the Park, 5:30 to 7:30 on Halloween on the Village Green in Richland, a great safe trick-or-treating event for kids, sponsored by the Richland Area Business Association. Wonder if that familiar-looking gorilla will be back this year? Boo, y'all!

A radio spotting plus Halloween events for young and old

Is it possible to experience a radio "sighting"? "Hearing" just sounds wrong. But I did happen to hear our own Robin Nott on local radio station WMUK during its current fund drive. He spoke most eloquently--as he does--about the great value of storytelling in our lives. WMUK (102.1 FM) is trying to shorten its fund drive this year, but you may still have a chance to hear that nice piece from Robin again--and, of course, to support public radio as well.

And it finally feels a little like fall, which means that Halloween is on its way. Take special note of these two Halloween-related events:

Sorry, kids. NOT for children, in spite of the characters featured: The Great Pumpkin Massacre is the upcoming late-night offering at the Whole Art Theatre Studio Space. Charlie Brown and co. encounter a Great Pumpkin who proves to be a serial killer in this dark parody of the Peanuts specials. And, let's see . . . Who should play the Great Pumpkin? Gull Lake's Adam Carter, of course, now a member of the comedy improv group Crawlspace Eviction and frequent star of area stages. Adults should not miss this black comedy at Whole Art Theatre Studio Space, 246 N. Kalamazoo Mall, 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, October 19 and 20, and October 26 and 27. Your $5 ticket also gets you free coffee and doughnuts, apparently.

Children should instead go to the Richland Area Business Association's Halloween in the Park, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 31--yes, Halloween itself--on the Village Green in Richland. It's a safe place to go trick-or-treating, and it's FOR children!

October is hopping!

It's all in full swing! Get out your calendar and write these dates down so you don't miss anything. Lots of community and arts events, including some great chances to see Gull Lake alumni in action. Go!

Friday and Saturday, Oct. 5 and 6: Gull Lake's own Jordan Lunardini and the Bad Beat play fantastic blues and rock at the Stagecoach Barn at the Blackhawk, M-89 and C Avenue in Richland, 9 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 7: Kellogg Biological Station Share the Harvest Open House, 1 - 5 p.m. Bring the family to visit the Kellogg Manor House, the Bird Sanctuary, the Dairy Center, and the Farming Systems Center. Admission and all the fun activities are free, but visitors are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item for the food bank.

Sunday, Oct. 7: Flosstradamus plays on a bill with other top Chicago alternative musicians at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, 1 - 6 p.m. Flosstradamus has been playing dates all over the country and returns to home base in Chicago for this very prestigious AND cool event celebrating the MCA's 40th anniversary.

Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 8 and 9: Gull Lake Area Rotary Club Spaghetti Dinner at the new Gull Lake High School, 5 - 7:30 p.m., $10 adults, $5 kids. More info in previous post.

Thursday, Oct. 11: Please note time change! Performing Arts Foundation meeting, usually held on the second Thursday of the month, will not meet on Oct. 11. We'll meet this month on October 18 instead! See below.

Friday, Oct. 12 through Oct. 27: Shakespeare's MacBeth at the Parish Theatre at the Civic in Kalamazoo, with at least two PAC alumni that I know of: Stacy Bartell serving as tech director, and James Perra as Lennox.

Saturday, Oct. 13: Jordan Lunardini and the Bad Beat play blues at Billy's Lounge, 1437 Wealthy SE in Grand Rapids, 9 p.m., $5. (It's a bar, so we assume you need to be 21 or over.)

Sunday, Oct. 14: Rich Ridenour, piano, and Barry Ross, violin, play Mozart, Billy Joel, hillbilly fiddle, and everything in between in the first Village Green Arts concert of the season at First Presbyterian Church in Richland, 3 p.m., freewill donation.

Thursday, Oct. 18: New date, this month only: Performing Arts Foundation meeting, 6:30, Richland Area Community Center. All are invited.

Friday, Oct. 26: Give yourself a Halloween scare at the Murder Mystery specialty dinner, 6:30 p.m. at the W.K. Kellogg Manor House at Kellogg Biological Station. Cost is $60 per person plus tax and gratuity. The Theatre Arts Production Company will perform the Murder Mystery. Reservations required. Call the KBS Conference Center, (269) 671-2400 or e-mail conference@kbs.msu.edu for info or reservations.

Wednesday, Oct. 31: Fractal plays at Kraftbrau in Kalamazoo for a Halloween show with Bones Brothers and Ceiling Star, 9 p.m, $5.

Looking ahead: Call now for tickets for a cooking class--"Quick and Easy Holiday Foods"--with Deanna House on Thursday, November 1, 6:30 p.m. at the Richland Area Community Center. Tickets are $8 in advance, $10 at the door. Call Faye at 629-9430 for tickets.

Find a date between Nov. 15 and Dec. 15 and put the Whole Art Theatre's production of Bat Boy on your calendar. GL alumnus Adam Carter is the choreographer and alumna Lisa Watson is assistant stage manager for this musical ripped from the tabloid headlines.

Rotary Spaghetti Dinner

Good eats, good company, good music, and doing good, too. What more could you want? Mark your calendar right now for the Gull Lake Area Rotary Club's annual all-you-can-eat Spaghetti Dinner on Monday and Tuesday, October 8 and 9, from 5 to 7:30 p.m.

This year, the event will be at the NEW Gull Lake High School on North 34th Street. Rotary has partnered with the high school to offer entertainment by the band and choral group. This is a great venue to enjoy dinner and chat with friends. And if you haven't spent any time at the new high school building yet, you'll be impressed!

Tickets are $10.00 per adult and $5.00 for children 5-12 (under 5 are free). Carry-out dinners are available. You can buy your tickets ahead of time from Rotary members or e-mail Rotary for more info.

This is a primary fund-raiser for Gull Lake Area Rotary Club. Over the years, GLARC has supported many local, regional and international projects through monetary donations and through lots of volunteer hours: Gull Lake High School Scholarship, GL School Readiness Program, GL student to White Water Student Affairs, Cheff Center Projects, GLHS Grad Bash, GL Pathway of Pride, GLHS Volunteens, GL Little League, Older Bunch for Lunch, Kalamazoo County Child Abuse, American Cancer Society Relay for Life, GL Fifth Grade Camp, Richland Area Community Center, Sherman Lake YMCA Center, Gryphon Place, Open Door Next Door, GLMS Integrated Education School Project at Sherman Lake Y, Richland Township Park Projects, Gull Road Park Benches, Richland Horse Park Volunteers, Richland Community Hall refurbishing, Thirsting to Serve water project in Dominican Republic, Casa Amparo Project in Mexico, Concert in the Park at Sherman Lake Y, Red Cross Blood Drive, Polio World Eradication Program, and more.

Buon apetito a tutti!

Get active--for free--September 22-29

It's a new school year, whether you're actually in school or not, so why not make a new school-year resolution to get more active? Next week the Sherman Lake YMCA is participating in the Y's nationwide program, America On the Move.

The idea is to get everyone in our community moving a little more. Start with a lovely one-mile walk. They'll be led Monday through Friday next week at 7 a.m. and 9:30 a.m., and afternoon walks will happen Monday through Thursday at 5:30 p.m.

The Y is also offering FREE membership for the week to all community members. You can join a group fitness class like Zumba or spinning, swim in the pool, play a game of basketball, lift weights, or use a treadmill.

So . . . no excuse not to get moving. For more info, click here or contact Kay Barker at 269-731-3009 or accounting@ymcasl.org.

Action-packed September calendar

Where to begin? September is picking up speed, so I'll just bring your attention to the Performing Arts Foundation regular meeting this Thursday, September 13, at 6:30 p.m. at the Richland Area Community Center--you're all invited--and then give you a little calendar of the many events coming up in September. Please send along further listings for school, community, and arts-related events. And arts alumni, we're especially glad to hear about performances you're involved in, even if they're far away. You never know who will have the opportunity to show up.

Okay, here's your action-packed September:

Thursday 13: PAF meeting, 6:30 p.m. at Richland Area Community Center.

Friday 14 and Saturday 15: Richland Oktoberfest, Richland Village green, admission $5 after 5 p.m. each day. See previous post for more info.

Sunday 16 and Monday 17: Auditions, Whole Art Theatre, for Trevor Stafanick's "The Great Pumpkin Massacre," directed by Tara Sytsma, late-night performances October 19, 20, 26, and 27 at the Whole Art Studio, 246 N. Kalamazoo Mall. Whole Art is also looking for volunteer directors for their Late Night Series. Call 345-7529 for info.

Thursday 20 and onward: If you happen to be near Ypsilanti, you can catch former Gull Lake teacher Brian Evely in "Hollywood Nights," a fictionalized version of Carol Burnett's biography. 8 p.m., September 20, 21, 22, 23 and 27, 28, 29, plus a 2 p.m. matinee September 23 at the Riverside Arts Center in Ypsilanti, 76 North Huron. 734-483-7345 for reservations. Tickets are $16, $11 for students and seniors.

Friday 21 and Saturday 22: Crawlspace Eviction, improv comedy, 8 p.m. at the Whole Art Studio, 246 N. Kalamazoo Mall. Their show "Menopause with a Cause" kicks off the troupe's fifth season. Tickets are $7 for students, $10 for adults at the door. Gull Lake Performing Arts Company alumnus Adam Carter is usually part of the hijinks.

Sunday 23 and Monday 24: Auditions for "Bat Boy: The Musical" at Whole Art Theatre main stage at the Epic Center, performances November 15 - December 15. Call 345-7529 for info.

Week of September 24: Music and dance classes for all ages, infant to adult, begin 5-week sessions at Kalamazoo School of Music and Dance studio at Gull Road and Sprinkle. Try your feet at tap, ballet, hip hop, etc. Cost $38-58. Details at their website.

Saturday 29: Auditions for the improvisational comedy troupe Crawlspace Eviction, noon to 5 p.m. at the Whole Art Theatre's Epic Center stage. If you want to get involved in comedic writing, improvised or scripted performance, film/television work, piano accompaniment, or various technical opportunities, head on down and show what you can do.

Must-do items for September

And it is already September! Here are a couple of items to put on your calendar right away:

Bobbaroo, Saturday, September 8, starting 4 p.m.
State Theater, Kalamazoo
$6 minimum donation

Bands include Gull Lake's own Combat Corduroy as well as Frontier Ruckus, Eyes of an Enemy, Asphodel Fields, Patience Patients, Olivet, Red Amendment, Fernelity, The Giving Tree, Daywalker and the Skychild, The Kinds, and Common Shiner.

Come out for a great concert--well, a festival, really--to benefit Bob Hill, a 2005 Gull Lake grad who suffers from a genetic eye disease called keretoconus. Bob started going blind his senior year of high school. Last year a benefit concert at the Richland Area Community Center raised $1,200 to give Bob a corneal transplant in one eye. This Saturday's concert will, we hope, raise enough donations to pay for Bob's second transplant. Any extra money raised will be donated to the next candidate for a benefit concert.

If you can't make it to the concert, you can still donate via First Presbyterian Church in Richland (8047 Church Street, Richland, MI 49083), marking your check "Bobbaroo."


Richland Oktoberfest, September 14-15
Richland Village green, 4 - 11 p.m. Friday, 1 - 11 p.m. Saturday
Admission $5 after 4 p.m. each day

Come enjoy the fun of fall with music, great food, and Saturday daytime activities for kids, sponsored by the Richland Area Business Association. There will be food from Richland Pub, Blackhawk Bar and Grill, and Lakeside Deli, and beer, wine, pop, and water will be available. Some highlights:

Friday, September 14
5 - 7:30 p.m.: Matt Giraud, soloist
7:30 - 11 p.m.: HD5/Classic Fix Band, classic, southern and pop rock

Saturday, September 15
1 - 5 p.m.: Carnival games and petting zoo sponsored by Richland Bible Church
1 - 6 p.m.: Project Safe Kids, fingerprints and Amber Alert information taken on children for their parents to keep on file, sponsored by Richland Police and Lindsay's Run
1 - 7 p.m.: Bouncy sponsored by Gull Lake Community Volunteers
5:30 - 6 p.m.: Puppet show sponsored by RBC
5 - 7 p.m.: Rock climbing wall sponsored by Sherman Lake YMCA
1 - 5 p.m.: Dunk tank sponsored by Richland Fire Association
6 - 6:45 p.m.: Magician Alan Smola sponsored by Richland Village Drug Store
7 - 11 p.m.: Drop 35, dance band

See you there!

Richland Park Horse Trials

This weekend we have an amazing opportunity to see some of the country's top horseback riders perform their art and sport right here in Richland, at the Richland Park Horse Trials.

Whether you love horses or you know nothing at all about them, you'll enjoy watching this weekend's competitions, including dressage (formal riding in a ring), show jumping (jumping in a ring), and cross country (dramatic jumps on a course that takes horses and riders through woods and fields, over water and obstacles).

The events run all this weekend, through August 26. Admission is free and parking is $5 a day. Parking fees are being donated to the Cheff Therapeutic Riding Center in Augusta, which provides riding experiences for special-needs children and adults.

Richland Park is a hidden gem in our community. If you haven't seen it before, you'll be astonished to find an international-level horse park right in Richland. From the Richland traffic light, go north 1.1 mile, turn left on M-89 (west towards Plainwell) go 1.1 miles, turn left (south) on 30th Street. The Richland Park driveway is 3/10 mile on the right (west).

While you're enjoying those magnificent horses and fantastic riders, keep an eye out for those intrepid Richland arts and sports supporters, Jack and Marcia Sizer. They do the official photography for the event, and Marcia decorates the courses with gorgeous flower and plant arrangements.

For more info and a detailed schedule of events, go to: http://www.richlandpark.com/index.html

Richland Area Community Center events galore

Have you had a chance to visit the Richland Area Community Center? It has kindly played host to our PAF meetings, almost since PAF began. It's a beautiful, welcoming meeting spot--but it offers a lot more than that. Check it out! It's at 9400 East CD Avenue, which I think of as the post office road. Stop in sometime and tell the Center's delightful director Faye Koestner that PAF sent you--and let her know of any programs you'd like to see added to its schedule. Here are just a few of RACC's offerings . . .


REGULAR ACTIVITIES

Monday
Bridge, 1:00-3:30 p.m.
WIN (Women in Networking), 6-8 p.m. (3rd Monday)

Tuesday
Richland Community Library Bridge Group
Ladies Non-denominational Bible Study, 5-6 p.m. Facilitator: Gail Hurn

Wednesday
Richland Community Library Euchre Group, 12:30 p.m.

Thursday
Gull Lake Area Rotary Club, 7:30 a.m.
Yoga, 9:30-10:30 a.m. Julie Drabik, Instructor
Book Discussion Group, 9:30-10:30 a.m. (3rd Thursday)
Performing Arts Foundation meeting, 6:30 p.m. (2nd Thursday)

Friday
New Hope and Friends Bible Study, 1:30-3:30 p.m.

Sunday
Ballroom Dance with Band, 2-5 p.m. Singles and couples welcome. $7 per person.

The Center is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. A pool table, large-screen TV room, and computers (including wireless connection) are also available for community use.



COMING IN SEPTEMBER

Deanna House, Thursday, September 6, 6:30 p.m. “Fall Flavors to Savor.” Tickets in advance $8.00; at the door, $10. Call Faye at 629-9430 for tickets.

Life Line Screening, Saturday, September 8. Pre-registration is required. Call 1-800-324-1851

Jacobson’s Alumni Fashion Show, Monday, September 24, 7 p.m., starring Richland-area “models.” Hors d’oeuvres. Tickets $10. Call Faye at 629-9430 for tickets.

Estate Planning Workshop, Tuesday, September 18, 5:30-7:30 p.m.

Richland Area Community Center
9400 East CD Avenue, Richland, MI 49083
269-629-9430

August catch-up

Several items of note:

PAF met last night and approved grants to send one or two high school juniors or seniors to Stratford in October to see King Lear and To Kill a Mockingbird. Also approved: a grant to pay for a class with a Stratford actor. It should be a great experience! Finally, a grant to add to the play library at the high school was approved. Arts teachers, please submit your fall requests to be considered at the next meeting!

Three awesome photos of Ty G., PAC '04, who is a medic stationed in Iraq right now, can be found at viewimages.com by searching on Ty's name (with his last name). Sorry I couldn't find a way to link directly to the photos, but it's well worth the search: There's a very touching photo of Ty bandaging a little girl held in her father's arms. Ty was home briefly in June and is back in Iraq now.

And we'll hope to see you at the tour of the new Gull Lake High School, Sunday, August 12, 5 to 7 p.m., and all the coming week, noon to 8 p.m. . . . and at the Bobbaroo benefit concert on September 8, NOT August 11, starting at 4 p.m. at the State Theatre in Kalamazoo.

And send your news along! We're glad to pass along listings, notices, and general chat.

Meeting August 9 . . . and much more!

You are invited to the regular monthly meeting of the Performing Arts Foundation on Thursday, August 9, at 6:30 p.m. at the Richland Area Community Center on CD Avenue. We'll hear what's coming up artswise this fall and make plans to help with all we can. Arts teachers, parents, alumni, community members, parents of alumni, arts supporters of all stripes--all are welcome to any meeting to offer ideas, ask for help, pitch in on a project, or just hear what's going on!

And now, a change of date, just as our newsletter goes out with the old info:

Saturday, September 8 (not August 11), 4 p.m. onwards, State Theatre, Kalamazoo
Bobbaroo! benefit concert featuring Combat Corduroy and other great bands. See post below--but note the change of date to September 8!

Don't miss this:

Sunday, August 12, 5 - 7 p.m.; and August 13 - 17, noon to 8 p.m.
Tour the new Gull Lake High School building, 7753 North 34th Street, Richland

And a reminder of three ways for you to support arts education in your everyday life:

Sign up for Harding's free eScrip Community Card. Just pick up a card at a Harding's store, phone the number on the car, and voila! Harding's will make a contribution to PAF whenever you shop.

Every time you call Modernistic Carpet Cleaning to clean at your home or office, just mention Gull Lake Community Schools to the operator. Ten per cent of your order will be donated--half to athletics and half to the Performing Arts Foundation. Thank you, Lee and Katie Hitow, for this wonderful gift to our schools!

Finally, if you pay cash at Meijer or use a Meijer credit card, please do sign up for Meijer Community Rewards. It's a little more complicated than it used to be, but PAF can still benefit!

Bobbaroo!

Save Saturday, August 11, for a special event at the State Theatre in Kalamazoo. Starting at 4 p.m., fourteen bands will play a benefit concert for Bob Hill, a 2005 Gull Lake High School graduate. Bob suffers from a genetic disease, keretoconus, that, if untreated, leads to blindness. Bob started going blind during his senior year at Gull Lake. Last year, a benefit concert at the Richland Area Community Center raised $1,200 for a corneal transplant for one eye; this year's concert will pay for Bob's second surgery, and any extra will be donated to the next benefit concert.

If you'd like to make a donation, make a check payable to First Presbyterian Church of Richland, mark it "Bobbaroo," and send it to the church at 8047 Church Street, Richland, MI 49083.

Even better, come out to a great concert on August 11. Admission is free, but please bring a generous donation! Bands will include Frontier Ruckus, Eyes of an Enemy, Asphodel Fields, Patience Patients, Olivet, Red Amendment, Fernelity, The Giving Tree, Daywalker and the Skychild, The Kinds, Common Shiner, and Combat Corduroy, a Gull Lake-related band that includes Annie Jennings (PAC '06), Brandon Jennings, Logan Castle (PAC '04), John Petro, and Andrew Watkins. It should be a great evening for a great cause.

New school, new arts facilities

A report on the new Gull Lake High School building from PAF's staff liaison, Robin Nott:

The new high school, opening on August 12, will be providing Gull Lake fine arts students with improved learning environments. Each of the three fine arts disciplines (Music, Theatre, and Visual Art), will move in to wonderful new classroom facilities this fall. Gull Lake Visual Art students will be enjoying two new art studios, a painting and drawing studio and a sculpture and ceramics studio. Each studio is very large and well equipped with plenty of natural light. There is also a student art gallery located between the two studios, visible from the hallway.

Our vocal and instrumental music students will be moving into state-of-the-art facilities. Both rooms offer ample space, and plenty of well-designed support spaces, including storage, practice rooms, offices, and a recording studio. The acoustics and design of the classrooms will provide optimum responsiveness for music education.

Our Theatre (Performing Arts Company) students will be moving into a wonderful new arena "black box" theatre. The 3600 sq. ft. arena theatre includes state-of-the-art lighting and sound equipment for our students to employ in theatre production. The theatre will double as the Communications/Theatre Arts classroom during the day. There is a technical support space attached to the arena, for limited scene construction and makeup. This theatre will be suitable for music concerts, plays, and other performance art events like our Spring Showcase. Our annual state tour competition play will continue to perform on the old high school traditional stage, in the new middle school.

The community still lacks an auditorium to showcase the talents of our students, but great strides have been made with the new high school's new arts education facilities.

Meeting? Not until August.

Sorry, all! Because so many people are not able to be there, the regular meeting of the Performing Arts Foundation scheduled for Thursday, July 12, has been cancelled.

Our next meeting will be held at the Richland Area Community Center at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, August 9.

In the meantime, please keep in touch via email (PerformingArtsFoundation@gmail.com) and by checking out this blog with great regularity. Please send along your news, pleas, and listings, and we'll keep everyone up to date.

See you at the August 9 meeting, and here until then.

To add to your calendar

Great events this summer!

It Takes a Village: Three free concerts highlighting the art of collaboration will take place at Western Michigan University's Dalton Recital Center. They are part of the SEMINAR summer music camp series featuring WMU faculty and guest artists.

7:30 p.m., Monday, July 9: YU-LIEN THE & FRIENDS: Contemporary music featuring piano, saxophone, cello and voice.

7:30 p.m., Thursday, July 12: CHRISTOPHER LAUGHLIN, Guitar: Classical guitar and others.

7:30 p.m., Monday, July 16: THE MERLING TRIO

More WMU listings, including concerts by SEMINAR students, may be found on WMU's website.

5th Annual Diversity Celebration of Kalamazoo: A festival of different cultures, featuring entertainment, booths, ethnic food for sale, and activities for children.
Noon - 8 p.m., Saturday, July 14, at Mayor's Riverfront Park (251 Mills St. in Kalamazoo). Again, admission is free!

Food vendors include: Dragon Inn, Rasa Ria, Las Juanitas, Gallagher's, Cynthia Tyson, Shawarma King, and others. Activities: YMCA-sponsored games for children, children's reading corner, henna tattoos, cultural booths featuring many nations, world trade booth featuring items for sale from around the globe, etc.

Performances throughout the day by: Mike & The Elastic Waste Band, Chinese Lion Dance, Dunuya Drum & Dance, Intercontinental Dance Troupe (Polynesian), Muslim Children's Choir, tap dancers, Bhangra Dance Troupe (Punjabi), mariachi singer, Native American storyteller, Salsa Dancers, Ujima Drum & Dance, Indo-American Dance Team, Geno Hinton Band, Yoroka SimbaJahi Reggae Band, Cathay Dance Group, Irish Dance, Dai Dance, and more. Come out for a great day of multi-cultural arts!


And don't forget the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra concert at Sherman Lake YMCA, Wednesday, July 11, at 8:15 p.m. Lawn seating is free and fun!

Meanwhile, happy Fourth of July to all! The Richland parade steps off at 11 a.m. on Wednesday.

Concert under the stars

Here's one of the great things about summertime: the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra concert at the Sherman Lake YMCA Performance Shell, presented by Sherman Lake Y and the Gull Lake Area Rotary Club.

At 8:15 p.m. on Wednesday, July 11, 2007 (rain date Thursday, July 12), the maestro's baton will rise and we'll all be treated to an evening of Sousa, Sondheim, and more, as we enjoy the summer evening. Jerry Dixon will be the orchestra's guest artist.

Lawn seating admission is always free, but if you love to support the arts, you can help to sponsor the evening and get a VIP seat and parking with a donation of $50--or more. (Checks should be made payable to Sherman Lake YMCA and mailed to 6225 North 39th Street, Augusta, MI 49012; see the Y's website for more info.)

Hope to see you there on a beautiful summer evening in July!

Meeting and misc.

YOU are invited to PAF's regular meetings. This month's meeting will be held on Thursday, June 14, at 6:30 at the Richland Area Community Center. Please join us if you can.

Other items to remember:

Modernistic Carpet Cleaning and the Harding's Market in Richland are helping PAF with donations. Scroll down to see how your purchases can benefit PAF at no cost to you.

If you'd care to make your own much-appreciated AND tax-deductible donation to PAF, please send your check to PAF, P.O. Box 611, Richland, MI 49083.

For grant application forms, please write to the same address or e-mail us at PerformingArtsFoundation@gmail.com

Alumni news that can't wait

We save most of our alumni news for our print edition, Footlights, but Jan Watson has news that can't wait for paper. Ty G., PAC '04, is in the U.S. Army and deployed in Iraq right now . . . but he'll be home for two weeks starting June 22. His family will have an open house for his old pals on June 25. And if you'd like to drop him a line in Iraq, please e-mail us for his address. All the best to you, Ty, from us all!

Calling teen talent

Singers! Jugglers! Instrumentalists! Comedians! Magicians! Dancers!

You fabulous performers who also happen to be teens are invited to audition for the third annual United Teens Talent Show. The show itself will happen at the Civic Theatre in Kalamazoo on August 11. Prizes range up to $500 and include professional coaching or the opportunity to make a professional demo recording.

Please hurry--auditions are happening soon, beginning on Monday, June 11 at our own Richland Area Community Center, 9400 East CD Avenue. Auditions begin at 4 p.m. and are first-come, first-auditioned. Audition forms, alternative audition times and places, and more info are available at kalamazooteentalent.com, or call 269-384-0838 for information. You may audition only once.

Callbacks will happen June 23, and the cast list will be posted on June 28. Coaching starts July 20, rehearsals begin July 30, and the show itself, directed by Ben Zylman, will go on at 7 p.m. August 11.

The show is supported by the Irving S. Gilmore Foundation and the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo.

Hope to see a great representation from our talented Gull Lake students!

To do this summer: Make music! Dance!

Gull Lake band members who are now in 5th, 6th, or 7th grades might want to add musical fun to their summer with Summer Band 2007. Classes run June 26 through July 26 and are divided by instrument and years of experience. (Don't worry if you have to miss some classes.)

For students with ONE year of experience (mostly 5th graders going into 6th), join Woodwind 1, or Brass Class 1, 10 to 11 a.m.

For students with TWO years (6th going into 7th), join Woodwind 2 or Brass Class 2, 11 a.m. to noon.

For 7th graders going into 8th grade, try the Jazz Experience, noon to 1 p.m.

All classes meet at Ryan Intermediate School Band Room and cost $35 per student.

To reserve your spot, call Kelly at 269-629-5880, ext. 3005.



Younger children, ages 4 through 6, might enjoy dance classes this summer. This introduction to ballet teaches positions of the feet, traveling movements such as turns and jumps, and good stretching and exercise habits. A 6-week session is offered at two times of day by instructor Sabrina Parshall.

Each 6-week session costs $30 and meets Tuesdays from July 17 to August 21 at Wildermuth Gym.

Session 1: 12:30 - 1:15 p.m.
Session 2: 1:30 - 2:15 p.m.

For more information on Gull Lake's Community Education programs this summer, see your Communicator or visit gulllakecs.org.

Passage to India

This arrived last Saturday from Sean C., PAC '99--who by now is actually in India:

"I'm taking off for India in 10 minutes!

Go check out my group's blog at www.indiastudytrip.com

Click on 'Blogs' on the left sidebar, and then 'Group Four Blog.' . . . Leave comments, tell your friends who might happen to be interested in international business or India in general, and all that good stuff."

For more Gull Lake arts alumni news, be sure to get your name on our Footlights newsletter list. Just e-mail us at PerformingArtsFoundation@gmail.com giving your mailing address.

Welcome to PAF's new blog!

Welcome, one and all, to the new blog for the GLCS Performing Arts Foundation. Our mission? We quote: The Performing Arts Foundation supports educational performing arts activities for all ages at Gull Lake Community Schools. In short, we raise funds to support drama, music, and the visual arts education at all levels, K-12, in the Gull Lake schools (which are in Michigan, in case you are an unwary visitor).

Performing Arts Foundation meetings are held on the second Thursday of every month at 6:30 p.m. at Richland Area Community Center, 9400 East CD Ave., Richland, Michigan 49083. Anyone interested in the performing arts in our community is encouraged to attend any meeting.

Grant applications are available by mailed request to PAF, P.O. Box 611, Richland, MI 49083 or by requests emailed to performingartsfoundation@gmail.com. Applications are due one week ahead of any regular PAF meeting, and at least three weeks before the planned event.

And now, news of note:

The first ever Spring Showcase for the Arts was held May 4-6 at Gull Lake High School. The celebration included the Performing Arts Company's annual student-directed One-Act Play Festival; fabulous choir and jazz band performances; and an exhibition of work by the high school's talented visual artists. We hope that the Showcase will become an annual tradition.

Harding's: Your purchases at Harding's can now benefit PAF. Pick up an eScrip Community Card at any cash register at Harding's, call the 800 number given on the card, tell them that you want your 4% to go to GLCS Performing Arts Foundation, and you're all set! Your support means a lot to arts education.

Modernistic Carpet Cleaning: And don't forget your spring cleaning! When you place your residential or commercial cleaning and restoration order (call 269-629-4500 or 385-3377), just tell the scheduler that you’d like your order to benefit Gull Lake Schools. Modernistic will donate 10 per cent of your order to PAF and the Gull Lake athletic boosters. Thanks to Lee and Katie Hitow of Modernistic for this wonderful gift!

For your calendar:

June
14 Thurs PAF meeting, 6:30 p.m., RACC
25 - 29 Dance day camp, grades 1-8, Sherman Lake YMCA

July
8 – 13 Gilmore Piano resident camp, gr. 5-11, Sherman Lake YMCA
9 - 13 Gilmore Piano day camp, gr. 3-6, Sherman Lake YMCA
11 Wed Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra concert at Sherman Lake YMCA Performance Shell, 8:15, free lawn seating
12 Thurs PAF meeting, 6:30 p.m., RACC
15 – 20 School of Rock resident camp, gr. 7-10, Sherman Lake YMCA
21 Sat 34th Annual Richland Art Fair, 9 – 4, Richland Village Green, Gull Lake Area Community Volunteers
29 – Aug 3 Ensemble Theater resident camp, gr. 5-10, Sherman Lake YMCA

August
5 – 10 School of Rock resident camp, gr. 7-10, Sherman Lake YMCA

Information on Sherman Lake YMCA programs at shermanlakeymca.org

That's all for now, friends! Please email us (performingartsfoundation@gmail.com) if you'd like to receive Footlights, our paper newsletter. We'd rather not put all the salacious personal gossip about alumni on the web, so please let us know your snail address if you'd like to keep up with ALL the news!

E-mail us, too, if you'd like to include arts listings here. And join us at our next PAF meeting, 6:30 p.m., Thursday, June 14, at the Richland Area Community Center. Cheers!