PAF meeting March 10

Much ado about many things! Please join us at the regular meeting of the Performing Arts Foundation on Tuesday, March 10, at 6:30 p.m. at the Richland Area Community Center, 9400 East CD Avenue. Among the items for discussion will be a barbershop harmony fundraising event paired with an old-fashioned ice cream social; an open-mike night for poetry, prose, and music at RACC; the Gull Lake Fine Arts Alumni reunion in May; and grant requests. All fun, all good, all mean the arts are hopping in Richland. Hope you'll be there.

Those awesome Gull Lake bands

This news from Kim Ford via the Gull Lake Fine Arts Alumni group on Facebook (which you're encouraged to join, if you partake of the Facebook at all): On Friday the Gull Lake Middle School Band went to Portage for the Middle School District Band Festival. The 7th Grade Band received straight 1s, and the 8th Grade got straight 1s in performance and a 2 in sightreading for an overall 1. This means that all Gull Lake bands received 1s at Festival, and all qualify for State. Congratulations, all! Our bands are indeed awesome.

And, by the way, all Gull Lake Fine Arts alumni--whether you're on Facebook or not--there will be an all-arts-alumni reunion on the afternoon of Sunday, May 3. Mark your calendars now, and watch for more info!

A call to help the arts in Michigan!

Did you read our local friend Tim Putney's Viewpoint in the Gazette on March 3? In it, Tim addresses Governor Granholm's proposal to cut state arts funding entirely--yes, entirely--for 2010, and he discusses the terrible effects this would have on our state and its economy. If you haven't read the whole article (it's short but shocking), please go here now.

And then there IS something you can do! The budget has not yet been passed by the legislature, so supporters of the arts still have a voice. I reprint the last couple of paragraphs of Tim's Viewpoint:

"Rejecting the governor's recommendations to eliminate this funding is possible with your help. Our state Legislature will soon be making some very tough decisions, and they do have the power to restore our funding.

"State Sen. Tom George will be a significant player in this process, and I hope you will choose to contact him at sentgeorge@senate.michigan.gov., in Lansing (866) 305-2120, and in Kalamazoo is (269) 226-0124. Please also contact Gov. Granholm at (517) 373-3400 or fax (517 )335-6863."

We know how important the arts are. Let's not be silent!

The return of Combat Corduroy

This week, thanks to spring break, the band Combat Corduroy is complete, and they'll be performing Thursday night, February 26, at Up and Under on Michigan Avenue in Kalamazoo. Jump on the opportunity to hear and see one of the best bands to come from our area in a long time!

Musical Extravaganza at Comstock

If you can believe it, the Center Stage Theatre--previously known to most of us as Comstock Community Theatre--is 35 years old, and it's celebrating with a fabulous musical revue this weekend. Among other Gull Lake luminaries, Mary Jasiak and Lisa Watson will be performing numbers from some of your favorite musicals. The 35th Anniversary Celebration Showcase runs this Friday, February 13, and Saturday, February 14, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 and $8 and can be purchased online at the Center Stage Theatre's website or at the door. The show is in the Colt Center at Comstock Community Auditorium, 2107 North 26th Street.

Love Is in the Air!

Valentine's Day is on its way . . . What could be more romantic than a lovely Sunday afternoon spent listening to gorgeous piano music, followed by a fancy tea reception? On Sunday, February 8, pianist Doug Decker will perform at 3 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Richland, on the Village Green in the heart of Richland. A freewill offering will be taken, and the tea afterwards is free. The concert is part of the Village Green Arts series.

Local Heroes

If you've attended any Gull Lake High School or Middle School event in the last--oh, just about ever--from plays to track meets to football games to--well, just about anything--then you've seen Jack and Marcia Sizer. They're always there, taking wonderful photographs, rooting for the kids, and offering support to the adults. Then, as often as not, you'll see them quietly handing kids or parents prints of those photos--priceless keepsakes of great times in their lives. For dozens of Performing Arts Company productions, they've provided photographs for the archives. All of this they do quietly, and usually at their own expense.

On Friday, January 30, at a home performance of PAC's state tour show, Bamboozled!, the Sizers were recognized as true Local Heroes with the Department of Fine Arts' annual award. Robin Nott presented them with a plaque on stage before the show began--and before the Sizers returned to their cameras to continue their wonderful work. Thank you, Marcia and Jack!