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
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
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
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
Friday, August 10, 2007
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.
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.
Monday, August 6, 2007
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!
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!
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
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.
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.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
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.
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.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
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.
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.
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