UMC presents ?Third Saturday Cinema”
MIDDLETOWN — Middletown Community Life”s “Third Saturday Cinema” program presents a showing of “A Family Undertaking,” about home funerals in America, 3 p.m. Saturday at Middletown Community United Methodist Church (UMC), 15843 Armstrong St. in Middletown.
“A Family Undertaking” looks at changes in the way Americans have honored those who have died during the past 150 years. It profiles people who participate in the planning of their own funerals.
“Appreciating life and options for honoring the death of a family member or friend is the focus of this amazing film,” Pastor Voris Brumfield said. “I wish I had seen it prior to the death of my husband Richard and my mother Allee. Everyone should have the opportunity to educate themselves and be released from the fear of dying, which this film offers,” she said.
Doors open at 2:30 p.m. There is no cost to attend and refreshments will be served.
This is the second in a series of free films that are being offered on second and third Saturdays each month in 2011 by the Middletown Community Life Team at the Middletown Community UMC.
?Saxophobia” coming to Lower Lake
LOWER LAKE — Musician Rob Verdi will perform with the Lower Lake High School concert band, 7 p.m. Wednesday in the new gymnasium at the Lower Lake High School campus. His collection includes nearly 100 saxophones and more than 250 wind, brass and percussion instruments. His latest musical project entitled ?Saxophobia” (www.saxophobia.net), offers audience members a rare glimpse at some of the most unusual saxophones ever made and pays tribute to a few jazz legends who gave the saxophone its voice in jazz. For more information, contact Cydney Dixon, 994-6471, ext. 2779 or cydney.dixon@konoctiusd.org.
Art in Public Places to accept entries Jan. 20
LAKEPORT — From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Jan. 20, Lake County Arts Council staff will receive work in the main lobby of the Lake County Courthouse for its Art in Public Places display. All works received will be hung in the courthouse as space allows and also Lakeport City Hall on Park Street.
Jan. 20 is also the time to pick up artwork from a prior show. This new exhibit will show through May 19. There is a fee of $1 per piece to enter work and there will be commission paid to the LCAC should any work be sold. For more information about Art in Public Places, call 263-6658.
?Third Friday Live” concert series to debut
LAKEPORT — “Third Friday Live,” a brand new four-concert series showcasing Lake County bands and entertainers, will debut at 7 p.m. Jan. 21 at the Soper-Reese Community Theatre.
The first show features Without A Net, a vintage rock ”n” roll band. Band members are all local educators, from sax and accordion player Bill Bordisso, fourth-grade teacher at Lower Lake Elementary; to bass player Bill MacDougall, Konocti Unified School District superintendent. The group is rounded out by Carl Stewart, Herb Gura, Heidi Morgan and Art Frazee.
Opening for Without A Net is Blue Collar, an eclectic acoustic band playing a mixture of American roots, country, rock and zydeco, featuring singer/songwriter Carl Stewart. Bill Bordisso fills out the group”s sound with accordion, banjo, percussion and back-up vocals. Also performing are Sue Condit, Clovice Lewis and Bill MacDougall.
All seats for Third Friday Live are $10. Tickets are available online at www.SoperReeseTheatre.com or at the theater box office, 275 Main St. in Lakeport. The box office is open from noon to 5 p.m. Thursdays and for two hours before showtime on the day of the show.
Tickets are also on sale at Catfish Books in the Safeway Center, Lakeport; at the Lower Lake Coffee Company on Main St. or by phone at 263-0577.
Upcoming performances take place on Feb. 18, March 18 and April 15. For information, visit www.soperreesetheatre.com.
LCTC to audition for ?The Wizard of Oz”
LAKE COUNTY — Lake County Theatre Company is holding auditions for “The Wizard of Oz” by L. Frank Baum with music and lyrics by Harold Arlen and E .Y. Harburg. Auditions take place from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. for young people, ages 4 to 15, and from 7:30 to 9 p.m. for adults, Jan. 25 and 27 at the Little Theatre on the Lake County Fairgrounds. Auditions will also take place from noon to 1 p.m. for young people and 1 to 3 p.m. for adults, Jan. 29 at the Lower Lake Historic Schoolhouse Museum.
People may audition as many times as they wish.
LCTC and Mendocino College present “Wizard” during the last week in May and the first week in June at The Soper-ReeseCommunity Theatre in Lakeport.
Because the show is presented with Mendocino College, all participants will need to enroll in the college, regardless of age or education level. The good news, however, according to publicist Suna Flores is that everyone who auditions and wishes to perform will be able to do so.
Flores said the show will need a cast of more than 40 people, consisting of both children and adults. She added that many of the parts and production jobs can be performed by either men or women, young or old.
The cast will include dancers, singers, tumblers and actors. During the auditions, everyone will be asked to sing a short song, show some movement to music and read a bit from the script. Everyone is welcome. For more information, call 279-2595.
Nominations open for state poet laureate
SACRAMENTO — The official nomination process and application for the role of California Poet Laureate is now open and the application forms and information are available on the California Arts Council Web site at www.cac.ca.gov/poetlaureate/main.php. The submission deadline is Feb. 1.
Poets may self-nominate or be nominated by experts in the field of literature.
The role of the California Poet Laureate is to spread the art of poetry from classrooms to boardrooms across the state, to inspire an emerging generation of literary artists and to educate all Californians about the many poets and authors who have influenced California.
During the course of a two-year term, the Poet Laureate provides six public readings in urban and rural locations across the state, educates civic and state leaders about the value of poetry and creative expression and undertakes a significant cultural project. One of the goals of the project must be to bring the poetic arts to students and Californians who might otherwise have little opportunity to be exposed to poetry.
The position of Poet Laureate was established in 2001 and the California Arts Council is designated to recommend individuals to the governor for the position. A review panel will be established to evaluate applications and make recommendations. The governor utilizes the panel”s evaluation provided by the California Arts Council and chooses the California Poet Laureate based on this information or other recommendations. The governor has the option of reviewing all the nominations and other California poets as well. The state Senate approves the appointment.
For more information, contact Kristin Margolis at (916) 322-6555 or kmargolis@cac.ca.gov.
ukiaHaiku Festival accepting submissions
UKIAH — North Coast poets of all ages are invited to submit haiku poems to the ninth annual ukiaHaiku festival and competition.
Submissions are free-of-charge except for the Jane Reichhold International Prize category, which has a fee of $5 for up to three poems. Awards in this category will be given in the amounts of $100, $50 and $25 for first-, second- and third-place respectively.
Winning poems in all categories will also be published in a booklet that will be awarded to winners as well as sold to the general public.
The festival and awards ceremony will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. May 1 at SPACE Theater, located at 508 W. Perkins St. at Bush Street in Ukiah.
For more information, visit www.ukiahaiku.org. Submission forms are available on the website as well as at the Grace Hudson Museum, 431 S. School St. in Ukiah.
Haiku submissions must be postmarked or submitted through the web form by March 11. For more information, contact Theresa Whitehill, Poet Laureate of Ukiah, 462-4557, haiku@ukiahaiku.org.
