DCCA News: Fun fundraising celebrations

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Darke County Center for the Arts will celebrate their 40th season with sparkling presentations of artists exhibiting shimmering talent; but another fun facet of DCCA’s Ruby Season will be their treasured fund-raising events that help make possible the low, low ticket cost for Family Theatre Series as well as the Arts In Education program, which presents professional performing artists to students in all grades of each local public school at no cost to the youngsters. The season will kick off on Friday, July 13 with DCCA’s highly popular “Barbecue and Blues” event in a gleaming new setting.

“Barbecue and Blues” has moved downtown; all the delectable food, drink, and music enjoyed in the past will be on tap on the spacious lawn at Greenville Public Library, but with more glitz! The enticing array of yumminess includes a waffle cone stuffed with pork belly and mac-and-cheese topped with fried chicken, honey, and candied walnuts, barbecue pork belly tacos, and a Yardbird sandwich from Merchant House, all served with a tantalizing side, and shrimp or trio-meat kabobs and corn on the cob plus a chocolate fruit kabob and strawberry lemonade from Romer’s. Nacho Pig’s eponymous classic Nacho Pig, Hippie Pig, smoked chicken nachos, and bacon-wrapped ribs will all be available, as well as cherry, peach, and razzleberry pie from The Coffee Pot, and Kona Ice’s famous shaved ice delights. Bounteous beverage choices include micro brews from Moeller Brew Barn, wine and beer provided by Heidelberg Distributors (including selections from Versailles Winery), plus soft drinks, hot coffee, iced coffee, and iced tea.

The blues will be provided by two top-notch performers. Austin “Walkin’ Cane” Changarat, who has performed to great acclaim in DCCA’s Coffeehouse Series, will once again bring his Delta-blues chops and cool bluesy voice to town, performing original and traditional songs that evoke the spirit of early blues singers. Blues-rocker Doug Hart and his band have three times been named Best Blues Band in the Gem City at the Dayton Blues Challenge; the energetic group will blend passionate guitar-playing and soulful singing with appealing audience interaction to produce a memorable performance that might even inspire dancing to break out.

An exciting component of this shining evening will see some lucky person win a work of art. Bowling Green-area artist Gail Christofferson has won national recognition by creating mosaics on old guitars; one of her works featuring the image of the great Jimi Hendrix will be given away at “Barbecue and Blues” in a fund-raising raffle benefiting the Anna Bier Gallery. Raffle tickets are $5, and can be purchased at the Welcome Center in downtown Greenville; you do not have to be present to win (but who would want to miss a jewel of an event like “Barbecue and Blues?”)

Tickets for “Barbecue and Blues” cost just $10 (food and drink are not included in the ticket price), and can be reserved (along with a limited number of reserved tables) by contacting DCCA at 937-547-0908 or [email protected]. Tickets are also on sale at Greenville Public Library, Readmore’s Hallmark, and Darke County Welcome Center, and will be available at the gate. (In case of rain, “Barbecue and Blues” will move inside St. Clair Memorial Hall.)

And that’s only the beginning of the glistening celebratory fundraising events in DCCA’s 40th Anniversary season. In honor of The Ruby Season, DCCA’s Ghostwalk has expanded, adding a cemetery tour visiting the final resting places of some of Greenville’s most renowned and notorious citizens at Greenville Union Cemetery on Sunday, Oct. 28 and Halloween Night. The downtown Ghostwalk leaving from Henry St. Clair Memorial Hall will take place as usual on the weekend prior to Halloween, Oct. 26, 27, and 28.

The fun fundraising continues on Friday, Jan. 18 with “A Taste of Wine and Jazz” featuring delectable hors d’oeuvres, dazzling wines, and delightful music, as well as on Friday, March 15 at “Irish Wave” offering Irish food, Irish music, and unique craft beers. Montage Cafe hosts both of these stellar events that provide a good time and support DCCA’s glittering array of Ruby Season offerings.

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By Marilyn Delk

DCCA News

Marilyn Delk is a director of the Darke County Center for the Arts and can be reached at [email protected]. Viewpoints expressed in the article are the work of the author. The Daily Advocate does not endorse these viewpoints or the independent activities of the author.

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