“Fiber, Paint and Clay,” an upcoming exhibit at Timbeline Gallery will showcase artistic displays using these materials. Starting next Monday, April 7, you’ll be able to view the art of Julie Mitchell. Jacqueline Kurtt, Camille Subia, Althea Stevens and Diane Hunter-Zehrung. The show runs until June 1.

These artists each have a unique story to tell through their work. Some have been at it for a long time, while at least one of them is quite young. All of them are very talented.

If you want to meet and greet the artists, attend one of two receptions that will be held on Art Hop second Saturdays, April 12 and May 10. There, you will not only be able to talk to the artists, you’ll also be able to watch as they put on demonstrations of how they make their wonderful creations.

Timberline Gallery, located at Gallery Row, 40952 Highway 41 in Oakhurst, is open 10 am-4 pm, seven days a week. You can get more details by calling 559-683-3345 or by visiting the gallery website, www.timberlineartgallery.com.

The Golden Chain Theater has begun to prepare for another fine performance in the upcoming months.  The new play will be “La Rue’s Return”.  With twenty years of experience, the play will be directed by Mary Lou Finley.  The play is set in New Orleans in 1875.  “New Orleans is a bustling center for Southern commerce. Prosperity abounds, except in one tiny bistro on the one tiny street in the French Quarter.”  The play is sure to be another great melodrama with many complications for your viewing enjoyment.

The character parts that they are looking to fill are for:  the smooth and evil Jacques La Rue, Polly Montclair who experiences doom and despair, the squeaky clean Lt. Alan Wextad, charming Ike the bartender, the sultry French chambermaid Mimi, the temblor-inducing sorceress Swamp Crone and Lazio the drunk.

If acting is not your kind of gig, but you still want to participate, there are many other positions that are available for you.  They need costume coordinators, dancers, singers, set decorators, and sound and lighting operators.

Auditions will be held at the Golden Chain Theatre in Oakhurst.  The address is 42130 Highway 41.  Auditions will be from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. on April 2nd and 3rd.  Performances will run from June 7th until July 20th on Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons.

The Golden Chain Theatre is a volunteer non-profit theater.  They do special holiday shows, special events and mini shows that sometimes hit the road for others to enjoy.  If you would like more information, visit www.goldenchaintheatre.org or call (559) 683-3789 or (559) 683-7112 for more information on volunteering or performances.

In continuation from the post on Wednesday.

The winter hours for the museum are from 10 am through 4 pm, Tuesday through Saturday and Sunday from 1 p.m. until 4 pm.  The summer hours are from 10 am until 5 pm, Tuesday through Saturday.  The museum is closed on Sunday’s in the summer months.  Admission is $3 per person.  Children under 2 are free as well as those that are members.  They offer prearranged educational group tours for groups of 10 or more for only $1 per person.

Museum membership is always appreciated.  A family can become members for $45 per year and an individual membership is only $15 per year.  Your membership will include a Bi-annual newsletter about what is happening at the museum.  Other membership levels are “Contributor” for $50 and Patron for $100-$199.  Each type of member will enjoy membership benefits plus additional free passes.  Groups can also obtain a membership for only $75 per year.  Some contributions are even tax deductible.

If you are interested in more information or would like to become a financial contributor of this worthwhile museum, contact Jean Hand at (559) 658-5656 at any time.  The museum is located at 49269 Golden Oak Drive, Suite 104 in Oakhurst, California.

In continuation from the post on Monday.

The exhibits teach scientific principles and allow the attendees to learn about the world around them through hands-on fun.  The museum is not the traditional type of collecting museum that is seen in other areas.  There are various rooms for children to explore and learn from.  Children will learn from artistic expression as well as dramatic play.

Visit the Science Room with bones and animals to explore, the Imagination Room, with a stage to perform your act, and the Castle Room.  Experience the thrill of driving an ambulance or fire truck and sliding down a fire pole in the “Emergency Room”.  Kids can pretend they are a doctor, wear a doctor’s coat, see a real skeleton and look through a microscope.  Kids can visit the “ship room” and use their imagination as they sail through the open sea on the huge boat.

Are you looking for a fun and economical place to host your birthday party?  If so, the museum is for you.  For a mere $25 party room rental (for 2 ½ hours) plus $1 per person, you can enjoy the museum and have a birthday party too.  Be sure to bring your own decorations, cake and party favors.  The party room accommodates 30 people.  Members of the museum and children under 2 are admitted free.

Please check back on Friday for the conclusion to this post.

If you are the parent of a child who is headed to college or if you are that child heading to college, you know the importance of scholarship money. You need to search far and wide, high and low and everywhere in between to find organizations that are willing to give money. You also have to find the right scholarships because if you don’t meet the requirements, then the organization’s willingness won’t matter.

The deadlines for two scholarships for artistic local students are fast approaching, but it ain’t over until it’s over, so you still have time.

The Madera County Arts Council will award five $1000 scholarships to high school seniors who live in Madera County, have at least a 3.0 GPA and want to major in the arts. The applications, which can be picked up from school counselors, are due by April 1, 2008.

The North Fork Arts Council wants to give two $500 scholarships (one is music and one in fine art) to high school seniors who live in Eastern Madera County and go to a school in the Chawanakee Unified School District. The applications are due on April 15 and you can call 877-2487 or 877-2769 for more information.

Calling all Mom’s, Dad’s, Grandparents, daycare centers, church groups, scout troops and teachers to visit a super fun and educational place right here in our own backyard!  The Children’s Museum of the Sierra is calling out to you all!

The Children’s Museum is for young children between the ages of 2 and 12 years old.  They provide hands-on exhibits and programs that will encourage the children to learn by doing, creating, imagining and making choices.  The museum operates under the guidance of the Educational Enhancement foundation, which is a private non-profit organization.

Open year round, there are roughly 1,000 local and tourist visitors each month who enjoy the surroundings and challenges that are offered by the children’s museum.

The museum was founded in 1995, by parents and individuals who were interested in bringing specialized programs to the youth of the region.   The funding is generated by admission fees, private contributions, membership drives, grants, special events and gift shop sales.  There are many volunteers that will help make your museum experience the best you and your young one can imagine.  There is currently about 4,000 square feet of exhibit space for the children to explore.

Please check back on Wednesday for Part II of this post.

If you have a child or relative that attends school in our area, or even if you don’t, please take some time out to attend tonight’s Showcase of Schools from 4pm-7 pm. As it has been for many years in the past, the event is being sponsored by Sierra Telephone and Yosemite High School.

Remember what it was like when you were a kid, wanting your parents, grandparents, and friends of the family to be proud of you? Well this is a great opportunity for you to show community spirit by going to see some of the great work done by area kids. It is important that these kids see a good amount of foot traffic at events like this so they feel supported.

There will be art work as well as academic work on display, plus musical and dance performances as well. You don’t have to worry about going hungry because the Yosemite High School FFA Club will be on hand with scrumptious things to eat.

Call Rima Runtzel at 559-642-0313 with questions.
Yosemite High School
50200 Road 427
Oakhurst, CA 93644

The Tollhouse Community Theatre will present everyone’s favorite red-headed orphan on stage. Yes, you can see Annie, Daddy Warbucks, Miss Farrell, Sandy and even Miss Hannigan on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

The musical “Annie” is based on the Depression-era comic strip “Little Orphan Annie,” in which an orphaned child manages to remain cheerful despite rather bleak circumstances. Since the strip lasted over so many years, the characters went through all sorts of adventures (although Annie hardly changed in appearance). In the early days, Daddy Warbucks was married, but his wife later disappeared from the strip. The comic strip’s first readers were children, but as more and more adults read it, the storylines become more political.

The musical debuted in 1976 and Annie has been played by many people, including Sara Jessica Parker of “Sex and the City” fame. And Molly Ringwald once played on of the orphans.

Catch all the fun at the Sierra High School Presentation Center, 33326 Lodge Road, Tollhouse. It costs $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors. You can buy tickets at Subway in Prather and Friant or call 559-855-8856.

Hurry and get your tickets. Thursday…is really only a day away.

Interest in our history, either as a country or locally is important for us all.  The Oakhurst area is rich in history that all area residents should revel in.

The first Saturday of each month, the Willow Bridge Books will now feature their “Did You Know” series to educate children in the public on area information from the past.  Come and find out more information about your community at large.

Find out interesting information about when Oakhurst was called Fresno Flats and why the name was changed. 

Lectures will cover information on area history, local authors, historical events and other interesting topics.  These “history lessons” will begin at 2:00 p.m.  This program sounds like a great way for some scouts to earn a badge!

Willow Bridge Books stocks new books, cards, art and educational toys.  Their mission is to provide community service and a unique shopping experience to area residents and visitors alike.
If you would like to attend these fun and informative sessions call (559) 692-book (2665) for more information. 

Reservations are not required.  The store hours of operation are 10 am until 6 pm, Sunday thru Thursday, and on Friday and Saturday from 10 am until 9 pm.

The Eighth Annual Fresno Flats Ragtime and Vintage Music Festival will take place over three days this weekend (Friday-Sunday). Venues for this festival are Fresno Flats Historical Park, 4977 Road 427 (School Road) and the Oakhurst Lutheran Church, Hwy #426 (38255 Black Rd.). You can call (559) 658-2342 or 408-842-4990 for more information.

The festival will feature Tom Brier, The Bradshaws, Shirley Case and The Drivons. The festival is happy to accept whatever you want tp give as a donation and the proceeds will benefit Fresno Flats Historical Park and the musicians performing in the festival.

People often refer to jazz as the first music form that was unique to the United States, but in doing so, they forget about ragtime. Both swing and jazz are musical genres that are descendants of ragtime. Ragtime came before jazz and like many musical forms of its day, it was not always written down at first. People played and danced to it before it was put on paper. Once music is put on paper and published, it is available for sale, meaning that in can become more standardized.

Ragtime music is known for its syncopation. To the listener it may seem as if the melody is subverting the rules of meter and going its own way. Musicians can compose original ragtime tunes or make already composed songs into ragtime songs by a process known as “ragging.”