Wheels of Hope Charity Bike Ride benefits local children with autism

Wheels of Hope Charity Bike Ride is “letting the good times roll” on Saturday, October 27, 7:30 a.m., at St. Theodore Holy Family Catholic School in Moss Bluff.  

This fully supported bike ride is a fundraising event for St. Nicholas Center for Children, a local non-profit dedicated to providing services to children with autism and developmental delays.  The ride features the beauty of Sam Houston Jones State Park and 5 of SWLA’s most beautiful bike routes, ranging from a 10 mile family route to a 75 miler.  Each rider will receive a rider bag, t-shirt, and enjoy fully stocked break points and the support of SAG vehicles during the ride.  After the ride, there will be a “Taste of Louisiana Rider Celebration” with gumbo, boudin, and jambalaya. The top ten fundraisers choose from prizes that include an iPad, bicycle, and 50” TV.  

Advanced registration is $35/adult and $15/child at Capitol Cyclery on Friday, October 26, 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., or online right now at active.com.  Race Day registration is 6:00-7:15 a.m.  

Registration forms, fundraising updates, prizes, and routes are at www.wheelsofhopelc.com  Questions? Call Lee at 337.540.2446.  

Call for Artists - The George Rodrigue Foundation

The George Rodrigue Foundation is pleased to announce its Call for Entries to their 4th Annual Art Contest!  The 2013 art contest theme is "Louisiana's Culinary Heritage" and they have teamed up with the Louisiana Restaurant Association Education Foundation (LRAEF).  

All winning entries of the 2013 Scholarship Art Contest will be used in a new Louisiana Culinary Heritage Cookbook to be published by GRFA and LRAEF!  The annual art contest offers one-time college scholarships and awards totaling over $45,000 to the top ten (10) senior and top five (5) junior winners. In three years The George Rodrigue foundation have awarded $130,000 in awards!  All Louisiana juniors and seniors attending public and private high schools, home schooled students and GED students may enter the contest.  Deadline is February 20, 2013!  For more information visit http://www.georgerodriguefoundation.org/artcontest

"Rendez-Vous des Cajuns" Live Old Time Radio Show

Every Saturday Night from 6 pm to 7:30 pm, in the Liberty Center, the City of Eunice and the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park & Preserve present a live radio show, featuring both Cajun and Zydeco music in the Grand Old Opry/Louisiana Hayride/Prairie Home Companion format.  Cajun French is the language of the show with enough English spoken so that everyone can enjoy this unique and one-of-a-kind experience.  Tickets are sold beginning at 4:00 pm on Saturday, the day of the show, and seating is general admission. For more information call the Eunice Mayor's Office at (337) 457-7389. 

 The home of the "Rendez-Vous des Cajuns" Radio Show, the Liberty Center for the Performing Arts, located at the corner of South 2nd Street and Park Avenue, is a 1924 vaudeville/movie house which was purchased by the City of Eunice and renovated through a community project.  The theater is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has been included in the Great American Movie Theaters Preservation Press Guide published by the Smithsonian.  During its "hey-days" of the 1920's and 30's, personal appearances were made at the Liberty by Fattie Arbuckle, Tex Ritter, Jimmy Clanton, the Bowery Boys, and Roy Rogers.  

The Liberty Theater is open Saturdays 4:00 pm - 7:30 pm.  

Louisiana Crossroads Presents BeauSoleil Avec Michael Doucet

October 24th at 7pm in the Central School Theater, Louisiana Crossroads presents BeauSoleil Avec Michael Doucet.  This Grammy Award winning super-group blends Zydeco, Tex Mex, Western Swing, Blues, New Orleans Traditional Jazz, and Caribbean Calypso.  You do not want to miss this evening of incredible music!  Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door, and can be purchased at the Arts and Humanities Council office on the second floor of Central School, or online at www.louisianacrossroads.org 

Arts Council to Host Seminar on Artistic Branding

On Tuesday, October 9th at 11:30 a.m., the Arts and Humanities Council of Southwest Louisiana will host a free seminar in Room 108 of Central School Arts & Humanities Center as part of the quarterly Regional Arts Network luncheon series. The seminar will focus on the importance and process of branding for artistic success and recognition.  The collective efforts of creating a brand with a cohesive and communicative logo, the ability to hone in on one’s target market, and the increase in brand equity over time are essential to the success of and individual artist in his or her market.       

Marketing experts Peter O'Carroll representing the O’Carroll Group, Kristy Armand representing Healthy Image Marketing, and Oran Parker representing Parker Brand Creative will sit on the panel and offer strategies and methods for building a brand specifically for individual artists representing all artistic disciplines from visual art to music. Area artists with first-hand experience in the success of increased visibility through branding and marketing will also sit on the panel, including Sue Zimmermann, a local artist who has been exhibiting professionally for over 13 years and was former president of Associated Louisiana Artists, and Justin Robinson, founder of The Chuck Live and member of the local band Go, Granny, Go! which has successfully created a recognizable brand for their own band’s style.

An RSVP is required, and lunch is served at 11:30 a.m. for $5 per person with the seminar to follow at noon. Regional Arts Network luncheons are design to bring together those working or interested in the arts for networking opportunities and round-table discussions of regional arts initiatives. The Regional Arts Network series is supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Louisiana State Arts Council, and the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, and Recreation & Tourism.

For more information or to RSVP, call the Arts Council office at (337) 439-2787. 

Calcasieu Cinema International Presents "A Peck on the Cheek"

There will be a free screening of the 2002 Indian film "A Peck on the Cheek" this Friday, 28 September, at 7 p.m.  Central School auditorium in Lake Charles, Louisiana, will be the venue for the start of the second year of Calcasieu Parish's international film series. 

 

  A Peck on the Cheek goes beyond the romance and music of Indian film to confront difficult relationships and familial bonds.  With the aid of her adoptive parents, 9-year-old Amudha searches for her birth mother in war-torn Sri Lanka.  Facing rejection and possible conscription as a child soldier, Amudha goes on a journey that changes several lives.  Director Mani Ratnam's film is stunning in its honest portrayal of love and life's tough choices. 

   Dr. Kashi Yadalam, a native of  India, practices psychiatry and conducts research at Lake Charles Clinical Trials.  He and his family have enjoyed the cultural richness of the Lake Area for over twenty years and actively support the Banners Series. 

He is pleased to be a co-sponsor and to lead the discussion for the movie. Inviting the audience to join him, he will examine some of the rich, complex relationships in the film.  Free popcorn and drinks are provided. 

Calcasieu Cinema International, a branch of the Council for International Concerns, will present the award-winning film in partnership with McNeese State University's Office of Diversity, Banners Cultural Series, Arts and Humanities Council of Southwest Louisiana, Lake Area Psychiatry, The Hearing Center, Common Ground/CultureFestLouisiana, and Lake Charles Coca-Cola.

   For more information, email cbadeaux@mcneese.edu or jkprjs@gmail.com

Itinerant Theatre World Premiere: Cleoma ~ A First

Itinerant Theatre announces its second Bicentennial Year production, the world premiere of Cleoma ~ A First.  This one-woman play, written by Lake Charles native Carolyn Woosley, is from her 13 play cycle Louisiana Women.  Cleoma will be performed as a staged reading by two-time Grammy-nominated musician, Ann Savoy.  Cleoma will be performed at Imperial Calcasieu Museum at 204 W. Sallier St. Lake Charles, La.  Performances will be held at 7pm, Thursday - Saturday, Ocotber 4-6.  Tickets are $10 at the door.  





A Q&A with author and actress follows the Thursday night premiere.  Opening Friday night is Things From Our Past by Angela Wubben, a one-half hour dramatization of life in rural Acadiana.  After the Friday performance of Cleoma, Ann Savoy will introduce her new CD of Cleoma Falcon music.  Ms. Savoy will sign CDs and host a Q&A on its making.


Following the Saturday performance, the Grammy-nominated female troupe, The Magnolia Sisters, will play two sets of a blend of musical genres authentic to SWLA. This musical event begins at 8:00pm, outside at The Annex.  An additional $10 ticket is charged.  

Cleoma (Cleoma Breaux Falcon) and her husband Joe Falcon were the first Southwest Louisiana musicians to be recorded (Columbia Records 1928).  Cleoma was an iconic rule-breaker.  Women did not perform music in public, either before or after her, perhaps until Marc and Ann Savoy of Eunice, La.  Set in Crowley in the 1930s, Cleoma gives the audience a taste of life in the rough-and-tumble dancehalls of SWLA during a time of change as Acadiana’s music meets up with “hillbilly” and other musical forms.  Songs, woven throughout the play, will first be interpreted into English by a “reader” who will be on stage with Ms. Savoy.

Producers of Cleoma ~ A First are Joy Pace and Carolyn Woosley.  Ms. Woosley is Director. Ann Savoy is costume designer. Leslie Berman is sound designer. Technical consultant  is Norman McKnight. A grant by the Convention & Visitors’ Bureau of SWLA helped make this production possible.  Tickets for Cleoma are $10. A separate $10 is charged for the Saturday night Magnolia Sisters concert, with $5 discounts for those who attend any Cleoma performance.  To purchase all tickets, visit the website www.itineranttheatre.com , call 337-436-6275 or at the door.  Tickets for Cleoma are limited to 60. Tickets for The Magnolia Sisters are unlimited.
            Itinerant Theatre is dedicated to providing an affordable, professional forum for the performing arts and artists and productions for artistically underserved audiences.  For information call 337.436.6275, visit Facebook or the website: www.itineranttheatre.com                    

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