Summer Pops Goes MoTown!

The Lake Charles Symphony and First Federal Bank present this year's exciting Summer Pops annual concert on Saturday, July 14th, at 6:30 p.m. at the Lake Charles Civic Center. Each year this event brings together symphonic music with contemporary genres, and Summer Pops 2012 is going MoTown!

The concert will unite the Lake Charles Symphony, conducted by Bohuslav Rattay, with guest artists Destan Owens, Ramona Keller, and Kimberly JaJuan, and this collaboration will offer top of the charts hits such as "I Heard it Through the Grapevine," "ABC," "Signed, Sealed, and Delivered," "My Girl," "Stop in the Name of Love," "RESPECT," and many more! Expect the party to go on throughout the night as they bring the songs to life with their talented vocals!

Several seating options are available for purchase starting at just $20 from the Lake Charles Symphony website: http://www.lcsymphony.org/order-online.html. Pizza (8 slices for $10) and drinks will be available for purchase. Call the Symphony office at (337) 433-1611 for details.

Pinnacle Foundation Sponsors Arts & Crabs Fest!

From left: Kerry Andersen; Paula Gillard; Erica McCreedy; Keith W. Henson

Pinnacle Entertainment Foundation, the parent company of L'Auberge Casino Resort Lake Charles, committed to a sponsorship of $5,000 for the annual culinary event Arts & Crabs Fest. Kerry Andersen, Pinnacle Entertainment Director of Media Relations & Public Affairs, and Keith W. Henson, Sr. Vice President and General Manager of L'Auberge Lake Charles, presented a check to Erica McCreedy, executive director of the Arts & Humanities Council of SWLA, and Paula Gillard, Arts Council board president. The event is coordinated jointly by the Arts Council and the Lake Charles/SWLA Convention & Visitors Bureau and celebrates the ties between local seafood and culture. Pinnacle's sponsorship ensures that this year's event creates a wider impact on our tourism and culture. Arts & Crabs Fest will be held on Saturday, August 18th, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Lake Charles Civic Center, and a limited number of $25 wristbands will be sold, which can be purchased at www.artsandhumanitiesswla.org. For details, call the Arts Council office at (337) 439-2787.

Children's Theatre Co. Presents Summer Workshops

The Children’s Theatre Company begins its 2012 Summer Theatre Workshops with “Wild Things” for children ages 5-8.  This workshop introduces children to theatre through the use of creative drama, theatre games, creative movement, stage makeup, costumes and musical theatre. The workshop cost is $65.00 and is held on July 9-11 from 10:00AM to 11:15AM.  The afternoon workshop session is entitled “Acting for the Camera” for children ages 8-18.  This workshop covers auditioning for commercials, reading commercial scripts, exploring different commercial techniques, and beginning improvisational skills. Information and samples are shared on doing resumes, head shots and finding the best agent or manager. The workshop cost is $85.00 and is held July 9-11 from 12:00-1:30PM.  No experience is needed for the workshops.  All workshops have limited enrollment and are held at Central School of the Arts & Humanities Center at 809 Kirby Street.  For registration information, contact the theatre at 337.433.7323 or visit the website at www.childrenstheatre.cc and click on Summer Starz Series.

Bayou Bash This Saturday!

This Saturday, June 23rd, the Arts Council will host a beer garden at the first annual Bayou Bash at the Prien Lake Mall. The bash will be from 4 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., and it'll feature live music from some of the best talents around. Drop by and enjoy the event! All beer sales benefit the arts in SWLA.

20th Annual Red, White, Blue & You! Celebration

LAKE CHARLES, La.—The City of Lake Charles is making plans for the 20th annual Red White Blue & You Celebration. As part of the home-spun celebration, participants and spectators are invited to join in the fun for the parade, concerts and fireworks.

On Wednesday, July 4^th at 6 p.m., the street parade will be lead by 10 year old Grand Marshal Devin Scott Fontenot, who will represent the Children's Miracle Network and the Southwest Louisiana Sickle Cell Foundation. The parade will roll from Mill Street heading south on Lakeshore Drive, east on Clarence, north on Ryan, west on Broad, returning to the origin.  Anyone who would like to join in the parade is invited to decorate their floats, vehicles, golf carts, bicycles, marching units, etc. Denise Fasske, event manager said “This route is the perfect distance for kids to participate by decorating their bikes and wagons and filing in line.”  Spectators are encouraged to line the streets for beads and candy.

Follow the parade to front lawn of the Lake Charles Civic Center for a patriotic program beginning at 7:15 p.m. with the sounds of “Market Blue”, bluegrass band. The Lake Charles Community Band and conductor Leo Murray will also take the stage featuring a salute to the U.S. Armed Forces and a sing-a-long with the Louisiana Choral Foundation and friends. There will be face painting, balloon clowns and food vendors. This year’s festival t-shirt was designed by Miss Tori Viator, who will be entering the 8^th grade. Audience members are encouraged to bring their blankets or lawn chairs and wave their complimentary flags. If inclement weather prevails, the program will be moved into the Civic Center Coliseum. The fireworks extravaganza will begin at 9:15 p.m. Tune into Fun Radio 92.9 FM or Gator 99 for the soundtrack simulcast.   

Red White Blue & You has been voted one of the “Top 20 Events” among 11 states for the month of July by the Southeast Tourism Society which promotes travel to and within the Southeastern part of the United States. For more information and parade entry forms call 337-491-9159 or www.cityoflakecharles.com.  

Jazz in the Arts Concert

New Arts Council Executive Director Named!

For the past several weeks, the board of directors for the Arts & Humanities Council of Southwest Louisiana conducted a search for a new executive director for the organization by forming a selection committee and a hiring committee. After reviewing 30 resumes and performing a thorough interviewing process, the board chose Erica McCreedy as the executive director.

McCreedy has served as the special projects coordinator for the Arts & Humanities Council for the past two years, beginning her career on a volunteer basis. She brings her experience in program development, public relations, and promotions to her new position.

“I am both thrilled and honored to be charged with this task,” said McCreedy, the new executive director of the Arts & Humanities Council. “I am eager to explore how we can better serve Southwest Louisiana’s culture, economy, and tourism.”

McCreedy is involved with the Louisiana Citizens for the Arts, Friends of Central School, the Arts Associates of Lake Charles, Fusion Five, Yellow Flag Press, McNeese Banners Cultural Series, and the annual Vision/Verse poetry and art exhibition.

She has received many awards and honors, being the recipient of the Lynn & Richard Reid Award, the William J. Dore Writing & Research Award, the Joy Scantlebury Poetry Prize as well as being nominated for the Intro Journal Award of the Association of Writers & Writing Programs and the Best New Poets Anthology. 

McCreedy earned a Bachelors of Arts in English from Louisiana State University with a concentration in creative writing and minors in theatre and classical studies, a Masters of Arts in English from McNeese State University and a Masters of Fine Arts in creative writing from McNeese State University.  Prior to working with the Arts Council, she served as a docent with the Imperial Calcasieu Museum, and she worked for six years as a visiting lecturer at McNeese State University.

The board of directors for the Arts & Humanities Council of Southwest Louisiana includes Paula Gillard, president; Jason Martinez, first vice president; Mindy Schwarzauer, second vice president; Amanda White, treasurer; and Sally Cappel, secretary. Board members include James Babin, Jason Barnes, Kaysie Bolton, John Boykin, Kristin Broussard, Mary Donaldson, Anjo Elsbury, Beverly Gott, Peggy Griffith, Katie Harrington, Terry Hebert, Daniel Ieyoub, Jordan LeLeux, Angie Manning, Shonda Manuel, Laura Moreau, Chantelle Richardson, Nancy Sanner, Patricia Schmidt, Tom Shea, Sharon Steinman, Dr. Michelle Swift, Mia Vick and Amanda Winterbottom.

For more information on the Council, visit www.artsandhumanitiesswla.org.