Third Annual Sagebrush County Fiber Arts Revival set for Oct. 6 in Evanston

Patti Fiasco at Evanston's Beer, Brats and Bluegrass Festival June 23

Piatigorsky Tour features guitarist Jack Sanders in Evanston May 18

From Young Musicians, Inc.: FREE CONCERT this Friday, May 18, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Evanston. The concert will start at 7 pm, and features solo guitarist Jack Sanders. The concert is sponsored by the Piatigorsky Foundation, and is being made available to us in Wyoming courtesy of Dr. Seymour Thickman and the Wyoming Arts Council. Canned or dry food donations for The Lord's Storehouse have been requested in lieu of admission. Please join us for an evening of fantastic music!

Tickets available now for Ceili at the Roundhouse in Evanston March 23-24

Ceili at the Roundhouse will take place March 23-24, 2012, in Evanston.

Click below to purchase your full weekend pass. Includes all events March 23-24, 2012. Individual $30; Family $75.

Click here to purchase individual tickets to Teada (March 23, 8 p.m.)

Click here to purchase individual tickets to to Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas (March 24, 8 p.m.)

Click here to purchase tickets to Pre-Festival Event: Dinner & Dervish in concert (March 20, 6 p.m.)

Tickets also available at the door and at our ticket outlets. 

Most events held at the Roundhouse & Railyards Complex

Pre-Festival Events:

March 20 – 23 Celtic artists visit schools in Evanston, Wyoming.

March 20, 6 pm Dervish in Concert at Suds Brothers Brewery. Dinner included. VERY limited tickets available here. Legendary Irish group Dervish brings their magical, traditional Irish music to a special event at Suds Brothers Brewery! This exclusive night includes dinner and a limited-seating concert, up-close and personal, just like you might experience in old Ireland.


For more info, go here.

Sign up now for Uinta Mountains Writer's Workshop March 10 in Evanston

Hats off to Ed Close, organizer of the first-ever Uinta Mountain Writer's in Evanston.
Find the event on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/groups/234753113262334/

Young Musicians, Inc., in Evanston awarded grant from the National Endowment for the Arts

The National Endowment for the Arts announced today that Young Musicians, Inc., of Evanston is the recipient of a $10,000 Challenge America Fast-Track grant. The funding will “support the Music, Arts & Technology Camp. In addition to leading classes for youth and adults, professional camp staff will perform a concert for the community. Proposed artists include saxophonist Michael Giles, violinist Jeremy Starr, bassoonist Michele Hustedt, and tubist Joe Jensen.”

As National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Rocco Landesman has noted, "Art works everywhere," which is why the agency's Challenge America Fast-Track (CAFT) program supports projects from primarily small and mid-sized arts organizations that extend the reach of the arts to underserved audiences-those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability. Chairman Landesman announced today that 162 Challenge America grants totaling $1,620,000 will be awarded to organizations in 46 states, plus the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

"Taken together, these Challenge America Fast-Track grants provide an extraordinary sampling of the work that arts organizations do to reach underserved communities," said Chairman Landesman. "With these grants, we are helping to ensure that art works for all Americans."

Along with not-for-profit arts organizations, grantees in this announcement include a community housing authority, municipal tourism department, state mining and technology institute, and social service agency-all using the arts to engage audiences and make their communities more livable. In addition, among the 162 grantees, 47 or about 30 percent are first-time grantees to the NEA, a significant number that demonstrates the program's important gateway role.

Please see the complete listing of CAFT projects: http://www.arts.gov/grants/recent/12grants/12cham.php?disc=Challenge%20America

The National Endowment for the Arts was established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. To date, the NEA has awarded more than $4 billion to support artistic excellence, creativity, and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities. The NEA extends its work through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector. To join the discussion on how art works, visit the NEA at www.arts.gov

Wyoming Arts Alliance meets Nov. 13-15 in Evanston

From Lyndsay McCandless: The Wyoming Arts Alliance's annual Booking Conference is happening November 13-15 in Evanston. This year's conference has expanded to include workshops and show opportunities for visual artists, as well as the programs for performing artists, arts organizations and presenters. To register, go to www.wyomingarts.org. Contact Lyndsay Rowan McCandless for more information at director@wyomingarts.org

WyAA's annual conference will be in Evanston Nov. 13-15

News from Shasta Wiggington at the Wyoming Arts Alliance:

On November 13-15, the Wyoming Arts Alliance will be holding its annual Booking Conference in Evanston.

 
We are excited to host the conference this year at the newly renovated Historic Roundhouse and Railyards Complex in downtown Evanston.
 
There are a number of exciting new aspects of the conference to look forward to, such as a four-track workshop series, a visual arts gallery and the introduction of our new Executive Director, Lyndsay McCandless. 
 
Also on the itinerary are some of the favorite WyAA conference traditions including performing artist showcases and valuable networking opportunities.
 
Interested in sponsoring? Help promote your business, artist, agency or arts service industry at the WyAA conference this year!  Choose one of the many sponsorship options we have available, and expose the entire conference to your name. For details, e-mail shasta.smith.wigginton@gmail.com

  
Registration will be open soon, so please check the WyAA website for updates: www.WyomingArts.org

Piatigorsky Foundation tours begin today in Wyoming

Raquela Sheeran

Soprano Raquela Sheeran and pianist Efi Hackmey launch their Piatigorsky Foundation tour of the east side of Wyoming with a concert at the Sundance High School Auditorium at 7 p.m. this evening. Free and open to the public. For full tour schedule, go to http://www.piatigorskyfoundation.org/onetour.cfm?tour=10404

Evan Drachman

Meanwhile, of the west side of the state, the Piatigorsky Foundation presents cellist Evan Drachman and pianist Jeffrey Grossman at 7:30 p.m. tonight at Trinity Lutheran Church in Evanston. For full tour schedule, go to http://www.piatigorskyfoundation.org/onetour.cfm?tour=10403

Both tours are sponsored by the Wyoming Arts Council, the Piatigorsky Foundation and Muriel and Seymour Thickman of Sheridan.

FMI: Call the WAC at 307-777-7742.

Ceili at the Roundhouse Celtic Festival in Evanston March 11-12

From the good folks in Evanston:

Céilí (pronounced kay-lee) is an Irish word that means social gathering, with music. In other words, a party! In its third year in Evanston, Wyoming, the Céilí at the Roundhouse Celtic Festival March 11-12 promises to be the best one yet, with word class music, culture, shopping, food, and the Children’s Area.

“We are selling tickets to people from different states who are amazed that these internationally acclaimed bands are coming to little old Evanston,” said Young Musicians Executive Director Carolee Bowen, who is organizing the event. “They know that our small town atmosphere is the best place to get up close with artists who would never be approachable in NYC, Chicago or LA.”

Friday night features Väsen (veh-sen) from Sweden, with Americans Mike Marshall & Darol Anger, with a pre-show by Killarney. Saturday night features De Danann (day-dawn-in) from Ireland. Both headline concerts start at 8 pm in the Roundhouse. An all-out jam session will follow the concerts over in the Machine Shop until midnight. Festival daytime entertainment at the Machine Shop includes Evanston’s own Celtic Mist, and Marty Smith, and coming from Utah, Amber & Rye, Julie ni Hewkin, and the Rovin’ Boozers. Educational workshops include Multi Style Fiddle Improvisation, Mandolin, Beginning Bodhran (Irish Drum), Bouzouki Madness, and question/answer time with members of Väsen and De Danann. An on-site pub will be open, closely monitored by the Police Benevolent Society. To see the full schedule of events for the festival visit www.EvanstonCelticFestival.com

An all-event full weekend pass is only $25. Single tickets to the evening concerts are $15 each, and daytime only admission is $3. Those who already have a Concert Series season pass get in to everything with no additional cost. Tickets are available in Evanston at Home Décor, Mt. Music, Jewl’s Card & Gift, or the Evanston Chamber of Commerce. In Bridger Valley tickets are available at Benedict’s Market and Lyman Town Hall. Tickets also available at www.EvanstonTickets.com

Bowen said that the most asked question she gets is if people can buy a family pass to the festival. Here is what she suggests, “ buy the $25 all-event weekend pass for you and your concert partner which gets you into the 8 pm headline concerts and all daytime events, and bring the kids to the daytime events. Daytime admission is just $3. Or, if you have a large family and you want to bring them all to everything including the 8 pm concerts, buy a Uinta County Concert Series season FAMILY pass for $125. That will get them all in, and also into all the concerts for the rest of the Uinta County Concert Series season through May!”

The Céilí at the Roundhouse Celtic Festival is presented by Young Musicians, Inc., and supported by many local sponsors, the City of Evanston, and grant funding from the Western States Arts Federation, and the Wyoming Arts Council, through funding from the Wyoming State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Willie LeClair at Uinta County Library

Special screening of "The Secret of Kells" will be held at the Lyman Performing Arts Center Aug. 20

On Friday, August 20, 7 p.m., in the Lyman Performing Arts Center (the PAC located in the Lyman High School) there will be a special showing of the Oscar-nominated animated film "The Secret of Kells." This film was shown in very limited venues late last year, and will not be released on DVD in the U.S. until October.

Also appearing will be Tod Polson, who is the color scripter for the film. Tod is a Wyoming native who has worked in animation in Europe, the Far East and America for many years. He will be discussing the making of "the Secret of Kells" and possibly showing pieces of his current short projects or one of his acclaimed short films.

And, this is a fund-raiser for the Uinta County Library System, so all proceeds go to an excellent cause.

FMI: 307-787-6529.

More info on the film at http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1026538/ and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Secret_of_Kells

Get a letter cancelled at historic Ft. Bridger

Fort Bridger State Historic Site will celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Pony Express with a special postal cancellation that will be available at the post office beginning on June 15.

Additionally, a group of ceremonial pony express riders will arrive at Fort Bridger State Historic Site at approximately 9:30 a.m., June 15 as part of the anniversary celebration. Although scheduled to arrive at 9:30 a.m., the riders, who are riding to destinations throughout Wyoming, could appear two hours earlier or later.

Admission to Fort Bridger is free on June 15 thanks to a waiver given to the Fort Bridger Historical Association by the Wyoming State Parks and Cultural Resources Commission.

The Historical Association will also have special stamps and envelopes available for purchase that have been created specifically for the Pony Express Anniversary. The special cancellation will be available beginning June 15 and for the next 30 days after which time the cancellation will be destroyed.

Fort Bridger State Historic Site is open 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily. For more information please call 307-782-3842.

Ceili at the Roundhouse Celtic Festival

2010 Celtic Festival

June 18-19

Go to http://youngmusicians.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=64&Itemid=60 to print out a Festival Program including schedule, Clan Booth applications (free space outside in the plaza!),Vendor Booth application(10x10 spaces, only $50)

World renowned music with the Old Blind Dogs from Scotland, Molly's Revenge with Moira Smiley, and eleven regional bands perform all weekend., clans,vendors & merchandise, craftsman, demonstrations, workshops & education.
Daytime events held at the historic, newly restored Roundhouse, Machine shop and plaza, located 1/2 mile northwest of Downtown Evanston on Main St.

Daytime Festival - Roundhouse Complex 9 am - 5 pm
Evening headline shows - Evanston High School start at 7 pm

After-hours Ceili celebration - Roundhouse with music and session playing, dancing, food and drink 9 pm - midnight

Contact:

Young Musicians, Inc.
P.O. Box 394
Evanston, WY 82931
307-679-2348

Preserve Wyoming 2010 conference will be held May 14-15 in Evanston

From a Wyoming SPCR press release:

Have you ever seen the rehabilitated historic hotels and motels in Buffalo? Or, wondered how Powell’s historic downtown building got all their facades redone?

Have you wondered how your community could use heritage tourism as an income generator? Or, how the windmills of Wyoming relate to the state’s historic trails?

These questions and more will be discussed during the Preserve Wyoming 2010 Conference in Evanston, May 14-15.

This biennial State Historic Preservation Office conference will be hosted by the City of Evanston and held in the newly rehabilitated historic Union Pacific Roundhouse and Machine Shop. (Evanston's Historic Depot is shown in photo above.)

The conference begins with lunch May 14 and concludes with tours of historic sites in the area on May 15.

Registration is $60 and includes all conference meals, including the annual awards banquet honoring recipients of the Wyoming Historic Preservation and Main Street awards.

Complete conference information is available online at http://wyoshpo.state.wy.us. Registration deadline is May 7.

For more information, please contact Ashley Rooney, State Historic Preservation Office, 307-777-7566 or via email at aroone@state.wy.us.

Bear River State Park - Video Series

Bear River State Park has partnered with the Uinta County Library to preview the video series, "The National Parks: America's Best Idea."

The six-video series, directed by Ken Burns and written and co-produced by Dayton Duncan, will be previewed on Tuesday September 22, at the Bear River Travel Information Center.

The series will be shown hourly beginning at 9 a.m. Anyone interested in previewing this series is welcome to attend. The series will be aired on PBS beginning on September 27 and running through October 2.

For more information, call Bear River State Park at 307-789-6547.

It's a marvelous night for a moon walk, hopefully

Experience Fort Bridger State Historic Site during the dark of night with a Moonlite Tour of the facility, Saturday beginning at 9:30 p.m.

Visitors will see Fort Bridger from a different perspective while entertained with historically based skits performed by local volunteers. See the fort in a different light – moon light.

Cost of the tours is $5 for adults (18 and up), students $3 and children five and younger free.

Please call 307-786-2915 for reservations.

MAT Camp featured in Uinta County Herald

The Uinta County Herald featured a great article today about the Music Art and Technology (MAT) Camp set for July 20-24 at David Middle School in Evanston.

Read the entire story at http://www.uintacountyherald.com/V2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=2482&page=72

For more info about the camp, call Carolee Bowen of Young Musicians at 307-679-2348.

"The Life Atomic" opens Monday in Evanston

"The Life Atomic: Growing Up in the Shadow of the A-Bomb" traveling exhibit opens on Monday, June 1, at the Uinta County Museum in Evanston. “The Life Atomic” shows the many ways the bomb influenced life in the 1950s and early 1960s. Exhibit panels focus on the development of the bomb, early atomic testing in the American Southwest, civil defense preparations, fallout shelters, the influence of the bomb on movies and television, “atomic” toys and games, and the impact of the bomb on home décor.

FMI: 307-789-8248 or http://wy-uinta2.civicplus.com/index.asp?nid=488

UW playwrights capture KCACTF awards

From a UW press release:

An original one-act play by University of Wyoming senior theatre major Jaime Cruz of Evanston has been selected for competition at the national Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) in Washington, D.C.

Cruz's play "Dead in the Kitchen" won the Region VII KCACTF Short Play award in February and is a finalist for the prestigious national John Cauble Short Play Award sponsored by KCACTF.

Cruz won an all-expense paid trip to the national event, where he will attend a week of writing workshops with nationally known playwrights and attend a professional reading of his play this week. Cruz has also been asked by playwright Jose Cruz Gonzalez to attend rehearsals of the new play "Sunsets and Margaritas" at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.

Named in honor of John Cauble, professor emeritus of UCLA who helped develop the KCACTF playwriting award program, the Short Play Award annually recognizes one or more outstanding productions of such plays in colleges and universities. The awards to each playwright whose work is presented at the national festival include $1,000 provided by the Kennedy Center; a professional development opportunity; and active membership in the Dramatists Guild.

This was the first year UW playwrights won all the playwriting awards at Region VII KCACTF.

American studies graduate student Drew Lyness of Shropshire, United Kingdom, won the Northwest Drama Conference (NWDC) Playwriting Contest with his play "Body of an American." Lyness won a trip to Seattle for a professional reading of the play at the Seattle Repertory Theatre.

Senior English major Randi Million of Laramie won the Region VII ACTF 10-Minute Play Competition. All three students were part of the spring 2008 Advanced Playwriting class taught by English Professor Craig Arnold and Theatre Professor William Missouri Downs.

Junior theatre major Steven Rotramel of Greeley, Colo., received the Region VII KCACTF Costume Design Award Winner for his work on the fall 2008 production of "Rabbit Hole" and also won an all-expense paid trip to compete at the national festival.

KCACTF is a national theatre program involving 18,000 students from more than 600 colleges and universities nationwide. KCACTF encourages, recognizes and celebrates the finest and most diverse work produced in university and college theater programs.