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HARRISONBURG - The Arts Council of the Valley (ACV) announces Art House 201, the second annual film festival celebrating the visual and performing arts. The event will take place February 2 - 4, 2012 at Court Square Theater (CST), 61 Graham Street. The three featured films are My Kid Could Paint That, Young at Heart, and A Rehearsal for a Sicilian Tragedy to be shown at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. each evening in a rotating schedule. Tickets are $6 per film. Movie attendees are invited to enter a raffle for a free DVD copy of each of the three featured films.

The purpose of Art House 201 is two-fold. First, this is a celebration of the arts in its diverse forms. ACV believes the arts are foundational to a vibrant community and want to encourage the public to consider the role of art in their lives. Second, this festival provides an opportunity to educate the community on the mission of CST. CST is an intimate art house that celebrates the independent and foreign films as well as unique theater, music, and dance.

For a detailed schedule and to learn more about the films, visit www.CourtSquareTheater.com or www.ValleyArts.org. 540-801-8779.

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LURAY – James Madison was president, Louisiana earned statehood, and the War of 1812 started. Luray, Virginia, was born in 1812, and the town is celebrating its Bicentennial all year in 2012.

Festivities commence February 4, with the ‘Celebrate Luray’ kick-off marking the 200th anniversary of the town’s charter. Modeled after popular ‘First Night’ New Year’s Eve celebrations, ‘Celebrate Luray’ will take place from 4 to 8 pm in several venues in the historic district. Current locations include the PAL Center for the Performing Arts, Warehouse Art Gallery and Trackside Theater – new home to Blue Ridge Youth Theater. Officials will close Main Street from Broad Street to the railroad tracks, including the alley running from Campbell to Main.

Attendees will purchase buttons to wear for admittance to the venues, which will feature a variety of entertainment for all ages. The buttons, which cost $5 each for those 12 and older, will be available for purchase in mid January. Throughout the Bicentennial year, the buttons will be good for specials at local establishments.

At 7:30 pm, local church bells will chime the launch of the Bicentennial, as the crowd gathers for a ceremony to include a welcome by Mayor Barry Presgraves and a fireworks show. Local group ‘Thundergun’ will perform a post-event show from 8 to 11 pm at the PAL Center.

Organizers are planning for chilly temperatures, and encourage participants to dress warmly. In case of inclement weather, the kick-off will be rescheduled for February 12.

Local civic organizations are encouraged to take part by volunteering with the committee or selling warm beverages or food during the event. Interested groups should contact Bicentennial Coordinator Pam Flasch at 540-244-8065.

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STUARTS DRAFT - Membership meeting for active members and new members, Sunday February 5, 2012 at Guy K Stump Elementary School in Stuarts Daft, 2 pm-5 pm. If you are looking for a new bass club for the 2012 season and like to fish smaller bodies of water, please come and join us for a great 2012 year. We cater to all boats. This is our 8th year. Visit our website for more information at www.acbassjons.net.

The Augusta County Bass Jon’s offer 6 club tournaments. 1 Big Open Tournament, Club Classic at the end of the year, Kids Fishing Derby, 2 Chicken BBQ Fundraiser & Sport Show at Orange County High School, Big Awards Banquet at the end of the year. Great fellowship, come and join us for some great bass fishing.

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LEXINGTON - Thursday, February 9 and Friday, February 10, Washington and Lee University, Lexington. Billed as the nation's most accurate mock convention, this year's event features a debate between Anne Coulter and James Carville as well as speeches by Mike Huckabee and Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour. Admission fee. www.mockconvention.com, 540-458-8400.

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BUCHANAN - Glow-A-Rama the Blacklight Experience, 18 Hole Indoor Blacklight Mini-Golf and Blacklight Game Room, has just added a new "Blacklight" Feature- The Dance 'N Party Room and will have a Valentine's Day Dance on Saturday Feb 11th,  8:30-12:30 with the Romantic Sounds of D J DEB . Adults Only Non-Alcohol. Tickets Start at $10.00 for the dance & Can add 18 Hole Blacklight Mini-Golf $Game Room Tickets Must Be Purchased in Advance By February 8th at Glow-A-Rama -19812 Main Street, Buchanan or on the web at: www.glowarama.com/valentines.html. For more information call: 540 254 3183

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LURAY – PAL’s monthly theme for February is Romance, and ‘Le Hotclub de Biglick’ will set the tone with their gypsy jazz February 11 at 7:30 pm at the PAL Center for the Performing Arts.

In the 1930s, this style of music was made famous by the legendary Django Reinhardt and Le Hotclub de Paris. In Roanoke, the tradition is carried on by Le Hotclub de Biglick (Biglick being the old name for Roanoke.)

Le Hotclub is a feel-good band for all ages and musical preferences with a rich background in music performance, studies and teaching.

Tickets ($15 for adults, and $8 for ages 18 and under) are available at Luray-Page County Chamber of Commerce, Luray Copy Service, Luray Apothecary, Stanley Pharmacy and through InstantSeats.com. ‘The Vault,’ PAL’s cash bar, will be open. For more information about Performing Arts Luray, visit the website at PerformingArtsLuray.org.

PAL is partially funded by the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.

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LOVE is in the air in Waynesboro!

WAYNESBORO - The popular Virginia is for Lovers LOVE artwork will be in front of Waynesboro City Hall February 11th-February 15th. Waynesboro Tourism will be holding a photo contest! Come out to Downtown Waynesboro and enjoy a day filled with LOVE! The 6 ft tall, 16 ft long Virginia is for Lovers LOVE artwork will be on display for photo opportunities from Feb. 11-Feb. 15 at the corner of Main Street and Wayne Ave. To submit a photo entry, simply share your LOVE pictures on social media at www.Facebook.com/VirginiaisforLovers and on Twitter using #LOVEVA- just make sure to reference Waynesboro in your caption!

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HARRISONBURG - Shaun Groves, a singer and songwriter, will look to answer those questions and share songs and stories from his interaction with people from around the world during Spiritual Life Week, Feb. 13-17.

"Shaun Groves brings an evangelical voice to the call to live the Gospel in our present day," said Brian Martin Burkholder, campus pastor. "He has a passion for the poor and, in particular, for children living in poverty. He will inspire and challenge us through song and story."

In addition to praise and worship, Groves will perform songs from his new album, "Third World Symphony." Groves won the ASCAP Christian Songwriter of the Year award and has been nominated for seven Dove awards including Best New Artist and Songwriter of the Year. For more information call EMU campus ministries at 540-432-4115 or visit emu/edu/spirituallifeweek.com.

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HARRISONBURG – The Harrisonburg-Rockingham Sesquicentennial Committee and partners secured funding through the Virginia Tourism Corporation and the American Civil War Sesquicentennial Tourism Marketing Program to create two essential marketing tools. SIDECAR Studio in Harrisonburg worked with committee partners to develop a brochure and map that will offer visitors compelling stories, historic sites, museums, interpretive centers, and a 2012 calendar of commemorative events. The map offers a walking tour through Downtown Harrisonburg and driving tours throughout Rockingham County.

This year is an important anniversary for Stonewall Jackson’s Valley Campaign. “The Harrisonburg-Rockingham Sesquicentennial Committee and partners have worked to engage local citizens and visitors of the unique and diverse stories in the Harrisonburg-Rockingham County area, says Cari Orebaugh”.

“The brochure and map are available at the Hardesty-Higgins House Visitor Center and will be promoted in Northern Virginia to educate and inform visitors of the significant role our region played in the American Civil War, says Brenda Black.”

The next Harrisonburg-Rockingham Sesquicentennial Meeting will be held on February 15th at 3pm at Crossroads Valley Brethren- Mennonite Heritage Center.

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HARRISONBURG -  Join Esther Nizer, president of the Harrisonburg area chapter of the NAACP, to consider "Inspiring the Future" and moving forward on Friday, Feb. 17 at EMU for Black History Month. Nizer will speak in EMU's Lehman Auditorium at 10 a.m. Admission is free. For more information contact campus ministries at 540-432-4196 or email campusministries@emu.edu.

Music faculty artists series: James Richardson, baritone, and Jim Clemens, piano, will present a recital titled British & American Art Songs on Friday, Feb. 17, at 7:30 p.m., in EMU's Martin Chapel. The concert will feature works written within the past 75 years including Clemens' own Lessons: A Song Cycle for My Daughter, Paul Bowles' Blue Mountain Ballads, British folksong arrangements by Benjamin Britten, theatre songs by Leonard Bernstein, and songs by Lee Hoiby. Admission is free. Donations are welcomed for the EMU music scholarship fund. For more information contact Cindy Mathews at 540-432-4225 or email music@emu.edu.

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STAUNTON - The SWAG Writers (Staunton, Waynesboro, and Augusta Group of the Blue Ridge Writers Club) Reading Series kicks off 2012 with a duo from Lexington, a fiction writer and a poet who happen to be husband and wife. Of Chris Gavaler’s novel in stories, School for Tricksters, Kate Buford says, “From the painful reality of the Carlisle Indian School, Chris Gavaler has created a unique and compelling work of fiction ... a nuanced and provocative story that evokes central issues of identity.” Of Lesley Wheeler’s poetry collection Heterotopia, Pulitzer Prize-winner Claudia Emerson says, “This work fuses lyrical invention with the ‘blitzed, hungry, smoke-thin world of memory’—the poems richly drawn intermixtures of narrative and place.”

The presentation will take place on February 22 at 6 p.m. at the Darjeeling Café at 103 W. Beverley St. in Staunton. The reading is free and open to the public. Books will be available for purchase. This event is the latest public reading sponsored by SWAG organizers who hope to elevate the profile of area writers and promote the literary arts in Staunton, Waynesboro, and Augusta County by providing a forum for local and visiting authors to share their work. The group is made up of professional, aspiring, and hobby writers who also host a monthly mixer where members meet to network and socialize and read short excerpts of their work at an open mic. Writers interested in joining the group can contact Cliff Garstang at cgarstang@aol.com.

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HARRISONBURG - At its new Funkhouser Women's Center on the main health campus, RMH seeks to nurture an atmosphere of wellness and healing for patients, families and visitors by selecting visual art that reflects the personality, culture and natural surroundings of the surrounding Shenandoah Valley.

RMH is working with Audrey Ziegler of Harrisonburg, Virginia, to select multidimensional, innovative pieces to display at its new center.   All artwork will be reviewed and approved by the Funkhouser Women's Center art committee, with full rights to decline or accept any art offered.

Artists will deal directly with Audrey Ziegler and not Rockingham Memorial Hospital. All art purchased will be for the permanent collection of RMH.  Donations of art are welcome and will be reviewed by the same art committee.

Artist submissions should:  a) describe the style and medium, b) include digital images of artwork, c) include artist biography and d) preferably be in the form of a website or e-mail with attachments.

Audrey Ziegler may be contacted by e-mail at audrey712@comcast.net or by phone at 540.405.2422.

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HARRISONBURG - Two RMH Community Health programs, RMH Childcare Connection and Healthy Families of the Blue Ridge, have joined to form RMH Family Connection.

RMH Family Connection will serve a 10-county area in the Shenandoah Valley, from Rockbridge County north to Winchester.

"We joined these programs to prevent duplication and to better coordinate the parenting services RMH Community Health offers," said Reagan Eshleman, RMH Family Connection coordinator. "By putting these resources under one umbrella, we will be able to serve more Valley families."

RMH Family Connection will still offer the services of Healthy Families of the Blue Ridge and RMH Childcare Connection and there will be no reduction to program options.

Healthy Families of the Blue Ridge helps first-time parents learn how children develop and how to help them stay healthy and safe. Healthy Families supports parents by providing home visits, parent socials, a toy-lending library and child development information and screenings. This is a free, voluntary program for first time parents.

RMH Childcare Connection offers free training for caregivers and parents. RMH Childcare Connection is the free resource and referral service for parents seeking childcare providers in the Valley. More than 600 childcare providers have listed their information, including daycare centers, preschools, family daycare homes and after-school programs. In addition, the Parent Education and Support program (PEAS) offers free 12-week parenting classes three times a year in Rockingham County and two times a year in Page County. For more information about RMH Family Connection or other RMH Community Health programs, call 540-433-4531.

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WAYNESBORO - The one-of-a-kind gift store, located at 2296 Jefferson Highway, Suite 104, between Waynesboro and Fishersville on Route 250, features approximately 4300 square feet of "Shoppes."

Displays include ready-to-finish furniture available for purchase.  A collection of units enables the customer to mix and match designs to fit their décor.  Special orders are available in a selection of stains and paint from the manufacturers.  The store also carries a line of water -based and oil finishes to do-it-yourself.

Kitchen islands hold plates, glassware and accessories in the "Gourmet Foods and Kitchen Shoppe."  Shelves in a variety of styles and sizes are brimming with enticing gourmet food.  Items range, from jams and jellies, to pretzel, chips, dips and cheeseball mixes.  There are selections of natural and organic foods, soups and sauces, candies, soft drinks, and Virginia peanuts.  To warm up the coming fall days, choose from coffee, teas, cocoas, and chai.

The "Candle Shoppe" features over 30,000 candles.  Unscented hand-dipped and formal tapers are available in over sixty colors.  Jar candles, pillars, wax tarts, tealights, sachets, and votives abound in more than 120 fragrances.  Want something unique?  There are feather twist or ruffled tapers, beeswax tapers studded with crystals, drip candles, or hand-painted tapers.  A wide selection of glass and metal holders are available.

In the "Gift Shoppe", consumers will find hundreds of gift items, greeting cards, scented lotions and soaps, collectible trolls, and plush.  For the wine connoisseur, one can find bottle holders, stoppers, elegant goblets and champagne flutes.  The Bride-to- Be can coordinate a rainbow of candles to match her theme, as well as Unity candles and holders, guest book sets, cake servers, and toppers.

Local artisans, representing Waynesboro, Crozet, Charlottesville, Staunton, and Weyers Cave, provide  art and photography, table runners, quilted totebags, BBQ aprons, florals, ceramics, clay pot candle stands, button jewelry, and wood turning. 

The "Outdoor and Seasonal Shoppe" features decorative metal furniture, colorful garden flags, and holiday décor, including wreaths and ornaments.

Beds and finished children's furniture are found in the newest addition - the "Sleep, Tot, and Kid's Shoppes."  Alphabet shelving is filled with soft plush toys or books.  Versatile children's bedding features colorful accessories to create a castle, romantic canopy bed, a bunkbed cabin, or a daybed tent with a trundle option for sleepovers.   Decorative accessories feature fire trucks, trains, planes, pirate, barnyard, butterfly, and safari themes.  Infant clothing and accessories round out the collection.

Regular store hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.  For more information, call 540-221-4577.

   

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