The City of Kingsport Office of Cultural Arts is gearing up for The Carousel Fine Craft Show & Brass Ring Gala
WHEN: March 21-23, 2014
WHERE: Kingsport Farmers Market
Tickets: Book Now at www.EngageKingsport.com
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Tickets for the Brass Ring Gala are $35 each and gain the bearer to attendance all weekend long. Tickets to the Carousel Fine Craft Show are $7 for both Saturday and Sunday and $5 for one day only.
The Brass Ring Gala and Carousel Fine Craft Show made their debut last year to rave reviews. This year the Gala and Show return with double the number of fine craft exhibitors and the newest of Kingsports Carousel animals and art will be on display. The Brass Ring Gala will be on Friday, March 21 from 6 PM- 9 PM and the Carousel Fine Craft Show will continue on Saturday and Sunday from 10 AM- 5 PM both days.
The Kingsport Carousel Project has captured the imagination of the region and will soon break ground for the Pals Roundhouse which will house the 1956-vintage Herschel Carousel. Though much care and artistry have gone into each facet of the carousel, this is a working ride and children of all ages (and their parents and grandparents) will enjoy this destination for generations.
To honor the amazing work of the carvers, painters and machinists who work so diligently and with such care on the Carousel, the Brass Ring Gala will kick-off the weekend of celebration and shopping. My New Favorites will return to offer a toe tapping musical array, heavy hors douevres and a cash bar will be available. This is the perfect time to celebrate with the volunteers of the carousel who have carved frogs, elephants, horses and tigers and to the painters many of whom painted these platform animals and also painted the Rounding Boards and Bird Features. The Carousels working Band Organ will be on display and played over the course of the weekend. Who can resist the merry waltzes and polkas!
The finest artists and artisans of the region join in the celebration and offer the Tri-Cities a chance to explore true treasures and the people who make them. Weavers, woodworkers, porcelain and pottery will share the stage with fine furniture and amazing jewelry. Support these amazing artists and invest in a legacy.
The Brass Ring Gala and Carousel Fine Craft Show take place at the Kingsport Farmers Market located on Clinchfield and Center Streets in Kingsport, TN. The Farmers Market is quickly becoming and entertainment and event destination and the up-coming co-location of the Carousel and its adjacent park will further enhance its amenities. Art and artists provide the framework of a creative community.
Tickets are available by calling the Kingsport Office of Cultural Arts at 423-392-8414, in person in room 224 of the Renaissance Arts Center and online at www.EngageKingsport.com
The Kingsport Carousel Project is a volunteer-led community project involving over 200 volunteers with the dream of creating and operating a menagerie-style carousel featuring all hand-carved wooden animals and chariots and original paintings on a refurbished machine that is totally unique and iconic to Kingsport. The Kingsport Carousel Project is a joint effort by The City of Kingsport Office of Cultural Arts & Engage Kingsport, the Friends of the Cultural Arts group, a private 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation governed by a volunteer board of directors and supported by the generosity of people who love the arts. The arts are transformative to individuals as well as places.
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Official Carousel Groundbreaking Ceremony March 20th
The official Ground Breaking for the construction of the Kingsport Carousel building will take place at 11 am on Thursday March 20, 2014
at the Clinchfield Street parking lot at the Farmers Market. It is being coordinated by the Kingsport Chamber of Commerce. Speakers will
include Mayor Dennis Phillips, Reggie Martin and Valerie Joh. The public is welcome to attend.
2014 Carousel Fine Craft Show Exhibitors:
Beverage, Darla |
Fiber |
Boochard, Bonnie, Odendahl, Janet |
Fiber |
Brixey, Kipp |
Clay |
Campbell, Lecy |
Clay |
Chandler, Aleta |
Clay |
Cohen, Ruthie |
Jewelry |
Collison, Bill and Tina |
Wood |
Cornell, James |
Clay |
Curtin, Mary |
Wood |
Dwyer, Richard |
Wood |
Fischman, Nancy |
Clay |
Freels, Anne |
Jewelry |
Floyd, Buddy |
Furniture |
Gates, Marlow |
Natural Material |
Hill, Richard |
Jewelry |
Howard, Neal |
Fiber |
Jenkins, Kathryn |
Jewelry |
Jones, Jeri |
Jewelry |
Jones, William I. Dell |
Wood |
Lewis, Kenneth |
Wood |
Lockett, Ed |
Clay |
Moor, Eugene |
Glass/Jewelry |
Moore, Sandra |
Jewelry |
Moore, Tami |
Jewelry |
Reid, Anne |
Clay |
Roberts, Tim |
Clay |
Scaffe, Rob |
Furniture |
Schissel, Kelsey |
Clay |
Slone, Linda and Allen |
Metal |
Smith, Joyce Bolton |
Natural Material |
Spear, Liz |
Fiber |
Steggall, Alan & Nancy |
Clay |
Stoner, Jeffrey |
Photo |
Turpening, Ellen |
Fiber |
Turpening, Walt |
Furniture |
Wheeler, Lyle |
Furniture |
White, Blair |
Jewelry |
Wilkins, Tom & Brenda |
Furniture |
Zelinsky, Mary Ann |
Fiber |
My New Favorites Featured musicians at the Brass Ring Gala |
My New Favorites is available to appear on Radio and TV.
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My New Favorites is the union of five musicians with radically different musical backgrounds. Two of them are classically trained. Two cant read a note of music. Individually, they play old time, bluegrass, rock, gospel, jazz and classical. Together they are a fusion of all those styles. Speaking of fusion, check out how piano, organ and clawhammer banjo happily coexist on their track, “Got To Have That Giving On Your Mind.” Or the rock and roll accordion solo on “Go”. Or check out the four part harmonies in “Meet Me In The Water” and “Long White Robe.”
Playing in My New Favorites means bringing our own musical influences to the group, AND (this is important) being willing to learn from and be influenced by one another. The result is great music. But it’s a style that does not readily fit into any particular genre.
My New Favorites is billed as an Americana band. That’s the closest thing to a “non-label” label that we could come up with. But as one elderly concert attendee asked us one night before we started a show: Americana? You people play Americana? Why dont you just play music?
Right on. Right on, Mr. Concert-goer, whoever you were and wherever you are. Right on that there doesn’t have to be a label, a category, or a genre. Music just IS.
We are songwriters as well as performing musicians. We write about 90% of the music we play. That just seems to work best for us. The songs have become our voice. And we use our voices to share them. Everyone in the band has performed for years, but we all hooked up as My New Favorites in 2011. Since then, things have been busy. Weve played festivals, concerts and clubs all around the southern mountains. Were set to release our debut CD at the beginning of 2013.
Heres some info on the players in My New Favorites:
Jeff Benedict is a singer and songwriter who plays guitar and banjo in the band. He writes most of the stuff we play. Then he watches as we arrange it, change it and birth it out into the world.
Linda Waltner is a classically trained violinist, but doesnt let that get in the way of being a first-rate fiddler. Right at home with Bach or Bob Dylan, she can also do old-time and Celtic.
Amy Benedict, the little girl with the great big bass, is a veteran performer on the old time scene. A lifelong singer and dancer, she brings strong melodies and harmonies to the bands vocal mix.
Tracy Johnson plays the keyboards and the accordion for us, and does a great job singing. She’s the only one of us to play Carnegie Hall! Her strong musical style helps drive the music forward through every performance.