For showtimes and locations, go to www.mamasbluedress.com

“A hillbilly Wilson Phillips. Absolutely amazing.”
- Samantha Stephens, CMT Radio

“The Dixie Chicks with a side of Alison Krauss. The harmonies sound like they have been singing together for years.” – CMA Music Festival review, Rock on Together.com

“Songs that blend literate yet hooky construction with a strong dose of sisterhood…a convincing and entertaining piece of work.”
-Critics’ Pick, The Nashville Scene

“Likeable.” – CMT.com

“Four charming women you may want to keep an eye open for in the near future.” – Sports and Entertainment Nashville

“So good it’s scary.”
- Bobby Rains, 30A Radio

“Nashville’s answer to The Bangles.”
-Mike Grimey, Grimey’s New and Preloved Music

“Unbelievable harmonies. One of the best things I’ve ever seen or heard.” – John MacDonnell, WUWF Pensacola

The Hambidge Center for the Creative Arts and Sciences announces some exciting changes to its annual outdoor festival. Formerly a summer event, the newly designed The Great ARTdoors Festival will now take place on October 15, 2011, allowing attendees to enjoy the very best season in the North Georgia Mountains. Featuring GREAT ART inside resident studios and in THE GREAT OUTDOORS.  This is the only day of the year that the public is invited onto the 600-acre creative sanctuary.  Offering a chance to view the private artist residency campus, all kinds of art including the popular hands-on U-do-Raku pottery glazing, a bunch of yummy food trucks, foot stompin’ old time music and an educational environmental stand, The Great ARTdoors Festival promises to be one of the highlights of the season.

WHEN             Saturday, October 15, 2011 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

WHERE           The Hambidge Center for the Creative Arts and Sciences

105 Hambidge Court, Rabun Gap, Georgia 30568

Approximately 1.5 to 2 hours from Ashville, NC and Atlanta, GA

Hambidge can be reached at 706-746-7186, www.hambidge.org

TICKETS                        $10 per person, children under 10 are free.

ART                            During the festival, guests can enjoy a hayride tour of the artist-in-residence studios, which are normally closed to the public. Artists from Berlin, Cuba, California, Michigan, Florida and Georgia will provide special art installations, demonstrations, performances, circus arts and acts of intrigue throughout the day, with special activities for kids and an Invitational Pottery Show in the gallery.

U-DO-RAKU          Visitors of all ages love getting hands-on with the U-do-Raku pottery. With many shapes and sizes to choose from and paints, glazes and even crackle in lots of colors, decorating pottery at Hambidge is almost as much fun as watching it get cooked in the outdoor kilns. Think fire, smoke and excitement.

FOOD                         Hambidge has invited some of the region’s favorite food trucks to take part in The Great ARTdoors Festival. Tomlin’s Bar-B-Q will also be onsite for a real taste of the South, and local brews and wines will provide plenty of refreshment.

MUSIC                       In addition to welcoming visual artists, the Hambidge Center supports many other forms of art including the musical arts. During The Great ARTdoors Festival, there will be old time music, blue grass and blues all day long from the likes of Grammy award winning Art Rosenbaum and Friends, Hank Belew and Carmel Ridge and the Tony Bryant Blues Band.

ECO                            The festival is a green, eco-conscious event providing rare access to the protected artist sanctuary. During the festival, Hambidge will host a recycling and environmental education stand as well as a native plant and flower sale.

HOSTS                                   This year’s event Co-Chairs are: Hambidge Board Trustees, Bonnie Beauchamp-Cooke, Carolyn Harwell, Malissa Ladd, Liz Lapidus and Suzanne Shaw.

HAMBIDGE            All proceeds go toward Hambidge residencies for today’s brightest artists and scientists at our Blue Ridge Mountains campus. The Hambidge property includes seven miles of hiking trails within clean mountain air, meadows, streams, waterfalls, wildflowers, a swimming hole, log cabins, a springhouse and a water-powered gristmill responsible for grinding grits and corn meal.

The Hambidge Center is funded in part by the LUBO Fund, the Fulton County Commission under the guidance of the Fulton County Arts Council, and the Georgia Council for the Arts through the appropriations for the Georgia General Assembly.  The council is a Partner Agency of the National Endowment of the Arts.

The Hambidge Center welcomes artists to its pristine wildlife setting throughout the year. Hambidge is located at 105 Hambidge Court, Rabun Gap, Georgia 30568. The mailing address is PO Box 339, Rabun Gap, Georgia 30568. Hambidge can be reached at 706-746-5718 or visited online at www.hambidge.org.

Brenda Borden

One of the joys of living in Cobb County is that you can find all kinds of free activities to keep yourself and your family entertained.  One of the best freebies to be found is the summer concert series.  Several of the cities, such as Marietta, Kennesaw and Acworth, have these each year.

Marietta’s Glover Park Concert series kicked off on Friday April 29, with the pop music of The Glow Band. There will be eight concerts throughout the summer, presented by the Marietta Downtown Development Authority and Marietta Parks and Rec Department as well as other supporting sponsors.  Blankets can be set up after 4:00PM.  There is a table or blanket decorating contest before each concert.  Judges look at your use of color, design, theme and creativity and will choose a winner and announce them prior to the show.  May 27 is Neon with 70’s and 80’s music and May 28 is the Cobb Symphony Orchestra.  June 24 will be Yacht Rock and July 4 has not yet been announced, but there will be music along with the Independence Day celebration and fireworks.  July 29 will be the Jesters and August 26 will be Tyn Tymes.  September 8 is beach music with the Pieces of Eight.

The City of Kennesaw generally holds its open-air concerts at the Depot across the street from the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History.  The theme this year is “Tribute to the Legends” and performers will showcase music by acts such as Elton John, the Eagles, Billy Joel and the Doobie Brothers.  Everyone is invited to bring a blanket and a picnic and enjoy!  There will also be vendors selling food starting with the first show, Saturday, June 11 at 8:00PM with Almost Elton John and the Rocket Band.  July 3 will be Hotel California along with the fireworks extravaganza.  The concerts during the Pigs and Peaches BBQ event will be on two nights. On August 26 you can hear Toulouse Street and on August 27, The Stranger. These will be held at the Ben Robertson Community Center.  Saturday, September 10, will showcase local favorites Banks and Shane at the Depot.

Acworth Concert

The City of Acworth also has a series of concerts at Cauble Park on the shores of Lake Acworth.  They have two dates set for music – June 11 with Sons of Sailors (a Jimmy Buffet tribute band) and July 4 with Flashback in conjunction with the city’s fireworks show.

So, if you like music, get your calendar out and see how many of these events will fit!  Bring a blanket and a basket of goodies to share with your loved ones and you have one great way to spend an inexpensive night out on the town.

With Permission from TRG

Join chef-owner Anne Quatrano of Bacchanalia, Quinones at Bacchanalia, Floataway Café, Abattoir, Star Provisions and Provisions to Go as she hosts a family-style, farm supper fundraiser for Georgia Organics on Sunday, May 1, at 3 p.m. at Woodland Gardens in Winterville, Ga. Enjoy an afternoon gathered around the maypole along with a farm tour and farm-style music entertainment. Guests can sample an array of Southern cheeses, indulge in sweet cakes, sip on refreshing farm cocktails and savor delectable vittles cooked by 23 talented local chefs, including Joshua Hopkins of Abattoir; Jay Swift of 4th & Swift; Steven Satterfield of Miller Union; Hilary White of The Hil; Hugh Acheson of Five and Ten; The National and Empire State South; and Linton Hopkins of Restaurant Eugene, Holeman & Finch Public House and H & F Bread Co.

Tickets for the Southern Sunday afternoon are $185 for Georgia Organics members and $200 for non-members and can be purchased online. Seating is limited to 100 people. All proceeds benefit Georgia Organics to further its mission of integrating healthy, sustainable and locally grown food into the lives of all Georgians, creating great access to fresh healthy food, environmental stewardship and stronger local economies.

Brenda Borden

by Brenda Borden

GREAT!  The roads are going to be blocked off AGAIN in downtown Kennesaw.  This time it will be for two days, April 16 and 17.  Why are they shutting down?  It is time for the BIG SHANTY FESTIVAL!!

All of Kennesaw and most of the surrounding areas look forward to this huge block party each year when the town pulls out all the stops and shares its front yard with the public.  Big Shanty is celebrating its 35^th year and expecting over 60,000 friends to come by and enjoy the big bash.  Rumor has it that there will be over 200 booths with arts and crafts of all types, unique and unusual items, plenty of yummy festival food and entertainment galore such as music, cloggers and dance troupes on several stages.  There will be big bouncy houses and games for the little tykes too.

For those interested in the history of the south, in the center of the festival area, you will find the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History.  It will be open for business during the festival.  There will also be re-enactors there who will demonstrate shooting cannons!

The festival kicks off with a parade on Saturday morning April 16 at 9:30AM from Adams Park and continues along Main Street in Kennesaw. There will be spirited marching bands, creative floats, beauty queens with their parade waves, and every type of wheeled vehicle you can imagine.  Who doesn’t love a good parade?

The festival will close out with an acoustic set by Kennesaw’s favorite blues man, Roger Hurricane Wilson, from 4 – 5 on the City Hall stage.

So, be prepared NOT to drive through downtown Kennesaw this weekend but DO come join us for the fun and food and fellowship!!  Festival hours 10 – 6 Saturday and 12 – 5 Sunday.  See y’all there!