Fill the night with music.

This is how we spend a sultry late-summer Saturday evening in Hagerstown.

Dead Men's Hollow--one of my favorite Bluegrass bands--brought their lush harmonies and rich-yet-precise instrumentals (sounds like they're fanatics about pitch, which is appreciated) to an audience of hundreds this evening.

This series--a collaboration by the Washington County Arts Council and the City of Hagerstown begun four years ago--is intended to bring the experience of excellent live performance to people who don't get that very often. This year, thanks to the Maryland State Arts Council and the Hagerstown Washington County Convention & Visitors Bureau, an underserved population is getting eight consecutive weeks of great music right in their own back yard. But--here's the cool part--people are coming into these folks' neighborhood as cultural tourists. Lord, did you ever think you'd see the day that people from Frederick would be coming to city-center Hagerstown for their cultural experience on a summer evening? I witnessed one exchange between a visiting couple (who had a blanket, brie, and LL Bean picnic equipment) and one of our downtown residents who lives in the neighborhood because services for low-income disabled persons are available there. The guy in the wheelchair possibly hasn't been in a restaurant in years. But he was helpfully explaining that the visiting couple should definitely after the concert go directly to Duffy's which is our new trendy nightclub on the Public Square. At first that sort of broke my heart; he's never been to Duffy's, and probably never will. But he gave careful instructions on where it is and where to park. But then I thought, good for you, good for us; how excellent for anyone to welcome people to their neighborhood with hospitality and grace. Once in a while I feel a flash of human respect and dignity here in Hagerstown, and it makes me think that our future is a hopeful one. The arts make that happen.

Don’t miss this. Time is running out.

Today my friend Caroline practically dragged me to see a photography exhibit at the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts. I’d been reluctant for a variety of reasons. I don’t really get turned on by most photography; there's great stuff out there, and like with any media, there's not-so-great stuff. And I’m pretty busy at the arts council during the summer. And the photographer is Norwegian, which I was sure would translate into sinister or at least overly-dramatic photographs. And I’ve never liked the way the WCMFA guards size you up when you enter our museum, and then they put a lurid green sticker on your clothes to indicate that you’ve been inspected. Creepy.
Anyway, this exhibit of exquisite photographs by Asle Svarverud is something you must must must experience. Breathtakingly and transformingly beautiful. I frequently harp about artistic excellence and merit. This is precisely what I am talking about.
Problem is that the exhibit closes this weekend. So take 45 minutes out of your weekend to give yourself a precious gift, and experience this show. The parking is free right outside the door. Do it on Saturday afternoon, then join us for a free concert by one of my absolute favorite Bluegrass bands --Dead Men's Hollow--at 7pm in City Park.
Oh, they don’t put those stickers on your clothes any more. The guard smiled at me when I walked in!
p.s. thanks, Caroline!

Getting ready.

It’s fair to say that we have a lot of arts and entertainment opportunities here, whether your tastes run toward the symphony or toward a minor league baseball came, or toward a retro “Summer of Love” concert. Or, as in my case, toward all three and more.


Before any of those excellent experiences comes our way, a lot of work is done behind the scenes to make it happen. There’s a lot of blood, sweat and tears in making art, but also there’s a ton of labor in bringing the art as well.


Here are scenes from two events tonight in the Hub City. First, there’s Lindsay, gallery manager for the Arts Council, putting the finishing touches on an artists’ reception this evening. Before she got to the little black dress and the canapés, there were a few days of slinging a paint roller, patching walls, wielding a tape measure to make sure all those beautiful paintings are hung just so. Then she made the canapés. And I wouldn’t be surprised if she had something to do with the little black dress, too. And kudos to her boyfriend Kelly, who really knows his way around with a vacuum cleaner.


Meanwhile, across town, the Annapolis Bluegrass Coalition was setting up at City Park. Lots of schlepping of speakers and monitors and other various heavy stuff in 80+ degrees. And they had just come from a four-set gig at a Harley dealership halfway across the state. By the time they went on, they had every appearance of having nothing on their minds but having a good time in Hagerstown.


That’s something I’ve loved about my career in arts/entertainment/event planning. After lots of work--which sometimes goes smoothly and according to plan, but more often does not--in the end you just brush the debris under the rug, wash your hands, lay out the wine and cheese, put on a clean shirt and a sincere smile. It’s showtime!

Look up once in a while.

I realized this afternoon that I’m guilty of something I’ve accused others of doing: failing to see the progress that’s been made in downtown Hagerstown. Not seeing the forest for the trees, so to speak. It occurred to me at lunchtime when I was sitting in our University Plaza. The lawns were lush, the landscaping was lovely, a fountain was running, a great local blues band was giving a free concert, and all sorts of downtown workers were lounging about with all sorts of fabulous carryout lunches. Tex-Mex, pizza, curry chicken wraps, salads. Someone even had some carryout Persian kabobs, for God’s sake. Persian food in downtown Hagerstown! People were holding conversations and relaxing and laughing. I saw a couple people reading books. It felt more like an idyllic college campus than the dumpy dreary downtown I’ve gotten all-too-used-to. When I walked back to the gallery to resume work, I noticed the new banners on the light poles and felt a definite swell of pride in my adopted hometown. Really, I have to remember to look up more often, and stop looking down. Because when you look up, you have to admit that things are looking a lot brighter around here.

Note: free lunchtime concerts every Thursday, and free professional cultural-and-literacy enhancement children’s storytelling every Wednesday at University Plaza. If that’s not a case of the City working for the people, I don’t know what is.

Summer, for sure

Here’s one of the surest signs of summer: children’s art camp. Over the next three weeks approximately 120 young people will get hands-on experience in drawing, painting, sculpting, music, dance, costuming and acting at Doub's Woods south of Hagerstown. Professional artists and credentialed educators—assisted by a corps of energetic camp counselors—work overtime to keep the lessons lively and engaging. The children receive the sort of focused and intensive arts instruction that goes way beyond what is available in the traditional school setting during the school year. It’s a pretty cool thing which I would have loved if such a camp were available to me 40 years ago. I enjoyed watching the drop-off this morning so much that I momentarily forgot that it’s about a kerjillion degrees in the park today.

Some of these children will grow up to be artists, some of them won’t. But all of these children will grow up knowing that artistic expression is an effective and meaningful (and accessible) language. And we hope they’ll remember fondly these lovely artsy mornings in Doub’s Woods. This, my friends, is why we do what we do.