Showing posts with label Arden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Arden. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Gettin' Shady IN the Grove

CONTENT COURTESY OF INWILMINGTONDE.COM
by Joe del Tufo, Chief Creative Officer, Mobius New Media.

Perfect weather and an energetic crowd helped make the 2014 Shady Grove Fest a big success on Saturday, July 19. It was a great mix of diverse musical acts, dancing, delicious food and mediocre beer.  


As is the tradition...

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Sunday, September 1, 2013

Annual Arden Fair Kicks-Off Labor Day Weekend

By Guest Blogger, Melissa Duko
Melissa is a former reporter for Spark magazine. She is a fan of all things fashion, art, and pop culture, and isn’t ashamed to admit she watches Bravo TV religiously.

Despite a forecast calling for rain, Arden Fair attendees saw only partly cloudy skies, allowing for hours of shopping, eating and entertainment. Saturday, Aug. 31 marked the 106th anniversary of the Arden Fair. The annual event of all things art brought out a diverse crowd of all ages, including newbies like me. Although I’m a native Delawarean, I’ve never attended the Arden Fair before. (I blame Labor Day weekend trips to the beach.) So I was excited to see the wares of local artisans and partake in delicious midway treats.

When I go to an event, parking is my number one concern.  I’ve heard how popular the Arden Fair is, so I decided to beat the crowd and get there right as the fair opened. My early arrival meant I could skip the free shuttle buses, and I scored a free parking spot over in the grassy field designated for parking. After parking, I hoofed it on foot over to the fairgrounds, burning calories along the way that would go toward future smoothies and kettle corn. 
I entered the fair, and made my way down to Shady Grove for the first performance of the day: The Diamond State Concert Band (www.dscb.org).  The volunteer concert band treated festival-goers to a variety of upbeat tunes.  Unfortunately, classical music isn’t my forte so the names of the songs escaped me.  While the music rolled on (the rest of the day’s acts included the Rob Tietze Duo, Kombu Combo, Kwesi Kankam, Stereo Box, Universal Funk Order, New Sweden, The Dreamkillers), I headed back to the vendors for some retail therapy.
The Fair featured more than 50 vendors, including Sage Tree and the eclectic Second Look Mosaic Creations. If you like to give loved ones (or yourself) unique gifts, the fair offered plenty to choose from: clothing for pets, hats, infinity scarves, sand art, and beer bottle cap art, just to name a few.  

All of that walking will work up an appetite, and my Arden Fair food favorites were the Kettle Corn ($7 large bag) and fresh fruit smoothies ($3 for a small). The kettle corn was such a hit that I regret not picking up two bags. Oh well, there is always next year!

Never been to the Arden Fair either? It’s always held Labor Day weekend. Mark your calendar now for next year (Aug. 30, 2014).

See http://ardenclub.org/about/arden-fair/.

Saturday, August 24, 2013

A Fearless New Season of Comedy in Arden...Plus CTC's Big 20th Kickoff

As City Theater Company prepares to launch its landmark 20th season — leading with an electric, one-night-only, in-concert version of Jesus Christ Superstar at World Cafe Live at the Queen, directed/produced Joe Trainor and featuring a full band and cast of CTC fan-favorites —its wildly popular comedy improv troupe, FEARLESS IMPROV, is gearing up for a side-splitting new season as well.


Fearless Improv brought the funny to Penn's Place this summer.
Following last year's successful debut of regular gigs at Wilmington's Chris White Gallery, and a fantastic summer run at Penn's Place in old New Castle, the troupe now moves to the larger space of the Buzz Ware Village Center in Arden for regular shows on the 3rd Friday of each month, beginning September 20.

"All shows are at 8:00pm and will provide you with an hour of endless laughs and tears of joy," says the troupe's Facebook page.  And judging by the crowds and "buzz" the group has consistently drawn, that's absolutely true.  Plus, it's a very affordable $5 admission at the door, with drinks and snacks available for purchase, and free parking.  So, you've really got no excuse NOT to come giggle, participate and make'em up with some of City Theater Company's finest.

See www.city-theater.org.
See www.facebook.com/CTCIMPROV.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Good Times at Shady Grove Music Fest

Brad Turner of 3EYES. Photo: Joe del Tufo

A bit of rain couldn't slow things down at the Shady Grove Music Fest on Saturday -- rather than head for the hills (and their dry cars), partiers barely blinked an eye. After all, bailing out would mean missing out on some of the day's most anticipated bands, New Sweden and Bullbuckers, who rounded out the festival's roster of ten main stage bands, acoustic performances on the Moonlight stage and live graffiti art by Brad Turner of 3EYES.

The early part of the day featured The Joe Trainor Trio, Sharon Sable and E. Shawn Qaissuanee, Smoke Signals and Frequency Bender. As the afternoon warmed up under cloudy skies (nice, actually -- the grove is shady, but without the full summer sun in the sky, the day was a refreshing change from the recent heat waves), local youth Local Chaos took the stage to a supportive crowd as they honed their skills with songs by Motley Crue and the White Stripes, among others.

I especially enjoyed Newark's Little Invisibles, fronted by the lovely Dina Degnars on piano and vocals. Shades of Within Temptation, but singularly original. And, with an audience-participation hula hoop interlude, a lot of fun, too.
Little Invisibles. Photo: Joe del Tufo

A little drizzle started to fall during Deadbeatz, Inc's politically charged set, and by the time Villains Like You took the stage, the rain was really coming down -- and the crowd was starting to dance. Nothing like an outdoor music festival to get your body moving it the rain, right?

And through it all, 3EYES created a piece of his distinctive, hand-and-stencil graffiti art, while DJ Zip kept the beat going between bands.

You'll have to wait until next year to hang at another Shady Grove Music Fest, but the Arden Concert Gild offers live original music throughout the year -- like them of Facebook to keep up with the schedule.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

New Sweden and Free Energy Tear Up the Arden Gild Hall

New Sweden @ Arden Gild Hall. Photo: Joe del Tufo
The idea behind bringing Philly rock gods Free Energy to the Arden Gild Hall was simple: to draw a younger crowd to the breezy venue, which usually boasts a more solidly mature audience. And, of course, a local band kicking off the night was a must. Enter New Sweden, easily one of the most buzzed-about bands in Delaware right now. On every level, this XPN-sponsored show was a success, from the generationally diverse crowd to the choice of bands to the enthusiasm that filled the room through the night.

If you haven't seen New Sweden yet -- and I hadn't -- they are a band that has earned the hype. They play folky, foot-stomping rock, sometimes light and airy, sometimes hard, with viola, banjo, mandolin, pump organ and glockenspiel added to the traditional rock instruments. It's sort of like Burl Ives meets Cowpunk. Very cool. New Sweden is the kind of band you can sing along with, even if it's your first time seeing them. I can see why they've got the passionate following they have -- they put on a great show.

Free Energy @ Arden Gild Hall. Photo: Joe del Tufo

While we at DE Arts Info always focus on Delaware artists, headliners Free Energy deserve mention. I'll frame it like this: Delaware, and Arden in particular, should be very proud to have hosted this band and this show. Free Energy, whose sound can be described as modern "70s rock" -- think Sweet meets Teenage Head meets the Stooges meets the Stones in the 21st Century -- had the entire room dancing through the night. Not moving, but full on dancing, from the kids to the seniors, and that's not something you see every day.

New Sweden will be playing NON-COMM at World Cafe Live at The Queen on Friday, May 20; on June 4, they will perform at the Baby Grand; they'll return to The Queen to headline on July 29th (see their band page for full schedule and information on their upcoming album). Free Energy will be touring the US this summer; their album, "Stuck on Nothing" is available on iTunes and Amazon.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Catch the Rabbit!

December 11 and 12 at the Arden Gild Hall, Bootless Artworks presents The Velveteen Rabbit, a puppet musical by Simon Chan adapted from the beloved book by Margery Williams. Directors Roseanne DellAversano and James Fuerst revised the show with the musical’s creator, Simon Chan, adding puppets to make it more accessible and fun.

The adorable hand puppets, created by DellAversano and Fuerst, are small enough to allow the audience to enjoy the actor’s voices and movements, yet they lend a fairytale feel to the show.

Sweet and playful, most of the story is set in the boy’s bedroom, where his toys come to life, arguing about which one of them is better and more loved. Big boxy toys Choo-Choo and Steamy, played by Sarah Blandy and Carlos Alicea respectively, take over the stage with their fine singing and bossy presence. Melissa Castillo (Velveteen Rabbit),is touching as she comforts the ailing Boy with her song, “All Through the Night”. Singing “The Use of Love” from atop a pile of trash, she is sure to move even the meanest fourth-grade class bully. Gary Hubbard (Harold) and Kimberly Pryor (Gwendolyn) are a riot in the jazzy song/dance number, “This Ain’t No Rabbit” as they mock and poke the forlorn stuffed animal. By the end of the show, both the boy, sung beautifully by Hunter Reed, and the Velveteen Rabbit find acceptance and love.

Bootless Artworks is committed to bringing theater to the community. Along with securing grants allowing for schools serving low-income populations to attend performances, the directors created a handbook for teachers of students up through 12th grade. This book gives tips on creating puppet-theater and provides a guide for the literary analysis.

See. http://www.bootlessartworks.org/.

Jessica Graae

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Arden Fair: Margaret's View

The Arden Fair is usually my first Christmas shopping adventure. My friend Carol and I have gone together for years. We arrive at 9 o’clock, walk the fair before the crowds arrive and plan our purchases. Then she has a fruit smoothie and I have two hot dogs. Fortified, we go back with our wallets ready.

We first encountered a revolutionary design of saltshaker – a beautiful ceramic dome, which, when inverted, can be filled with salt. Turn it back over and the shelf inside the dome keeps the salt from falling out until you shake it vigorously. Potter Suzanne Kent says she did not invent this, but her work is beautiful and practical.

But more inventions were present among the jewelers. Ava Leas brought her pins and chain-ges. She uses a simple chain with a ring on either end which she uses to make brooches into chokers. A wonderful way to wear that inherited heavy pin that you love but which would pull your blouse off your shoulder if you pinned it on. Leas creates pins which are layered metal in silvers, golds and bronzes – layered leaves, butterflies with a Jewish CHAI for life. She had many fanciful earrings, too.

Not present, to my chagrin, was Cynthia Marriott who invented the self-locking earring. Each stem is folded back and twisted so it will never fall out of your ear. (How many of us have a collection of single earrings because one fell out!). Will Cynthia show up at the Art on the Green in New Castle?

Also absent was Gwen of Gwen’s Goodies. I usually stock up on her jams for presents. Her rhubarb jam was so good I put down my toast and wrote her a letter right away.

But present, as ever, was George, (pictured above) whose hard work makes everything at Arden work, from directing traffic to saving shows with extra lighting solutions to booking the hottest musicians imagined and to just keeping everyone together. Can’t be done without him.

Suzanne Kent – 610-436-5806
See Ava Leas at www.pinsbyava.com.
Cynthia Marriott – 610-647-7115
Gwen’s Goodies – 610-872-4041