HCAC Thank You's for 2004
given March 2005
Welcome. As we embark upon our twelfth year the Executive Committee
is pleased to report steady growth and progress toward our stated
goal of an "Art-Rich Environment that enhances quality of
life and encourages local performers, artists and writers."
Your Arts Council remains on sound financial footing. We try to
make each activity self-supporting, yet many of our performances
and opportunities are offered to the community at little or no
charge. Grants play an important part in making this possible.
In 2004 HCAC received grants from the WV Commission on the Arts,
the Pennsylvania Performing Arts on Tour Program, and the Mid-Atlantic
Arts Foundation. Each one required matching funds, and we thank
those who provided them, especially The Bank of Romney and First
National Bank of Romney.
Many people in the community pitch in to make the Arts Council's
activities possible. An ad thanking them will appear in next week's
Hampshire Review. We’d like also to thank them now as we
review the past year’s accomplishments.
During 2004 the Arts Council reached a partnership understanding
with The Loy Foundation that makes this facility available to
us in a very favorable arrangement and makes HCAC the artistic
advisor for the Foundation. We thank Danny Staggers for reviewing
the agreement for us. This partnership helped persuade the WV
Commission on the Arts to award a Cultural Facilities Capital
Grant for adding an accessible entry area and restrooms this year.
The Loy Foundation has designated an upstairs room in the Loy
House for Arts Council use, invested in sound improvements, and
underwritten the sound technician and lighting services for tonight's
gathering. For all the hard work improving the acoustics of this
room we thank Joe Crawford and Larry Brown.
For hosting our monthly art displays, sketch group and meetings
of the Spring Festival Committee, we thank the Hampshire County
Public Library and Bess Rexroad for organizing them..
We also appreciate the storage space Loudoun Thompson provides
us for HCAC's equipment.
In April 2004 our Ice Mountain Writers held their Annual Evening
of Words and Music at the WV School for the Deaf. We thank them
for hosting that evening and the students from the High School
for the Blind and Joe Crawford for handling sound. Featured singer/songwriter
Monica Perz-Waddington worked earlier that day with elementary
students on their writing thanks to Deb Hartsock Title I and the
Hampshire County Schools.
In May 2004 Our spring Coffeehouse with The Intrepid Jazz Trio
was held here at The Bottling Works, sponsored by ERA Creekside
Realty. Anderson’s Corner provided gourmet coffee.
Shirley Carnahan and Robin Pancake organized our first Annual
Spring Arts Festival, which the Potomac Center provided a location
for. Kate McWilliams prepared the program, and many others assisted
with providing childrens' activities, exhibits, gardening talks,
and music.
In June 2004 The Bank of Romney again sponsored our Summer Concerts
series and we also thank them for allowing us to use the Community
Center for our monthly Ice Mountain Writers’ and Theatre
Group meetings and for the Annual Art Show during Heritage Days.
—We certainly thank the Potomac Center for their gracious
hospitality for our Summer Concerts. In 2004 the series presented
Pete & Maura Kennedy in June, blues masters Cephas & Wiggins
in July, and Ensemble Tympanon in August.
July 2004
The WV School for the Deaf hosted our 9th summer youth art camp,
which tied into the county's 250th Anniversary with a focus on
Heritage. We thank Nancy Williams and Nancy Judd for organizing
the camp, McDonalds for providing drinks for our campers and The
Hampshire County CEOSs and the Hampshire County Committee on Aging
Homemakers Group for sponsoring the camp.
—We applaud Herb Adrian, Pat Barnett, Teresa Bisset, Shirley
Carnahan, Becky Cookman, Steve and Mandy Dawson, Teresa Dillon,
Tom Engelman, Dick Everett, Carolyn Grapes, Leenie & Pete
Hobbie, Sarah Hott, Judy Householder, Sndy Johnson, Shari Loar,
Andy Mason, Marry O'Malley, Patty andMiles Perry, Isabel Plowright,
Sue Saville, Margie See, and Cyndi Wylie for instructing and assisting
at Art Camp 2004.
In September under Robin Pancake's steady hand HCAC mounted its
10th Fall Fine Fine Art Show with $1,200 in awards. We thank Avalon
for sponsoring the Best Figurative Work Award and The Hampshire
Review for sponsoring the best Photograph Award—not to mention
for all the excellent coverage they provide our events throughout
the year. We also appreciate The Hampshire 250 Committee's sponsorship
of the Best Representation of Hampshire County award and Sheila
Melzac for the Vincent Melzac Best Non-representational Work Award.
Betty Williams and Joe Pancake sponsored the Mary Rose Hicks Watercolor
Award and we thank The Friends of the Hampshire County Public
Library for their purchase award, which hangs in the library.
Dillon’s Furniture, ERA/Creekside Realty, Farm Credit, Mayhew
Chevrolet, Hampshire House, and Romney Florist and IronWorks all
sponsored Awards of Merit.
• We thank FNB Romney for sponsoring our Fall Concert featuring
classical guitarist Randall Avers and our own Hollyhock Trio.
We appreciate the good job Joe Crawford and Francis Chilcoat's
students did handling sound for that performance.
In November 2004 Century 21/Mountain Heritage Realty, sponsored
our fall coffeehouse featuring Maralyn Lovell and Friends, with
more coffee from Anderson's Corner.
—The Arts Council participated in celebrating Hampshire
County's 250th anniversary last year and one result is a contribution
from the sales of the recordings of our local musicians to fund
another Israel Welch Scholarship. HCAC will administer the scholarship.to
send another budding Hampshire County musician to the Augusta
Heritage Workshops or Common Ground.
In January 2005 We thank the Romney Moose for their support of
our concerts. We thought we'd need their help for the January
Guy Davis concert, but it was such a success that we have been
able to redirect their contribution to helping present the upcoming
April 1st performance. The Guy Davis Concert was our biggest indoor
event yet, with 200 people. We appreciate the sound services contributed
by Gizmo for that performance.
In February 2005 HCAC was invited by WFWM Radio to air a 5-minute
Hampshire Arts Calendar segment each Tuesday at 5:30PM during
All Things Considered.
A new Accessibility Advisory Committee met in February, one result
of which is the wheelchair ramp that has just been added here,
thanks to the Hampshire County Committee on Aging and Vic Madonna.
Our 2005 Cabin Fever Concert featuring the South Mountain String
Band and Rock Candy Cloggers was sponsored by FNB Bank and drew
people from 4 states and 3 other WV counties!
Throughout the year Isabel Plowright has done a wonderful job
of maintaining our website, as well as serving her final year
as our treasurer. Eileen Eddis finished up her term as one of
our co-directors and shepherded the launching of our Community
Theater Group. Mary Miller coordinated the revival of a Photographers'
Interest Group. Robin Pancake produced our newsletters and maintained
our membership records. Shari Gallery organized our concerts and
issued our weekly e-mailed Arts Alerts. Marilyn Nicholson served
part of the year as our secretary and Darla Cook picked up where
she left off. Nancy Judd served as our representative on the Loy
Foundation Board of Trustees.
We thank all these folks, and any others we may have inadvertently
overlooked, for making the past year a productive one for the
Arts Council.
2003
2002
