Artists and Neighbors Gather Around the Fountain

Born Sisters performing at the Around the Fountain festival in Cool Springs Park. Photo: Carey Corbin

Utilizing Wilmington's newest public park, the first "Around the Fountain" festival was held at the recently reconstructed Cool Springs Reservoir Park on Sunday, August 29th. Located behind Ursuline Academy, the reservoir opened as a park with a pond and fountain, a bandstand and open grassy space in October 2009. With "Around the Fountain," the space has proven to be an ideal place for an outdoor festival, with a handful artists displaying artwork and crafts along the circular pathway, food vendors Yatz's water ice and Fat Rick's barbecue, the Delaware Humane Society (who organized a day full of canine events such as the dog parade) and live music.

Set up in the semi-circle in front of the Cool Springs fountain, musical acts Born Sisters, Sean Dougherty (a guitar teacher at The Grand) and former Montana Wildaxe member Chip Porter and Friends entertained the neighbors as they strolled the arts-lined sidewalks and seated on the outdoor bandstand's steps.

Jewelry by Gimme Faith Design at the Around the Fountain Festival in Cool Springs Park. Photo: Carey Corbin

Despite the sweltering heat of the day, the arts kiosks, featuring local artists, including Tim Dunham (Photos by TNT), Jannine (Pick Me) and Faith Rosenblatt (Gimme Faith) were a reminder that Delaware's fall arts festival season is just about here -- next up, the Arden Fair on September 4th and the Brandywine Festival of the Arts on September 11th and 12th.

More Audition Calls: This Time, for Theater

City Theater Company, Delaware's Off-Broadway, is currently accepting headshots/resumes for its December and May productions. Please send info to ctccasting@comcast.net and specify the production(s) for which you would like to be considered.

RECKLESS by Craig Lucas. Seeking 7 actors, age 18+, ( 4 women, 3 men) for December ...2010 production of this dark comedy.

NINE by Arthur Kopit and Maury Yeston. Seeking 14 actors, age 18+, (13 women and 1 male) with solid musical chops for May 2011 production of this searing musical. Age range for women's roles is 25 to 65. Male role is 35-45.

See http://www.city-theater.org/.

Local authors read at the Kirkwood Highway Library

On Sunday, August 8, Ramona DeFelice Long, who received the Delaware Division of the Arts grant for Emerging Artist in 2002 and received the award for Established Artist last year, read from her story Grande Isle. She was raised on the barrier island off of the Louisiana coast and recounted her childhood fishing and beach trips in the back of her father’s truck and the long run to the beach, which left her breathless. She carries the story forward to the time she takes her own children to the same beach and notes how it had changed and how she finally understood the emotion behind her grade school teacher’s depiction of the power of the mighty Mississippi.

JM Reinbold, Director of the Written Remains Writers Guild (see her interview of another local author in this blog), read a selection from her work in progress, The Prince of the Piedmont. Reinbold’s selection was from a cougar’s point of view as he searches for food in the hostile environment of an intensely populated Delaware.

Tery Aine Griffin, who won a Delaware Division of the Arts award for Emerging Artist this year read from the collection of stories she submitted for this award, Extra Presents. The story began with such detail about three sisters gathered for another dreaded Christmas celebration after their mother had died that I felt I knew the family personally. Susan fortifies herself for the evening by drinking wine she dislikes in the kitchen, Hope fidgets with her cigarettes trying to avoid saying anything offensive and Margaret tries to organize and create an atmosphere of happy Christmases all three know never existed.

JoAnn Balingit, Delaware Poet Laureate, showed up to support the readers. Kudos to her and to the DDOA for supporting artists and to the friends of the Kirkwood Highway Library for supporting the reading.

By the way, in spite of votes to the contrary by local pundits, the new Kirkwood Highway Library building has won the 2010 International Architecture Award.

See http://www.writtenremains.org/

See http://www.artsdel.org/

See http://www.teryg.net/

See http://www.jmreinbold.com/

See http://www.ramonadef.wordpress.com/.