New Year's Eve Eve Eve

• •  December 21st came and went, the world didn't end, and there are no more shopping days till Xmas 2012.  And just a few more days till 2012's last gasp.

    
    

    Once upon a time, "what-are-you-doing-New-Year's" demanded a definitive answer.  But it's not so important anymore. No plans are necessary; we'll find out when we get there.

    
    

    So I don't know where I'm going to ring in the New Year, but I DO know where this middle-aged rocker is going to be on the last Saturday night of 2012---and that's at Ziggy's for Mike Bennett and the "B" String All Stars annual Xmas jam.

    
    

    Saturday
  • 8:00pm
• 
  

• MIKE BENNETT AND THE "B" STRING ALL STARS BELOW THE LINE Mike B (owner of local guitar friendly rock store, THE "B" STRING) is back to do his annual Xmas jam. ALWAYS A FANTASTIC SHOW! Doors:8pm | Show:9pm | $5

Ziggy's

170 W. 9th St., Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27101

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Michael Bennett and the "B" String All Stars delivered a stellar show at the Summer On Trade Music Series, August 25, 2012.

RJR Students Perform at Arts on Sunday Festival

Every Sunday in October

Arts on Sunday Festivals are held every Sunday in October and again in May of each year.  The RJ Reynolds High School Visual and Performing Arts groups take the stage during one of the Sundays in each series. Their October engagement is THIS WEEKEND, Sunday October 21st, 1-5 pm. They will treat the crowd to what amounts to a variety show all afternoon.  We get to hear the orchestra and the jazz band perform. Past performances have also included dance routines from the famous Dancing Boots and excerpts from the school's theatrical production of Alice in Wonderland.

How It All Started

 Arts on Sunday Festivals have evolved into one of the premier events series in the Arts District.  The event was conceived a few years ago as a collaborative effort to promote Sunday Brunch at Finnigan's Wake and 6th and Vine restaurants and to provide artists with an opportunity to display and sell their creations.  That handful of tables and some acoustical music in the area between Finnigan's and 619-625 Trade Street has blossomed into a lively Sunday afternoon arts festival that spans the 500 and 600 blocks of Trade Street as well as the 200 block of 6th Street.  Each Sunday features a different theme, with a terrific array of live musical performances.

Music and Artists and Fun, Oh MY!

Other street performers provide additional entertainment. A mime wanders around interacting with kids and adults. Sometimes we get a balancing act demonstration.  Balloon artists, clowns, hula hoops, chalk drawing in the street--guaranteed fun for everyone.  There is always a kid's booth set up where kids get to create something special to take home with them.  Dozens of artists' booths and tables line both sides of the street, and many of the retail shops and galleries are open too.  Meet and greet the artists and watch as some of them create works of art before your very eyes.

Eat, Drink, Shop, Watch Football, Enjoy

The weather forecast for the upcoming weekend is for an absolutely delightful, sunny, mild autumn afternoon.  There is plenty of parking one block away in lots with entrances off Liberty Street, as well as the parking deck at the corner of Cherry and 6th Street.  Our friendly neighborhood bike patrol is there to look out for everyone's safety.  Restaurants and pubs abound. In addition to Finnigan's and 6th & Vine, there is Chelsee's Coffee Shop in the 500 block; and Mary's Too/Breakfast of Course and the District Restaurant in the 700 block of Trade, all of which serve scrumptious meals, cold beverages, and NFL football on wide-screen TVs.

GIT UP OFFA DAT THANG !

If you are one of those who haven't been to Downtown Winston-Salem lately, this is an ideal time to treat yourself to a trip to town!!

The AFAS Group
Trade Street Tracker on Facebook

BLUES-A-PALOOZA - Arts On Sunday Festival

The October 2012 series of Arts on Sunday Festivals gets cranked up on Sunday, October 7th with its kick-off event "Blues-a-Palooza."  Featured performers this time around include Twin City Buskers, Peter May and Friends, and the Charley Ward Band.

The stage will be located at the 6th and Trade St. intersection, and the 500 and 600 blocks of Trade Street, as well as the 200 block of 6th Street will be filled with artists and craftsmen displaying their wares.  Numerous shops and galleries will be open as well. One can expect to shop at The Other Half, Delurk Gallery, Unleashed Art Center, Willy Nilly, Red Dog Gallery, Retro Art Ware, Earthbound Arts, and Studios at 625.  Other galleries that may be open are Woodland Moth, Inter_Section Gallery, Bubbling Well/Golden Flower.  Shoppers and gallery patrons should encourage their sports-fan-spouses to come along--Finnigan's has several big-screen TVs tuned in to your favorite games and sports events, plus 36 draft beers to choose from for libation.  Our friendly neighborhood bike patrol public safety officers will be on hand to keep watch and ensure everyone's safety.

Come a little early and start your day with delicious Sunday brunch at Finnigan's Wake, 6th & Vine, or Breakfast of Course (in the 700 block). Then spend the afternoon enjoying a visual feast of art and craft. Bring the kids, as there are always some fun activities in store for them.  Bring your dog.  Bring a chair in case you want to sit and enjoy the music.  And bring your wallet filled with cash or debit/credit card, as this is the perfect time to begin your holiday shopping.  There is an ATM conveniently located inside Finnigan's should you need an emergency infusion of cash.

Best places to park are in parking lots with entrances along the 600 block Liberty Street. You may also get lucky and find some on-street parking in the 700 block of Trade or the 500-600 blocks of Liberty.  Then there is always the parking deck at the corner of 6th and Cherry Streets.

If you are one of those folks who keep saying they ought to check out downtown Winston-Salem again, this is THE perfect day for that outing.  It's FUN and it's all FREE.  And if you are an artist who wants to participate, visit the AFAS Group's website for information about how to sign  up.  www.theafasgroup.com

Check out the Trade Street Tracker's new Google+ page for photos of past Arts on Sunday festivals.

ROCK THE BLOCK

Time to Party Downtown at Rock the Block Remix!

Winston-Salem's annual musical streetfest happens on Saturday, September 22nd, from 11am till 7pm, spanning downtown from Corpening Plaza to Winston Square Park, to the green spot on 4th Street (I think it's got a name, just hasn't found a permanent place in my brain to reside), to 6th Street between Trade and Cherry Streets.

We get to rock 'n' roll to the sounds emanating from the Rock, Country and Blues stage being sponsored by Ziggy's.  This artist is very, very happy that we didn't get the beach music stage dumped on us.....Sorry, apologies to those of you who like "beach music."  If you don't know what that is, don't worry your rock-and-roll heart too much.

"Beach music" owes its heritage to the old 60's R & B music of the Tams, the Drifters, and the like.  It owes its name to the Myrtle Beach area of South Carolina, where it got tons and tons of airplay.  And back in the day when everybody's summer vacation included at least one trip to Myrtle Beach, it became the sound track to everybody's vacation. 

Mind you, the stuff that falls into the oldies-but-goodies R & B category is pleasant, nostalgic stuff.  But then somebody went and wrote songs about beach music......"I LUV beach music..." and "Myrtle Beach Days" come to mind here.
The thing is, they've all got the same rhythm, same sound, same dance steps.  The band starts up and it's like a whole bunch of wind-up toys start dancing all the same steps, a dance they call the shag.

How this set of dance steps got called the shag, I'll probably never know.  All I know is that once upon a time back in my younger, more foolish days, I knew these 2 guys from England and I took them to a party that had beach music, and a couple girls started talking about shagging in the sand and there was all kinds of back and forth talk about shagging in the sand along with secret behind-the-back chuckles and winks and grins between our two Englishmen....So what was so funny about dancing the shag?  Finally I decided our guys had had enough fun at the girls' expense, so I  told them: in England, "shagging" is a slang term for having sex.

ROCK the BLOCK REMIX

The City of Winston-Salem is shaking things up!! Rock the Block,  the annual end-of-summer street party, was for years held up and down several blocks of 4th Street.

But this year, they're rotating the footprint 90 degrees and placing music stages at 4 different locations, from Corpening Plaza to Winston Square to Civic Plaza to 6th Street in the Arts District. This will allow the major streets through town to remain open and vehicular traffic to move around more freely.  PLUS it takes advantage of several made-for-music-and-crowds outdoor venues.

We are especially pleased that the Arts District will be able to take part in the festival for the first time, as the Rock, Country and Blues stage will be located at 6th Street, between Cherry and Trade Streets. 


http://visitwinstonsalem.com/special-events/view/rock

STELLAR NIGHT on Trade Streeet

Michael Bennett and the "B" String All Stars gave a stellar performance at what has become a much-anticipated annual appearance at the Downtown WS Partnership's Summer Music on Trade event. Lots of beautiful people rocked out, danced, walked their dogs, imbibed various beverages of choice, shopped, and inhaled the refreshing breeze of picture-perfect weather.

Regression

Ventured out Wednesday eve to hear the GBs perform at the District Bar & Grille, located between the 700 blocks of Trade and Liberty Streets.  60s oldie-goldie British rock 'n' roll at its finest.  With a 40th high school reunion coming up next month, waxing nostalgic is inevitable, I guess.

Hadn't been to the District before, but it was time to check it out.  The band was set up outdoors on an upstairs landing against a backdrop of the downtown Winston-Salem skyline by night. Beatles, Herman's Hermits, Stones, Kinks....

The GBs:  Chuck Dale Smith (center), Fred Benton (right), with Henry (?) on the left and a drummer back there somewhere.

Somebody just posted a photo of some of Fred Benton, Chuck Dale Smith & bandmates from "back in the day....."

Worth noting are the bright-white ice-cream-man suits that came from none other than Miller's Variety Store.  Well, Miller's happens to still be in business (80+ years and counting), and they have this HUMONGOUS basement full of vintage clothing and all kinds of other tacky stuff.  They could very well still have some of these suits, you know......

When Fred mentioned having burned his white duds along with his powder-blue tux, I just had to resurrect a photo of Prom Date JeffYoursElf, all decked out in a powder-blue suit from Miller's basement....

So, what in dad-gum-tarnation is JeffYoursElf? Gotta save that one for another post some day. I'll need to confirm that Jeff Broughton is safely out of town first because I'm not sure I'll be allowed to live much longer after telling the tale....

And the Bands Play On....

Summer on Trade continues to draw awesome crowds every Saturday night.  Different band each week, different kind of crowd.  But always one thing in common:  People get up and dance.  West End Mambo, a well established local band that plays energetic Latin rhythms, packed the 6th & Trade dance "floor" this past Saturday with people doing all kinds of variations of Latin dance, salsa, rumba, samba, merengue, cha-cha, mambo-sambo-rambo, cha-cha-cha-choo-choo, tango-mango......

I was at my usual station, painting hats at a table in front of my shop (Willy Nilly) when a woman stopped and remarked that she'd never seen such a crowd at a gallery hop.  "No, gallery hop was last night," I attempted to explain to her. "This is Summer on Trade music series, every Saturday night throughout the summer."

DWSP: Alphabet Scoop du Jour

I then tried to clarify further that Summer on Trade is a production of the Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership (DWSP) along with some generous corporate partners, especially Truliant Federal Credit Union. This is its 15th year!! (Even though it draws a decent crowd every week, it continues to amaze me how many local people don't know about what I consider one of downtown W-S's finest --and FREE-- events.)  The stage goes  up at the 6th & Trade Street intersection, with the adjacent blocks of Trade and 6th streets barricaded so that people and cars don't mix it up. Several shops and galleries stay open late for the event, especially those located close to the intersection.

DADA:  Alphabet Scoop du Jour, Part Deux

Gallery Hops, I explained to her, are produced by the Downtown Art District Association (DADA) and are held the first Friday of every month, all year 'round. They involve the entire Art District, with the entire area blocked off from vehicular traffic in favor of such outdoor activities as the recent Tomato Tasting, belly-dance performances,  and much more.  All the studios, galleries and shops keep late hours for gallery hops, many holding receptions to open new art exhibitions.  There are usually other vendors and organizations which arrange with DADA to set up a booth or table in the street.

AFAS:  Alphabet Scoop gone Animal Crackers

The woman was still somewhat bewildered at the thought of so much activity on Trade Street. I decided to boggle her mind a little further when I mentioned that in October we'd have Arts On Sunday, a series of Sunday afternoon art fairs produced by Art for Art's Sake (AFAS).  Her poor head was reeling by now, so I decided to save the detailed explanation for the blog.

The Trade Street Corollary of the Law of Attraction

Now, it seems everybody wants to jump onto the Trade Street bandwagon, as it continues to grow in popularity as a venue for other events.  In July it played host to Krispy Kreme's 75th Anniversary Celebration Bash, which featured a terrific party band and free Krispy Kreme products, especially their famous doughnuts, served hot off a mobile version of  a doughnut bakery.

Earlier this year we welcomed Habitat for Humanity's annual BirdFest, a fundraising effort that for years took place near their ReStore off Stratford Road in an area bordering the historic Ardmore neighborhood. The move to Trade Street was a win-win situation for both Habitat and the Arts District.

Next month we look forward to Bookmarks Book Festival, returning to the Downtown Arts District for the 3rd straight year.  This year they've expanded the footprint for the festival to include the Urban League at 5th and Trade Street and the Downtown School and the 7th and Trade intersection.  Personally, I'm super-pleased to be near the Main Stage at 6th and Trade.  Besides being just beyond the doorstep of my shop, it will open with the appearance of Woody Durham, the famous Voice of the Tar Heels for 40 years. Being a die-hard Tar Heel born and bred (my father was an alumnus, Class of '49, and I graduated in the Class of 1976), I have to answer the call to meet a man whose voice has been such an important part of my life!!

For once, my art-world and my sports-world will collide.  Gotta bookmark this.

Trade Street Rocks!

Temperature last Saturday topped 100 degrees. There were reports that a number of outdoor activities in town that had been cancelled due to the excessive heat. But on Trade Street, the show had to go on!! Martha Bassett and her band were real troupers, rewarding their stalwart fans with a stellar performance.

I had been somewhat hot and bothered when I pulled up the Trade Street Tracker that afternoon, intending to add an update, only to find that the background photo had disappeared!! All there was in the background were a bunch of white minus signs against a black background. Other photos had disappeared to, only to be replaced with this in-your-face minus-sign. Google, what gives??

Finally found a new photo to serve as a decent background image and uploaded after resizing umphf times because it kept being too large. DOUBLE hot 'n' bothered.  Finally got it to work; left computer to go set up my hat-painting table outside.

At last, I was able to settle down and paint. Martha's exceptional voice was the perfect antidote to my frazzled condition. Then my sister Denise and her husband Perry showed up with Kendall's new puppy, this cute little fluff-ball named Clay, an Aussie-Doodle.  Had to abandon the paint brushes in favor of the camera. 

MUSIC, SWEET MUSIC

"There'll be music, sweet music....for dancin'  in the streets!"

It's here!  Summer on Trade, an annual, summer-long, FREE event presented by the Downtown W-S Partnership, which happens on Saturday evenings, 7-10pm.The 500 and 600 blocks of Trade Street are blocked off, along with 6th Street on either side of Trade.  The stage and sound system are constructed in the intersection.  6th Street and adjacent areas of Trade Street that surround the stage are transformed into an amphitheater of sorts as people filter in and set up their chairs for an evening concert by some of the area's finest musicians. And there is plenty of room in front of the stage for dancing in the streets!

Bring your kids, bring your dogs, bring your out-of-town guests, bring yourself! 

Just don't bring your coolers; beer and wine are available at the beer tent as well as at street vendors, resident bars and restaurants; they will serve your beverages in plastic cups so that you can take them with you and walk around within the police barricades.  

Also bring some cash or your debit card--there are several ATM machines around, and plenty of shops and galleries who keep extended hours so that you can "shop local." Kids' activities include chalk drawing in the streets in several locations, and kids love to dance in the streets! Parking is available in nearby lots off Liberty, Main, Cherry and Marshall streets. And your safety is assured by great street lighting and the presence of friendly but ever-vigilant bike patrol and other law enforcement officers.

Summer on Trade Music Series

• WHO:    YOU and your family and friends.
• WHAT:   Free concerts by talented area bands and musical groups.
• WHEN:   Saturdays, beginning June 16th, 7-10pm
• WHERE: The intersection of 6th and Trade Streets,Downtown Arts District, Winston-Salem NC
• WHY:     Because it's FREE and FUN and FAMILY-FRIENDLY.