SHORT REVIEW: Parr Barn Party Was Big Surprise
August 15, 2014
Last Saturday was another big surprise presentation by Cape Charles Harbor Festival. Venue: Parr Barn — An old white barn at the end of a cornfield, overlooking the marshes and barrier islands of the Atlantic seaside. At the back of the barn, guests were in the periphery of a circular driveway and in the center a maleTaiwanese dancer clad in a billowing black skirt was miming in silence. Boooring.
After 10 minutes I was about to leave when suddenly appearing from the seaside was a female Taiwanese dancer in similar attire but in red, jumping ,writhing, pirouetting gracefully towards the black dancer in unison with a hypnotizing Chinese melody. Hmm — interesting. The two dancers went inside the barn and out came several dancers clad in all white costumes and gestured the audience to go with them inside the barn, up the stairs into the rafters.
Up there, we were enveloped in white smoke as the dancers danced and the audience stared, mesmerized. It felt like I was participating in someone else’s dream. After the sequence, someone started playing the violin by the big barn window with the big moon just hanging outside like a cliched landscape. We went back downstairs to another stage where a very talented husband and wife team (Bridgman and Packard) performed their magical, whimsical dancing as images were projected into a black screen. At times, it was hard to determine whether it was the real person dancing or an image. Totally engrossing.
Many thanks to the organizers and supporters of the Harbor Festival for bringing this avant garde productions to our little town.
– MARIA FRANCIA VARGAS DALKINSKY
Big Bash Saturday at New Yacht Center — All Invited
The Baldwins are throwing open the new Cape Charles Yacht Center to the public Saturday, August 16, for a Cuban salsa dance party as part of the two-week-long Harbor for the Arts Festival. They promise “a huge Party with dancing, food, cash bar, special events, and entertainment.”
The party starts at 8:30 p.m. and goes until midnight. Music is by Orquesta Tropikiimba — Afro-Latino music “guaranteed to get people on their feet and dancing.” That includes Salsa, Timba, Songo, Bolero, Danzon, Cha Cha Cha, Charanga, Rumba, Bachata, Merengue, and Vallenato. Orquesta Tropikiimba is billed as “one of few authentic Afro-Caribbean Orchestras in the Virginia, Maryland, and Washington D.C. area.”
Harbor for the Arts Features ‘Songs of the Sea’
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 13
11 a.m.–1:00 p.m. — Art Instruction in the Art Room (10 Strawberry St.): Techniques in Charcoal: Emerging: Earth, Sky and Water. Exhibiting artist Lana Stephens will work with students on atmospheric charcoal techniques. Lana will teach reductive methods and techniques to illustrate the various effects of charcoal on Mylar. Lana enjoys the smooth slick surface of Mylar and has perfected how to get powdery charcoal to stick to the surface. $45 — call 757 331-2787 to register.
8 p.m. — Songs of the Sea at the Palace Theatre: A music and art collaboration by Lana Stephens and Simon Petersson. Petersson’s song cycle, inspired by the poem “Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allen Poe, consists of 10 songs that work together and tell a story of lost love and inescapable tragedy. Stephens’ charcoal drawing are expressive and dream-like, oscillating between reality and fantasy. The work is strongly influenced by the landscape of Southern Sweden as the majority of the visual and music was created in Sweden. Composer Lee Jordan Anders will accompany the performance. [Read more…]
Zoning Showdown: Baldwin vs Schwarzchild & Ordeman
CAPE CHARLES WAVE
August 12, 2014
Tonight (Tuesday) three speakers are scheduled to address the Northampton County Board of Supervisors on proposed zoning changes — specifically the proposed removal of the Waterfront Village zones of Oyster and Willis Wharf.
Eyre Baldwin, who owns property in Oyster, addressed the Planning Commission last week, and is expected to make the same points tonight. Baldwin has restored an old Oyster structure, moved it to the waterfront, and now wants to use it as a “waterfront Mom and Pop general store where locals, boaters, and traveling tourists can stop in to purchase gasoline, ice, drinks, and snacks for their boat ride out on the seaside.” He also wants to rent out kayaks, open a raw bar, and use the upstairs as a vacation rental. His complaint is that under the current zoning ordinance none of those things can be done “by right.”
“We are urging the Planning Commission to help ease the current restrictions that are preventing us from moving forward with a potentially great waterfront village business,” Baldwin said August 5.
Baldwin also again raised the concept of a regional water and wastewater system at the Webster property he owns in Cheriton. He called attention to the study by the Accomack-Northampton Planning District Commission and quoted it as stating that water quality in Cape Charles is “getting worse.” (CLICK for the Wave’s report.) “The wells in Cheriton at the Webster site are not affected by the water issues that plague Cape Charles. Studies have shown that the Webster site is sitting on top of the deepest part of the aquifer that runs under this county,” he said. [Read more…]
Larry Isdell, 59, Cape Charles Waterman
August 12, 2014
Larry Kent Isdell, 59, husband of the late Robin Jean Foster Isdell and a resident of Cape Charles, passed away Monday, August 4, at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital.
A celebration of life service will be conducted 7 p.m. Wednesday, August 13, at Travis Chapel United Methodist Church in Oyster, with Reverend Janet C. Allen officiating.
Mr. Isdell was born October 11, 1954, in Oyster, the son of the late Davis Isdell, Jr., and the late Kathleen Brady Isdell. He was a waterman.
He is survived by two daughters, Kelly Isdell Chapman of Cape Charles and Rachel Reeve of Alabama; a brother, Roy Isdell of Cape Charles; and four grandchildren, Kevin Lyons, Cassidy Chapman, C.J. Chapman, and Tyler Reeve. He was predeceased by an uncle, Calvin “Mutt” Brady. [Read more…]
Rintha Broyles, 74, Mother of Cape Charles Resident
August 12, 2014
Rintha Capps Broyles, 74, wife of the late Clarence N. Broyles, Jr., and a resident of Seaview, passed away at her residence Thursday, August, 7. A graveside service will be held 10 a.m. Friday, August 15, at Nimmo United Methodist Church Cemetery, 2200 Princess Anne Road, Virginia Beach, with Rev. Elizabeth A. Lutz officiating. Family and friends may call at her late residence 1-2 p.m. Thursday, August 14.
Mrs. Broyles was born April 18, 1940, in Pungo, the daughter of the late Russell Lee Capps and the late Mildred Smith Capps. She is survived by two daughters, Deborah Ann Eder of Machipongo and Robin Laverne Brownley of Cape Charles; a brother, Raymond Capps, and his wife, Gerri, of North Carolina; and three grandchildren, Christopher Lee Brittingham, Melissia Ann Jones, and Jason Andrew Brittingham. [Read more…]
Harbor for Arts Continues with Comedy, Classes, Jazz
TUESDAY AUGUST 12
3 p.m. — Local Thespians at the Coffee House: Poet and author Robert Arthur together with the Edge Theatre cast will perform skits, readings and poetry.
4 p.m., 8 p.m. — Let’s Get Funny! at the Palace Theatre: Workshops 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. with a comedy show at 8 p.m. Comedy show will include 20 minutes for ages 10-17 followed by 20 minutes for the adult group and then 20 minutes by The Pushers Team. Workshop is $35 — Call (757) 331-2787.
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 13
11 a.m.–1:00 p.m. — Art Instruction in the Art Room (10 Strawberry St.): Techniques in Charcoal: Emerging: Earth, Sky and Water. Exhibiting artist Lana Stephens will work with students on atmospheric charcoal techniques. Lana will teach reductive methods and techniques to illustrate the various effects of charcoal on Mylar. Lana enjoys the smooth slick surface of Mylar and has perfected how to get powdery charcoal to stick to the surface. $45 — call 757 331-2787 to register.
8 p.m. — Songs of the Sea at the Palace Theatre: A music and art collaboration by Lana Stephens and Simon Petersson. Petersson’s song cycle, inspired by the poem “Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allen Poe, consists of 10 songs that work together and tell a story of lost love and inescapable tragedy. Stephens’ charcoal drawing are expressive and dream-like, oscillating between reality and fantasy. The work is strongly influenced by the landscape of Southern Sweden as the majority of the visual and music was created in Sweden. Composer Lee Jordan Anders will accompany the performance.
THURSDAY AUGUST 14
11 a.m. — Shimmer Swimmers at the Cape Charles Library: Shadow puppets that will surprise and delight all audiences. Songs to sing, sign language to learn, and more stories, including one about a beautiful, stranded mermaid.
7 p.m. — L’Tanya Mari Jazz Duo at Aqua at Kings Creek Marina: L’Tanya Mari’ is a nationally recognized and critically acclaimed jazz vocalist and creative arranger. Her 2009 recording “A Teardrop of Sun” landed her in a top spot on the American Jazz Charts. Her soaring voice, along with impeccable intonation, clear articulation and a confident, swinging delivery, has solidified Mari’ as a commanding force in the jazz vocal genre.
CLICK for additional information about performances during the Harbor for the Arts Festival.
VIDEO: Street Music from Elvis and Tony
Elvis Lives!
Jim Smith returned to Cape Charles Saturday, August 9, for his fourth local appearance as Elvis — this time street-side. Watch “Walk a Mile in My Shoes.”
Old Man and the Fountain
Meanwhile, up Mason Avenue, Tony Sacco performed old favorites outside the Stage Door Gallery. Watch “Summertime.”
