WAYNE CREED
Response to ‘Arts Festival Is Essence of Development’
By WAYNE CREED
August 19, 2014
In response to David Kabler’s letter (CLICK), I certainly agree with everything Capt K is saying, especially “establishing our community as a center of the arts and education, improving our reputation and attracting new growth and business to our region.”
However, the deconstructionist in me would be remiss not to point out that textually the narrative always bleeds over and tends to occupy the most important part of the narrative, out in the margins, echoing Guy Debord’s claims that different commodities conflict with each other, preventing the consumer from consuming the whole. Each commodity claims itself as the only existent one:
“Irreconcilable claims jockey for position on the stage of the affluent economy’s unified spectacle, and different star commodities simultaneously promote conflicting social policies.”
What I mean is that as beautiful a celebration of the Arts as Harbor for the Arts was, simultaneously, right across town, in the old school, crews were working to demolish the oldest, most historical stage on the Eastern Shore.
As much as I love and support everyone and everything involved in HFA, it’s still hard to reconcile these “oppositional” events. I guess my ultimate criticism is that the ultimate goal here, as described by Kabler, is economic development; however, this belief is couched in the belief that existence is structured in terms of oppositions (historical significance and social justice or grants for digital cameras) and that these oppositions are hierarchical, with one side of the opposition being more valuable than the other (this is certainly the reality (of the street) that the historically underserved are being expected to accept). The courts certainly seem to agree with this, and insist that we urgently re-inscribe this new hierarchy (devalue social and historical significance and replace it with the “New”: see Hotel Cape Charles) so that we can move ahead with “economic development” as the main driver. [Read more…]
Water System Flush Tuesday 8/19
Cape Charles residents are cautioned not to use any water during the water system flush beginning 9 p.m. Tuesday, August 19, 2014, ending 2 a.m. Wednesday, August 20. Sediment could be drawn into residences’ water lines. When the flush is completed the system should rectify itself fairly quickly. For questions, call Ron Bailey at 757-331-1018.
LETTER
Sewer Smell at Beach and Harbor Discourages Tourism
August 18, 2014
DEAR EDITOR,
Could someone please look into why the waste treatment plant at Cape Charles continuously smells? My husband and I have a home in Cheriton and frequently have grandchildren over to visit. Of course they want to go to the beach, and the beach at Cape Charles is very convenient. Last year we noticed a sewage smell while swimming and sunning. This year it is there as well. We also put our boat in at the harbor and, of course, experience the same thing. It is very off-putting when you expect sea breezes and get only what you can only say “phew” to.
We continue to put our boat in at the harbor because of the convenience of not towing it a long distance, and because we don’t have to smell those odors because we are not there very long. We have, however, decided not to take advantage of the beach anymore, because who wants to spend the day whiffing those gases? We’ll go to Kiptopeke and pay for the privilege to breathe the clean, salty air down there. Or trip on up to Assateague and, again, pay for a glorious breezy experience and for fun playing in the waves.
I wonder how the folks in the big yachts in the harbor feel about taking in foul odors while trying to sit on the boat deck, having a cool one and grilling out? How would this go over as a recommendation to their friends to dock their boats there? How do they feel when they have friends over and they ask, “How can you stand that smell?” [Read more…]
WEEKEND: Images from Harbor for the Arts Festival
AUGUST 15-17 WEEKEND: Images from Harbor for the Arts Festival
(1) BARN DANCE: Renata Sheppard, Harbor for the Arts Festival artistic director, performs at Art in the Barn August 9
(2) YOGA IN THE PARK
(3) TONY SACCO — “OLD MAN AND THE FOUNTAIN”
WEEKEND: Last Days of Harbor Arts Festival
SATURDAY AUGUST 16
8:30 a.m. — Yoga in the Park: Start your weekend mornings with a body/mind practice.
11-1 p.m. — Jeff Madsen outside Brown Dog Ice Cream: Jeff Madsen entertains with rich vocals and classic acoustics.
1 p.m. — Narrowpath on Strawberry Street: Narrowpath is a contemporary Christian band from the Eastern Shore. They write their own music, and their songs speak to the struggles and the joys of the Christian walk.
5:30 p.m. — Andrew McKnight & Beyond Borders on Strawberry Street: Singer/songwriter Andrew McKnight’s music traverses influences from Appalachia, tasteful slide and jazzy blues, feisty anthems, rustic folk, and guitar-driven rock while blending his charming tenor voice and acoustic and electric guitars with banjo, upright bass, drums, and percussion.
7:30 p.m. — Experimental Film Screenings 2014 in the Palace Theatre: Premiere of the 3-minute short films created during the workshop in Cape Charles with comments by the various filmmakers. A culmination of the intense work generated by the international workshop participants. Films highlight Cape Charles location and characters. Special guests include Grammy Award winner Noemie LaFrance, Andy Edmunds from the Virginia Film Institute and Italian film maker Lorenzo Minoli.
8:30 p.m.-midnight — Tropikiimba, Cuban salsa dance party, Cape Charles Yacht Center: Huge party with dancing, food, cash bar, special events, and entertainment co-sponsored by the Cape Charles Yacht Center. (See poster on page 1.)
SUNDAY AUGUST 17
8:30 a.m. — Yoga in the Park
4 p.m. — Antonio Vitiello, Palace Theatre: Pianist, Antonio Vitiello from Naples, Italy, offers an eclectic variety of musical favorites, interspersed with well known songs by vocalist Gualtiero Cavalieri.
7 p.m. — Soulful Tones Band, Central Park: One of the hottest bands on the Eastern Shore, the Soulful Tones play Funk, R&B, Rock, Reggae and GO-GO. Bring a picnic and a chair. Margaritas available.
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…]
