Arts groups add music to Bridging Arts weekend

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BY BRIAN RIGGS

FMAAA Director

Mark your calendars for a must-see and hear cultural arts weekend September 21st-23rd in Lee County, Iowa. The action begins in Keokuk on 9/21 with two main entrees to choose from. Great River Players offers presentation of Glass Menagerie at their facility for a free will offering at 7:30pm. Nearby at The Grand the jazzy sounds of Rod Pierson’s “Not So Big Band” begin at 8:00pm. Like Sinatra?Than get going to The Grand on Friday. Advance tickets for musical performances at The Grand are available at Keokuk Convention and Visitors Bureau, Java River, Hy-Vee, and The Lost Canvas in Keokuk, as well as FMAAA gallery in Ft. Madison. Tickets are available at the box office of The Grand an hour prior to each performance. Get your Tom Petty Tribute and Temperance Brass tickets at $20. Rod Pierson jazz and Fantasy Band tickets are $15.

Keokuk shoots the moon on Saturday with a plethora of events, creating three major spokes, each showcasing major historical attractions of Keokuk—the Depot, The Grand, and the Walking Bridge. Actually the action begins at 8 a.m. in the morning at Tourism office where plein air competitors must get their canvas/paper stamped prior to allocating to painting positions in Keokuk. See their display by The Grand from 5 p.m. -7p.m. Fifth and Main is also the future home of America’s First Great Dam Museum. A display of area artists will be available for extended hours for the Rock the Arts weekend to include: Tim&Lydia O’Neil, Tim Laffey, Jay Scott, Joe Morgan, and Morgan Stanley. Once the plein air painters are set loose in Keokuk, young artists have plenty of activities with Chalk Art at 10 a.m. at Victory Park Pavilion, followed by Kindness “Rocks the Arts” for all ages in the lower level of the library at 11 a.m. The kid’s art ventures peak with Joe and Rocky Van Litho performance of gentile, furry felines imparting life’s lessons in a dazzling puppet show.

The Keokuk depot will host visual artists from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. with musical performance by Tristan Grisham and 1 p.m. and food vendor Taste Buds on hand. The Grand hosts two major bands one in early afternoon and one in early evening. There will be a tent full of activity with The Islanders performing music at 2 p.m. and Java River serving food, as well as Lucky’s serving specials all day.

At 3 p.m. enjoy the Motown sounds of The Fantasy Band at The Grand. Then enjoy food vendors at the tent area location while awaiting the Lee County Plein Air Competition. Winners will be selected and Keokuk works created THAT DAY on display for sale from 5 p.m.-7 p.m. RaeAnn dancing troupe will perform at this time too. All this followed by Free Fallin’, a highly rated Tom Petty Tribute Band at The Grand at 7:30 p.m.. All the while Lee County visitors can view the Mississippi River from a prime vantage point along the walking bridge from 2:30 p.m. -5:30 p.m and Main Street’s Brews on the Bridge/Wine Over Water taste testing of great regional beverage makers. Free shuttlebus all day between the three action sites of the Depot, The Grand, and the Walking Bridge.

On Sunday the action moves from Keokuk to Ft Madison for Art-in-Central Park. Art-in-Central Park is a decade strong now, keeping visual artists selling their wares under the shade trees, Kid’s Activity Art Zone by the playground, delicious BBQ under the shelter house, and microbrew tasting from Lost Duck Brewery. New to the event this year is the Lee County Plein Air Competition that will display from 2:30 p.m. -4 p.m. by the shelter house. Musical performances begin in the gazebo at noon with 16-year-old country crooner Paytyn Young.

Musical veterans Bluezillion will headline the middle tour of duty and have your toes tappin’. Finishing will be the reggae sounds of Victory Henigan while the Lee County Plein Air Competition rounds out the family fun afternoon with their landscape works for sale. Placement awards for both days on painting action in Keokuk and Ft. Madison will be juried by Dr. Marie Brady Whitcanack. Closing out the weekend of Bridging the Arts in Lee County is a performance by Temperance Brass at The Grand in Keokuk at 3 p.m. sponsored by the Keokuk Concert Association.

Arts-in-Central-Park, contest, Fort Madison Area Arts Association, Keokuk, Pen City Current, plien, Rand Park

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